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J A M E rj CAMPBELL & CON, 18 7 1. ■ i— imiii— II THE LIFE AND TIMES '^ I or THE REV. ROBERT BURNS, D.D. F.A.S., F.R.S.E. * TORONTO. I iNCLUDING AN UNFINISHED AUTOBIOGRAPHY. »¥ The Rey. R. J^. ^uf^ns, d.d., MONTREAL. THIRD EDITION. m^ TORONTO: JAMES CAMPBELL & SON, 1873. (S Uf\NS^^, F, 132311 1 ., f.^fi'^i-i «• Entered according to the Act of the Parliament o( Canada, in tho year one thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, by Jambs Caupbelii & Son, in tiae office of the Minister of Agriculture. ' -^ 'i HUNTER, ROSE, & CO., PRIMTKKS, TORONTO. ■\y f-iST OP Jllusti^ations. Steel Engravings. ' l^^": • f™™ Photograph by Neman. Knox College ... t, roronto. Wood Engravings. St. Geopge's Church. . -n • , Knox's CHURCH .. . l'''''^' 1 oroiito. i PREFxYCE. The " Unfinished Autobiography," which forms so promi- nent a feature in the first part of this vohmie seems to have been written principally in 18G7, — the year previous to its author's last visit to FrXherland. A few portions were penned during that visit. The singular accuracy with which so many minute in- cidents are recalled, by one nearing fourscore, and the vividness and freshness with wliich they are related, make us regret the more that a work so successfully com- menced should not have been carried to its contemplated completion. It appears not to have been prepared consecutively, but in detached portions, on separate sheets, as he felt disposed. "We have arranged them to the best of our ability, and have avoided intermingling editorial intro- ductions or reflections, unless where it appeared necessary or desirable. When the Autobiography failed us, we have drawn largely on his own letters and papers, and the willingly- rendered contributions of those with whom or for whom he laboured in his native and in his adopted country. VI PEEFACE. Hearty thanks are cordially tendered to the friends, too numerous to particularise, in the Province and beyond it, who have thus kindly substituted their many lights, radiating from different standpoints, and reflecting a variety of facts and phases, for the one which we could have but dimly supplied. We would gratefully acknowledge, also, the services of the Rev. Professor Gregg, and Mr. John Young, of Toron- to, who have largely remedied the difficulty connected with our distance from the place of publication, by the laboriousness and fidelity wherewith they have revised the manuscripts and proofs, and superintended their pas- sage through the press. We arc fully sensible of the imperfections which must attach to a Work to whose preparation we could devote but fragments of time, amid the constant pressure of manifold duties. But if it serve, even in an inadequate measure, to embody and embalm the leading features of a remarkably forceful character, and the main facts of an earnest and eventful life, as well as, incidentally, to furnish a contribution towards the, as yet, unwritten history of Presbyteriani^sni in Canada, our labour will not have been in vain. Mo.NviiEAL, 1st August, 1872, TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER I. EARLY DATS. Birth — First Remembrance — Lord Howe's Victory — Greenwich Hospital — Naval Heroes — Grateful Octogenarian — Kinneil House — Dr. Roebuck — Dugald Stewart — Heroes of Covenant — Flavel, a favourite — Boy Reader — Inner Life — Early Leanings — The Wooden Pulpit — The Drunkard of Fifty Years page 1. CHAPTER II. LITERARY EDUCATION. School and College Days — Parish School — Boyhood Teachers — Un- iversity of Edinburgh — Professors Hill, Dalzell, Finlayson — Robi- son, McKnight — Laidlaw, the Tutor — Logarithms on Portobello Sands — CoUej/e Companions — Saturday Strolls — Courts of Session — Harry Erskine — Ponderous Judge and " Screeching" Lawyer — Book Auctions — Peter Cairns and Hammer Oratory — The " Sacra Lectio" — Lady Yestors — Rev. David Black — Stewart of Moulin — Dr. Balfour — Dr. Thomas Fleming — Thomas Brown — Earl Russell and Dugald Stewart — The Leslie Controversy — First Communion — Wilberforce's Practical View — Defoe's Eulogy onBo'ness Men — Captain John Henderson — John Henderson, of Park — Last Visit to Haunts of hi-: Youth — The Old Pit — Name notched on the Tree — Retrospect page 12. CHAPTER III. THEOLOGICAL EDUCATION. Divinity Hall — Dr. Andrew Hunter — Pictet's Theology — Dr. Mei- klejohn — Dr. Moodie — Elocution— Defects — Few " Serious" Stu- dents — Theological Society — Broad Chxirch — Wright, « if Borthwick — Darwinianism — Dr. Candlish's First Appearance — Wright's De- position — Dr. Hamilton, of Strathblane — Sir Robert Spankie — First Theme — Scathing Criticism — Adelphi-Theological — William P-«eble3— Oak-tree in the "Meadows" — Geo. Whiteheld— Sillimau • •• CONTENia —Dr. Codman, of Boston — The Race of Reconciliation — Prevalent Arminianism — Harvard — Cooper on Predestination — Lights of the Edinburgh Pulpit, Black, Fleming, Campbell, Jones, Peddie, iStruthers— Colquhoun, of Leith — The two Dicksons — Dr. David- son — Dr. Walter Buchanan— "The Apostle of the North"— Dr. McAU, of Manchester — Singular Meeting with Dr. McAU — The Illustrious Triumvirate, McCrie, Thomson and Chalmers — Tutor- 3hip at Cramond — The Bonar Family — Matrimonial Connexions — Licensed, March, 1810 — First Sermon at Cramond — Four months at Perth — Perth Friendships page 26. CHAPTER IV. PAISLEY MINISTRY. Paisfley Worthies — Communion Cups — The Paisley Weaver — The Candidates — Laigh Kirk — John Neilson — The Election — Ordina- tion — The Scottish Lecture — The Paper Man — Pastoral Visitation — Church Catechising — Sabbath Schools and Bible Classes — Letters to his Sister — The Unreadable Manuscript — Domestic Bereavements — Mrs. Burns' Correspondence with Mrs. Briggs — Glimpses of Home and Church Life — Mrs. Bums' Death, 14th Nov. 1841 — Letter of Sympathy from Dr. Chalmers — Missionary Work — Charge to Rev. John Macdonald, of Calcutta — Testimo- nies as to success in Paisley — Letter from Mr. Bonar, of Cra- mond page 43. CHAPTER V. CHURCH COURTS AND SOCIETIES. Paisley Presbytery — Three Parties — Fleming, of Neilston, and Pat- rick Brewster — Logan, of Eastwood— Death-bed Visit — Father of Free Church — Macfarlane, of Renfrew — Smith, of Lochwinnoch — Findlay — Rankin — Snodgrass — Stewart, of Erskine — Scott, of Greenock — Patrick Macfarlane — Douglas — Telfer, Monteith, Boog, McNair, Thomson — First Appearance in General As- sembly — Moderatorship Controversy — Chalmers and Lee - Moderates and Wild Men — Clerical Literary Societies — Mora Philosophy Chair, St. Andrew's — Dr. Chalmers Appointed- Letter from Dr. Chalmers.. page 67 CHAPTER VI. INTEREST IN FOREIGN MISSIONS AND HOME POOR. Lurid Star of 1784 — Rise of Modem Missions — Any Word from the Duiff? — A Thousand Pounds from Paisley — Hiddane, Bogue, Ew- CONTENTS. IX ;!^ ing, Innes, Simeon, Fuller, Rowland Hill, J. Haldano, John Aik- man — Sabbath Schools — Tract Societies — Scotch Congregational- ism — London Missionary Society — Movements in Old World and New — Dr. Duff — First Mission and Return — letter from Colin Campbell — Secretary of liible Society — Sabbath School Report — Labours for the Poor— Working Classes aloof from Church — Ef- orts in behalf of — Henry Dundas and Sir Hariy Moncreiff — Pub- lication of Work on Poor — Favoiirable Criticisms — Alexander Dunlop, in 1825 — Westminster Review in 1870 — Interest in Charitable Institutions — Emigration Societies — Visits to London — Bonfires of Papers — Provost Murray — Philosophic;'.! Institution — W^ater W^orks — Savings Banks — llefonu Bill — Free Trade — Lectures — Principal Willis page 81. CHAPTER VIL VISITS TO OXFORD A\D CAMBRIDGE. Day at Oxford in 1812 — John Gibson Lockhart, his Guide — Mar- tyr's Pillar — Baliol, the " Scotch" College — English Universities adverse to Scottish Patriotism and Presbytery — Lockhart boast- ing of Dr. Parr — Scotland not afraid of Comparison — Hinton, the Baptist — Bishop Daniel Wilson — Sabbath at Oxford, 1834 — Four Services — St. Mary's University Church — Ebion, the Typical Dis- senter — Ritualism of Oxford — Praises of the Diad — Heard John A,ngell James — Howard Hinton — Requests for Prayer — The Venerable Celt — Visit to Cambridge — Professor Smyth's Lectures outside the walls — For Practical uses Scotch Colleges better — In- tercourse with Charles Simeon — High Churchism — Hospitalities — Sizers, Commoners and Peers — Reign of Caste page 99» CHAPTER VIIL )r» 67 |he |w- AUTHORSHIP. Wodrow Manuscripts ; Sixty Vols, discovered : Use by Dr. McCrie and Wodrow Society — Landsborough, of Stevenson — Warner of Ardeer— More MSS. — Editing of Wodrow's History of Church of Scotland — Presentation of the Book to William IV. — Narrative* of interview with the King — Graphic Pen Picture — Bearer of Pre- sent to Queen Victoria — Dr. Andrew Thomson — Starting of the " Christian Instructor" — At bar of General Assembly — Inter course with Thomson — Letters from Thomson — Sacramental Ex- changes — R. A.. Smith — Tune of St. George's, Edinburgh — Mar- cus Dods, Senr. — Archibald Bennie — Contributors to the " In- stnictor" — Dr. Bums' Contributions for Twenty-Seven years- Three years' Editorship - Dr. Grierson of Errcl — First Literary Effort — List of Literary Contributions page lOH. X (.'(INTENTS, CHAPTER IX. CONTROVERSIES. Popery Controversy — Dr. Chalmers' Sermon before Hibernian So- ciety — Dr. Bums' Letter — Germ of ]Mc(jlavin's " Protestant" — Plea for Thanksgiving Day in 1817 — Wightnian's Joke — Haniilto- nian Lecture — Popery a Specialty — (.Jombats Cahill — Vicar- General Hay — Apocrypha Controversy — Kaldane's Umbrella — Dr.'Jhomson — Bible Purity — Keen feeling — Part taken by Dr. liurns — Pluralities — Case of Dr. Ferrie — Case of Principal Mc- Farlane — Work by Dr. liurns on Pluralities — Gareloch Heresy — Campbell of Row — His Errors — Trial and Deposition — Dr. Burns' " (iareloch Heresy Tried" and " Reply to Layman" — Curious Mis- take — Voluntary Controversy — Maishall and Balautyne — Dr. Burns' Synod Sermon— Other Avritings on subject — Contests with Mr. Smart and Dr. Laird — Private Friendahix^s unbroken — Charles Leckic pa^go 122. CHAPTER X. THE TEN years' CONFLICT. So.nerville's Aiitoblography — Secession Churches Lights in Dark- ness — Historical Illustrations — Root and Branch Petition — Two Errors of the Church — Sir Daniel Sandford — Dr. liurns on two Deputations to Prime INIinister — Meeting with Lord Brougham — Conference at Lord Moncriefi's — Veto carried — Anti-Patronage Resolutions — Sir George Sinclair — Drs, McCrie aT)d Burns and Laudiau Librarian of House of Commons — Precious MSS. burned — Dr. Bums a witness before Committee of House of Commons — Dr. Bums and Dr. Cunniugliam — Procurator's Speech — Leader's League — Great Meeting in West Kirk, Edinburgh — Dr. Cunning- liara in Assembly of 1842 — The Forty — Dr. Burns' Anti-Patron- age standpoint — The Disruption — Great Activity — New Church — United Communion — Hajjpy days page 138. CHAPTER XL GLASGOW COLONIAL SOCIETY. The Emigrant's Cry — The Society Organized — His Secretaryship — Associates — Dr. Candlish oflbred Ancaster — Letters from Dr. Candlish — Rev. H. Gordon — Visit to Paisley — Rev. T. Alexan- der's Notices — Dr. Bayne and Matthew Miller — Dr. Welsh — Highland Trip — Mr. Clark, of Inverness— Sir Andrew Agnew — Visit to Lochnaw Castle with Dr. Chalmers — Dr. Macintosh Mac- kay — First suggestion of Queen's College — Efforts in behalf of the Cullego- -Dulhoxisie College, Halifax — Marcus Dods, of Bel- [p— Dr. }an- Ih— [ac- of 3el- CONTENTS. xi ford — Colonial Correspondents Drs. Mathieson, Machar and McGill — Clugston, Riiitoul, Romanes — Principal C/amphell— Hon. W. Morria — Mr. Alexander Gillespie — Dr. Kirkpatrick, of Dub- lin — Very interesting statements of Dr. Henderson, of Glasgow, and Dr. Beith, of Stirling page 152. CHAPTER XII. VISIT TO THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA IN 1844. Appointed Delegate of Free Church — Autobiographical Account — References in Dr. Cunningham's Life— Pastoral Letter — New York — Philadelphia — Princeton — Study and Grave of Wither- spoon — Boston — Dr. Codman — Harvard University — Elliot's Bible — Mount Auburn — Met Daniel Webster — The Indian ex- amined — Dr. J. W. Alexander's notices — Drs. Blagden, Bethune, and Boardman — Visit to Canada — Mr. Redpath — Mr. D. Eraser — Narratives of Rev. W. Smart, T. Alexander, and H. Gordon — American Notes — Baltimore— Dr. R. Breakinridge — Methodist churches — Washington Monument — At Bishop Waugh's — Bishop Soule — Petersburg — North Carolina Statesman — Slave-selling — Tobacco-spinning — Richmimd — Field slaves — Governor M;icd( )n- ell — Richmond Theatre — Slave Market — Old Mammy — Freder- icksburg — Washington — Visit to President Tyler — Congress — Senate — Quincey Adams, Crittenden, Buchanan, Attorney-Gene- ral Watson — Alexandria — Mount Vernon — Alms House — Girard College — The Mayor — Princeton again — Miller's class — Talk with Dr. Alexander, Senr. , on New School — Newark — Elizabeth — Nov York — Yale College — Silliman absent — Bo.ston — The Bcechers — Harvard again — Lowell, tlie "Paisley of America" — Heard Dani^i Webster — Journey to Bufi'alo — First Sight of Canada — Jotting" on places visited in Canada and Nova Scotia — Leave Halifax ihirt' of June by "Britannia" — Dr. Chalmers' Letter of Thanks — I'epori. to Colonial Committee — Visit to the Marquis of Broadalbane - Letter from Taymouth Castle — Queen's touching references — Visits Synod of Dumfries — Janet Eraser — Marriage . . . page 175. CHAPTER XIIL TRANSLATION FROM PAISLEY AND SETTLEMENT IN CANADA. Orertures from Canada — Montreal and Toronto — Letters from Mr. Redpath — Call from Knox Church — Colonial Com. Reasons — Ap- peals from Mr. Lsaac Buchanan and others — Letters from Dr. Burns when deciding for Canada — Pastor of Kilsyth — Prepara- tions for leaving — Dr. Black's Paris Polyglott — Farewell Sermon — Ship Erromauga — Greenock gathering — Dr. Keith — Voyagt^ out — Note from the Gulph — Life on the Ocean — W. C. Burns- Communion at Quebec — Tabernacle at Montreal — Dr. John Bo Xll CONTENTS. nar — Sabbath at Kingston — Induction at Toronto — Temperance Advocate — Paisley Remembrances — Session Clerk — Dr. McKech- nie, Sheriff Campbell — Dr. James Buchanan page 201. CHAPTER XIV. PASTORATE IN TORONTO. Union of Pastorate and Professorship, temporary — Pastoral duty- Young Men — Mutual Imiirovement Circles — Moderatorships — Visits to the Churches — Rev. J. W. Smith — Rev. T. Wardrope — First Ordination — Crowding Work — Wayside moralizing — Selec- tion of Texts — Work in Western and Central Canada — Letter to an old College Friend — 1847 — Address from Knox's Church — Nova Scotia Tour — Results — Burning of Knox's Church — Foun- dation laid of present erection — " Mare Magnum Controversy" — '' Laigh Kirk" — Church 0[)ening — Letters in 1850 — Varied occu- pations — Saugeen District — Seventy-first Highlanders — Fight for Freedom of Conscience — Eldership — John Bums — Dr. Duff's Visit — Two Letters from Dr. Duff — Dr. Guthrie — Serious illness — Dark cloud with its silver lining — Letter from Earl of Dalhousie — Suffering and succouring — Letter to Rev. James Clason — Weeps with those that weep — Friend of Poor — The Twenty Dollar Bill — The Pulpit Bible — Ministers' Widows — The Fallen Brother — Professor P. C. Macdougal — Life Insurance — Widows' Fund — Mr. Gordon, of Gananoque — Ottuwa Visit — The delighted Far- mer's Wife — Bridal Feast — Public Questions — Family Compact — Letters to Lord Elgin — Detection of Impostors — The Jewish Society — Lublin — The Priest from the Vatican — Results of Ministry page 215. I CHAPTER XV. Pi;0FESS0RSHIP. Rise of Knox College — Adare-is to the Students — Mr. Gale — Toronto Academy — Higher Education of Women — Occasional Prelections — *' Grinding" — Preparatory Training — Permanent Professor — Collecting for College — VariedWork — Journey with Mr. Fraser to Great Britain — Bursaries- -Circulation of Cunningham and Mo- sheim — Intercourse with Students — Severity towards Ignorance and Pretentiousness — Illustrative Anecdotes — Story Telling — Stu- dent's Testimony — Correspondence — Pastoral Theology — Baptism — Pastoral Visitation — Catechizing — Family Worship— Education of Children — Standard of Discipline — Cases of Scandal — Causes ot Discouragement in ourselves — "■ Teazing slowness" — College Lec- tures — Church History — Apologetics— Plan pursued — Undying interest in Knox College— Montreal College — Old Students' Tes- timony page 244 1 nice >tu- ism ;ion fsot jCC- ing t44 ti CONTENTS. ^i;i CHAPTER XVI. MISSIONARY LABOURS. Dr. Biims a Missionary at large — Quebec and Vicinity — Rev. W. B. Clark — Laval University — Montreal the " New York of the North " — London — Immaculate Conception — Edgar's Variations of Popery —Huron College — Bishop Hellmuth — Orillia — Couchi- ching Lake — Preaching to Indians — Mr. Brookinc; — Kincardine — Hi^'hland Sacrament — Speaking to the Question — Artemesia — Ottawa — Nepean — Glengarry in l»4a — Rev. D. Clark — Rev. D. Gordon — Glengarry in 1854, 1858, and 1865- -Immense Audiences — Elinis in the Vv'ilderness — " Tiie days of Cambuslang are back again" — Owen Sound District — Rev. James Cameron — Triumphal Marches and Episcopal Visitations — the Runaway at the Rocky Saugeen — Hairbreadth Escape — Stage upset — Almost shot for a Bear — Snow on the Coverlet — the Snowed-up Train — the Wayside Shanty — John Gunn's (of Beaverton) Reminiscences — William's fatal Illness — Rev. Wm. Burns' Statement — Red River Mission, its Rise and Progress — In Search of a Missionary — Rev. John Black goes — Alexander Ross — Dr. Bums contemplates a Visit — Sir George Simpson — the Buxton Mission — Rev. Wm. King's Statement — Visit to United States and Great Britain with Mr. King — Across the Alle^'hany Mountains by Stage — the Pro- Slavery Doctor — Visits to Buxton— -the Freed Woman Lydia and her Household baptized by Dr. Bums — Gould street Church, To- ronto — Georgetown — Nova Scotia — Prince Edward's Island — Newfoundland — I setters of Lady Bannerman — Visits to Chicago, Elmira, and Monmouth page 259. CHAPTER XVII. MISSIONARY SKETCHES. i/ay-book Jottings — A Canadian Paisley — Dundas — Gait — Debate between Dr. Liddell and Dr. Bajoie — Flamborough — Rev. Thomas Christie — Hon. Adam Ferguson — London — Communion in 1845 — Mr. John Eraser — Kingston — Rideau Canal — Mr. John Redpath — By town — Beckwith and Ramsay — Lanark- —Perth — Dalhousie — Dr. Boyd, of Prescott — Cote street Church, Montreal — Pointe aux Trembles — to Glengarry with James R. Orr — St. Eustache — Ste. Therese Jesuit College — From Montreal to Boston with Mr. Court — Intercourse with the Hon. Abbot Lawrence — Prince Ed- ward Island — Bermuda — INIorrison and Strutliers — Cape Breton — Earlton — Truro — Opening of Clualmers' Church, Halifax — Col- lege at Halifax — Dr. Wilkes — St. John, New Brunswick — Port- land — Dr. Payson — Boston — Quebec — Origin of our churoh there XIV CONTENTS. — Merle D*Aubign6 — Metis — Portneuf — Rev. Alex. Young — St. Sylvester — Leeds — Student Missionaries — Kennebec — I n vemess — Eastern Townships — Libraries — Danville — Richmond — Mel- bourne — American Land Cumpany — Nova Scotia and New Bruns- wick in 1858— Knox Church, Toronto — Dr. Topp — Newfoundland — History — Rise of Presbyterianism — Rev. M. Haxvey — Literary Successes — St. John's described — Harbor Grace — Visit to Lower Provinces in 1849 — Lady Banncrman — Cape Breton — Fortress of Louisburg Thermopylre of the West — Mrs. Mackay in 1827 and "her little island" — Farqnharson, the Pioneer — Dr. Hugh Mc- Leod's manifold labours — Ste*v.art, of New Glasgow — Tniro — Dr. Forrester — Theological College and Dr. Keir— Many Worthies — Nottawasaga — James Mair — Osprey — Artemisia — the Perth early Settlers — Sullivan— Euphrasia and St. Vincent in 1859 — Meaford — Collingwood — Supplying for Mr. McTavish when at Bed River — Perth — Rev. J. B. Duncan — Ramsav — Beckwith — Smith's Falls — Broekville — Sheriflf Sherwood — Mr. Smith — Spencerville — Ot- tawa in 1859 — Quebec in 1803 — Mr. Crombie — Huron District in 1867 — Chicago : its History and Resources — Presbyterian Semi- nary — Christian activities of Chicago — D. L. Moody — Scotchmen and Canadians — First Scotch Presbyterian Church — Ehnira — Highland Settlement — Monmouth — Dr. Wallace — Aurora — Rev. Ed. Ebbs— Evanston page 289. CHAPTER XVIII. il- PIOKEERS OF PRESBYTEKIANISM IN CANAJ>A. Henry — Spark — Harkness — Bethune — Young — First Presbyterian Communion in Roman Catholic Chiirch — Gabriel Street Church — First Presbytery — Forrest — Easton — Esson — Black — Robert Mc- Dowall, of Fredericksburg — The suspected Rebel — Niagara — Young, Burns, Green, Eraser, McGill — Father Eastman and his "Seven Churches"— William Smart in 1811— The Stray Twelve Pounder— Incidents— Robert Boyd in 1821— William Bell in 1817 — Anecdotes — James Harris — Father Jenkins — Arch. Henderson — Father of our church — The First Nynod — John Crichton's Let- ters — Glimpses of Canada's destitution fifty years since — Letters from Dr. Mathieson, of Montreal — Rev. George Cheyne — Inci- dents — United Synod — Pioneers of the United Presbyterian Synod — Progress of the Canada Presbyterian Church page 340. CHAPTER XIX. MISCELLANEOUS. Domestic Character — Death of Two Children — Two Letters concern- ing, to Mrs. Briggs — Domestic Likings — Interest in Children's Welfare — Illustrations — New York Celebrities — St. Catharines — CONTENTS. XV Dr. Kalley — His Jubilee — Letters to Mrs. Bums from Misaion Field — Lindsay — Oil Springs — Present of Plans of the New Pais- ley to the Old — Educational Views — Love for the Students — First Letter to the Students — Mental Discipline — Letter t;* the College Committee — Vidimus of Views — Offers of Aid — More " Grinding" Needed — University Reform — Great King's Ccjllego Meeting — Leaders in the Agitation — Dr. Burns' Address -Broad Foundation — Various interests to be represented — Religious Tests — Religion Pervading — Characteristic Sketches— -Fond of Pen Pictures — His Brother William — Interesting Sketch — Chalmers as a Young Man — Sir James Hay — Dr. W. Symingt(jn — Parish of Dun — 5lcCrie — Kilsyth — Revival-Disruption — Temperance — Letter from Pastor of K'lsyth — 'J'riumph in Death — Dr. Si)rMgue, of Albany, and Annals ..f American Pulpit — Dr. Steven, of Rot- terdam — Hev. James Mackenzie and Dr. Cunningham's Life — Sketch of Mary P , Grace abounding to the Chief of Sin- ners page 3G0 CHAPTER XX. VISIT TO SCOTLAND AND fcAST DAYS. ■ n- Montreal — Mr. Dougall's notice — Free Church General Assembly of 18U8 — Delegate with Mr. King— Rev. Mr. Nixon's (Modera- tor) Address — Varied Work — General Assembly of 18G0 — Dele- gate with Mr. Cochrane — Dr. Candlish — Sir Henry Moncrietif (Moderator) — Kindly utterances — Remarkable Gathering at Pais- ley — Professor Murray — Rev. W. Cochrane, M. A. — Presentation — Mr. Cochrane's Statement — Attention to Students — Interest in Canada — Seeking out Ministers — General Assembly " Ovation" — The Paisley Meeting — Reception at Dr. Richmond's — Contro- versial Likings — Mrs. Burns' Journal — Mrs. Briggs* Death — Paisley Friends — Advocates' Library — Wodrow MSS. — Last Days in Edinburgh — Missionary Designation — Meeting with Dr. Duff — Remarks of Dr. Dull" — Dr. Guthrie — Palling — Voyage Home — Preaching on board "The Russia'' — New York — Central Park — Princeton — Arrival at Toronto — Residence at Knox Col- lege — Last Sermon — Last Letter — Last Notes in Day Book — Last Article — Serious Illness — Drs. Constantinides and Bethune — Last Exercises — Death page 402. '8 CHAPTER XXL HEMORIAl. TESTIMONIES. Bhineral — Funeral Sermons — Monument — Dr. Fraser, Middle Church, Paisley — Dr. Guthrie — Dr. C. J. Brown — Hev. Alexan- der Cameron — Rev. R. Wallace — Former Students — Rev. A. XVJ CONTENTS. Sanson — Episcopalian Testimony — Dr. Hugh McLood — Rominis- cencca — " The Apostle of Canada" — Visits to Newfoundland and Capo Breton — Dr. Ormiston, of New York — Characteristic Sketch — Philosophical Society of Paisley — College Board — General Assembly — "The Record"— Obituary Notice — Dr. Bums' last Article— Delineations of Character by Rev. J. M, King and Prin- cipal Willis pa^e ^"?> I. II APPENDIX. Early History of Knox Church, Toronto, by the Rev. James Harris. Reminiscences of Early Missionary Labours in Canada, by the Rev. Wm. Bell and the Rev. George Cheyne. III. Addresses delivered by Dr. Burns before the General As- sembly of the Free Church of Scotland in 18G3 and 180a page 447. LIFE AND TIMES OF THB REV. ROBERT BURNS, D.D., F.A.S., F.R.S.E. CHAPTER I. EARLY DAYS. toe of palpita HE day of ray birth is entered in the public record as on the 13th of February, 178.0. My earliest distinct recollections reach no further back than the victory of Lord Howe, on the 1st of June, 1794. This was fresh on my mind when, in May, 1812, my first visit to London brought me into contact with that noble monument of a nation's gratitude to its brave defenders, the Naval Asylum of Greenwich Hospital. I was accompanied on that occa.sion by a kind friend, who had suffered the chopping away of the better half of the great Ills ngiit foot, the effect of which was a slight tion of limb, as he walked L On coming home froni 2 LIFE OF BEV. DR. BURNS M sea, he became a manufacturer in Paisley, then at its prime ; made money, lived a useful and religiouo life, and died in hope. This friend was my befitting com- panion in the visit to Greenwich. We chatted with the old sailors ; saw their neatly fitted up apartments ; and looked at their books. One of them was busily reading a large folio, which, he said to me, was, in his opinion " good for both worlds," a sentiment which I cordially seconded, on finding it to be Matthew Henry's Com- mentary on the Holy Scriptures. My next visit to Greenwich, was on June 1st, 1834, when William IV. and Queen Adelaide kept the anniversary of the battle, and when fourteen of the brave shipmates of Howe were still alive, hobbling about with something like quarter-deck authority, and hailing with patriotic cheers their unas- suming and kind-hearted " Sailor King." A grandsire by the father's side, and of my own name, was in 1C43 named by the authorities as one of the In- spectors of the signing of the National Covenant at Fal- kirk, and a like relative by the mother's side, suffered in persecuting times for conscience sake. " Hilderston and his lady," the latter a daughter of Sir William Cunning- ham, of Cunningham Head, were both remarkable for their attachment to the Presbyterian principles of the Scottish Church, and their Mansion House at Hilderston was often the hospitable resort of the persecuted Cove- nantors. His son (afterwards Sir Walter Hamilton,* of Westport) retained the same attachment to Protestant and Presbyterian principles, which had characterized the family from the days of their illustrious ancestor, Sir James Sandilands, the personal friend of John Knox.-j* My father, John Burns, belonged to a family of respect- ability and old standing in the town of Falkirk, Stirling- * One of our early reminiscences is of father pointing out in a picture the figure of his maternal uncle, Sir W. Hamilton, Bart., of Westport, standing on a jutting Itdge of rock at (.Quebec, and directing his brave men as they dragged the guns up the heights of Abraham, in the grey of that memorable morning of July, 1759, when Wolfe fell in the arms of victory, and Canada became a jewel in the crown of Britain. JIajor-General Ferrier, once Governor of Dumbarton Castle, was also an uncle. The distinguished metaphysician. Professor Ferrier, son-in-law of Christopher North, was nearly related. The names of Hamilton and of Ferrier are enshrined in our domestic annals.— Ed. t New Statistical Account of Scotland, vol. IL, p. 65. I r mt the Jir 10"- of I of I of I the leral EARLY DAYS. s shire, and till 1779 he was engaged in Scotland's "stajile," the manufacture and sale of linen cloth. He was in that year appointed by Government to the office of Surveyor of Customs at the port of Borrowstounness. He held also for fifteen j-ears the factorship on the oldest, and not the least valuable, of the estates of tlie Duke of Hamilton — that of Kinneil. He was present, though merely as a spectator, at the battle of Falkirk, in January, 1746, and often entertained us round the family hearth with anec- dotes of that stiiTing period. He was one of many in Scotland whose religious char- acter was formed in connexion with the visits and preach- ing of the celeb)-ated Whitefield, who occasionally resided under his father's roof. The pastor of the parish at that time was Mr. John Adams, a first-rate man every way, once (thougli not a D.D.) Moderator of the General As- sembly, and whose name and memory are still revered by many in the locality. He encouraged the visits of the eminent Englishman, introduced him to Mr. Lindsay, of Bothkennar, and other genial brethren around, of the true evangelical stamp, and shared with them and " good old Bonar," of Torphichen, as Whitefield calls him, in the re- vival feasts of Kilsyth and Cambuslang. My father managed the affairs of the estate of Kinneil so long as age and infirmities would allow him. Amid the gatherings of the numerous feu duties of the town of Bon-owstounness, many of them small, and of somewhat doubtful ownership, while many thousands of pounds of land-rents passed through his liands, and were trans- m.itted to the Ducal Commissioner at Edinburgh, and at a time when banks in the country districts were un- known, not one penny was ever lost. In the beginning of 1817 my ftither died, after a short illness, full of years. He was l3orn in 1730, and his whole course of life had been marked by simplicity and godly sincerity, piety to God, higli-toned and warm, integrity and benevolence towards men, singularly disinterested, His sons, eight in number, were all present at his funeral, all settled in different places and positions in life, four of 4 LIFE OF llEV. DR. BURNS. US ministers of the Established Church, and the other four occup3dng civil stations of respectability and useful- ness. The moi'tal remains of our nearest earthly relative sleep in the tomb of his forefathers in the ancient graveyard of Falkirk, famed as the resting place of Sir Robert Monro and his brother, both slain at the battle of Falkirk, June, 174G.* His wife was a daughter of Mr. Ferrier, of Linlithgow, lawyer, who held appointments in the legal department of Her Majesty's Customs there, and married the daugh- ter and heiress of Sir Walter Hamilton, Bart., of West- port, Their daughter Grizzell Ferrier, was my mother, who died at the age of 53. "J 1 i It may not bo uninteresting to the general reader, and cannot be to his now numerous descendants, to peruse one of the MS. letters of this " old disciple," whose hoary head was a crown of glory, and whose children rose up to call him blessed. The one before us is addressed to his eldest son, the Rev. James Burns, of Brechin, father of the Rev. J. C. Burns, of Kirkliston, and of the wife of the Rev. Dr. Guthrie, of Edinburgh. " BoNESS, 18th February, 1812. " Dear James, — J duly received your good and precious letter of the 27th ult., and have great cause of thankfulness that I am still able to read it, and say somewhat in answer. Thougli with great weakness of intellectual powers, yet I bless the Lord I am not worse in that respect than fur some years past. But as I am now arrived at the uttermost ordinary age of man upon earth, being 81, 1 cannot expect to hold out lung, and am, therefore, endeavouring to im- prove time while some measure of health remains, and especially when I call to remembrance the wonderful preservations and long respite our Gracious God has been pleased to continue. It there- * The epitaph on his tombstone, which is written in excellent Latin, describes him u "distinKuisheii for his holiness, ueiievolence and intet^rity. In life, he was favoured with the love of his family and friends, and in death his memory is blessed." Hia father, who was a writer, in Falkirk, is described on the tombstone (in Latin too) w. an " upright and truly Cbrialian nuui, who died on the ISth of July, 1774 iu the 80th year «t hii ttge." EARLY DAYS. f fore becomes me daily to watch, and so much the more as I see tha day approaching. "I am glad to hear of your and William's, as also of Robert's, zeal and diligence in discharging the duties of your high calling. For your encouragement I shall transcribe a note from the Rev. Basil Wood. His eleventh sermon, May, 1807 : — ' The zealous missionary shall shine to eternity, enrolled in the ancestry of Heaven. Continue therefore steadfast,' »&c. *' I rejoice to hear of the happy deaths you mention. May they be more and more increased ! " Robert was assisting here last week at the sacrament. Ho preached both on Sabbath night and Monday. He left us on Thursday, went to Cathlaw, all night, and next day took the stage from Bathgate. George passed examination before the Presbytery two weeks ago, and will soon follow you to the pulpit, an uncom- mon instance. May the Lord preserve me humble ! And I am, with best respects to your and William's good wives, " Yours affectionately, " John Duuns.'* The reference to Kmneil, with which early associations were linl-'^d, sets memory at work, and, after a fashion peculiarly his own, he groups diverse historical con- nexions. Tlie thread of his narrative is dropped here (as elsewhere when it pleases him), that he may expatiate over congenial fields which the old Manor opens up. Kinneil House, once the favourite residence of the Ducal family of Hamilton, has been associated almost within my own reir ^mbrance, with the jirogi-ess of science and of mechanical art, for there dwelt Dr. Roebuck, the origina- tor of the famfd Carron iron works, and the patron of James Watt, in his first eff'orts in the improvement of the steam engine. Saon after my ordination, when on my way from Falkirk to Boness, I had the curiosity to do what I had not done when a boy ; I climbed up by a bye- path to one of the olden appendages of the Mansion, into •which I succeeded in making my entree, and there gazed upon the blackened and wasted exuvice of the mechanical pr^ messes of the ingenious inventor, in this the humble c LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. J. scene of hiy primary movements, which their speedy and successful trial, within the circle of an adjoining coal pit, changed into the sure and certain precursors of a magni- ficent scientific triumph. But Kinneil House is associated in my mind also with the name and the labours of my revered instructor in the elements of mental and moral science, the celebrated Dugald Stewart, who resided in it from 1810 to 1828, receiving there the frequent visits of the famed representatives of science and of literature, and enjoying that otlum cum clignitate which permitted him to prepare maturely, Works which posterity, we nrmly believe, amid all the delusive witchery of later forms of thought, Avill not suffer to die. Of his ultimate religious views I cannot speak positively, but I had various opportunities of testifying to the reverence which he cherished for the truths and ordinances of religion ; and on a communion Sabbath, some years before bis death, there sat at the table, on my right hand, the venerable patriarch — a representative of the philosophy of mind, with all the seeming docility and complacence of a humble disciple. And who has not heard of "the incident," in Scotland's eventful record, more than two centuries past ? A peer, heatt'd with wine, had, in the hearing of royalty, declared that there were " three kings in Scotland where one was quite enough, and that he would take speedy measures to rid the land of two of them." Argyle and Hamilton knew well the import of the threat, left the capital secretly, and, by a short residence in the quiet halls of Kinneil, saved themselves and their country from death and from havoc. My esteemed parish minister. Dr. Rennie, in the first " statistical account" of the scene of his labours, written but a few weeks after his ordination, has said of this Mansion, with no less beauty than truth, that there was a time when it was the residence of nobles and the retreat of Kings. But to the mind of a Christian this now somewhat dis- mantled and yet stately mansion is associated with circumstances of a more decidedly religious character. Id EARLY DAYS. we Id the middle of the century before the last, the Ducal family of Hamilton could boast of a succession of representatives more or less sincerely religious. Kinneil was occasionally their favourite abode, and pious Presbyterian ministers frequently resided there as chaplains or as visitors. In the shady groves adjacent would Zachary Boyd carol his homely lays, when engaged in his celebrated "travails with the Pentateuch" and the Psalms ; and in his " last Battle of the Soul" he seems to have happily anticipated what soon became blissful reality in the experiences of iiiore than one of the male and female representatives of the noble house of Hamilton. May we not trace to this, in some sense, the fact that Kinneil and Borrowstounness had their confessors and martyrs in persecuting times. Robert Woodrow, first, and James Aikman, afterwards, himself a Borrowstounness man, have recorded the names of not a few who " loved not their lives unto the death" ; and the story of the cruel and untimely deaths of Marian Harvey and Isabel Alison, at the Grass Market of Edin- burgh, possess a painfully thrilling interest. Sir Robert Hamilton, of Preston, of Botliwell Bridge celebrity, lived at that place for years after his return from Holland, and died there in 1701 ; yea, even under the eye of the Muscovite Laird of Binns,* Donald Cargill was long sheltered here. Mr. Mackenzie, in his statistical account of the parish, has not only referred to these cases, but has in addition, given a comprehensive view of the names and positions of others, both ministers and laymen, who suffered in the various modes of imprisonment, fiines, banishment and death; and thus my native parish, if it has not furnished a full " sacramental host" or "glorious army of martyrs," has presented to all ages a noble speci- men of what has been suitably termed " the goodly fel- lowship" of holy confessors, that form the " cloud of wit- nesses" on high. The Parish of Kinneil, though small, was important from its connexion with one of the mansions of the Ducal * Sir TlioiusM Dalyell, the noted persecutor, who bad been (or Bome years in the Hns- OOTite aerviue. (, — I ! I ] 8 LIFE OP REV. DR. BURNS. family, and from the Reformation downwards it seems to have enjoyed the pastoral services of a succession of pious ministers. About the middle of the seventeenth century, " the Ness," as it was called, had become the residence of not a few enterprising persons connected with the navi- gation and commerce of the Firth of Forth. For their accommodation a Church was built and endowed by the liberality of the inhabitants of the town, aided by the Lord of the Manor, and in a short time the two places were associated together as one pastoral charge. For half a century prior to the year li93, the united parish was presided over by the Reverend Patrick Baillie, a pious and laborious evangelist, the very heau ideal of a truly consistent Scottish Presbyterian pastor of the olden times. He was succeeded by a well-meaning man, of weak parts, both mental and bodily, who retired from the charge within two years, and the people having had granted to them by the patron the privilege of election. Dr. Robert Rennie was chosen, who, till 1833, occupied the charge with credit and usefulness. His successor, Mr. Mackenzie, lately deceased, was also the choice of the congregation. At the disruption, in 1843, he remained with the Estab- lishment. A portion of his flock united with a similar portion from the neighbouring Parish of Carriden, and formed the " Free Church" of the district, which has prospered under several ftiithful ministers in succession.* From the under shelf of my library, a large, well-bound folio protrudes at this moment, its venerable head bearing the title, " Flavel's Works." In 1754, when this edition was printed, Glasgow enjoyed the able and faithful minis- trations of a Maclaurin, a Gillies, a Findlay, a Corse, and others of high evangelical position, and real vital godliness flourished, for the motto of the city had not as yet been * Like other mansions of Scotland, Kinneil House has been haunted for a century at least by the ghost of Lady Lilburn, wife of one of Cromwell's Generals, said to have been murdered heie. In the intcrestinjf y>OTk of Mr. Smiles, on " Industrial Biography," we have the following curiuus statement: — "Sir David Wilkie having' been on a visit to Dugald Stewart, at Kinneil, the learned Professor told him one night, as he was going to bed, of the unearthly wailings wMch he himself had heard proceeding from the old apartments, but to him, at least, they tiad been explained by an old door opening out upon the roof being blown in on gusty nights, when a Jarring and creaking noise was heard all over the house. I EARLY D/YS. 9 altered from its first edition, " Let Glasgow flourish by the preaching of the word." A folio edition of the works of the outed minister of Dartmouth, though rather high priced, took well, and my father was one of the original subscribers. Next to the Scriptures, it was his favourite book, and as, at ten years of age, I could read pretty well, and as my voice, to use my own expression, even then was an " audible" one, he conferred on me the honour and the privilege of now and then reading to him aloud, after the labours of the day, one of Flavel's sermons. The style was simple, the diction sweet and sappy, and the titles were fascinating, " The Fountain of Life opened," " The Method of Grace," " Navigation Spiritualized," Mount Pisgah," &c. I got a fondness for the task, and often, while other boys were at play, I was reading John Flavel. The idea occurred to me of copying out in manuscript as many of the sermons as I had time and paper for. Having pro- vided mj'-self with a whole quire of foolscap, I made a commendable effort in my best hand. But I longed heartily for the close of the first sermon, and proceeded no further. An aged aunt who lived with us, and who be- longed to the moderate school, said to me that to have copied one of " Blair's" would have been " wiser like ;" but Flavel was no favourite of hers. She accompanied her suggestion with the broad hint that there seemed ** some- thing of the hypocrite" about the whole concern, and perhaps she was not very far wrong. My religious belief at this time was strictly orthodox, but it had a tincture of antinomianism about it. I had clear ideas of the " fountain of life," but as to the " method of grace." I knew nothing about it. A lengthened period elapsed between my clear apprehension of the foundation of hope, and my cordial reliance on the grace of the Spirit to en- lighten, to sanctify, and to guide. A still longer period elapsed before I knew the defects of such a book as "Law's Serious Call," and, although Whitefield's memoirs were estimated in our circle above all price, the Calvinistic system had as yet failed to " conquer me." This topic I shall have occasion to notice again, and in the meantime A \ i': 10 LIFE OF KEV. DR. BURNS. ill 1 III shall only say, in the words of Cowper, applicable equally to the Divine dealings with individual minds as with the larger economy of the universe, **Ood movos in :t m m i;i these humble orators on the literary platform was, beyond question, Mr. Peter Cairns, Bookseller, College Street, and whose place of holding forth was more accessible than that of Mr. Ross. The comments and the blunders of this vulgar rhetorician afforded us often not a little amusement. To give one instance out of many. One evening Peter got into his hands an octavo volume or thick pamphlet, containing a collection of miscellaneous poetry, under a fanciful title. I had looked at the book before it was set up, and soon saw that the orator mis- took its title. " Hero," said he, " gentlemen, is a noble work, poems from the hill of life ; human life a hill, valu- able instruction for young persons ; who says for the Hill of Life ?" The offers began pretty fairly ; but I whispered to Peter, that he had better look at the title again, for I thought he had not quoted it right. He took the hint, thanked me for it, and again began, " Gentlemen, it is the Hills of Life, not one, but numy ; a valuable work ; who bids for the 'Prospects from the Hills of Life?'" It soon brought a good price ; but what was his surprise, when the purchaser read the real title, " Prospects from Hills in Fife!!" and demanded back his money ! Peter rubbed his eyes, and confessed his error, cancelling the sale, and was satisfied with half the price offered under the plausible misnomer, and a hearty laugh, in which wo all joined ; for our host never failed to exemplify before us young orators a well known rule in rhetoric, that if you wish to succeed in your pleading, be sure you keep your hearers in good hvunour. Ind'od the interludes that went on in the way of dialrgue, or otherwise, during the eventful ncriod from the lif'tiuix of the volume to its beinfj knocked down, were often vastly amusing. Many vol- umes we bought, good, bad and indifferent. Sometimes a book was valualile, and yet cheap ; for instance, tho lovely "Flores," of Erasmus cost, me just one half-penny! and I made a present of it to our College Library, where its sweet savour remains. For that tine specimen of multum in ^^arw, the Seleetoi Historicce, I paid just two pence ! but this is not all, for on tiio back of the cover i SCHOOL DAYS. 19 stands the interesting autograph of the dearly loved young friend of the poet Cowper, William Cawthorn Unwin, 1766. From the date of the foundation of Edinburgh College, by King James VI, in the end of the sixteenth century, due provision had been made for the religious superin- tendence and instruction of the students. It was part of the duties of the Princij al to address to them on every Saturday, what was called the sacra lectio, and of these suitable appeals to the understandings and the hearts of young ,'nquirers, the theological lectures of Lcighton, when he held that office, are admirable specimens. Down to about the middle of the seventeenth century, accom- modation on Sabbath was provided in the Eiister High Church, and when Lady Tester's Church was erected, about that period, the main gallery in it was ap))ropri- ated to the students. In 1801, when I entered College, the pastor of that church was the Rev. David Black, who had been for some years minister of the small Parish of St. Madocs, near Perth, and his valuable ministry I enjoyed for five years. Clergymen of greater talent, and of more comprehensive mental range, it might not be difficult to find, but you would search in vain for a man of higher pastoral eminence, and better adaptation in the pulpit to the capacities and affections of youth. Of his " Action Ser- mon" at the communion in November, 1801, on " This day shall be unto you for a memorial," taken in connection with the evening sermon on the same occasion by one of our most ialented young ministers, the deeply lamented Mr. Bennet, of Ducklingston — of the scries of lectures on the " History of Joseph," and of a remarkably imi>7'es,sive discourse on the history of Naaman the Syrian — of these and other specimens of Mr. Black's puljjit powers I retain a vivid impression to the present day. A remarkable re- vival of religion had taken place at Moulin, in Perthshire, under the ministry of Mr. Stewart, afterwards of Ding- wall, and the letter to Mr. Black, by that gentleman contains a full and deeply interesting detail of the leading features in that revival, and its wide circulation did much, J f. 20 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. HH! F h I [ I 'i ■ i t with the blessing of God, in effecting and confirming a genuine religious awakening. The mournful event of the death of Mr. Black, in the spring of 180(3, spread a funeral pall over the land, and wide and earnest was the question, " where shall a suitable successor to him be found ?" All eyes were directed to Dr. Balfour, of Glas- gow, then the most eloquent evangelical preacher in Scot- land ; but the moral foi'ce of Scotland's commercial me- tropolis interposed an interdict that was irresistible, and Dr. Balfour remained in Glasgow till 1818, when his translation on high, by a remarkably sudden removal, was hailed by the echo of a thousand voices, as was that of the prophet of old, " My father, my father ! the chariots of Israel and the horsemen thereof" The mantle of Mr. Black and Dr. Balfour fell on Dr. Thoma« Fleminor, an admirable expositor, and an affectionate ; I judicious paator. Dr. F. wps not so impressive in delivery as Mr. Black, but in thought and in style he was more exact, and his other substantial qualifications eminently fitted him for occupying a college pulpit. I had the privilege of attending Dugald Stewaii one full session, and partially a second ; but, alas ! that second was his last ! Dr. Thomas Brown had assisted him a good deal during the session of 1804-5, and in 1805 he was appointed as assistant and successor, Mr. Stewart remain- ing emeritus. On the ititeresting occasion of his taking leave, the students drew up and presented tohim an address, .,) !) le to which the Professor made a short but not unsu' reply. The chairman of " the students' committee" vur. the present Earl Russell, then Lord John, whose inr,;];' is now most distinctly before me, when, at the close of il'< class meeting, he stept forward at the head of the mem- bers of committee, and read the paper in the hearing of the Professor and the whole class, now more than sixty years ago. I have no copy either of the address or of the reply ; indeed I don't think that either of them ever reached the Press, for the newspapers in those days seldom inserted articles purely literary. It was against the inter- ests of the class, and even the fame of its illustrious »i * SCHOOL DAYS. 21 is preceptor, that his " printed work," as he usually termed it, had been published so soon, and that it embraced so many of the usual topics of the class. No edition at a moderate price had as yet appeared, so that the students were inadequately supplied with it. Still there was very much in the lectures of Mr. Stewart that was captivating and instructive, and the fascinating charms of his style and delivery were felt, and richly enjoyed, by us all. With regard to Professor Robison, I concur in all that Dr. Chalmers and others have said as to the bearing of his prelections, judging of them from the admirable articles which he contributed to the " Encyclopedia Britannica," particularly those on " Physics " and " Philosophy." The impression which their perusal made on my mind, at the distance of sixty years remains deep and fresh, but at the time (1804-) when I attended his class he was weakened much by age and bodily infirmities. His coun- tenance was remarkably striking, and he had all the im- pressiveness we associate with the idea of a truly Chris- tian philosopher and sage. He died in the January following. During the vacancy his place was supplied by the services of the Rev. Dr. Thomas Macknight, one of the ministers of the city, and who soon after became a candidate for the chair of Mathematics, vacated by the elevation of Professor Hayfair to the chair of Natural Philosophy. It was in connection with this matter that the famous controversy, regarding Mr. Leslie, (afterwards Sir John), arose, and shook Scoti and to its centre. The contest brought out clearly the selfish character of the policy of the moderates, which had clothed itself with the garb of religion, and the defeat of Mr. Macknight and his party (for it was altogether a party strife) was the first blow that heralded the downfall of the clique that had so long h 'ild the Church in bonds. Candour at the same time leads me to say that, had Dr. Macknight pledged himself to resign his living in the church on his obtaining the hair, the best iriends of religion would have given a preference to him ^bove his successful rival. It was in 1806, and in the first year of my theological I! 22 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. 1, studies, that I joined the church as a member in full com- munion, by sitting down at the Lord's table. Frequency of intercourse with the pastor oi the congregation prior to this, did, to a certain extent, perhaps, supersede minute examination on his part, and I passed easily along ; but still I felt disappointed in the summary way in which the matter was gone about ; and I notice it as a caution to brethren in the ministry, not to venture on the assump- tion that r.eademical attainments, however respectable, necessarily presuppose accuracy of elementary religious knowledge, lar less personal experience in the things of God. As to my own impressions, the " lights and sha- dows " of sixty years passing now over them cannot but throw a bedimming influence around, and yet I have always considered the period of one's first approach to the table of the Lord as a most solemn era in one's spiri- tual life, the remembrance of it sweet, and the impress of it savoury and profitable. The official relation of my father to the tenantry on the Kinneil estate brought us into close intimacy v/ith all of them, and especially with a few of the more pious and intelligent who had been chosen office-bearers of the church. They were well informed men, judicious and upright, with piety sincere, if not very ardent. Spending a day about that time at the house of one of them, Mr. Macvey, the conversation, after dinner, turned upon books, and, among other things, he asked me if I was acquainted with a remarkable work just published by Mr. Wilberforce, Member of Parliament for Yorkshire, " A view of the prevailing sentiments and habits of the professing religious world " in England. The work was quite new to me, not so to the worthy Scot- tish yeoman, and the hint I got from him was enough. Our minister soon supplied me with the book, and I read it with pleasure, not a little surprise, and possibly some profit. The worthy man asked me, " Have you read the Meditations and Soliloquies of Captain John Henderson ?" Of the man or of the book I had never heard. Years rolled away before I chanced to fall in with the volume. I picked it up in Edinburgh, and it is now on my table ^* [ SCHOOL DAYS. 23 i Aq in Knox College, of whose library I have also made it an inmate. The author was a native of our little sea- port town, and master of a trading vessel from Borrows- tounness to the northern ports of Europe, and on ship- board, and among the rocks and shallows and fiords of the Norwegian coast, he mused and penned " soliloquies " on the profoundest themes of the " fatherhood of Jehovah," and " Trinity in unity," with a scriptural accuracy of thought and expression rarely to be met with. The " Traveller," and " Solitude sweetened," of James Meikle, and the " Memoirs" of Joseph Williams, are works of the same class, and our worthy " Scotch Elders " of the " olden time," were familiar with them all. It is not at all unlikely that this worthy man belonged to that class of whom the celebrated author of " Robinson Crusoe" makes honourable meution in his " Tour through Britain," when he says that they {i.e. " the Borrowstoun- ness men," as he calls them) are the best seameti in the Firth, and are very good ]iilots for the coast of Holland, the Baltic, and the coast of Norway. Defoe ffirther says that Borrowstounness " was a town of the g!'eatest trade to Holland and France, except Leith." I have not ascer- tained whether there ma^^ have been any family rclation- shij) between the pious sea captain of whom I am s})eaking, and the late wealthy and jihilanthropic merchant of the same name, John Henderson, of Park. That gentleman was a native of the place, and I have a distinct remem- brance of his father, Robert Henderson, shipowner, and the leading man in the old anti-burgher congregation. Mr. Henderson, who had been long a resident of Glasgow, died about a year ago (18G7), and his ashes rest with those of his forefathers and other relatives, in the church- yard of the place. The reference in the foregoing to that devoted chris- tian philanthropist, Mr. John Henderson, of Park, we cannot let pass without noting the life-long friendship which existed between the two sons of Boness, and the l " 24 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. f ; • i prompt and generous responses given by Mr. Henderson to the appeals made to him by his old fellow-townsman, for various objects of benevolence. The vicinity of Park to Paisley made intercourse easy; nor, when the ocean sub- sequently intervened, was that intimacy suspended. Fre- quent were such interchanges of friendship and of funds as the following : — "Park, 14 Jan., 1864. "I have been in receipt of your kind letter, and, agreeable to what I promised, I send herewith a cheque enclosed for £50, to be laid out to the best advantage, for the benefit of the library of your College. I notice what you mention about getting long credit from the publishers, but my experience is that by far the cheaper way is to send the money with the order, and, by doing so, you wiU get them at about half the publishing price. I am in the custom of buying both from London and Edinburgh publishers, and this is uniformly my experience. We are glad to hear that the Gould Street congregation is prospering. I have seen the Rev. John Ker to-day, who was speaking with great pleasure of his visit to Canada. I will always be glad to hear that matters go on well with you. " Gould Street congregation, Toronto, seems at this time to have shared also in Mr. Henderson's benefactions, for, at the Anrual Congregational Meeting, held in January, 1864, the following resolution was unanimously passed : — " That this meeting would desire to record their heart- felt thanks to the Kev. Dr. Burns, for his many acts of kindness towards this congregation in the past, particu- larly as the means of securing from John Henderson, Esq., of Park, so munificent a donation, and thereby aiding, along with his own and Mrs. Burns" liberal subscriptions, in very materially reluoiug i-ne church debt." My last visit to the haunts of my youth was in June, 18C8, ancient associations crowded around me, and Ark- ley's nice crimped biscuits were still to be had, as in 1794, but, ala.s I Pennant's descripl^ion of the "smoke" of SCHOOL DAYS. 25 1776 was literally realized, for the " old pit " at the back of our school house, and which formed to us a somewhat dangerous playmate, had been made to " go again," and its murky accompaniments did not increase the amenity of the place. Extensive iron-works have added largely to the population, and a " Bank," unknown in my days, propitiously met my eye. The trees at Kinneil had lost nothing of their venerable, yet fresh and lofty aspects, and there stood still the spacious mansion as before, though somewhat scathed by the ravages of fire. The worthy Pastor of the Free Church, Mr. Wilson, intro- duced me to Mr. Cadell, the proprietor of Grange, in the garden of whose hospitable mansion I had an opportu- nity of examining the antique stone which had just been dug out of the grounds in the neighbourhood, whose dis- tinct Latin inscriptions, round and round, go far to settle the disputed question of the termination of the cele- brated wall of Antoninus Pius. The place of my birth stands about half a mile to the west, and on a splendid beech tree in the adjoining thicket, I read my name dis- tinctly, inscribed with the date, " May, 1802." From the vista of two generations passed away what a crowd of profitable reflectious rush forth, revealing at once the darker scenes of the past, and brightening with a higher tint the lights of the future. June, Ark- 'Ill •%_r ! h I CHAPTER la THEOLOGICAL EDUCATION. HE date of my entrance at the Divinity Hall is November, 1805, which at that time, and — for a long time after, embraced only three Professors. Dr. Andrew Hunter, the Pro- fessor of Theology proper, had long held the situation along with one of the city parishes, and, as a natural consequence, his atten- tions were divided betwixt a large class of from 150 to 200 young men, under training for the ministry, and a large and somewhat rugged me- tropolitan parish. Without any marked native talent, and with attainments in theological learn- ing, respectable, but nothing more, he was, in respect of character and moral worth, truly one of the excellent of the earth. He commented on the Latin duodecimo volumes of "Pictet's Theology," and one day in the week was devoted to public examinations, but these were con- sidered by us all as rather of the nature of ordinary catechisings of the people in the church, than as going into anything like the depths of systematic theology. But this was perhaps compensated for by scriptural and THEOLOGICAL EDUCATION. 27 ecimo week con- s' I cl practical expositions of the Epistle to the Romans. Dr. Hugh Meiklejohn was the pastor of a considerable country parish, fourteen miles distant from the city, and, after the manner of those times, he held also the chair of Divinity ; nnd Ecclesiastical History. He sometimes told lis that ' the Royal Charter which endowed the chair, entitled him • to lecture on these systematically or theologically, but > he limited himself to the second of these blanches, to- gether with lectures on the contents of the sacred books, and a few miscellaneous but very valuable projections on jn'caching, lecturing, and the duties of the pastoral care. His Church History lectures never reached beyond the uime of Julian the Apostate. Nevertheless, he was a man oi fair abilities, of extensive learning, and great kindness of heart. Amid much that was heavy, and not very inter- esting, he brought before us much that was really valu- able, and his Avritten critiques on our discourses and essays were always candid and discriminating. I don't recollect of his ever examining the students on the lec- tures. Dr. William Moodie, the Professor of Oriental Languages, was, at the same time, one of the ministers of St. Andrew's Church, a man of competent learning, and of most agreeable manners. With all our Professors we held occasional private intercourse convivially, but Dr. Moodie was the only one of the three who was gifted with conversational powers, calculated to interest and edify young minds. Biblical criticism and exegetics, with Hebrew and Greek, did not then hold any distinct place in the prelections of the hall. Four lectui-es on the eloquence of the pulpit, by the Professor of Rhetoric, wf» were invited to hear ; and for practical lessons on elocutioi. we were indebted to the classes of such private teachers in the city as Mr. John Wilson, Mr. William Scott, and Mr. Jones, (formerly an actor at the theatre,) the best reader by far of the three, although they were all very competent instructors. I attended three full courses at the Hall, and a partial one. The average number of regular students was about 180, 'but, alas ! the number of those who were known by the 28 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. il I ''■ 1 I i ■^ designation of "serious" students, or of pious young men,, did not amount to above a tenth of that number. Nearly all ore then looking for the smiles of a "worthy patron;" and patronage made " its appointments, and dispensed its good things," irrespective altogether of personal godliness. In the memoirs of my brother, " the Pastor of Kil- syth," reference is made to the " old Theological Society," and the " broad church " influence which had been gathered around it. That society had ceased to exist prior to my entrance at the Hall, and the only field for debate and criti- cism then among the students, was "the Philo-theological." I was just IG when I was admitted a member, having, however been connected with the Philalethic and other literary associations for two years before. In these latter, clubs as we may call them, there were some men of very high talent, and great powers of extemporary address, but the first by far, in my time, was Mr. Thomas Wright, afterwards minister of Borthwick, and author of the beautifully written " Statistical account" of that interest- ing parish, but who, unhappily, never seemed to be under the controllingagency of devout and spiritual views. He was much given to theoretical and bold speculations, and often brought out original views. One night, when my scientific friend, David Landsborough, had spoken, and spoken well on the side of truth, in defence of the unity of " species," Wright perplexed us all, (for most of us were far his juniors,) by his ingenious rambles amid the " devious wilds," trodden since by a Darwin and a Gliddon, and many others, startling us by his facts, real or supposed, and at any rate, to us, quite new. John Smith, afterwards of Aberlady (a sweet " marine villa " it is), who hid in a napkin many rare talents and endowments, was the only one amongst us who could give him battle ; but, ah ! he himself was far away from the truth as it is in Jesus. His favourite principle, when a student of theology, was the whimsical idea of shaping " the extent of the remedy by the depth of the disease," and as his diagnosis of the latter was very slight and superficial, so were his estimates of the former ; : ad this rule of propor- THEOLOGICAL EDUCATION 2!) oung men, r. Nearly y patron;" jpensed its godliness. or of Kil- 1 Society," n gathered •ior to my } and criti- eological.'* sr, having, and other lese latter, ;n of very y address, IS Wright, or of the h as it is udent of e extent id as his cial, so If propor- iiion he thought might be applied to square everything, "leaving the question as to abstract quantities in the pro- portion itself to be, as in modern parlance, matter of for- bearance. ,-, Mr. Wright, while at Borthwick, published " The llorning and the Evening Sacrifice," a book which took by its title, and by its splendid and somewhat gorgeous ftyle. He afterwards came out with his " Living Temple," Idl* which he evolved his pantheistic views, and thus ex- posed himself to righteous censure from the church, whose Dread lie was eating, while he aimed a blow at her vitals. »Pr. Bannerman, now of the new College (Edinburgh), then a member of Dalkeith Presbytery, took him up, unveiled the hidings of the title page, and convicted him of grievous heresy. Dr. Candlish made his first |tpl»earance at the b.ar of the a.ssembly in that case. I heard it all. The pleadings for truth were masterly ; the |ob\vebs of plausible error were swept away, and the iinliai)pily misled author was, in consequence, deposed from thr ministry. He went to England, and, for any- thing I have heard, may be there fetill, climbing the ieights of Parnassus rather than reclining in the peaceful 'tales of Mount Zion. And yet well do I remember the Evening when, at the " Philalethic," William Hamilton, afterwards of Strathblane, was declared an honorary aaember; and when the ribbon with its medal were placed Ifiound his neck, and the congratulating speech made by this same Mr. Wright. The two men were perfect con- trasts. Had Hamilton remained in the ranks, he would liave been a befitting tilter in combat with Wright. But lie left us for the work of God at Broughton, thereafter llboured at Dundee, then made the " land of the Blane, H) flourish by the preaching of the Word," and from thence ^^assed into glory.* r^*Dr. William Hamilton, of Strathblane, was one of his dearest friends. Amonf '''her'fl most cherished Manuscripts is one dated 1835, by Dr. James Hamilton, contain- : full particulars of his father, which we reluctantly omit. Ill the deeply interesting Imoir of the son, is the following :— " Dr. Robert Burns, of Paisley, presided at th« 'irriase ceremony, and survives in bodily health and mental vigour to the present day. ch was the fact when this sheet was sont to the printer, but ere it returned the race ! the venerable Patriarch was run." ; Wni. Hamilton married a Paisley lady on tb« m January, 1813, aud bis distinguisbtv. '^d waa bom there, on Uie 27tb ^oV•mb«r 30 LIFE OF REV. DIl. BURNS. I 11 I i ■» In tho Philo-theological Society I was much tlie youngest and the smallest member. Among the seniors we liad Mr., afterwards Sir, Robert Sparkle, Sergeant-at- ^ 'wv, and a judge in India ; Dr. John Hodgson, afterwards of Blantyre, a man of genius and remarkable popular gifts, but with a mind somewhat bizarre ; Dr. Patrick Mac- farlane, of Glasgow, and thereafter of Greenock, eminent for talents and high principles ; Mr. Archibald Campbell, fnjui the Highlands, lecturer on Mathematics in Edin- burgh, and author of a fine article on " Acoustics," in Brewster's " Encyclopedia," cut off, alas ! in the bright mcn'riing of his fame; and many other "gems of purest ray serene," but of which " the dei)onent sayeth nothing." At my entry as a member, I was asked to choose my subject for essay. Being sheei)ish and rjiw, I looked blaidc. A fellow-student, Peter Brotherston, afterwards of Alloa, helped me by saying, " I'll give you one," and he gave me one of the most difficult topics in theology, natural or revealed, " the permission of evil." I grappled with it, aided by Edwards, Wes^ opkins, and others that came in my way. The pro du survives with all the vital enei'gy it ever had, and that was not much. In criticism it was sadly mangled ; but all acknowledged that, considering everything, it was a " successful nib- ble." After two sessions the hollowness of the " Philo," in a theological light, broke on us, and, feeling that there was a sad lack of piety and of evangelical sentiment among the mass of the members, seventeen of us declared for a secession, and we constituted the " Adelphi- theological." If the terms of admission to the " Philo " were too lax, those of our new organization were too strict. We re- quired a certificate, not only in the ordinary technical way, but, in addition, an expression of belief, that the applicant " was deeply impressed with a sense of divine truth." Moreover, the original members were too much of one mind, and the debates were deficient in zest. An element of feebleness thus entered into the composition of the society, and, although, I rather think it still re- THEOLOGICAL EDUCATION. 31 cli tlie seniors 3ant-at- crwards ar gifts. :k Mac- eminent imi)bell, n Edin- tics, m } bright irest ray ing. oosG my [ looked terwards me," and theology, grapi)led d others /es with )t much, wledged iful nib- divine DO much 3st. An L position still re- mains in existence, its range of operations is limited to the peculiar business of a preaching society. The "Adelplii" behoved all to be members of a "society for prayer and religious conference," and many dehglitful recollections I have of our meetings in the " Orphan Hospital," and in the private pirlour of the " Master," the eminently pious and ricldy experienced William Peebles. This fellowship society is of venerated and holy descent. Its history allies itself with the days of Erskine find Walker and Macqucen, a century past, and its meetings were lield at first, not literally snb tcjjmine !/«7i, but better still, under the spreading branches of a widely expanding oak tree in the Meadows. Thereafter this shady retreat was exchanged for the apartment in that benevolent institution where many young hopefuls have been trained for usefulness here and glory yondei", and whose extensive park had been the favourite scene of ithe out-door addresses of the "eloquent Englishman,"* on 1 whoso lips many tho' sands waited in breathless sus- pense, whom the nobles of the land d- -lighted to honour, [and on whom David Hume himself hung with amaze- ^ment and seeming complacence. The funds of the Hos- ^pital benefited largely by such occasions as these, and W\ far away, the " Orphan House" in Georgia shared also in x! the pecuniary results, while the friends of Christ on ])oth ^: *sides of the Atlantic, by a species of s])iritual telegraphic agency, then quite familiar to them all, re-echoed the whispering of the " one faith " and the " one hope." The spiritual and evangelistic history of Caledonia stands in close relationship to such rehearsals as these, and Scot- land's Church and Scotland's religion owe not a little to . -the visits, first of Whitefield, and thereafter of Simeon, v|BLnd of Rowland Hill, and of Fuller, by whose a])peals iliot a few of Scotland's sons have been brouj^ht to sit mder the " Plant of renown," and to eat the pleasant fruit. Among fellow-students at the Hall with whom I had *Rev. George Whitefield. i :J2 LIFE OF REV. DR. RURNS. ' I !■■ a close intimacy for two sessions, was Mr. John Codman, of Boston, Massachusetts, afterwards the well known and much respected Dr. Codman, of Dorchester, near that city. On his voyage to Scotland, in 1805, he had as his fellow traveller the since world-recowned Professor Silli- nian, of Yale College, who, in the eager pursuit of pro- fessional knowledge and acquirements, visited various parts of the continent, as well as England and Scotland, and gave to the public those interesting volumes of *' travel," the perusal of which gave me so much pleasure, many years ago. It so happened that Dr. Miller's " Re- trospect of the nineteenth century " had been lent to me by our minister, and eagerly perused on its first publica- tion in Britain, and thus I wa^ rather "ripe" than other- wise on the colicges, churches and ministers of America. My questionings about Dr. Ezra Stiles, DrElipl alet Nott, and other worthies of the period, gratified my New England friend. He liked to meet with any one who took an interest in the United States, and in the varied phases of American theology. All the " serious " students loved Mr. Codman, and respected his abilities and attainments. He had advantages over us, in having previously studied in seminaries whose modes of tuiticm he was able profit- ably to compare with ours. He was not a Presbyterian., but was the next thing to it, and had he remained in Scotland and joined the Established Church, he would unquestionably have tsiken his place among the leaders of the disruption of 1843. The following little illustration of occurrences in oui early days may not be uninteresting as throwing light on character. Saturday, being a blank day as to college studies, was selected as the day of our meeting to hear one another preach, and to offer criticisms on the matter and manner of the discourses. One day it so happened that the critical remarks which had been made partook of rather an acrimonious character, and my American friend had felt some of inem rather keenly, and repelled them in the way of sha:-p '':es in oui Is lig^t on bo college , hear one latter and jened that |k of rather id had felt [n the way |er student Mr. Cod- man, and he once and again, in the course of conversation, indicated considerable chagrin at the freedom of remark of one of the critics. It was a clear, though cold, atter- noon in March, when our coin]innion (Mr. Dcnoon, at'ter- waids of Uothsay), turning round, pointed to the glorious orb of day just going do\yn over the Cor.stor})hine Hills, solemnly pronouncing the blessed Apostlo's word.s, " Let not the sun go down upon your wrath." "I was not thinking of that,*' said Mr. Codnian, as if roused from a reverie ; " but do you think I could get to C- (the student whom he felt he had repelled rather severely) " before the sun goes down ?" "I think we may," said I, and, leaving our companion to make his way home, pleased, no doubt, tiiat he had successfully made the suggestion, off we set for the house in Charlotte Square, where Mr. C resided, and, making good use of our locomotive energies, we found ourselves on the front steps of the house, just as the last rays of the setting sun were leaving the sky. We met the friend we sought. It was my lot to detail the circumstances of the sugges- tion thus promptly and liberally acted on, and with much good feeling, and some jocularity, the breach was healed, and the relationships of brotherly kindness at once re- stored. More than half a century has rolled away since the incident occurred. I am now the only survivor of the parties concerned, and no reason occurs to prevent me from naming the excellent brother most deeply interested. It was Mr. James Clason, afterwards the pious aiid now^ lamented minister of the parish of Dalziel, in Lanark- shire, and brother of the justly venerated Dr. Patrick Clason, principal clerk of the Free Church Assembly, and one of its former Moderators. Dr. Codman, in corresponding with his friends in Ame- rica, gave it as his opinion, that the general phase of opin- ion among the students at this period was Arminianisra. This is perfectly correct, and the only way in which they expected to find themselves " at liberty " to sign a creed, whose utter hostility to the doctrine of the Leyden Pro fessor they never denied, was by taking care never to r« 3^ LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. read the Confession of Faith prior to signing it. There wore, in my day, very few symptoms of hard study either of Calvinism or Arininianisni, and I have a strong impres- sion tliat the real cause of the dislike to evangelical truth was a pr.'ictical one, the want of a deep-toned sense of sin in the heart, and of high views of the majesty of a Holy God, and the s[)otless purity of His law. A decent me- diocrity in sentiment and character, if even so much, was all that was thought needful to gain the favour of a " W(n-- thy patron," and to ])ass the ordeal of a Presbytery. My student days vrere brought forcibly to my mind on read- ing Dr. James Buchanan's admirable " Cunningham Lec- tures," in marking his quotation from the \mm& Robert Trail, of London, to the eflect that "there is not a min- ister that dcaleth seriously with the souls of men, but he linds an Arminian scheme of justification in every unre- newed heart." A circumstance connected with the mental and spiritual history of Dr. Codmun is worthy of record. While a student at Harvard College, then, as now, greatly under Unitarian influences, he had a small book put into his hands, with a request that he would write a reply to it: a matter, it was thought, of no diliicult performance. It was a piece on the subject of " predestination," written by an evangelical minister of New Er.gland, of the name of Coo|)er. My friend undertook the task, and wont manfully forward, his own mind not being at all lixed on the more recondite points in theology. Soon did he find that instead (jf his " mastering Calvanism," Calvanism fair- ly mastered him. His candid and serious sj)irit was oj'cn to the impressions of truth, and he tinished the i)erusal of Cooper with a full persuasion of the scri))tural correct- ness of his leadinijf views. He l)rou(j;ht the book over with him to Scotland, and, with the aid of Dr. Dickson, of the West Kirk, and other clerical friends, got a new and cheap edition pulilished, and cytensively circulated amonjj: the students then in the Edinburgh Hall, and with good success in the advancement of sound doctrine. My copy of this unpretending but able book, the gift CLERICAL ANNALS. 85 . There ily either '^ impres- jal truth ise of sin a Holy cent me- uch, was 'a " wf profounder attainments and bolder theology, but it WDuld not be easy to name one who combined so many qualities essential to a successful leader in theology. Under his tuition, and enjoying the benefit of such preaching as that of Balfour and Chalmers, the students in the Glas- gow Hall possessed high advantages both in learning and in spiritual character : while the successful efiorts of Dr. Macgill, in the Church Courts, as the antagonist of plu- ralities and non-residence, place his name in the front rank of those who have been leaders in the revival of evangelical truth in Scotland during later years.* On finishing my third session at the Hall, in 1808, I went to reside at the Manse of Cramond, five miles west from the city, and there remained for eighteen months. In taking the superintendence of the younger members of the family, and in holding district meetings for worship on Sabbath, I found myself very fully occupied, and my near residence to the city made it easy for me to get books from the libraries, both of the University and of the Divinity Hall. This was to me a very profitable and pleasing interlude betwixt the close of my student-life at College, and my entrance on the work of the ministry. Mr. Bonar, of Cramond, was justly esteemed one of the most valuable ministers of his day, the member of a family which has furnished, in our own and former days, a number of faithful messengers of the Cross. The great grandson of " good old Bonar," of Torphichen, so particularly men- tioned by Whitefield in connection with the " Cambus- lang awakening," in the middle of the last century, and * In 1842 I published a Memoir of Professor Macgill in a duodecimo rolume, embrac- ing various references to public questions aSectiug the protpress of the Church. V^ n^ i LICENSED. 43 owing ,utional ;r High tablish- hair, as ition to il truth, man of t would [ualities ider liis hing as le Glas- ing and J of Dr. of plu- le front vival of II8O8, I es west months, nbers of worship and my to get and of ble and ent-life linistry. of the a family number randson ly men- ambus- ry, and ne, embrac- h. himself the undo of three living ornaments of the min- istry in the Free Church of Scotland, his name stands forth bright among "Scottish worthies." He was the father of Dr. John Bonar, late Convener of the " Colonial Committee," of the Free Church, cut off, alas ! in the prime of his days. The associations of a commencing ministerial life in circumstances favourable to acquired experience, must retain an agreeable fragrance ; and, in my case, the ties of friendship have been blended with attachments still more tender.* I was licensed by the Presbytery of Edinburgh, on the last Wednesday of March, 1810, and J i)reaclK'd my first sermon 011 the following Sabbath, in the parish church of Cramond, my text being Romans i. 10. In the begin- ning of June thereafter I was requesteg the controversy which had been going on for years, |0n the subject of the relations of the church and the civil magistracy. The matter was at that time under i «|iitigation in the highest courts, and it was not decided • My first partner in life was the daughter of Mr. Jolin Orr, first Provost of Paisley, and ay second the daughter of Thi>mson Bonar, Kw]., of the Grove, near Edinburgh, hrothcr 1 Mr. Boner, «l Cramond. By my first wife I had seven children, of whom four died in liildhood, the 'est surviving, one in Scotland, one in Chicago, and the third in Toronto. 44 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. for several years thereafter. It did not, at that time, excite inucli interest amongst us of the Establishment, altlionyh, at a later period, and up t(j the present hour, covers (questions of great ])ractical value ct mulcted with the interests of social religion among men.* •The Rev. Mr. Ta.vlnr, I" 'ce Church Minister at Flisk, in Fifeshire, has published a Mciniiiriif hi.s father. Pro5-'isor Taylor, cuntainint;, within Hmall l)i'Und.s, tfiu cream of acoiitrovtT-i.v wliiih is. at ■ «■ Tcry time, allec'.'.ug powerfully the uniou luuvcutcnts of tlio I'roabyteriku CUunher , i that time, tablishment, resent hour, U3cted with e, has published a uiids, the cream at liou luuvcuttiitU uf CHAPTER IV. PAISLEY MINISTRY. HOULD any one enquire the reason why it is that Mr. McNaughton, of Belfa.st, is a front rank man in theological polomies, a })0werful preacher, an enlightened landed pro})rietor, and a most skilful exponent ''' of the crafty rules of the " man of sin ;" and how it is that Dr. Begg, of Nevvington, is a tower of strength to any cause, indomitable in mental power,and inexhaustible in his resources; and why Professor Douglas, of the New College, Glasgow, though a very young man, was found worthy of a seat among the rabbis of eastern lore, my reply L short and easy, and of course eminently satisfactory to my own mind. They resi(li}d more or less in Paisley, de- fined by Rowland Hill in his "Journal," as " the paradise of ; Scot' and , or at any rate, if they were not so signally priv- Silege 1, they dwelt at one time so near it as to be within the range of its mystic influence. Had not this enumeration been abruptly broken off here, he would have doubtless brought forth fiom his 46 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. !f i ntiquarian treasury, such names as Andrew Knox, a relation of the illustrious reformer, minister of Paisley, and afterwards Bishop of Raphoe, Patrick Adamson, after- wards Archbisliop of St. Andrews, Thomas Smeton, after- wards Principal of Glasgow College, Robert Boyd, who had been successively Principal of the Univei'sities of Edinburgh and Glasgow, and then promoted to be minis- ter of Paisley, Alexander Dunlop, father of the Principal, Robert Millar, author of the " History of the Propagation of Chi-istianity." John Witherspoon, afterwards President of the College of New Jt.'rsoy, and Robert Fiudlay, Pro- fessor of Theology in Glasgow Uni\X'rsity, one of the best divines of the Scottish Lliurch. He wouM not have omit- ted sons of Paislev so eminent in the literary world as John Herring, tlie modellist, Alexantler Wilson, the orni- thologist, Dr. Ro )ert Watt, author of the '• Bibliotheca Britannica," the ])()ets Tannahill and Motherwell, John Wilson, the renowned Christopher North, and such recent ornaments of the pulj)it as James Hamilton and James Buchanan The town In which so many men of mark were cradled, and where for thirty-four years my father's lines were to fall,* was distinguished for the morality and intelligence of its iidiabitants, and their avowed attachment to the institutions of the gospel. The silver connnunion cups of his future charge, bearing date 17')S, had engraven on them the old nujtto of the nuuncij)ality — " Let Paisley flourish by the preacliing of thy Word." ' Fnrthe " NVw Stafi^tic.l Arrniint of Srotlnnd" hn wrote (alotiL' wit!) Or. Maciiair of tlui Aliti«\) tlie i-rtif! nii l'ai!il''iira:iinilij{ a \u»t aniuuiil u( iui|>urtaut,iuauiuu iiuUucm uf uuriousi and rare, iiiforinutioii. CALL TO PAISLEY. 47 V Knox, a of Paisley, nson, after- leton, after- Boyd, who v^ei*sitics of be minis- ) Principal, ropagation 1 President idlfty, Pro- i>f the best liave oniit- Y W())-ld as , the orni- jibliotheea veil, John lU'h recent nd James re cradled, es were to telligence nt to the )ii cups of raven on t Paisley ' IT. Macnair liniiin' a viut In the view of an election at Paisley, I was required to preach to the congregation on two Salibaths, at the dis- tance of three months from each othei-. Paisley wanted not its critics variously accomplished, and each of the can- didates was favoured with remarks, partly written and ])artly oral. To the former of these classes belonge*! a letter of some length, addressed to me after my second api)earauce, and signed "A Paisleij Weacrr." Neither iit thought nor in expression did it tbrowdis* rediton theclass, its sjiirit and language weiv respectful, i*:s argument very ''^ fair, and its theoh)gy sounder than mine. From the text in Koniaiis iii., '• There is no fear of God before their eyes," 1 had preached a carefully prejiared sermon on " practical g atheism." My corresponliew of this faithful chronioler*, who was ever a firm friend of the successful candidate, and who " remains unto this present " a veteran elder of the Free Church, was present at the ordination on the 19th July, 1811. At the customary "hand-shaking" which closed the solemn ser- vice, he was led up by his sainted mother to the youth- ful pastor, when Dr. Bennic, of Borrowstounoss (the old fjunily minister) who stood at the church dcior, by the young pastor's side, familiarly said, " Come avva, my wee manny, and shake ban's wi' your minister." Thus was be installed in the pul})it of the illustrious Witherspooii. The Professor of Church History in Edinburgh was in the habit of giving a short series of lectures on pul[)it duty, including the preparation and delivery of sermons, and other discourses or a like kind, and these were among his most useful prelections. He was anything but an elo(pient preacher himself, and he was an accoini)lished moderate. But I often call to mind one of his favourite short sayings in connection with these discourses^, " Gen- tlemen," ho would say, " the lecture is the glory of the Church of Scotlaner mil notes to bhe extent of six or 'iglit octavo i)age.s. ami inserting dis- biuv'tly the ))ractical inferences or lessons to be drawn, lany sermons have I read when the occasion was pecu- iar, and the subject dilHcult ; but never oin.'t; did I read a lecture. 1 defv vou to do it with anv etlect ; only let a )reacher grasp his theme with point and ntM've, throw him- 'If into the trenches with all his ca})abilities about him, lliid he need fear nothing. In my e, 'ly days, the main distinction of a modorato man from a [topular or evangelic-al one, was the habitual Use of j)aper or no paj)ei-. Jjut the distinction carried jTeality with it. The " jtaper man " was almost always stiff, ;,^ry, scriinj)ly orthodox, cold and formal. In our "book of Iconinion order," tlu; ])eople were told that "aread(^r" neant an infe-rior " kind of minister." That, indeed, is lot the meaning of the thing as delined, but it tot)k well, for the slavish readers of sermons were, in nine cases out )f ten, "inferior" preachers. The time no doubt came round when a Moncreitij a Chalmers and a Thomson read ¥■ I i I i ' 50 LIFE OP REV. DR. BURNa their sermons, but these were felt to be rare men, who, in spite of their reading, were powerfully eloquent. Jona- than Edwards read, but Dr. Allen, his biographer, tells us that on the near view of death he declared his conviction that the parts of his sermons that were blest for the si)iritual benefit of the hearers were the close and pointed applications, which were never read. Yea, moreover, ho added, that if he had his ministry to begin again, he would throw aside his papers. The English (Established) Pulj)it has at no time been a powerful one, inasmuch as the hierarchy has always encouraged the neat, and short, and "feckless" essay, "intoned" if you please; in prefer- ence to the vlvce vo( ?s ab imo j^cdore (living voices from the heart's depths). All the writers on the pastoral care, the Burnets, the Blairs, tlie Hills, the Gerards, and the Vincts and Spencers, of Europe and America, have been advocates of the unfettered sly le of delivery in the pulpit. Dr. Blair has wisely and correctly said that the dislike to papers in the pul[)it, so strong among the peoi>le of Scotland, if a prejudice at all, is the most reasonable of all prejudices. Three months after my ordination, I began to visit; the elder of the "Pr()|)ortion," as it was called, always accom- panied me. I could not have got on at all without him, and yet with him the work was by far the most difficult of all pastoral duties. The j^arish had seven thousand inhabitants, and of all denominations. Vast varieties of cliaracter l>ehovcd to be treated according to their phases. Men were shy of being familiarly and closely dealt with. I was young and inexperienced, often at a loss what to say or do, and withal, not over well furnished with tho skill nH^uirod in "rightly dividing the word of truth," and giving every one his portion of meat in due season, and hence I was tempted to become desidtory in the work, a most fatal mistake. Visiting is the very life's blood of a successful ministry. If we don't go to tho people thoy won't come to us. Difficulties in the work there undoubtedly will bo, but they maybe greatly modi- fied or wholly removed by due discrimination, and by prudent and kindly measures. In a large town I have ^ SUCCESS IN PAISLEY. 51 , who, in ,. Jona- ', tells us ►nviction it for the I pointed eover, ho again, he ablished) smuch as ,nd short, in prefer- lices from toral care, , and the avo been he pulpit, dislike to 'Scotland, irejudices. visit; the s accom- piout him, t difficult thousand in-ieties of ir ])hasos. loiilt with. s what to with tho )f truth," HO season, ■y in tho ,'ery life's no to the the work tly modi- 1, and by n I have found the advantages of combining congregational with parochial visitation, and I never was charged with being a proselytizing intruder. J With regard to catechising, I generally attended to it 9 in my pastoral visits, in so far as the young people and |f domestics were concerned, for I did not approve of exj)os- ing the ignornnoo of parents and seniors in the presence of juniur.s and children. I tried "public catechisings" on Sabbath evenings and they succeeded wonderfully ; the discourses of the day were slightly reviewed, the "shorter catechism" explained in order, and occasionally a few of Whitccross's best anecdotes told. One of my elders, who generally attended on these occasions, once gave it as his 0])inion. " that one of those anecdotes was as good as a rpinth of snuti'." My " Bible classes " were always held Iwcekly, and on week nights. They wore well attended, ■find }»roved Hue nurseries for the church. The Sabbath Schools in connection with our congregation, and under ly immediate inspection, embraced upwards of a thcus- md young immortals, and when in Paisley, in 1857 and '|l8()0, I witnessed the goodly gatherings of such under |tho faithful ministry which tliat nmch loved scene of my pprst labours still so lai-gely enjoys. A few extracts from Dr. Burns' letters of these years ly be introduced. They touch oa passing events, an 11 as reflect tho " lights and shadows" of home life. rAisLF.v, Feb. in, 1820. — We have our spring sacrament towards the end of April, immediately after which it will fall to me to opon (nir own church, when my presen(;o will be required for a few weeks at least, We have had A visit from Mr. Thomson, of St. George's, P^diuburgh, last Wei'k, when he preached tbr me on Sabbath, and for tho Babbath Schools on Alonday evening last. Collection £45 ,— -very handsome, considering the state of our town, %hich, I regret to say, does not seem to be improving, eithi'r in a mercmtile or moral view. His sermon was well fitted to rouse, and 1 trust it will have thisetiect. 1 have Ken attempting sumo impruvomeiits iu tho Sabbath i h' ;• ! {> 1 li i i f 52 LIFE OF BEV. DR. BURNS. Schools of my own parish, somewhat on Dr. Chalmers' plan, and I anticij)ate good etteets. We are also trying the plan of Female Bible Associations, with the immediate view of enabling the poor to su])ply themselves with the Word of God. More than tliis we cannot look for in pre- sent circumstances. We have been distributing largely to the wants of the poor, and still I fear we must do more. I am glad to hoar that some efforts have been making with you for behoof of the ignorant and pior. When ini- quity cometli in like a Hood, then is the time for us to be lifting up a standard against it. We have too lonjx neglected the mass of our pcoph^, who, in all our largo towns, are not niueh removed from absolute heathenism. I am not certain if the late change with you will be very favourable to the cause of religion. Perhaps things have gone fully as well as could have been exj)ected. The Dr. should tiy and keep his friend, the new Principal, right. I wi.'-h he m;iy make asgood a |»rofessorofdivinityasof math- ematics. Iilo notaj)prove cf the new ])lanadoj)ted at Edin- burgh, of ladies (cspeeially young ladies) coining so piomi- nently forward in the way of I'cligious profession. As to the nuisieal festivals, I am not a disinterested judge, as (in connnon with the strictest classes here) I attended on such occasions without even the suspicion of doing what was wrong. I do not know what they may be in Edin- burgh; but the sacred oratorios we have had occasionally here, a|)i)eared to me to have a good tendency, and we "were glad to find at least one species of relaxation or amusement which we could a|)prove. Paislkv, Jusk 2\), l.S2(). — I was at Irvine last Sab- bath, introducing Mr. J. Wilson to his charge of that largo and imj)ortant station. Everything went on pleasantly, and he has been received with open arms. He is full of zeal and seriousness, and I trust he will have the wisdom which is necessary to direct in a place where anything prevails rather than true religion. It is a cold region, and their last two ministers were frigid. Mr. W. gave an excellent and suitable discourse on the angelic song, i' Glory to God," &c., and my text in tho forenoon waa ; m SABRATH SCHOOLS, FEMALE TEACH EUS. 53 Chalmers' ilso trying immediate s with the for in pre- lai'gcly to t do more. 2n makinjj When ini- for us to s too long our largo ^athenism. ill be very lings have The Dr. I, right. I isof math- id at Edin- so pi omi- »n. As to judge, as tended on insie settled to their mind, and will get Greenock too. It is thought Row has also fallen into their hands. My only consolation under the idea of Mc. going to D — was the hope of a favourable change to the parish left. Wo are forming a society in Glasgow for sending good minis- ters to the North American colonies. Lord Dalhousie has embarked in it warn)ly, and has written me twice. Our general meeting is on the 31st, when he is to preside. Miss A. recovered, to the sur])rise of all. ]\liss B. greatly worse, and no hope of her. She is in a most pleasing frame of mind, and her hopes arc clearly built on the sure foundation. Mrs. P. rather better, but no prospect of re- covery. Paisley, April 22nd, 1825. — We are all, through divine kindness, in good health, and the fatiguing engagements of last week at Glasgow have not laid me up. What with the Sacramental season, the Synod, and half-a-dozen of i)ublic meetings, to say nothing of })rivate calls, etc., my time was for eight days wdiolly occupied. One of my speeches (that on the Catholic claims) \vill proViably reach your quarter soon in the shape of a small jiamphlet. It was miserably reported in the News, and many friends applied to me to allow it to be published by itself, and to this I have consented ; although it is no easy thing to recall an extemporaneous etiusion, and that in the shape of a rej>ly to what has been said by other speakers. The most agreeable of all our meetings were those of the dif- ferent religious societies of Glasgow, which seem to be in a j)rosi)erous state. The spirit of zeal, and piety, and harmony which pervades the membei's, is GLASGOW COLONIAL SOCIETY. M th School eable ex- on what ly do read, You say ar it will in. He is ) who will rhev have Greenock eir hands. :o D — was left. We )od minis- liousie has ice. Our 3.side. B. greatly ■ J)! easing 1 the sure )ect of re- gh divine iigenients Wliat a-dozen dls, etc., One of M'oltably unphlet. fiiends and to Jiinsr to le shape The the dif- eeni to al, and hoi's, is one of the most pleasing symptoms of the state of relig- ion at present, and the good (lone directly and indirectly is great. It gives us great pleasure to hear that Dr. Chalmers is e.xerting himself to promote a missionary Bpirit in St. Andrew's. My old friend, Dr. Codman, from jBoston, U. S., told me that he had been at one of your monthly meetings, and was highly delighted. I'Iickc are [more ])lcasing scenes than the codcfje squabbles, which I Ifear will do no good. The classes will be now nearly all [up, and this will occasion an armistice or cessation of [hostilities at least, but the elements are too uncongenial [easily and readily to coalesce. I You may let Dr. C. know that his favourite overture ^on Theological education was carried by us — 17 to 3 — and J the one on ])luralities unanimously. Our Synod vote [was 45 to 10 — a most signal victory, considering the [force that was brought in array against us. The party I had corresponding members from Argylo, Lothian and Galloway to help them with speeches and notes, but they [were sadly out-witted; indeed, some of their own packed men were so cowed they did not venture to vote at all. jThey are making great efforts to get a fierce moderate in *St. Enoch's church, and I fear they will be too successful, as the people there like to have it so. Dr. C's successor at St. John's goes on nobly, and he and the agency are V completely at one. By the way, one of his deacons, Mr. \Vm. W. (of the house of Denniston, Buchanan & Co.), is to be married to our cousin, Susan A., on Tuesday first. I am engaged to officiate, and the young couple set off on jj^a jaunt by St. Andrews. The Dr. has invited them to |Bpend a day or two with him, and they expect to be ftiiere by Thursday. I mention this that you may have 'it in your power, at least, to call for them. The lad seems very pleasant, and tlie connection is every way ^ agreeable to all parties. We had a visit of Islay lately, |but his wife was unable to accompany him. He seems I still to look towards the Fife-side, where some changes are contemplated. i A letter from George lately — Lord Dalhousie seems very friendly to him. I had a g«Jod deal of intercourse M LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. III with his lordship when at the Canadian mneting last week, which was a very interestin;:^ one. He was in tho chair, and gave a very good address, and seems very hearty in the cause. It will be of importance for G. to be in Scotland before Lord D. leaves it. Anne's account of Mrs. Spence is still very dark. I mean to wiite Mrs. Coutts to-day (-r to-morrow. The Crossflat family have met with another shock in the death of a niece, Margaret Brown, aged 18, of consump- tion — a very promising girl. How affecting the changes!* Though much in public life, my father was thoroughly domestic in his ta-stes. His heart was in his home. He was very fond of children, and, as a necessary consequence, they were very fond of him. Our family circle was repeatedly broken in upon, and as one "who had seen affliction," he had to mourn "if I am bereaved « ray children, I am bereave d." ' ' ' .3 last month of 1819 found him " in bitterness for a firt> n'm," Agnes, an interesting girl of four; and within a n^> i^ih, on New Year's day of 1820, there was "another lily gathered." S(jon after, another flower was " offered in the bud ; " and in 1831, John, a most promising boy of ten was taken away. He learned obedience by the things which he suffered and with the Master was able to succour, in that he himself * Ilis writiiijr in most of the letters we have qnnted, is remarkably good. Though he had geiu nilly the reputation of liein^t a very liad writer, lio could, when he chose to take pa'ns, write well. He wrote much and with cxcecdinj; haste. In a hurry one day he graN)>cd a quill in its natural state, (jd which no knife had been exercised, and had ficrihhied off half a letter ere the mistake was discovered. Mr. David Wylie, of the Brockville A'ccon'.r, one of the fathers of the Canadian jircss, mentioned tome, that when a hoy, serving his a|iprenticeshi)) ivith Ncilsim & Hay, a well-known i'aisley print- ing finu, he was sent to our house in St George's Place, with the proof of one of my father's reports on Sabbath Schools, and one part of tho MS. which the boy averred "nanc o' thoin could niak' oot." Father wa.s not at home. My mother (who blended with remarkable dignity a kindliness and homeliness which set everyone at rase), nietting him with the pleasant pmile which was her wont, and using the dialect he could best understand, rc|)Iied : " Deed, laddie, I dinna wonner, for lumetlmea he conua' mak' it oot hliusel' t "- Ed. II Vkii* t^EUliAVtlJIENTS. 67 had suffcrof]. Ho was thus prcparofl, too, for our heaviest domestic trial, which was yet to come. On Sabhath morning, tlic 14th Novoniber, 1841, after an iUness of thirty hours, the desire of his eyes was taken away with a stroke. For twcnty-eiglit years she had been his counsellor and comforter. She liad always been in labours more abundant throughout the i arish, and 1841 being one of Paisley's years of destitutj(»n, there came upon her daily the care of many poor women and children. She died on the Held, almost a martyr t • her self-sacrificing toil. She was endowed with a comely and dignified personal presence, with rare good sense and admirable administra- tive ability, with the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, with a piety sincere and unostentatious, but uncom- monly practical in its outgoings, and a gently persujisivo influence, which all who came within the circle of her acquaintance felt and acknowledged. " She led me first to Ood ; Her prayers and tears were my young spiri^'s dew ; For when she used tn leave the tircKide every eve, I knew it was for prayer that she withdrew. Many were the expressions of sympathy. Foremost and earliest of any beyond the circle of immediate rela- tives, was Dr. Chalmers, who two days after our soro sorrow, notwithstanding the ['ressuro of professorial duty, just after the session had commenced, found time to write hus: — "Edinburgh, N >vember IGth, 1841. " My Dear Sir, — It is with real concern and heartfelt sympathy that I have been apprized of your heavy loss, and can enter into all that you must sufl'er under this aflecting breach of the nearest 58 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. 'U V and dearest of nil earthly relationships. May the giver of all con- solation bear yt)U up umlerthis sore bereavement, and fjrant that on yon may 1)0 fulfilk'd the sayini^ of the Saviour (John xv. 2), that if any branch bear fruit, tlie Father, our f^reat Spiritual Hus- bandman, pur^'L'th (pnuu'th) it, that it may briny forth more fruit. It is truly marvellous, that with all the experimental demonstrations wo have of our mi>rtality, a now death comes upon us with the force and surprise of a new lesson, as if we had it yet to learn. May we at length learn wisdom. May we consider with effect our latter end, and keep closer and more abidingly with Him, who alone hath the gift of eternal life. I take it very kind that yoa should have sent an intimatii^n, which makes mo a partaker of the sorrows of your heart. It domesticates mo with you and yours ; and it is my earnest prayer in behalf of your atflioted family, that they may all receive grace from on high, to become followers of them, who, through faith and patience, are now inheriting the promises. *' Ever believe me, My Dear Sir, " Yours with great regard, Thomas Chalmebs." When that " elect lady," Mrs. Dr. Briggs, of St. An- drews, my father's sister, and the special friend, almost biographer, of that mother in Israel, Mrs, Coutts, passed to her rest and reward, there was found among her num- erous papers, a lengthened correspondence of my sainted mother, stretching over twenty years. Because of the light which they reflect on my father s private and domestic character and history, and the love borne to her, whose memory, as that of the just, is blessed, a few extracts from these letters will not be unacceptable or inappro- priate. " Innerkip, 24th July, 1817. " Robert goes and comes as he finds it suits him. He went up last Satui'day and will not bo down again before Tuesday or Wednes- day next, as the Lord's Supper is to bo dispensed in his church (and all the other churches in town) Sabbath first. It was dispensed in this place Sabbath last. From the account you give of the com- munion in St. Andrew's, I suppose things went on much in the same melancholy state here as with you. The external decency and order, great indeed ; but the heart appeared little engaged in the service. I MRS. BURNS LETTERS. 69 " Your brother preached all tlie fast day hero, and I may say I never saw a iiidpo attentive conf^rej^ation. Tliey ai)i>eared afr.iid to lose Olio word. They are all uiuiuiriiiLf when ho is to preach ai,'iiin, forthey never were better pleased with any minister. (Jod willing;, he is to preach here again Sabl'ath fortniglit. Pray for the blessing of (Jod on his labours, and Oh may there bo a stirring among the dry bones." "Paisley, April 17th, 1818. "Bythis timo ymi will have read Robert's letter to Dr. Chal- mers. You must write me soon, and i^'ive mo yc^iir candid opinion of it, and also that of the doctor, and the good folks at St. An- drews. In the west it has given general satisfaction. It is said the Dr. will soon bo in the press again in answer to it. We have just been reading the life of Dr. Erskine, with which we are much pleased. It gives a great deal of information concerning the state of literature and religion in the time in which he lived." "Paisley, 30th IMarch, 1819. " Mother is much comforted by Robert's prayers and conversa- tion, as is my afflicted father. Robert is much with them. May the Lord send an answer of peace to his prayers. '* Robert and Agnes continue to enjoy great good health. The former has been kept very busy this winter with his book.* The second edition is going on fast, and will be out by the tirst of May. According to your order, ho will s^nd you four (4) copies of it. What think you of George in the press ! — with botli a volume of sermons and one of lectures! Ue sooius well and happy, audi hope useful." " Paisley, 13th December, 1820. •' It gave me great pleasure to hear the professorship was at an end. I hope there shall bo no more of it. 1 would assuredly rather live on three hundred a year in this quai'ter than on three hundred and fifty at St. Andrews. Robeii;, also, has no great desire for such a change, and to give up preaching, and sit and hear such cold orthodoxy as you mention you have from your pulpits, is what he never could think it his duty to do, but he feels nn»ch obliged to y(mr good Dr. and you for your interest in him. Robert and I are both in good health, which we desire to be thankful for. The re- turn of this season we feel very painful, but our dear lit'le ones, which were suflering so much this time last year, are now where Butfering and sorrow cannot enter, for I am convinced they are in glory, therefore, if we felt aright, instead of wishing them back to this world of sin and sorrow, wo would rejoice that they had gone to our Father in Heaven. Oh may we have the sanctified use of all our trials. * His work on the Poor. CO LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. ** We have just boon rending Dr. Chalmers' volume of Commor- t iiil Scrninns, iiiid are truly tloliglitoil with thciu. All may dorivo lu;ii(fit from them, hut they are calculated to ho very useftd amont; a particular class. It is astonishing the knowledge of human nature he shows, -ho is surely raisitd up for some great purpose. May the Messing of («od attend the reading of them to thousands, for it is only that which can l)ri!it; them home to the consciences of men. NVe have n<»t seen No Fntlon; from what you say of it wo are anxious to read it. We have heen reading a life of Dr. Owen, ■ly Mr. ()rnu% of I'erth, which is really interesting, and introduces you t(t many great and go"d men before litth! known. Hut it is evident thmnghont that his great di'sign is to exalt the Independ- «nts. It is a pity he shows himst'lf so sectarian. Nevertheless, we were much pleased with the perusal of it. Wo shall be looking for William some day soon. I hope he will have pleasure in liis visit tu his intended ilock.^' "Palslev, March 13th, 1822. '* Our valuable friend, Miss Park, was seized with apoplexy about three weeks ago. She lived for eight days after the shock. She was oft(>n sensible during that time. Her faith was strong and lively whenever the stupor left her for a little. Ilobcit saw her every daj* — he experienced much pleasure in his visits. Her afl'ec- tion to him was very sincere, for she always s;iid that his i)reach- ing and cin -'er.ation had been made very us<3ftd to her soul. Her conduct had boon so consistent ever since she professed Cliris- tianity." " Ist March, 1830. " Robert left mo on Friday for Kilsyth (yesterday being their Conununion Sabbath). He was then in great health, and has been so since his return from Ireland. He has been lecturing for twelve months past in the Revelation. I am the voice of many when I say that liis course of htctures on that interesting l)\it ditKcult por- t'.on of tie Word of (iod, has been particularly interesting and I liope protii dtle. He Ims reached the lengtii of the l!Uh chapter. I am astonislied how he gets »kn, for what with the business of the parish societ.es of various kinds, 8up[)lying and correcting tho press etc., etc., ho is constantly busy, but ho would not bo happy otherwise. " Tho Lord's Supper (Ood wiliing) is to bo dispensed hero on Sabbath t-ight-days. Let us have your ]mi\jer» that there may bo fin (Hit pouring of tho S|)irit, so tiiat it nuvy be a time of great re- freshing from the lucseiue of tho Lord. Your brother's help aro Mr. Smith, of St. (ieorge's; Mr. Welsh, of St. David's, on tho Fast-d.^y; Mr. HenderstJU, of Cannunnock, on Saturday; and Dr. Parr, of Port Glasgow, un iSubbuth uvouing. They uru all eicuUunt pruauUurs. Mas. BURNS LKTTEUS. 01 Oommcr- i;iy (lerivo fill Hinonfj of liuman t jmrposo. housiiiida, rk at the deepeiiiiiL,' i>t' ihei'iver, or breakini^ of stones, iVrc. I have disfribiUeil from I'oO to .t'Wi) in a<|iiiet way amoiiLC our respeet.ibh' females, wh i, 1 believe, Wuuld alnmst starve before they would ap[>ly fur help." iJr. Biirnn' sympathy "witli inis-ii>ni»ry ontcrpiise w.is intensi*. Ifis biri^o parish fui'ulslicd nniplf scdpo lor si'Ik'MIi's of inonil e.vcavation ; sudi as of late yoar.s have bi.'Cdjnc increasiu'jflv ooinmon in tho cities ami towns of Scotland. A faithful visitor hiuisclf, he Inul tlu^ faculty of .systoinatizin;^ tho work, ami ol' inicctiii;,' others with soniowhat of his own enthusiasm, so that when, in nituiy a Black Sea of sin, .as n tishcr of men, ho said, " I go a fishing'," thoy were induced hy his ener^fctio will and active e.Kample to say, " We also <^i) with theo." Tho South Church was the fruit of earnest toil in a destitute section of tho parish. From it ao^ain sprang the Free South, which, under tho indefatii^able pastorate i I u ff f! " 62 LIFr. OF REV. DR. BURNS. of the Rev. A. Pollock, once one of his young men, a singularly efficient co-worker, has become one of the most thoroughly equipped churches in Paisley. He maintained regularly the goodly practice of preaching to the young, and the mammoth gatherings of children in Old St. Goorijc's were seasons to be reuieiuhered. The Sal»bath afternoon diets of examination were also of signal benefit. In the Sabbath School Unions of the town, both de- nominational and general, he took a prominent part. Tract Societies received his countenance and aid. The Monitor and Visitor, and other kindred tract serials, were as " leaven which a wonian h'd." Not a few such women were furnished bv him for th^ work. For souie twenty years he was Secretary of the Paisley and East Uenfrewshire Bible Society, whose first meeting was held in the Old Low Church. Within six months after the formation of the London Missionary Society, an auxiliary branch was formed in Paisley. The move: u iit started in March, 1790, the very year when the General A.sseml)ly of the Scottish Cbureh tlirew the weiu:ht of its inlluence into the anti- missiun.-.ry scale, Tlit^ original records of this fruitfui Branch are before us, and reveal the pains and the ]n'ayers with which it» >vas conducted. Large sums were rai.sed : — in one year, about X I ,()()() sterling. Four months after his settlement, on the 4th Novembtn", LSI I, Dr. Burns became Secretary of this Society, and ocnHiuieil so for many years. IIo preached one of the annual sermons of the parent insti- tution in London; and thoae mis-bionary marvels, which \' !«'! r MISSIONARY ZEAL. G3 \ff meiv A the most lintained young, Old St. Sai)l)}ith 1 licnefit. both de- art. id. The als, wore 1 women 3 Paisley meetinfj London mod in f)(i, tho Scotti.sh 10 anti- before v^hicli it 10 year, 'inont, rotary s. Ho t insti- which ' have emblazoned its history, and re-produced in Asia and Africa, in the South Seas and Madagascar, tho triumphs of Apostolic times, ever excited his gladness and gratitude. In the mission of Dr. DufF he felt a peculiar interest, and [no heart beat more responsive than his to the thrill which [ ran through fatherland on the first return of that prince of missionaries from India. Subsequently in the new [world, the intimacy of the old was revived. When John Macdonald, the son of the Apostle of tho [North, having been loosed from his important charge in [London, that he might go back with Dr. Duff, was desig- nated to his distant field on the 8th May, 1837, the charge to the missionary, the full notes of which we have in our [possession, was delivered by Dr. Burns. We have also a [letter of twenty-four pages addressed to him by one of the most useful of the missionaries of the London Mis- sionary Society in India, who was once a member of St. George's and married another, and who gratefully .ascribes to his Paisley pastor much of the formation of his Chris- tian character, and the first impulse ho received to tho missionary work. lie was one of many whom my Father was instruniontal in influencing in a kindred way. With rofbronco to tho success of his Paisley ministry, many testimonies might bo given. A thoroughly cuin- pctent witness sa3's ; — " Ui) iiwrd a (loop debt of ctratitiiflo to his vcnorablo friond, Dr. rnrns, for his vahiablu itistnictioiis to him as a jv.uth, and also in allt-r hfc. atid iio iv^ardiMl him as his s[(iritiial father. Ho Inoked l);i.'k with t;rati'f\d roiiicinbranou to his attuiidanoo for a juniod of twi'lvc yoars, at the Doctor's Tlmrs(hi v t'V(!iiiiii,' chiss, and to tl.ts ureafc int vest lio flit, when a youth, in liis minister's oxiiositionsof Scrip- tun , in what was caUo I his forenoon lectures. Dr. IJurn><, as a lec- jt.urur, stood uurivallod in tho West of iScutland, liia success arising, '^ 1 I ^ f !S II G4 LIFE OF REV. DU. BURNS. ho believod, from his oxtonsivo roaflinij, his wonderful memory, and his great readiness in rucallin;4 on all occasions whatever ho had seen, read, or lieard. The Doctor's language was clear, plain, pointed, vigorous, and terse, and pregnant with meaning. lie never knev any man possessing such a wonderful memory, not for groat matters only, but for the most trivial, as Dr. Burns. He remembered of taking 8ui)pcr in the house of Mrs. White, with him and the lato Dr. Fletcher, of London — Mr.s. White's l)rother— who had that evening, some thirty-six years ago, preached in Mie High Church. During supper tlu^y had a pleasant conversation (the doctor iiosses- Bing at all times great conversational i)owerH), and, looking around him, he (the doctor) said to Mrs. White, 'Did not the Kev. Mr. Smart live in this house ? ' '() yes,' was the answer, 'eighteen or twenty years ago.' 'Well,' said the doctor, ' I remember dining in this very room with Dr. Waugh, of London, and 1 remember it from the walls being painted green.'" The following is from the I^\'ee C/iurch Record for Dcceiubcr, ISOi) : — *' His ministry in Paisley, from the first, was extremely accii)t- able ; so much so, that a new church had soon to be provided of larger diuien.sions, and of a more modern st^'lo of architecture, for his over-crowded congregation, to which, accordingly, under tho name of 'St. (jleorge's,' he and tliey, a few years at'lerwards, re- moved. His early popularity, douljtless, was due, in some mea- sure, to his youth and youthful apiiearance, associated, as these were, with an almost premature ripeness and mellowness of the- ology — with an 'unction' wliich in those days was nire, and with a fluency which was never known to f.-iil him ; but the pn.sition which he took as a preacher from the begin. ling he maintained ever after. There were solid ipialitiesin his discourses which made them always instructive, often tiUinij in a high degree. They were solid, with- out being heavy ; they were coi)ions, and yet clear ; they were level to the humblest, yet such as to couuuand the oar of the most culti- Viited among his hearers ; while, as a h;cturer ami exi)ositor of Scripture;, he had the reputation in the West of Scotland of being 'unrivalled.' One of his oldest surviving parishioners says of him : ' He was a model parish minister, visiting not only his own congregation (1,200 strong), but his pavish, once a year, most regu- larly attending on tlio sick, and taking a special oversight of tho godly u[)bringing of the young. He was a most valuable citizen, and there was not a religious, benevolent, or i)hilanthro[)ic movement in town, but he was to be found at tlie beginning, middle, or ond of it. He was one of the original promoters of the scheme for sup- plying tho town with water; and by succt isive visits to London and otherwi.se, did groat service in bringing in largo sums of money during tho periods uf the depression of trade, wht)u woaviug was BONAR OF CRAMOND. 65 memory, and •ho had soon, aiu, i)i)intod, ! never knov Ljroat matters meuibered of and the late ho had that iligh Cliurch. loct')r iMKSses- okin'^ around he Rev. Mr. ' oiyhteen or emiier dining remember it Record for cmely acciiit- )o provided of hiteoturo. for y, imder tho fterwards, ro- in HI line moa- tfd, as these wnrss of tho- aml with a )sition which I ever after. them always solid, with- ly were level 10 moat culti- oxpositor of and of being )nor3 says of mly his own , most rogu- •siL,dit of cho citizen, and movement iddle, or end leme forsup- ts to London ms of money weaving was the staple branch of manufacture in town.' His capacity for wcrk of all sorts was indeed something marvcl'ous. A day in his life was like a week to any other man. We have heard of his composing two dis- courses, visiting a whole list of sick people, and having time for a [constitutional walk, over and above, on a Saturday ; yet those dis- courses bearing no marks of hast'j or slovonliness when delivered, [•without the assistance of a note, on tho Sabbath following. Nor llcss active was he with the pen than with his tongue, taking part [more or less prominently in every question of iutereat which stirred |the public mind." Soon after his settlement in Paisley there came to I him from the quiet manse, where he had spent a year and a 'half so luii)i)ily, such cordial greetings as follow. Because of the light it sheds on his opening ministry, the freshness [and fragrance of its heart-breathings, and the fine spcji- UuMi it supplies of letter-writing from a father in Israel to his son in the faith, we think our readers will not grudge the space this communication from the "old disciple" at Cramond fills. '*2Gth November, 1811. " Mv Very Dear Brother, — I was much gratilied and rejoiced iat receiving some time ago, yinir affectionate antl comfortable letter, and would have answered it before now, had not severe distress prevented Kio. But oh, my dear brother, I rejoice to inform yuu that my mind was most comfortaldo amidst all the gloomy prospect of leaving my Hock and dear family and friends. Tho everlasting Gospt'l, the all fulness of Jesus and tho hope of glory, were brought delightfully to view, and yielded both peace and joy in believing. I 'am truly happy that you like I'aisley so much. J have all al(»ng tlionght it was a situation quito suited to your sentiments, talents, ■activity and Christian habits, and I trust y(ju will be long spared to a people who prize tho pure Gospel, at least as much as any town in Scotland. I really admire your plan of disonirses on the leading parts of our glorious Lord's histoiy ; you will find these discourses of great use to you afterwards, ne ; if you can ho arrange nmtters, as to ^ive us a Sabbath-day's supply, I need not tell you what a gratification it would bo to us and to all our parish. Mr. Mackellar preached here last Subbath, and was universally admired ; he will be a great acquisition to your country side, but I suspect ho will remain a very short time at Carmunnock. Wo have not seen your brother, Mr. CJoorge, tliis very long time. Your old acquaintance, Mr. Glen, is doing excer-dingly well ; had ho not been previously engaged for Mr. McLean, of Dumfermlino, I would have asked him hero for a month or two. Th's is the first letter I have written since being laid up, and therefore aiust makt) it short. You have my earnest prayers for your 8accef,s and hap- {)iness in tho most honourable of all employments, that you may lave many seals of your ministry, and may long continup a buniing light in our Zion, full of holy zeal, and a sliining light exemplary to all around. If you bo a member of tiio tjlcneriil Assembly next year, and if I am still a sojourner in this weary wilderness, will you have tho kindness to allot a Sabbath-day's services lo your old friends at Craniond. Nowhero can uiey bo more pri,r:ed. Dear brother, pray much for mo, that I may not be doomed tu bo a uao» less cumberer in tho vineyard. Grace, pcaco to you daily. " AllCBIU.\LD BONAB.** II V g ; all here )iir occuuni ir I. ne ; if 's supply, I I and to all li, and was jur country iriuunnock. ' long time. J well ; had inifermlino, 3 is the first aiust mako !f,s and hap- at you niay IP a buniing t exemplary sembly next ,'83, will you o your old i.:ed. Dear to bo a use* iONAB. » I' CHAPTER V. CHURCH COIRTS AND SOCIETIES. S regards our Preshytery, a portly momlior of it Ljiive mo this precious information just before I joined it — " My elder und I hold the baljiiico between tlio two parties." I '^) dare say he was nearly right. At all event.'', we were in tli»» habU r p-;yipg thcio were *' tliree parties" in the Presbytery of Paisley. There was A the " Moderate Party," and the " Popular Party," /}, "'' "liw 2.1cu," IS they were called, and tiiere was t\\ Mr. Fleming, a sort of unique cha"" •♦' U/ bizarre movements could be kept un f whoso As a " party," 2'>cr sc, its dimensions were toieraw.^ irgo, and its pretensions still larger. In the cour.se of a jw years we got amongst us another uni([ue " j)artv," in hie of the ministers of the Abbey jiarish, a man of Hno dents grievously mi.sapplied; but he, most happily for 10 common peace around, went off from the old toryism, couscrv; in as it is now politely called, and waged 68 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. '^ the "havocs of war" against the other son of Mars, who was "tory" to the bone. Many disreputalile scenes of chn'ical antagoni.sm would meet the eyes of "calm ol (.serv- ers ;" and yet, after all, we had no heretics, in tin; ordinary 8cn.sc, amongst us. All i)rol'esscd strict adherence to the Btandards, tliough some were .suspected of being "broad churclimen ;" thus proving tlie truth of an inij)ortant matter of fact, that personal godliness may be at a low ebb when sjjoculative orthodoxy siiews no change. 1 think that during nil my time we kept a majority of "right men," for the town of rai.sley ha.s, evcr^ince its .separation cccle- sia.stically from the Ahbcy, in 17-0, been a stronghold of evangelical truth. It may not bo gonorally kn(»wn that to our Paisley Presbytery the Free Church was indcl»ted for its father, both in years and in ecclcsiuHtical position. The Uev. George Lng;(n, a native of (llasgow,and born it\ 17t>0, was a licentiate of our presbytery, and though oriMister, the late Pr Ihdlbur, of the Outer High Ohurcli, Mr Logan was inl.iidilred to his favourable notice, autl this introduction was always cited by him us one of the happiest events of II ars, who scenes of 11 obsorv- onlinary ce to the ; "liioad lit matter 111* wlieii ink tliat lit men," idii (mtIo- ighold of 1' Paisley ts fatlior, ri>r Uov. 17<>'>, was aiiM'd l>y I'Wiastle, aradomv, minister !ces.sl'ully ily, 1843, iitl» year le vener- a«l<>riK'(l, t liveflen cheer»>d and i»'fre^h\Ml hy tho reeollei f i.ins of oth^r tinies; while his yo»n>ger iVitMuU iv»*i'gni/ed in him one of tho few remaining links which conne t the {-resent generation of p.»slors with those \eneraM»- men who have gone heforo. In a theological and literary so<-iety which was instituted hy the evangelical ministers of the bounds, Mr. Logi\n was always at hoim^ on the Epistles to the Uomans and tho Hebrews, and his ready humour was always at command to lighten the sober gravity of length- enetl argument. It need nt)t excite any surprise that such a man joined heartily in the crusade agaiti.st intrusion, and readily cast in his lot with the men who resolved to sacriticc their all for the sake of a conscience void uf offence. In the beginning oi April, I84;3, and thereafter early in June, I ])aid him a visit when he lay on that bed of sickness which was .soon to be the bed of death. On both occasions wo touched considerably on the points in debate, and I found him on both o(M'asiwards of half a century. Dr. Macfarlane was much J'ounger than either Dr. Smith or I, but he was ripe in earning and in rich sjnritual experience, a divine of the best school, and a Hebrew scholar whom Thomas Boston would have hailed with eagerness as a " fit and ])roper man" to help him in his perplexing warfiire about the Hebrew " points and accents," Such men are blessings in their day, but they are "not suffered to remain by reason of death.'' During my incumbency at Paisley, from 1811 to 1845, a consisi>nt on that occasion, in place of our losing it by the small majority of five, we would have*decidedly carried the day. But BtUl a blow wajs struck on that occasion which proved, "*u r^> ^-..-k a> IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 II 1.25 1^128 |2.5 ^ K£ IIIIIM U ill 1.6 P»/ V. ^ y .«« Photographic Sciences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STRKT WIBSTER.N.Y. USSO (716) 873-4S03 II' I;' !- :ii 72 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. by anticipation, fatal to the claims of non-resident plural- ism ever after. It was in 1817 that a cause from the Synod of Merse came up to the Assembly, in which the question of calls and of patronage was directly involved. Thomson appeared at the bar on the popular side, in his capacity of a corresponding member from the Synod of Lothian and Tweeddale to that of Annan and Teviotdale. Most fully did he enter into the history of patronage and of the " call," and vindicated, by appeal to many prece- dents, the inherent power of the church to refuse a settle- ment on the simple ground of " no call." Graphically did he describe the miserable substitute which moderatism had put in the room of the effective substantial " call" of former days ; and on referring to the mode of expression used regarding it by Principal Hill, in his " View of the Consolidation of the Church of Scotland" — " a paper named a Call" — the Principal, who was present, rose with indig- nation, and called the speaker to account for putting such language into his mouth. Dr. Thomson handed to him his own volume ; and on examining the passage and find- ing the speaker perfectly correct, acknowledged politely his mistake, and with a very hearty laugh returned him the volume. This incident, though in one sense trifling, spoke volumes. It was one of the straws which, when thrown up, indicate how the wind blows. Even in 1817 we lost the cause only by a small majority ; the tide, which had set in in 1810, continued to roll in the right direction. In 1824 and 1825 the plurality question was again dis- cussed, and although the decisions went against the friends of reform, the pleadings of Thomson and of ethers like- minded told with tremendous effect on a cause that had been sinking for years. Then also the independency of the church was nobly vindicated, though by a small majority of eight, in the question of Gaelic preaching as essential in the Parish of Little Dunkeld.* In the meantime, move- ments were going on in various directions in favour of popular rights in the election of parochial ministers. A * Little Dunkeld (mid Andrew Thomson) is the mouth of the Highlands, and ought oertAlnly to have % Gaelio tongue in it.— Eo. il THE MODERATORSHIP CONTROVERSY. 73 b plural- •om the lich the ivolved. e, m his ynod of /^iotdale. age and y prece- a settle- ;ally did leratism call" of pression 7 of the r named h indig- ing such to him ^nd find- politely him the g, spoke thrown we lost lich had tion. ain dis- 1 friends jrs like- lat had y of the aajority ntial in move- vour of ers. A and ought m J " Society for improving the system of Church Patronage" had been formed, and both Dr. McCrie and Dr. Andrew Thomson had patronized it ; but they both moved simul- taneously in the way of a " further advance," and came out on many occasions, both in church courts and in private voluntary associations. In the course of the year 1836, circumstances of a very painful nature occurred which had the effect of introduc- ing elements ot discord and disunion among leading mem- bers of the evangelical branch of the church, and the causes of these painful results were not finally removed for a period of four years. The whole soul of Dr. Chalmers being set on the plaa of church extension, it was not to be wondered at that any man of power and influence who took a side antago- nistic to his could be looked on by him with any friendly feeling. Dr. Lee, from some cause or other, had placed himself in this position, and when the idea was mooted by the friends of the evangelical cause that he should be elected as Moderator of the Assembly, Dr. Chalmers firmly opposed it, and by a triumphant majority (for all the moderates joined in it) carried the day for Dr. Gardner rather than Dr. Lee. Had this formed the main element in the dispute, it would have been easily and speedily rectified and removed ; but there had arisen nearly at the same time in the minds of certain ministers of the evan- gelical party in the church a fancy that some new plan for electing a moderator should be proposed, and it was seriously suggested that the junta of old moderators who had for a long time assumed the right of nomination should continue to act as they had done, only with the under- standing that a candidate for the chair should be named by them from each of the parties in the church alternately. To this the more ardent and conscientious members could not agree. They held that "Moderatism" was, in fact, corruption in the church, that the system so called had for nearly a century been the grand supporter of patronage in its most rigid form, and with all its real or supposed abuses ; and that now, when the evangelical party had T if * i 1 mi; I f!:J I 74 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. gained the ascendancy, it would be absolute folly in tliem to surrender their vantage ground and play into the hands of their deadly foe. A good deal of pretty smart contro- versy on this matter arose, partly in newspapers and partl}'^ in fugitive pamphlets. It so happened that, from some cause or other which has entirely escaped me, I be- came one of the combatants on the high side, as it was called, embracing mainly such as were the avowed and earnest advocates for the abolition of patronage. A lay friend of mine, to whom I ever felt a strong attachment, Mr. J. S. More, Professor of Scots Law in the University of Edinburgh, was my principal correspondent on the occasion, and a few sentences from one of his letters may shew the bearing of the controversy : — " The question has now assumed a more serious aspect than it formerly did, and after the contemptuous and reproachful manner in which Dr. speaks of the ' Wild Men,' a very important interest has been a' tached to this question which it did not formerly possess. I am convinced that the prosperity and welfare of the church depend entirely on that vital Christianity which he stigma- tized as ' wildness,' and that his plan of openly and avowedly recog- nizing no difterenco in our church courts between the conscientious men whom he calls ' wild,' and the thoughtless men whom he calls * moderate,' is one of the greatest delusions, ard would prove one of the sorest mischiefs which could be inflicted on our church." Our opinion was in favour of the election of Dr. Lee to the chair, not at all on the notion that he was either an an ti- patronage man or an earnest advocate of evangelical truth, but simply that he was a man of independent views, and one of the very few of any eminence that were 80 ; and we wanted effectually to break the chain of caste which had so long bound us all ; and it did not appear t'^ us that however we might regret the opinions of Dr. Lee on church extension, they were of such a kind as to preclude his being called to the chair. Dr. Hanna has given a full account of the painful personalities of the case in his " Life of Dr. Chalmers." With these, we, living at a distance from Edinburgh, had little to do, but we all grieved to read or hear of them ; and we rejoiced exceedingly when Mr. Charles Brown and other friends succeeded in applying a healing restorative. !f^ CLERICAL LITERARY SOCIETY. 75 The "Clerical Literary Society" of Glasgow was an association of clergymen of the Church of Scotland belong- ing to the city and to the country districts around, who met once a month during the greater part of tlie year, for the purpose of mutual improvement, particularly in the literature of theology. It owed its existence mainly to the efforts of Dr. MacGill, of the Tron Church ; afterwards Professor of Divinity in the University. On his induction to the pastoral charge in the city, it occurred to him that amid the varied and laborious duties of the pastorship in a large community there was some danger of ministers losing their studious and classical habits ; and the idea occurred to him that occasional meetings of the brethren for reading of essays, or for exercises of Biblical criticism, in the departments both of Greek and of Hebrew, friendly advice, literary conversation, and consultation on ques- tions of mutual interest, might be useful in cherishing the academic spirit, and enabling clergymen lo keep abreast of the age as regards the departments of literature and science. The idea was soon taken i;p by a respectable number of the brethren in the city and neighbourhood, and it was efficiently acted on for many years, and while subjects of a theological character v/ere always kept prom- inent, each member was expected to give in turn some account of his topics of discussion in the pulpit during the intervals of meeting, and to submit questions of casuistry for consultation and advice. Nay, more, if any member had the daring courage to "put out" from the press a work of any magnitude, he was expected to lay some specimens of it before us for criticism and suggestion. In this way certain of the works of Dr. Chalmers, of Dr. MacGill, of Dr. Robertson of Cambuslang, of Dr. Hamilton of Strathblane, ar.d of the writer of these memorials were inspected and judged of at their "first throwing up" by their appointed " Lords of the Articles." As might have been expected, the labour of " tugging the oar," in this as in other departments, lay mainly with the popular or evangelical clergy ; and yet we had ahvays an agreeable minority of respectable moderates. At the i t 76 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. '? I ' !i among \ I! time of my joining it, in the end of 1811, I found the membership such men as Dr. Cooper, Professor of Astronomy in the University ; Dr. Maclatchie, of Meavns, the early preceptor of John Wilson ; and Dr. Gibb, then of St. Andrew's Church, afterwards Professor of Oriental Languages in the College. , Party questions, if brought in at all, which was very seldom, were never discussed in an exclusive or sectarian spirit ; and the meetings ever helped to cherish a friendly spirit among the members, and were cheered and crowned by a somewhat substantial, con- vivial repast at the close of each annual session. I was a member of a similar society in our own presbytery, the members of which met at each other's houses once a month ; and the wives and families at the manse always regarded their meetings as pleasant interludes. Not a few of the " Essays and Dialogues" which figure in the annals of this frie.ndly club adorn the pages of the Edin- burgh Christian Instructor, from 1824 down to 1840, when that effective journal, associated as it was with the name of Dr. Andrew Thomson, closed its career. The benefit of such self-constituted schools of literature and theology was largely felt by all who took a part in their healthful maintenance. My own case affords an apt enough illustration of this. In 1823 the chair of Moral Philosophy in the united College of St. Leonard's and St. Salvator at St. Andrew's fell vacant, and my friends in the locality of the college asked me to become a candidate for the chair. Nothing could be more preposterous than the proposal of taking a minister from the large manufacturing town of Paisley to be an active member of an academic corps. The habits and whole spirit of such a position as this, appeared to be altogether opposed to thw duties and responsibilities of a college gownsman. There could be no question about it ; bnt on the other hand, my confreres, in those humble haunts of literature which I have des- cribed, knew full well that I had been a most regular attendant on the exercises of those associations, and they had heard, and criticised too, my repeated lectures on such subjects as " the theory of morals," " the argument !l MORAL PHILOSOPHY CHAIK AT ST. ANDREWS. 77 a priori," and such like. I had not yet reached my maturity, and such competent judges as Dr. Chalmers, Dr. MacGill, Dr. Gibb, Professor Jardine, and Dr. Scott, of Greenock, Dr. Andrew Stewart, of Erskine, and others certified me as amply qualified to occupy successfully an ethical chair. Other independent testimony was brought forward in my favour, and my own brother-in-law, Pro- fessor Briggs, was himself one of the electors. In one word, my chance of success was pretty fair, and the matter seemed to run betwixt my claims and those of an able and worthy man, lately deceased, Dr. Fleming, then the minister of old Kilpatrick, afterwards the successor of Professor Mylne in the Moral Philosophy chair at Glasgow. Of the very friendly feelings of Dr. Chalmers I had not the smallest doubt, and my intercourse with him on the subject of the approaching election was friendly and fre- quent. Some little circumstances conspired to produce on my mind the notion that overtures had been made to the great man himself, and that he indeed was in the eye of Principal Nicol, and certain of his colleagues, in the Senatus. On hinting my suspicions to a mutual friend, Mr. William Collins, the excellent Christian bookseller in Glasgow, he turned on me with vehemence, saying eagerly, " Do you mean to insult him, sir ?" So very unlikely did the thing seem of Dr. Chalmers leaving the high vantage- ground of Glasgow for the literary solitude of St. Andre w's, that the very idea was repelled with indignation. Did I feel disappointed in the unlooked-for issue of the contest? Assuredly I would, had some old worn-out moderate been chosen, or it may be some "broad" sceptical sciolist; but my h'ghest, if not my exclusive, wish was— and all my best friends participated v.dth me in it — that a larger measure of the " sal evamjelicmn" might be thrown into the academic waters, and that the heights of Parnassus and of Helicon might not be ever and only climbed by the haters of Carmel and of Zion. Circumstances in my position lent me a sort of " pull" for the place ; and there was no fear of Paisley being filled by a "right man." Still, I was aware that many of my most pious friends fHI I I I 4 78 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. aTi'^ fellow-labourers had very serious doubts as to the propriety of my leaving a spiritual charge so important, and offering myself a candidate for what seemed a purely secular office. It was not easy for me to vindicate my conduct in the case without seeming to indicate by doing so a somewhat conceited idea of perhaps thinking myself fitted to be of some service to the ineffably important cause of spiritual religion as deeply involved in right theological and college training. But in addition to the pleadings of some most competent judges, I was some- times gratified by receiving encouragement from quarters where it was least expected. One evening, at a meeting of our Sabbath-school directors, on the subject being mooted, John Cairns, an elder of the West Relief congre- gation, and a fine specimen of a class that was fast passing away — the well-conditioned and respectable Paisley weaver — put in his word, to the efiect that he was a native of St. Andrews, knew well the state of sentiment and of feeling among the teachers and students of that college, and that nothing was more to be desired than a change from the cold and withered sterility of moderatism to the genial influence of evangelical truth. He approved highly of the movement I had made, and recommended to ray people a cheerful concurrence. Forty-five years have rolled away since the time referred to, and still I recollect well the feeling of satisfaction which the unlooked-for testimony of this plain unlettered tradesman, connected as he was with another communion, afforded me ; and now, looking back through tlie vista of years, the contest referred to does not violently disquiet my conscience. Political reform and the "popular party" were then rising into strength and form. But still the moderate ranks were strong, and the favourite haunts of the party were strongholdti. I belonged to the " wild party," as it was called, and not the tamest of the "wild;" and St. Andrew's had long been the " lion's den" of moderatism. The case required caution, and some skill in tactics. Cir- cumstances connected with the ptditical aspect of the times brought to my side some " men in tower," whoso APPOINTMENT OF DR. CHALMERS. 7l» f' ;ood opinion was not to be despised ; and a few of the east " fierce" moderates befriended me. But " our men," ie. those of the more marked and decided character, pru- ' dently lay by, and quietly watched their opportunity of I service. Andrew Thomson, indeed, said that we had " tied I up his hands too much," for he -was ready to work if we had let him. " The use of terror" he had largely at com- mand ; but we were jealous of that, and preferred a quieter {move : and he certainly proved himself a kind friend, for he not only gave advice which was invaluable, but he brought the matter under the notice of Sir Henry M(m- [crieff, v*'hoso favourable opinion of any one Principal Nicol well knew how to appreciate, and well did I know the value of the friendship of such a man as Sir Henry. He examined my credentials, weighed the case impartially,, and gave his best advice. In ordinary circumstances I would, in all likelihood, have been the successful candi- Idate. -As things turned out, Glasgow and the west of [Scotland were covered for a season with a saddening [funeral pall ; but the accession of Chalmers, first to St. I Andrew's and thereafter to Edinburgh, were great turning [points in the wheel of Providence. The apparent crossing of his path by Dr. Chalmers [caused no interruption of their friendly relations. These had commenced soon after the Doctors settlement in [Glasgow, and continued till his death. It was on the |21st of July, 1815, Dr. Chalmers was inducted into the [Tron Church. Two months thereafter the following; re- [eponse came to an application from the Paisley pastor. " Glasgow, Sept. 26tb, 1315. ["Rev. Mr. Bums, I *' My dear Sir,— I trust the time ia coming when 1 shall be able Ito satisfy my friends with such assistance as they may demand, but Ithat time has not yet arrived. I feel that ever since my arrival at IGlasgow, 1 have been pressing so hard upon the limits of my strength, Ithat I cannot go beyond the regular line of my exertions without Idoing a positive and Rerious inj nry to my constitution. In these cir- Icumatances, I have been under the necessity of ref usuig a number H 80 LIFE OF REV. Dll. BURNS. r" of home applications for sermons ; and, feeling as I do, that any spare strength I have should be directed in the (irst instance to the objects which are immediately around me, I am not at liberty to listen to any foreign applications but such as I consider a return for sacramental services. Do, therefore, indulge me in declining the request with which you have honoured me. I take your visits to me very kind, and trust I may soon return them. I hope we may see one another frequently on this side of time, but let us not destroy the health or comfort of each other by making a sacrifice of them to the itching ears and gaping curiosity of our people. " It gives me great pleasure to perceive that you are much at one with me on the subject of Bible associations. Dr. Burns (Barony) has become a member of one of them, and the President of the S.E. district has just called upon me, and obtained my name also. I cordially agree in your sentiments that the true way of neutral- izing all that is dangerous to the Establishment in the influence of dissenters, is to move cordially along with them in all that is good. With most cordial good will to yourself, and every sentiment of esteem for the zeal with which you carry on the all-important work of the ministry, ** Believe me to be, my dear Sir, *' Yours most truly, *' Thomas Chalmees." 1 I I I ll i ; ) 1 •\ i \u , that any ince to the , liberty to jr a return I declining jrour visits I hope we ; let us not sacrifice of pie. Luch at one 13 (Barony) lent of the name also, of neutral- nfluence or lat is good, ntiment of •rtant work LLBfEBS. •Cr CHAPTER VL INTEREST IN FOREIGN MISSIONS AND THE HOME POOR. HAT the state of religion in Scotlcand during the hist quarter of the eighteenth century — was very dark and depressing is a matter of fact of which there can be no doubt. Dr. McCrie speaks of the " lurid star" of 1784 ; and Sir Henry Moncrieff, in his Life of Dr. Erskine, traces back the sad defection to the days of Hutcheson, Robertson, and other leaders in the downward march of sterile moderatism. Among , .. the causes that led to a gi'cat revival may be JSu/ mentioned the rise of the missionifry movement in T England in 1794, followed, as it instantly was, by similar symptoms and effects in Scotland. The sailing for the South Seas of a chartered vessel filled with warm- hearted candidates for missionary life and labours among savages and cannibals was a new thing in Britain, or perhaps in the world ; and the question : " Any word from the Dufft" still lingers in my eeiz as associated Q f ■ I I i 82 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. with the arrival of the weekly post or carrier from tlie metropolis. Reguliiily on such occasions did I go with or without my coinpaiiiuns, to the humble sources of information in oui* little town, with the signiticant question "Any word?" When, on the second voyage of the Duff, word came that she had been taken by the French frigate Buonaparte, the announcement thrilled tlirough the awakening heart of Scotland as tlie signal of a great national calamity. The General Assembly of 17!)0 did indeed by a majority (not very large, I am happy to say) try to put down the rising spirit of missions. But Paisley subscribed at the first call one tliousand pounds sterling as the primary offering. Edinburgh, and Glasgow, and the North organized their missionary associations. The Evangelical Magazine of 1793, and the Edinburgh Missionary Magazine of 179G, helped wondrously the " move ;" and four such men as Haldane, Bogue, Ewing, and Innes (most distinctly do I picture the men now to my mental eye, amid the shadows of the past) offered to head a mission to Bengal, and four more like minded, and like circumstanced, were ready to follow in their wake. The visits of Simeon, and of Fuller to Scotland, at a rather later period, told mightily ; and " the preaching tours" of Rowland Hill, James Haldane, John Aikman, and Greville Ewing contributed much to deepen impressions already made for good in the hitherto stagnant national mind. Those week-day services of " Strangers " amongst us did immense good. When John Aikman, a native of our sea- port, and a man every way remarkable for zeal and piety and disinterestedness, preached in our school-house of an evening, he gave out the 107th Psalm at the beginning, and preached on "joy among the angels in heaven over one sinner that repenteth ;" and the memories and im- pressions are still present with me. And I remember the sermon of Mr. Slatten, of Chatham, in our town, the more distinctly, perhaps, because we heard him under the im- pression that it was "the Captain" himself, meaning Mr. James Haldane, who usually went under that name. Great and salutary moreover was the era of the erection LONDON MISSIONxVRY SOCIETY. 88 ' from . I go jourcos liticant voyago by the ihrilled gnal of ibly of I happy IS. But pounds lasgow, nations. Inhurgh isly the Ewing, I now to Tered to Lied, and ir wake, a rather ours" of Greville already 1 mind, us did ^ng Mr. name, srection of Sahhath sHiools, and the circulation of reh*.^ious tracts also did much good ; and the names of John Campbell, John Ritcliie, George Cowie, Alexander Pitcairn, and many others like minded, are still fresh and fragrant ia Scotland. Independency, or Scottish Congregationalism, indeed got then a strong pull ; but no matter of that. The Established Church, whose dcadness was the real cause of this, shared largely in the happy issues ; for her sleep was disturbed, she began to look through the cur- tains of her repose, and to rub her eyes with the feeling of surprise. We that were boys, or little more, wondered, an:l eagerly put questions, more or less to the point, and moved on with the current. My father estimated the Moulin revival at the close of the century (17i)G) as the return of the days of Whitetield and the scenes of Cam- buslang. At an early period in his ministry Dr. Burns evinced practically his interest in the missionary enterprise. Four months after his settlement in Paisley we find him ap- pointed secretary of the auxiliary to the time-honoured London Missionary Society, which, fifteen years previous- ly, had been established in Paisley. The MS. minutes of this fruitful branch during the first nineteen years and a half of its history (from March, 179G, till November, 1815) lie before us. We have also on our table the first mis- sionary magazine ever published on this continent. The two beantifuUy synchronize. The retrospect is sugges- tive. The movement in the New World was almost simultaneous with that in the Old. The magazine, which seems to have been occasional in [its publication, embraces in its 240 pages from 179G till 1 1800. The purely missionary news being then but scanty, its columns are largely filled with other matter suitable [to a religious journal. Special prominence is given to t mmmmmm % n 1' ' 11 'II 'i 8i- LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. the doings of the London Missionary Society, which had been formed on a catholic basis on the 22nd of September, 1795, in presence of two hundred ministers of different Protestant denominations, and an assembly which cro^. ded every corner of Spa-fields Chapel. The designation of the first missionaries, twenty-eight in number : their settle- ment amid the islet gems which stud the bosom of the vast Pacific : the rise and progress of the work at Ota- heite : the exploits of the good ship Duff and the devoted Captain Wilson : the thanksgiving day on her return after fifty-one thousand miles of voyaging, with Dr. Haweis' discourse on the occasion, from Psalm cxxvi. 3 : these and such-liko form the staple of the thrilling story. From the altar kindled by the " Spirit of Burning " in the British, the friends of truth in the American metro- polis received "'a live coal." McWhorter, and Livingston, and Mason caught inspi- ration from Bogue, and Wilks, and Waugh. On the 1st of November, 179G, the New York Mission ary Society was organized, with " John M. Mason^ of the Scotn Presbyterian Church, Cedar Street," as secretar3^ Six months before the movement in New York, and after that in London, Paisley began to move in the same direction. In this, as in other religious and philanthropic enterprises, she has proved a pioneer among the towns, and made good her claim to Rowland Hill's eulogium — " Paisley is the Paradise of Scotland, because there Chris- tians love one another." Li the rise and progress of the Foreign Missionary en- terprise in the Church of Scotland Dr. Burns felt a pecu- liar interest. None mourned more deeply than he over DR. DUFF— COLIN CA^IPBELL. 85 ii had mber, ferent )A.ded of the settle- of the t Ota- evoted return th Dr. xvi. 3 : r story, ng" in metro- inspi- Assion of the itary. »rk, and lie same ithropic towns, kgium — |e Chris- ^ary en- a pecu- he over the sad defections of the past, when the church of his fathers had forgotten her first love; and none more ardently longed for har to remember whence she had fallen, and to repent and do the first works. He rejoiced greatly in the dawning of a brighter day, when the claims of the " great commission " received on the floor of her Supreme Court, where a generation before they had been contemned, a fitting recognition ; and when, shaking her- self from the dust and loosing herself from the bands of her neck, she responded promptly to the appeal, "Awake! awake ! put on thy strength !" He gloried in the mission of Dr. DuflF ; and when that apostle of India first returned from the field of his trials and triumphs, and the electric shock which his mar- vellous oratory gave to the General Assembly — then unused to such visitations — vibrated to the extremities of the land, he felt in all the fulness of his ardent nature the thrill. While plodding on perseveringlyat home work ; and his sympathies going forth to his expatriated fellow- countrymen in the remotest of Britain's colonial depen- dencies, he found time, with voice and pen, by labouring and travelling, to shew in manv practical forms his interest in the perishing heathen. Several ministers and missionaries were trained up under Dr. Burns' Paisley pastorate, and received their first impulses towards the work from him. The Rev. Colin Campbell, for many years a faithful and successful missionary of the London Missionary So- ciety, at Bangalore, in the Presidency of Madras, thus writes, in a letter full of interesting incident : — i -A ' I >< II 86 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. *'My ever-revered and much-loved Friend and Pastor: •* I have often had it in my mind to write to you. A very f;ood likeness of you which hangs in my study, and which has been ong in our possession, often gives occasion to speak of you, both among ourselves, and friends who may happen to be visiting us. But without this I know I shoukl not be ready to forget you. I owe so much to your ministerial labours, to your kind advice, and to the interest you took in my welfare in my early days, and espe- cially at the time 1 began to think of the missionary work, that I always think of you with the highest respect, affection, and grati- tude. I am now stirred ixp to write to you by hearing from my Bistcr-in-la\v that you have been paying a visit to Paisley, and that she has had the very groat pleasure of hearing you again. I was agreeably surprised to hear that you looked so well, and that your preaching was still characterized by so much energy and power." His labours in connection with the Bible Society and Sabbatli schools we can only touch upon. It was in the Old Low Church the " Paisley and East Renfrewshire Bible Society" was organized on May 17th, 1813, at a meeting presided over by his ftither-in-law, Mr. John Orr, first Provost of the town. His speech on that oc- casion, which was one of great eloquence and power, is given in full in the August and September numbers of the Christian Instructor of that year. For many years he filled the post of secretary. With the Sabbath school Associations he was closely identified. The numbers of the Instructor fov May and June, 1814, contain " the Paisley Sabbath School Report," which, though without signature, bears the impress of his hand, and of which the editor says, " the report is so '"".reditable to the society whose proceedings it details, and so much calculated to bo useful in the way of information and encouragement, that we shall give it without abridgment." In behalf of Bible, missionary, and kindred societies he I TEMPORAL WELL-BEING OF THE POOR. 87 i made many tours, two of them in Ireland, which created a deep impression and won him many friends. Not less in the temporal well-being of the poor, than in promoting the spiritual good of all, did Dr. Burns take a deep interest. With the poor of Paisley he naturally sympathised most deeply, and on their behalf exerted himself most actively. Here we recur to his autobio- graphical notes. A very interesting enquiry has been lately instituted in England, and surely it may be extended to Scotland also, although it may be with greater limitation in the one case than in the other, I refer to the causes why the working classes in the community seem to be so indifferent to religion in its social character, so callous to the interests of eternity as compared with the keenness with which they struggle for secular rights. My settlement in Paisley and lengthened residence there necessarily led me to remark certain phenomena that did bear pointedly on such questions. Of course it was with the state of things witliin the pale of the Established Church that I had mainly to do, and I am perfectly satisfied that the facts to which I am about to refer were not realised at all to the same extent within the circles of secession or dissent as in the Establishment. I entered the church at a time when popular rights, whether civil or religious, were greatly in abeyance, when the notion of meddling with church patronage or anything of the kind was held to be purely absurd, and when even a recognition of dissenters at all, in our discussions in church courts, was repelled and put down as insulting. Toryism reigned in all its power in all the grades of society above or beyond that of the working classes, and to a limited extent in that immediately above it. By the established church courts the people were ignored ; and any allusion in our speeches to the popular mind or to the ordinary vehicles of popular sentiment were uniformly and contemptuously frowned i ' j ' I lU 88 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. down. The feeling, if not expressed, was nevertheleae strong, — Who are the people ? We know them not ; we are independent of them ; we are the church, not of the people, but of the constitution. In perfect harmony with this, stood side by side with it a disinclination to do any- thing at all, ecclesiastically, for benefiting the temporal interests of the working classes. Often have I thought of the words of Paul in reference to an apostolic commis- sion, "only they would that we should remember the poor," as in striking contrast with the apathy of so many modern churchmen. When I first published my volume on the poor in 1818, 1 had by no means got above the dominant prejudice. Circumstances connected with the depression of trade and with the civil disabilities that impeded the prosperity of Scotland gradually enlarged and liberalized my views, and during the second half of the period of my ministry in Scotland I not only felt and acted on the principle that the church ought to do more than she had done for relief of the humbler classes, but I pleaded occasionally from the platform and from the press in behalf of removal of iniquitous and oppressive laws, such as those which affected the importation of corn and provisions from foreign ports. With great difficulty did I obtain a scrimp majority of votes in our presbytery for a searching enquiry into the causes of prevailing distress among the working classes in our community. I tried it in the Synod at Irvine, but .signally failed. My experience led me strongly to the conclusion that ministers of the gospel, and especially those in the Estab- lishment, ought to take a deeper interest in the temporal necessities of their people, by ever shewing suitable sym- pathy with them in their difficulties, and by bringing their influence to bear on the side of an increase of their comforts. Four times in the lapse of ten or twelve years was I sent to London, as one of a deputation to the " powers that be," on behalf of suffering operatives. The ministers and laymen who co-operated with me in these missions were fully satisfied as to the line of duty followed out, and never regarded the sacrifice of a few weeks' DISSENTERS NEGLECTED. by^ absence from our ordinary fields of labour as at variance with conscience, or as morally deleterious to the cause ot religion — quite the reverse. There can be no doubt that in large communities as Paisley, Dundee, Aberdeen, and such like, the preval- ence of French infidelity, the introduction of Sunday drilling, and other causes of a like kind, tended greatly to eat out the piety of the ])eople and to thin the churches. But I am not less persuaded that if, half a century ago, proper means had been used to remove the evils that beset the church, and to promote a kindlier feeling towards all classes of dissenters from her communion, Scotland would have presented a far more pleasing aspect than it has done. Old affection would have ri«en from its tor- pidity, and associations hap])y and healthful would have welded society sweetly in one. Had our General Assem- blies dealt not in such "pastoral admonitions" as were levelled at Simeon, of Cambridge, and Fuller, of Kettering, the very best men of their age, but in such addresses as that of Mr. Bonar, of Cramond, entitled " Genuine Religion the Best Friend of the People," of which thousands of copies were showered among the people of the metropolis, what substantial good would have been the result ! Far am I from saying that Dr. Hill, of St. Andrew's, and Dr. Thomas Hardy, of Edinburgh, did no good by their printed appeal to the working classes in Scotland at the end of the last century ; but this I know, that when Henry Dundas came down, at the request of Mr. Pitt's Government, to reconnoitre on behalf of trembling and panting patriotism, he found, and he acknowledged, that moderatism could do little to mellow the chafed spirits of a discontented people, and he made an affecting appeal to Sir Henry Moncrieff, as the rej)resentative of the Evan- gelical party, for hel|) in the sad emergency. Kay, ir^ one of the very best of his caricatures, giving utterance to a 'eeply-felt, wide-spread conviction, has show ijow little 'he Carlyles and the Grieves of the moderat(^ ck gy coul' . > to meet the swelling tide. The noble 'iav met, wi< . -mmendable highraindedness. said in reply, ** Mr. Dundaia. 90 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. } i h . I m ii you have kept us always in the background, and lavished all your favours upon others." One of his oldest Paisley friends thus expresses himself on his interest in the poor : — " Dr. Burns was not only a popular preacher, but a model parinh clergyman, visiting not only his congregation once a year, but all his parishioners. He was truly a valuable citizen ; for there was not a religious, benevolent, or jihilanthropic movement in town but he was to be found either at the beginning, middle, or end of it. The work which specially connects the Dcjctor with Paisley is his ' Historical Dis3ertati< [fl! '96 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. ,i ii * 1 I l^ I I and political, calculated to ameliorate their condition. To this may be largely traced his earnest advocacy of fran- chise extension and of free trade, when it was the reverse of fashionable for clergymen of the Established Church to connect themselves with such movements, He was ever a Liberal in i*olitics, tiiough many near and dear to him were on the other side. And, while he did not descend to the political arena, or mingle as a heated partisan in the exciting fray, he did not deem it incon- sistent with the sacredness of his office, or calculated — as some of his High Church brethren thought — to " rub off the clerical enamel," to indicate distinctly his political pre- ferences,, and especially at imminent crises of his church and country to come out boldly, through the press and otherwise, in behalf of what he conceived to be the cause of truth and righteousness. Ho hesitated not, oven in the presence of Royalty, to reveal honestly and plainly the condition of the masses, and to suggest how the " troubled sea" might be set at rest. In the course of a lengthened interview with "William IV. (when it was said " the King appeared greatly taken with the conversational powers of the Scotch Presbyterian divine"). His Majesty asked about the state of trade in Paisley. The Doctor answered, " May it please your Majesty, the trade in that large manufacturing town is at present very bad." " Can you assign any cause, local or otherwise, for this ?" en- quired the King. " Yes, please your Majesty, it is gener- ally ascribed to the great agitation caused by the Reform Bill, and we do not look for any improvement until it is passed." " My Ministers," said His Majesty, " must look to that" FREE TRADE. PRINCIPAL WILLIS. 97 Dr. Bums was always a strong advocate of Fi^ee Trade, and enemy of the Go7'n Laws. When the great conflict com- menced which culminated in Sir Robert Peel's complete change of sentiment, a conversion which the magnanim- ous Premier frankly acknowledged, Dr. Burns took his position beneath the banner on which the names of Cobden and Bright were inscril^ed. He was a member of the Manchester League. He was the only minister (we be- lieve) of the Church of Scotland present at the memorable banquet in honour of Richard Cobden at Glasgow. In the winter of 1841 he delivered, in Glasgow, the seventh of the second series of lectures to Young Men : " On the Reciprocal Duties of Employers and Employed." In 1842 he lectured under the auspices of the " Glasgow Young Men's Free Trade Association," in John Street Chapel, Glasgow, on " Restrictive Laws on Food and Trade tried by the test of Christianity." " I honour much and know well," is the testimony of Prindpal Willis, " his labours in more than one department of philanthropy, beyond the range of direct pastoral work, though not alien from it. It was given to him beyond many to see the defects of the Scottish poor law, defects which were indeed recognised, so far, by Assemblies after Assemblies of the church ; the provision for the poor being acknowledged to be in a great measure illusory in numerous paruhea of Scotland. But the real remedy was tardily applied. Our de- parted friend contended for the establishing of a legal provision more adapted to the changed circumstances of Scotland, and for a very considerable modification of what was tenaciously cherished by some as the Scottish system ; though perhaps rather to be called the misapplication to an altered state of society of an ancient scheme, which Knox and our early ecclesiastics acquiesced in, as a necessity of their times, rather than approved. *' The state has rightly, with the general consent of the Scottish mind, revolutionized its scheme of providing for the poor. No legislation in such an interest can meet every difficulty, and abuses must be watched against. But the principles of the new arrange- ment, I verily believe, are in far more harmony with a right jiuis- .^ ^i ! 1 I: \! ! It •n. .-I \i '\ 98 LIFE OF REV. DE. BURNS. prudence, and with the laws of the Bible, than what prevailed for a century before. Dr. Bums in pressing his views on the public, —views which I cordially supported along with him, — had to op- pose the specious pleadings of men of no small name, who set oflp with much eloquence views honourable enough to their warmth of heart, but neither resting on a solid philosophy, nor sustained by legitimate reasonings from the Word of God. . . . Hence, in what is now called the old oystem, the admitted and oft lamented ineffi- ciency of the Scottish provision — necessitating, for eking it out, mendicancy with all its demoralizing effects ; and, more serious still, perhaps, the withdrawment from their proper spiritual vocation of religious functionaries — an evil, this latter, seen and regretted by none more than by the earnest opponents of the change which becanio necessary ; though they strangely failed to see that the cause of the evil was inherent in the very principle of the system they were so eager to uphold. . . . Besides the larger writings of Dr. Bums on this important question, a small synopsis of his argument, in a mere fly-leaf, came some time ago into my hands —I may have seen it before, but had forgotten it — of which I said to him, that no abler piece of reasoning ever came from his pen, . . . Besides other powerful argumentation. Dr. Bums never reasoned more conclu- sively than when he parried off the objection to a poor rate, viz : — that a regular statuted provision, more resembling that of England than what so long prevailed in Scotland, tev/Jiji to ohut up the sources of private beneficence." I i liled for public, d to op- lO set off irmth of lined by in what ed ineflBi- r it out, 3 serious vocation retted by h becaiiio ise of the T were so Bums on in a mere e seen it ; no abler ies other ■e conclu- ,te, viz : — : England it up the CHAPTER VII. VISITS TO OXFORD AND CAMBRIDGE.* ^'« tion. T was early in June, 1812, and on my way from London to Scotland, I paid a visit to the University of Oxford. The son of a much-respected clergyman of Glasgow was then studying at Baliol College, and as a " father's friend" I counted on a kind recep- In this I was not disappointed. Mr. John Gibson Lockhart, afterwards the editor of the Quarterly RevieAO and the son-in-law of Sir Wal- ter Scott, received me courteously and kindly in his academical ? ,)artments, and gave me the in- formation which strangers commonly seek for, in regard to the varied halls of science and learning consti- stitdting the venerable " University of Oxford." Amongst other things demanding notice, I desired to stand on the spot where, in the days of " bloody Mary," stood the iron * The autobiography here sketches two visits paid at difTerent times to Oxford and Cambridf{o, and furnishes a specimen of a number of similar tours, made principally iu connexion with public duty.— Ed. Ii^ ' rtif jl-: 100 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. pillar to which Ridley and Hooper and Latimer were bound by iron chains, and, forgetting all their minor dif- ferences of sentiment, breathed out their souls together amid the flames of martyrdom. My friend placed me on the very spot. No martyr's monument had then been reared, but none was needed. The heart of England was then sound, and Oxford had not as yet taken any of those fatal steps in a retrograde direction which have since thrown around her an inglorious notoriety. Scotland at large, and Glasgow in partiijular, have an interest of sub- stantial value in one at least of the literary halls of Ox- ford ; and, over and above this, the desire to have their young men " sunned in the south," has been greatly on the increase in the wealthy and aristocratic families of the north, and the effect has, almost in every instance, been fatal to Scottish patriotism and Scottish presbytery. Ritualistic Episcopacy has many charms for young minds not over-deeply imbued with sacred associations ; and my friend, with all his amiability, and all his ancient family attachments, had, imperceptibly perhaps to himself, got somewhat cold to " Old Scotia." " Have you anything in Scotland that can match Dr. Parr ?" was one of his early questions. I was somewhat nonplussed, probablj' from the feoling that as he was as much a Scotsman as I was, it might perhaps belong to him as much as to me to sketch a reply ; nor could I think of going back to invoke the venerable shades of an "admirable Crichton" or a witty "George Buchanan." I made the best retreat I could, with a few suggestive mutterings of such vocables of nomenclature as John Moore, of Glasgow, and George Campbell, of Aberdeen. If such men are not so profound in their scholarship as a Bentley, a Porson, or a Parr, their solid and lasting practical usefulness may give them a place in the same galaxy with these brilliant lights of the south. But our country is of small dimensions compared with England, and it has not anything that can compete with the rich literary endowments of England. Perhaps my best reply might after all have been, " I will give you a Parr when you have given to me three such men in the BISHOP WILSON OF CALCUTTA. 101 or a department of intellectual philosophy as Reid and Stewart and Brown. After a short but agreeable interlude I found myself in the house of a worthy dissenting minister, the Rev. W. Hinton, to whom I had been introduced by my venerable friend and father, Dr. Waugh, of Wells Street, London ; and with him traversed the classic walks of Magdalen College. " Look here," said my Jidus achates^ pointing to half a dozen sprightly " scholars," or " fellows" perhaps, with something of the paraphernalia of coUege costume about them, and careering in company on the well-kept walk, " see the one on the right of the line, that is Daniel Wilson, of Edmund Hall, who has often taken a cup of coffee in my humble dwelling, but now he is among his college confreres, and he will not look our way." The learned platoon soon wheeled about, and came not again within our immediate horizon. But I learned that the man of whom I got only a glance, and who was afterwards the uncompromising advocate of a radical change, as the eminently pious and venerated Bishop of Calcutta, was of dissenting parentage, as not a few of the Butlers and the Tillotsons of the Anglican Church have been ; and that promising in every way as he even then was, the very breath of Oxford bigotry and exclusiveness withers and benumbs the warm glow of an otherwise genial and generous spirit. In 1834, and on my way to take part in the May meetings in London, I spent a Sabbath in Oxford, and contrived to press into it no fewer than four distinct services. In the morning I went to St. Mary's Uni- versity Church, where live hundred of the elite of England's aristocratic youth were congregated to hear the learned Dr. Cramer, President of New Inn Hall. He gave us an able and orthodox vindication of the genuineness of the first two chajiiters of Matthew's Gos- pel against the Ebionites of the first or second century, and I was curious to see how he would apply the subject to the consciences and the hearts of the many young im- mortals clustering around him. The heaving mountain II 102 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS* 1 i ' I ! :! M i I fi" !l and the ridiculus mus of the Roman satirist came vividly to mind when the learned orator drew his weighty inference, and no other can I now remember, — " How wise the statutes of our venerable founders in excluding dis- senters of all classes from the colleges of Oxford !" "Ebion," poor man! belonged to that hated class, and down to 1834 his ghost s'^ems to have hovered porten- tously between New Inn Hall and St. Mary's. Having some curiosity to hear read or chanted the peculiar Oxford liturgy, I remained after the congregation was dismissed, and listened for an hour to the solemn and slow dronings of a grave clerk in the desk, and the quick responses, in purely Doric style, of a plain tradesman in his Sabbath attire, blue coat and shining yellow buttons, who acted as fugleman. The " turning to the east," and the bowing at the name of "Jesus," with other antics, the worthy man did, I doubt not, go through "to rule;" but as I never heard or saw such an exhibition before or since, I cannot compare him with any other actor, so that he must " stand alone in his glory." The most lengthened " piece" performed by the clerk or curate in the desk, and not repeated by the fugleman, was the weekly litany, or form of thanksgiving for the " benefits and blessings" con- ferred on the colleges of Oxford by the heads or chancel- lors in " apostolic succession," from William of Wykeham and St. Winifred, some six centuries ago, to the chan- cellor for the time being, " His Grace, Arthur, Duke of Wellington, ^vhom may God long preserve !" There were no prayers " for" or " to" the souls departed, or still present in the body, but the tedious "invoice" of choice articles successively exhibited before us sounded to me very like something of the kind. My predominant feeling, how- ever, was, that I was " not keeping the Sabbath holy," and I hastened away as ftist as I could, that I might breathe in a more healthful atmosphere. I found it in the small but neat and commodious Congregational Chapel, where I knew there would be service at 3 p m. There I was so fortunate as to hear an excellent sermon, garnished with a few well-chosen anecdotes, from that prince in Israel, ANGELL JAMES. J. H. HINTON. 103 the now sainted Angell James, of Birmingham. O what a contrast betwixt the precious stones and gold and silver of the one place of worship, and the wood, hay and stubble of the other ! And now was my voracious appetite fully satiated ? Not quite ; for I learned that the son of my venerated old friend Mr. Hinton, now in glory, was to hold his usual evening service in his own chapel in the city, and as I had heard that "Young Hinton" had adopted some pecu- liar opinions, I had a wish to hear him. The expositions and the sermon were both evangelical and good. The Psalms of David in our version were sung to such tunes as " Coleshill" and " Martyrs," and the whole congregation joined in spiritual earnestness ; the only peculiarity in that service that struik me was the devotional part of it, and there my leading emotion was amazement. On the appeal for "intercessory prayer" being put forth to the audience, I should say that upwards of a dozen of written papers were given in, embracing a great variety of " cases," adapted to social sympathy, and calling for believing re- quest to the great Father of all. They were all read in succession by the pastor as they came in, and he then ar- ranged them before his eyes on the desk, according to a method of his own, and in the course of the prayer which immediately followed, not a " case" escaped the intelligent eye, and the appropriate clothing in suitable words, of the persistent " wrestler with the angel of the covenant," The ** cases" seemed to me to be all more or less becoming, and one attached itself to my memory with peculiar tenacity, it may have been from something of personal and patronymical associations. It was the earnest request of a " young female member, on behalf of a beloved uncle, in the Highlands of Scotland, who had been long troubled with a constitutional temper at times unruly ;" and to my mind there was something truly picturesque in a venerable Celt, who had been cradled amid the storms of Ben Nevis, being thus remembered amid the classic halls of Oxford, and by friends far away. Independently of all other considerations, a seminary 104. LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. i: I I if tl where two of the sons of John Knox were educated and rose to academic honours, can never be uninteresting to a Scottish Presbyterian. I had been repeatedly at Oxford, but I did not find an opportunity of paying my respects to the sister University till the spring of 1834. Being acquainted with a student from Scotland then at Cam- bridge, and having been furnished with a letter from a clerical friend in London to one of the tutors, I had no difficulty in obtaining access to those halls of learning. My first wish, as expressed to friends, was to hear as many lectures or prelections as possible from such pro- lessors as might be found so occupied. What was my surprise when I learned that such a gratification could not be enjoyed, inasmuch as none of the ordinary profes- sors were in the habit of lecturing at all ; that all the real work in the college was done by the tutors, and that the only cliance of hearing a professorial prelection was by my going beyond the tvalls, and attending Professor Smyth, at his lecture on " History," in the " Medical School." Readily did I embrace the opportunity, and heard an ex- cellent discourse on the " French Revolution," since pub- lished in the author's work on " Modern History." A large attendance of gownsmen of all grades waited on the learned orator, whose immediate successors in the chair were the celebrated Dr. Arnold and Sir James Stephen. The class was one of those that have been added in very recent times to the original or primajy stock ; and probably, like other additions of the same kind, had not yet arrived at a full and legitimate recognition. Assuredly, whatever be the history or the status of such additions, they form a very valuable improvement on the venerable though perhaps somewhat antiquated platform of the original. The difficulty of hearing a proper lecture from the lips of a "real professor" was perhaps increased by certain examinations that were going on in the different depart- ments, and the information given me regarding these certainly imparted to me a very high idea of the depth, the accuracy and the fulness with which the several AT CAMBRIDGE — CHARLES SIMEON. 105 branches of natural science, embracing the higher, — per- haps I should say the very highest, — branches of mathe- matics, and the " exact sciences" at large, were taught within the recesses of that venerable alma mater. In these, Cambridge is understood to take the precedence of Oxford, while the reverse may probably be held true as to classics. In regard to that department also, the son of a Scotch professor, whom I found among the students, told me that after going through all that was usually gone through in the classical curriculum at home, he found when he came to Cambridge that he was little beyond elementary principles. This was said thirty -four years ago, and great improvements have been introduced since that time in all our northern universities. One thing was very clear to me, that in the departments of logic, metaphysics, and moral philosophy, we, in Scotland, were tai in advance. The examination papers in these departments were presented to me, and I examined them with some care ; and certainly the very surftice character of these docu- ments contrasted wonderfully with the character of depth, and elevation also, that marked other departments of human knowledge perhaps not so closely related to the practical business of life. The more I reflect on these things, the more am I satisfied that for all really useful purposes in the community of human beings, our northern colleges, even then, were better adapted for all the ends of general mental discipline and instruction than the colossal halls of the south ; and this, be it remembered, at perhaps a fourth-part of the price. Having been introduced to the Rev. Charles Simeon, at that time one of the Fellows in the University, I spent part of the evening in his room. From him I ascertained the matters of fact regarding the inadequate provision made within the University for the suitable training of young men for the church. Even after all the improve- ments and additions which later years had witnessed, the deficiency was still very palpable ; and I felt gratitude to the Great Father of all, that such a man as the venerable .^'' fi in i I M' i 106 JFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. Fellow of King's College had been spared so long to watch over the studies and the morals of entrants for the minis- try. That excellent man has long since been called to his rest on high, but his place has been well supplied by suc- cessors of the same spirit, who follow in the same path of unostentatious and unpaid evangelistic labour. For this a poor substitute would be found in the prayers read and the fine pieces of music performed ; and yet this " season of prayer," or devotion, such as it is, I attended with a feeling of awe and sublime elevation of thought ; but alas ! I fear that the daily unvarying repetition of a religious service, in the noblest " unpillared" chapel in England, would have produced in me a ritualistic feeling of dead- ness and formality. And now what have I got to say of the hospitalities of Cambridge ? My friend, the learned tutor of Trinity, unencumbered of coi'-'^^e with any domestic or social ap- pendages, gave me early advice of what I had not been aware of, that an old law was still in being which pro- hibited any stranger, of whatever class or cioed, from being admitted a guest at the dinner table ; " but,'' said he, " that does not at all interfere with our good cheer :" and shewing me the " bill of fare," " we held a council" together on the articles to be selected for us, from the as yet untouched viands on the table of the great culinary hall, to which was to be added a bottle of claret, burgun- dy, or champagne, at our pleasure. Of course, as there were only two votes to be given, mine was honoured with the twofold character of a deliberative and a casting one. My taste was very simple, and a veal cutlet with a glass of sherry formed the ne plus ultra of my choice. When the repast was about over, my friend said to me, " Now, sir, though not permitted to sit down at any oi the tables, we may go in and be lookers on." As to the fare, we were in advance of the general body, and I found myself in the course of a few minutes mounted up to the most prominent point of the gallery, from whence I had a clear view of at least four hundred literati giving all becomingr heed to the wants of the outer man; and I rather CASTE IN THE DINING HALL. 107 think not one Berkleyan among them. There appeared to he a regular hierarchy. The body of the large hall of Trinity, or the " pit," was crammed with gentlemen com- moners ; on a sort of elevated platform or dais, of perhaps six feet above, sat the peers in solemn state ; and all around us in the gallery appeared the grim formic of the poor " sizers." The viands served out seemed to partake somewhat of the "pre-established harmony" of Leibnitz, with the distinctive class for which they were bound. The joints for the peers were magnificent, as was the dessert: the same, less so, for the gentlemen commoners: and as for our next-door neighbours, the poor " sizers," they had to exercise the virtue of patience, soothed in antici- pation by the hope that by the kind forbearance of aristo- cratic gormandizers, the exuvice which were handed up to them might be something more substantial than mere skin and bone. As for my friend and myself, ten minutes served for the interesting survey, and we made our retreat without waiting to see how the vinous beverage was ad- justed. We made our retreat to the " grand kitchen," whose walls were largely adorned with shells of turtle, the remains of varied feasts. The whole scene I had wit- nessed filled me with inefftible disgust. I wondered how John Bull, with all his freaks, could tolerate such things But John, though a good sort of fellow, has got encrusted amid aristocratic distinctions of rank, and is not quite sure whether the highly-seasoned roast beef of Old England should be subjected to the acerating processes of vulgar jaws. T It jili ill CHAPTER Vin. AUTHORSHIP. T was in the autumn of 1825, my residence with my fiimily for two months in the - Parish of Stevenston, a well-known water- ing place on the Firth of Clyde, brought me into acquaintanceship with Miss Wod- row, the granddaughter of Mr. Robert Wodrow, of Eastwood, well known as the histo- rian of " the sufferings of the Church of Scotland," and the indefatigable collector of many valuable books and manuscripts illustrative of the history f)J of Scotland. A large proportion of the manuscripts collected by him had heen purchased after his death by the Curator of the Advocates' Library, and by the Senate of Glasgow College ; and from these stores many valuable articles of historical information have been from time to time obtained by different authors, and they still form a valuable repertory, as yet very partially ex- plored. Miss Wodrow gave me ready access to what remained in her possession of the valuable memorials of WODROW PAPERS. DR. LANDSBORUUGH. 101^ her venerable grandfather. Out of the dust and the cob- webs amid which these had been embedded for many years, I succeeded in unkennelling about sixty volumes of letters by and to Mr. Wodrow ; lectures and other papers by his father, Mr. James Wodrow, the first Professor of Divinity at Glasgow after the revolution ; and many miscellaneous pieces. After full examination of these interesting docu- ments, with the assistance and advice of Dr. McCrie and Dr. Andrew Thomson, I transferred forty of the volumes to the shelves of the Advocates' Library, and for these a valuable consideration was allowed to the proprietress. Of these memorials much use was afterwards made by myself in my edition of Wodrow's history, and in various articles published in the Edinburgh Christian Instructor; and by Dr. McCrie in his series of papers on " the Marrow Controversy" in that periodical, and in his evidence before the House of Commons, in 1834, on patronage. Some vears thereafter, the "Wodrow Society" was formed, and bj'- them three volumes of the " Wodrow Correspondence" were published, besides other miscellaneous pieces ; and by the " Maitland Club" were brought out, through the liberality of the Earl of Glasgow, the three quarto volumes of the well known " Analecta," embracing memorials of daily occurrences in the life of Wodrow, both domestic and public, with remarks, and extending over more than thirty years of his life. By these curious relics much light has been thrown on matters of national and eccle- siastical interest, and much of the valuable treasure re- mains unexhausted, yea, not explored ! The parish minister of Stevenston at the time now re- ferred to was an old fellow-student, and thereafter a dear fellow-labourer in the ministry, Mr. (afterwards Dr.) Landsborough, a man of great skill in natural science, and particularly in botany and conchology, a man of high accomplishments, and a pastor of zeal and devotedness, was removed from the church below to the church above, and his name and memory are yet fragrant on the west coast of Scotland. The mansion house of Ardeer, the residence of the 110 LIFE OP REV. DR. BURNS. 'I ! i ancient family of Warner, a name precious in the annals of persecuting times, stands not far from the manse of Stevenston, and one morning, when Mr. Landsborough and I had breakfasted with the Laird, the conversation happening to turn on an-^ient books, Mr. Warner told us that in the under flat of iiis house were lying in solemn repose not a few relics of the kind, which we might see if we had a fancy for such things. The hint was enough. We explored the Warner repositories, and found, among other curiosities, a large collection of classics and works on theology from Holland and Germany, which had been brought over from the Continent by one of the Warners who had been compelled to fly to Holland in troublous times, and who brought over these works with him on his return at the era of the Prince of Orange ; but the packages had never until now been taken down. The books were in good preservation, and Mr. Warner allowed my friend and myself to appropriate to ourselves as many as we could carry in our arms, and my own library and that of Knox College bear witness to the spoil thus le- gally acquired. My labours in editing the new edition of " Wodrow's History ," undertaken by the enterprising bookselling estab- lishment of Messrs. Blackie and Sons, Glasgow, were co- temporary with the incidents now recorded. Had I had more leisure, and better facilities for such a work, some- thing more worthy of the name of Wodrow and of Scot- land's church might have been produced. I contributed the life of the author, the reply to an Episcopalian biogra- pher of Archbishop Leighton, the illustrations, and the ap- pendix, comprehenr^'ng many valuable documents. As the work was dedicated a century before to King George I.* * A copy of the first edition had been presented to George I. by Dr. James Fnwer, for- merly of Aberdeen and afterwards of London, and.one of Wodrow's regular correspon- dents. It was graciously received, and in a short time a gift of £105 sterling bestowed on the author. Says Wodrow, in a letter to his wife dated at Edinburgh during the sitting of the Assembly, 1725, " I find a letter in this post from Mr. James Fraser, with an orderfor £100 from the Treasury, and what I own the hand of Providence in, and hope He will help me to improve a providence we did not look for." — Wodrow Correspondence, edited by Professor McCrie, Vol. 2, p. 587 ; of the new edition, 3, p. 191. Th«»copy of the order is given in the appendix to the fourth volume, and the original is anwug the Wodrow manuscript letters. INTERVIEW WITH KING WILLIAM IV. Ill it was deemed "right and proper" that William IV., the reigning monarch in 1834, should be asked for permission to c^'^dicate the new edition to him. A copy of the four volumes was got up in fine style, and presented by me personally to His Majesty, who accepted the gift readily, and at once granted the permission we craved. Through the influence of our worthy member of parliament for Paisley, Mr. Archibald Hastie, and the kind offices of Sir James Mackintosh, I had no difficulty in obtaining access to Mr. Lushington, the Under Secretary of State for the Home Department, and through him to His Majesty, at the Pavilion at Brighton. The dress, appearance, and manner of His Majesty were just those of a plain English gentleman. He was " free and easy" in his conversation,, which turned principally on two topics, very diverse from each other, — the history of his ancestors of the persecuting^ house of Stuart, and the reception of the Reform Bill among the then starving weavers of the " gude town" of Paisley. The conference was comprised within less than half an hour. I had no difficulty in getting in, but I felt some difficulty in getting out, for we must never turn our backs on royalty, and the eye of an inmate of the apart- ment was glaringly dazzled by the tapestry, and the mirrors, and the other ornaments that adorned the walls. The " Sailor King" understood it perfectly, bade me good morning, drew his arm chair, took hold of the poker, began to stir the fire (for it was the month of March) ; in the meantime, improving the opportunity, I made my escape. The editor of a Glasgow newspaper having got possession of a private sketch of this somewhat unique incident, published it, to the great annoyance of myself and my friends. But Colonel Fox sent me a message by my friend Thomas Pringle, the African traveller and the Teviotdale poet, to the effect that the King, worthy man, would probably never see it, and if he did it would only afford him a hearty laugh.* * This " private sketch," which was characterized as " worthy of th© Vicar of Wakefield or the Annals of the Parish," may be inserted now, with- out any breach of confidence or violation of the proprieties : — :tf'! J I! 'I II- ,i il'!l' > ilip I! 112 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. In 1810, Dr. Andrew Thomson was translated from Perth to Edinburgh. He soon became the chosen chaii*- pion of the Evangelical party, and, till his premature and lamented death, stirred the heart of his country to its depths. The year following his translation, he started the Periodical, into which he infused so much of his own buoyant energy and burning enthusiasm, and which played no inconspicuous part in seeming for his party, then in the weakness of comparative infancy, a power and " His Majesty was sitting at a table, but rose and returned my obeisance just in the way one gentleman is accustomed to do to another. I then walked up to him with my volumes in my hand, and addressed him nearly as follows :— ' I have the honour of laying before your Majesty a work which was published more than a century ago, and dedicated to George I. This is the second edition, with a life of tne author, notes, and other additions ; and your Majesty has here a specimen of the progress made in typography in the west of Scotland. The work is a national one, and has b jen highly ajiproved by Mr. Fox, Mr. Chalmers, and others, as a correct statement of facts, illustrative of a very important period of our history. I have the honour of requesting your Majesty's acceptance of this coj>y, and to return your Ma- jesty the best thanks of the publishers, and myself, as editor, for the con, descending manner in which your Majesty has been pleased to permit the new edition of the work to be dedicated to your Majesty.' By this time his Majesty got hold of the volumes, and was busily employed examining the title-page, contents, plates, &c., with all which he expressed himself well £ leased. On turning up successively the engravings of Sharpe, Claverhouse, lauderdale, Carstairs, &c., remarks were made on each, and the King seemed to be very well informed in their respective histories. ' The work,' he sairV ' contains, I think, the history of the persecutions in Scotland in the days of Charles the Second.' — ' Yes, please your Majesty, it is the history of the eventful period from the restoration in 1600 till the revolution in 1G88.' — * A very valuable record it must be,' he added. After speaking a little more upon the subject of the book, the King asked, * Pray, sir, what situation do you hold in Scotland ?' I told him, ' I'lease your Majesty, 1 am one of the paro- chial ministers of Paisley, so well known for its manufactures ; and where, I am sorry to inform your Majesty, there is at present very great distress among the operatives, 2 or 3000 of whom are out of work.' His Majesty asked the ciiuses, when I adverted to several, such as the unsettled state of the public mind, occasioned by the delay in the settlement of the reform question — the prevalence of disease on the Continent, and the restraints on trade by quarantine — the trade being overdone with us — and the periodical re- sults of speculation, &c., &c. — 'Have you many Irish in Paisley, and are they mostly Roman Catholics ?' I tola him that we had a great many Irish fami- lies — that the greater part were Catholics, particularly those from the South and West — that we had a good many Protestants and Presbyterians from the North — that there are many poor amongst them— and that we felt the bur- den of supporting the poor of that country, which has no system of poor laws for itself. His Majesty said, ' That is a great evil, and souiething must be done by the Legislature ; but they must take time to deliberate on a matter ! CONVERSATION WITH THE KING. 113 a prestige that issued in its final triumph. Through means of the "Christian Instructor" the thoughts and rea- sonings of his powerful mind were communicated to the public, like successive shocks of electricity, stirring the heart of the kingdom from its torpid lethargy, and spread- ing dismay among his discomfited antagonists. Nothing could show more convincingly the influence of of such consequence. The Ministry are detennined to do nothing rashly, and they have had many things to occupy their thoughts of late. ' I remarked that his Majesty's time mwt have leen for some time past very painfully engaged with these matters ; when he said, in reply, that lie personally had not felt the burden so much, but that those who were his advisers had cer- tainly done so. There was also a good deal said on the subject of the state of the poor in England, the objections to the theory and management of the poor laws, &c., and his Majesty shewed that he understood the subject well, and entered fully into the objections against the sj'stem of paying the pric« of labour out of the rates, and thus degrading the population of England expect so much as the English poor. I observed a case in court, the other day, where the dispute lay between 53. a head for each member of the family and 2s., and the judges decided as a medium 3s. 6d. In Scotland, in place of 12s. or 15s. for this family of poor applicants, the sum allowed for one member of it would have been held quite sufficient.' ' In Paisley, you are all, I presume, of the Church of Scotland ?' ' Please your Majesty, we have many Presbyterians, Dissenters from us, yet our Dissenters ditfer from us almost wholly on one point — the law of lay patronage. Our standards and mode of worship are the same. We have also an Episcopal Chapel in Pais- ley, to the building of which, if I am not mistaken, your Majesty was pleased to'contribute ; and I have to inform your Majesty, that when I left Scotland, a few weeks ago, the erection was in progress, and it will be a very great or- nament to the town.' ' Your people in Paisley, I think, are mostly engaged in weaving?' I told his Majesty that weaving was our great staple— tliat about a hundred years ago Paisley began its career as a manufacturing town — that succeasively linen, thread, silk, gauze, and cotton, in all its forms, had been prominent— that like Spitalfields we feel deeply the depression of trade— yet that, unlike Spitalfields, we had not so near ub the wealth and resources of the metropolis. I noticed, however, the great kindness of the London committee in 1822 and 182(), in contributing to our fund to the amount of £10,000 or £18,000. The King spoke of there being no predi8j)0- sition to riot either in Englishmen or Scotsmen, and this led us to notice the causes of excitement, such as poverty, evil advisers, bad publications, &c. After again thanking his Majesty for the honour done me, and expressing my fear of having obtruded too long on hia time, his Majesty replied very graciously, and I retired." * * My father was, on another occasion, the bearer of a magniflcent Paialoy shawl to our beloved Sovereign, and had an interview with her mother, the Uuuhess of Kent, in pre- Beating it. It wa« while visiting Lon(?.on, on a mission for the poor. Of these visits, mjr I 114 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS ^ It' ' ,1 1 ,1 this powerful organ of the Evangelical party than the effort made at the Assembly of ] 820 to secure its con- demnation. Turn a torch on a frog-pond, and you will hear the croaking. It was thus when the lanp of truth flashed its light on the stagnant marsh of moderatism. When grossest instances of clerical delinquency were smoothed over as "alleged breaches of decorum," and minis- ters condemned by civil courts were covered by ecclesias- tical manoeuvring, it was not to be wondered at that a faithful and true witness, like Andrew Thomson, felt ne- cessity laid upon him to cry aloud and spare not, and lift up his voice like a trumpet. The Moderates winced under the sharp lashings of his pen ; and Dr. Bryce, wliom in the Assembly of 1838 Dr. Burns jocularly claimed as a vetoist, became the mouth-piece of " Moderate" indignation. His resolutions condemnatory of the Instructor were carried by a majority of ONE, but no ulterior measures were taken. Dr. Bryce and his confreres found no reason to desire a re- petition of such victories. Rising Evangelism, and roused public sentiment, could not be trifled with, and the great guns from St. George's, Edinburgh, kept booming as be- fore.* Four months after my father's settlement iti Paisley, and when as yet personally a stranger to him, Dr. Thom- esteemed cousin, tlie Rev. J. C. Rums, of Kirkliston (then of London Wall), has many racy ruininiscenues, e.g.— My father, entoriny; the minister's seat with Dr. Baird, after the sermon had l)ejfun, \vhisi)erud hi tlio jiastor's ear as he sat next hini, " What Maderate is that, James, you have got to preach for you to-day?" It turned out to be a prominent ornament of " that order" from this side of the water.— Ed. '' _" In the year 1S20, war was declared l)etween tlie Moderates in the church and the Christian 1 nstruHor. The managers in tlie Oeneri>l Assembly, tortured by the trenchant periodical, passed a vote of censure upon it as ' higfhly injurious and calumnious.' The Instrnctor enjoyed the storm. If they wanted battle, they should have it. " Month after month the Instructor lashed them. Assembly after assembly it kept tnem in fear. Tlie Kvan>relical party gatliered courage as their champion dealt his tell- ing blows."— Z>r. Cunningham's Life, piu^e ;iO. kept toil- DR. ANDREW THOMSONS LETTERS. 115 son opened up correspondence with him in the following " Edinburgh, Nov. 11th, 1811. " Dear Sir, — Though personally unacquainter' with you, I know so much of your character as to encourage me to address a few lines to you on the subject of the Christian Instructor. This work, of the principles of which I hope you approve, has succeeded tolerably well, considering the circumstances of the country at the present time, and the opposition we have met with from the great bulk of our moderate brethren. But greater exertion and greater patronage are still necessary to render its circulaticm sufficiently extensive. I beg therefore to solicit your kind and active assistance. Ever since your establishment at Paisley, in which I sincerely congratulate you and your congregation, I have intended to write to you on this point, but my labours have been so abundant as to make the task of writing letters both difficult and irksome. The delay, I flatter myself, will not make you less willing to comply with my request. Your assistance may be given in two ways : first, by sending ua occasionally contributions from your own pen, which I am confident would be such as to add to the value snd respectability of our work ; and secondly, by procuring subscribers to the magazine. I know that in most manufacturing towns, and especially in such a town as Paisley, the present state of affairs is unfavourable to lite- rary undertakings. But I know also that in Paisley there are many people who are both in easy if not opulent circumstances, and at the same time enlightened friends of true religion. Among them, I think, some might be found disposed to read and encourage such a publication as the Christian Instructor, were it recommended to them by a person in whose piety and judgment they placed confi- dence. May I beg that you will be kind cr«o>igh to use your influ- ence with your friends and acquaintances in Paisley and its neigh- bourhood, to promote the circulation of our magazine ? Perhaps it may be advisable to have a bookseller who will be inclined and have it in his power to forward these views. Be so obliging as let me know what bookseller or booksellers in Paisley may be con- sidered as best for such a purpose, — as having most intercourse in the way of business with the religious world. With best vdshes for your personal comfort and ministerial usefulness, " I am, dear Sir, yours faithfully, "Andrew Thomson. " P.S. Might I trouble you to send me now and then an account of the ordinations, presentations, licences, &c., that occur in your presbytery." The assistance thus frankly sought, was freely rendered. In acknowledgment, Dr. Thomson writes again : — I* I 116 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. "Edinburgh, Jan. 14th, 1812. ' ' My Dear Sir, — I return you many thanks for your kind exertions in behalf of the Christian Instructor. I am gratified by the favour- able opinion which you entertain of the work in general ; and not only take in good part, but feel grateful for, the remarks you have made on some parts of its execution. Nor must I forget to acknow- ledge the very acceptable communications which you have sent for insertion. This is the very way in wliich I wish to be treated by my friends. It is the way, however, in which I am treated by very few. One says, ' I like your publication very well, and shall re- commend it,' but he never procures one subscriber. Another says : 'Your magazine does not come up to my ideas of such a work;* and that is just what he would say though the work were absolutely perfect. A third says : ' The Instructor is tolerably good, but then it has faults which must counteract its success ;' and he very kindly leaves us to perish, withoiit pointing out these faults, or telling us how they might be remedied. And a fourth exclaims most valiant- ly, ' Go and prosper, only get better communications and more of them ;' but never lifts his pen to give me the least assistance in one way or another. It gives me real pleasure to find that you have avoided all these eriors, and that you are a substantial, acute, and honest friend to the Instructor. What has been done in Pais- ley, through your patronage and that of Baillie Carswell, has far exceeded my most sanguine expectations. How much might we look for from Glasgow, were the same zeal to be employed in that populous and opulent city ! 1 agree perfectly with you in thinking that our magazine should have more of a literary cast than it really has, and any papers that you may contribute for the purijose of sup- • plying that defect shall be received with gratitude. Your critical remarks on Heid's works may perhaps do better to stand among the miscellaneous articles than among the reviews, as the book is not Bufticiently modem, But if you will be so obliging as to send them by the first opportunity, I shall try to make the best use of them. Porteous' Life is in hand, and will appear soon. Let me know what particular subject you would like to discuss, and I shall en- deavoxir to send you a book corresponding to it for review. The number of the Instructor for this month should have been published yesterday, but the printer has been so ill that it will not be out till to-morrow. The copies for Paisley shall be despatched immediately. I intend to write to Baillie Carswell, along with the parcel ; but lest I should not find time so soon, tell him that I have re- ceived both his letters, and shall return an answer as soon as pos- sible. You may be assured I shall not be in your neighbourhood without seeing you, &c., &c. "Andrew Thomson." Thus was commenced an intercourse which was con- i THOMSON, R. A. SMirH, DODS, BENNIE, GRIEKSON. 117 I ! f t tinued with growing confidence and affection on both sides till Dr. Thomson's death. Frequently did they assist one another on sacramental occasions. It was on one of these, and on the Thanksgiving Monday, that Dr. Thomson, whose musical attainmenfca werr^ well known, was closeted for several hours in oui* house with R. A. Smith, the distinguished composer, then precentor in the Paisley Abbey. At the dinner table, Dr. Thomson produced, as the result of their joint commun- ings, that grand tune adaj)ted to the 24th Psalm, and commonly known as St. George's, Edinburgh. Dr. Thom- son, during his visits to Paisley, contracted a liking for the Abbey precentor, and succeeded in secui ing him as leader in the service of song in his own metropolitan cathedral. For twenty years Dr. Thomson lent to the Instructor the influence of his name and genius. He was succeeded as editor bj'^ the Rev. Marcus Dods, of Belford, father of the present accomplished bearer of that name; a man of remarkable attainments, whose real worth was known only to a comparatively limited circle, but of whose " Eternal Word," and varied contributions to the literature of theology, my father had the very highest opinion. The Rev. Archibald Bennie, of Lady Tester's, who used to be such a favourite amongst the Edinburgh students, dis- charged the editorial duties for two years. Dr. Burns' contributions to the Instructor were very numerous and highly prized. Of the benefit he derived from articles penned twenty-one years previously, the eminently godly and gifted Dr. James Grierson, of Errol, thus writes on Feb. 1, 1835 (inviting him to come and plead for the colonies) : — ■ '! P if 118 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. " You say truly that we are not personally acquainted, and yet I feel that I ought to know you, as I used when at the logic class in Edinburgh often to step into the hall where you were finishing your curriculum, and often appeared as a critic. Moreover, I have never till now had an opportunity of telling you that, though I was brought np in Calvinistic principles, and was all alonj? attached to them, yet, that two reviews written by you and published in the Instructor^ in 1814, were, together with Horsley's Sermon on Pro- vidence, the means of settling my mind in regard to the entire consistency between Calvinism and the Word of God. Do come, then, and see me, and give my people a Sabbath." For three years (1838, 1839, 1840) my father acted as sole editor. This entailed on him a large amount of labour. If, when the month came round, there was any shortcoming of mental pabulum, he had to supply it. Often several articles in each number were contributed by him. We well remember the delight we used to experience when the parcels of new books came in to be reviewed, and the work we used to have at the close of each year in the preparation of the index of contents. The title during the period of his editorial incumbency evinced the leaning of his heart towards the colonies, for to the old original title he added that of Colonial Re- ligious Register. This department, which was quite prominent in each number, furnished a channel for con- veying a vast amount of useful and important information, with reference specially to Canada, but to all our colonial dependencies as well. Many testimonials might be given as to the high posi- tion which the instructor occupied under my father's edi- torial management. Its intercot, which for some time previously had been on the wane, greatly revived, and it regained not a little of its ancient glory. Besides his contributions to the Instructor and other FIRST LITERARY EFFORT. 119 ■ periodicals, which would fill several volumes, he had to do with the editorial supervision of several impor- tant works, and a great variety of other literary efforts, which were very favourably received. Had the pressure of parish and other public duty admitted of his devoting himself more to writing, he might have secured for him- self a high place in the republic of letters. The following fragment from the Autobiography, to which evidently additions were intended to be made, in- dicates my father's early mental bent, and describes his first attempt at authorship. " A Short Essay on the Study of History" appeared in that grand national repository for a hundred years, the Scot's Magazine. It was written by me when little more than a boy, and a tirst appearance in print must be some- what exhilarating to an opening mind. It shewed the bent of my inclinations thus early. The study of church history carried with it to me a peculiar charm, for the stones and the dust of our Scottish Zion I instinctively loved. The six octavo volumes of Stackhouse's " History of the Bible" soon after came into my hands, and their care- ful and continuous perusal directed my thinking. A good deal of " learned nonsense" perhaps there may be in it, but the work cannot be a trifling one that engaged the time and the labours of two learned editors and annota- tors from opposite points of the compass — a bishop of the Episcopal Church of Scotland, and the Presbyterian head of a northern Scottish university.* The following is as complete a list of the works with which he had to do as I have been enr.bled to make out: — 1. An Essay on the Propagation of Christianity in the East, 1813. 2. Illustrations of Providence in Late Events ; a Sermon, 1814. Bishop Oleig and Principal Dewar. 120 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. 3. A Letter to Dr. Chalmera, on the distinctive Characters ol Protestantism and P(»pery, 1817. — Price 28. 6d. 4. An Essay on the Eldership, 1818. — Is. 5. Historical Dissertations on the Poor, 8vo, 1819. — 7s. 6d. 6. Trail's Guide to the Lord's Table, with Life, &c., 1820.— 9d. 7. Bonar's Genuine Religion, the best Friend of the People, with Life, &c., 1821.— Is. 6d. 8. Activo Goodness beautifully Exemplified in the Life and Labours of the Rev. T. Gouge, 1821.— Is. 6d. 9 Cecil's Visit to the House of Mourning, with Introductory Essay, 1823.-73. Cd. 10. Cecil's Address to Servants, with Introductory Essay, 1823. — Is. 11. Henry's Address to Parents on Baptism, with Liife and Pre- face. — Gd. 12. Brown of Wamphray on Prayer, with Life of the Author. — 28. 13. Brown on the Life of Faith, with Preface, 1825. — 6s. 14. Treatise on Pluralities, 1824.— 3s. 6d. 15. Speech on the Roman Catholic Claims, 1825. — 6d. 16. Three Letters to a Friend on the Moral Bearings of the Bible Society Controversy, 1827. — Is. 17. Sober Mindedness ; a Sermon to the Young, 3828. — 6d. 18. A Voice from the Scaffold ; an Address on the Execution of Brown and Craig, 1829.— 2d. 19. The Gareloch Heresy Tried, 1830.— Is. 6d. bds. 20. A Letter in Vindication of the above, 1830. — 6d. 21. Wodrow's History of the Sufferings of the Church of Scotland : with Life, Notes, and Preliminary Dissertation, 4 vols., 1830.— £2 8s. 22. Jehovah the Guardian of His own Word ; a Sermon before the Society in Scotland for propagating Christian Knowledge, 1830. 23. Memoir of the Rev. Pliny Fisk, Missionary to Palestine, with Preface and Notes. — 3s. 24. Bellamy's Letters, and Dialogues on the Nature of Love to God, Faith in Christ, and Assurance of Salvation ; with Introduc- tory Essay. — 2s. 6d. 25. Religious Endowments. 2G. Establishments Vindicated, pp. 60. 27. Hints on Ecclesiastical Reform, 8vo. pp. 4L 28. Plea for State Churches. 29. Scotch Voluntaryism. 30. Plea for the Poor, 8vo. pp. 36. 31. Christian Patriotism, 1841. 32. Episcopal Liturgy. 33. Free Thoughts. 34. More Free Thoughts. 35. Life of Dr. Stevenson McGill, 1842, 12mo. pp. 358. 36. Edinburgh Christian Instructor (edited), 1838, pp. 642 : 1839, pp. 483 J 1840, pp. 475. LIST OF WORKS. 121 37. 38. 39. 40. *1. Farewell Sermon, pp. 22, 1845. Jewish Society, pp. 40, 1853. The Eucharist, pp. 24, 18G3. Halyburton's Works. Ar.ti-Patronage Catechism. A number of these works (\7ritten or edited by him) went through several editions. In consideration of his literary and philanthropic labours he received from the University of Glasgow, in 1828 the degree of Doctor of Divinity. He was also a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh and of the Antiquarian Society of Scotland, and had official connexion with several other literary institut'cns. CHAPTER IX. CONTROVPBSIES. ■^y* R, CHALMERS possessed much of the spirit of the pious and amiable Dr. Doddridge. — They were both extremely candid and un- suspecting, endowed with the temper of large charity and liberality, and hence they were often in danger of being misled by im|)osing plausibility. It was in the spring of 1818 that )\^ Dr. Chalmers was asked to f)lead for the Hibernian w\/w Society, and he preached and published his sermon / \ I ^^ ^^'^^ occasion under the title of " The Doctrine of v^J/ Christian Charity applied to Religious Differences." The tendency of that discourse appeared to me to be dangerous to the best interests of the Protestant churches, and I was induced to pen and print a letter to the distinguished author on the distinctive features of Popery and Protestantism. Of this letter I sent a copy to the Doctor, and soon received from him the following reply: DR. CHALMERS — M'QAVIN'S PROTESTANT 123 I " GiASGOW, March 21, 1818. " Dear Sir, — I have received from you a copy of your work and return you many thanks. I am at present very much engrossed with other matters, but hope when I am enabled to resume the subject that I shall have leisure for a full attention to your arguments. In the meantime I rest assured that your whole performance is characterized by that spirit of the Gospel which if infused (and why should it not?) into our every difference, would disarm controversy of its sting, ana reduce it to a calm and profitable contest of the understanding. ** I am, my dear Sir, " Yours, with much regard, " Thomas Chalmers'.** The views of Dr. Chalmers were examined and contro- verted about the same time by Dr. Thomson, in the Christian Instructor, and in some instances with con- siderable asperity ; nevertheless, it does not appear that these controversial " passages at arms," ever interrupted the friendship which bound us all totjether ; so that here, for once at least, the calm philosophical thinker may \\.>X assured that the odiurti theolorjicum had no place. Whether the Doctor ever found time to redeem his pledge to resume the discussion of the points at issue 1 never ascertained. I don't recollect that we ever touched on the subject in private conversation, and certain it is that the obnoxious piece that gave occasion to the skirmish, has appeared again and again among the printed works of the distinguished author, and so far as I can see with- out the slightest alteration. Mr. Wm. McGavin, of Ghis- gow, once told me that it was the attentive j)erusal of my letter which led him to commence his weekly ])enodic'al called The Protestant ; a work which, perhaps, more than all others on the Romish controversy in later times, has contributed to enlighten the popular mind of Scotland on the errors and delusions of " the man of sin." On one occasion after this the subject of Popery Avas fully discussed in the Synod oi Glasgow and Ayr, in con- nection with the pending Emancijjation Bill. On that occasion Dr. Chalmers took part in the discussion, and pleaded strongly for a full equalization of rights between Protestants and Papists in Ireland. But the voice of the 1 124 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. whole west of Scotland was strong against all furthei concessions, and the advocates of the measure in the Synod were left in a small minority. In the saT-'^o year, nearly on the same occasion, it fell to me to |)lead at the bar of the Assembly in favour of an overture from our Synod for a flay of " special thanksgiving," on account of the tri-centenary of the Protestant hcf^vmation. Greatly to the surprise of my friends and myself, the best men in the Assembly, and the staunchest supporters of Evangelical truth, set themselves against us ; ncjt certainly from any disinclination to the thing, or any want of gratitude for the blessings of the Reformation, but from their dislike to the ecclesiastical appointment of working-days f^r special thanksgiving. They did not draw the distinction betwixt the fixing of a Good Friday to be ])ermanently kept as a day of holy rest equally with the Sabbath, and the mere occasional proclamation of an observance of the kind on an occur- rent Providential call. As for the position assumed by the Moderate ty in that instance, I recollect only one specimen of i _ .aent on their part against us " Whigs of the West," and it was received with calm thought and seeming acquiescence on all sides. If propounded eight years after, it would have been met with hisses, groans, and peals of laughter. Mr. John Wightman, of Kirkmahoe, a facetious and good- humoured man, but a keen devotee of the Moderate party, sagely clenched his reasonings with this unique finale: " MoDEUATOR, — Reformation is a very good word, and perhaps it may denote a very good thing ; but, sir, we live in evil times, and you have only to clip off" the last two syllables of the word and it becomes a term of fearful import." The thing took, the members of the court be- gan to " grue" and our overture was consigned to the "tomb of the Capulets," and yet, after all, Johnny Wightman was not generally thought to be the Solomon of the Assembly. In the life of my brother of Kilsyth, the services of 1788, on the centenary of the "glorious Revolution," are ANTI-POPERY CONTROVEllSY. 125 of ire particularly noted, and then it does not appear that Dr. Erskine and his friends op|i08ed the appointment. I ;ira inclined to think that evil is often done undesignedly by pushing sound })rincij)les to an extreme, or making of them an unsuitable application. Dr. Bums delivered the annual discourse against Popery under the Hamiltonian foundation, for which he received an elegant copy of the Holy Scriptures. In local courses of lectures on the same subject, he always bore his full share. He aided in giving direction to Charles Leckie's mind towards a field on which he was to win fresh laurels. He had thoroughly mastered the genius of Popery, and subsequently made its rise and progi-ess a specialty in his professorial lectures. In the evening of his days hu entered the arena of Papal controversy in opposition to Dr. Cahill. Tlie latest of his literary contributions was on the Transubstantiation dogma. It reveals great accuracy in historical delinea- tion, and keen critical acumen. There is also a frankness and fairness, an impartiality and charity about it, which won the admiration even of Romanists themselves. It is rare for any of the Papal dignitaries to come out in reply, out the tractate on the Eucharist was deemed of suffici- ent importance to draw forth a prominent Eoman Catho- lic Archdeacon, who, while he tried ineffectually to meet the arguments, lauded the spirit and tone of his oppon- ent's production.* * Though known to live (as the noble Argyle said he died) " with a heart-hatred of Popery," my father was always on a friendly footing with Romanlsta. During his visits to Glengarry they were very kind to hini. A recent number of the Montrec "itnetM (Feb. 8, 1872) contains the following anecdote, which it describes as a " iKsrfeoxly true one." " When the late Vicar-General Hay, of Toronto, was on his death-bed, he suo- oeeded in sending a message to the late Dr. Bums, who at the time lived opposite the 12() LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. Gra\e consequences often result from trivial causes. Robert Haldane, the spiritual father of Merle D'Aubign^ and the coterie of noble men who have formed the life's blood of the Reformed Churcii in France and Switzerland, happened to leave an umbrella at the headquarters of the British and Foreign Bible Society, Earl street, London. In that simple incident lay the germ of a controversy which raged fiercely for years, in which combatants of first-class mental calibre took part, and with which re- sults momentous and wide-spread were wrapt up. Re- turning next day to claim his property, he got into con- \rersation with parties in the offico, who informed him that it waa the custom of the Society to incorporate the Apocrypha Avith those copies of the Scriptures which were circulated in Continental and Eastern lands, so as to 2'en Jer them more palatable to the adherents of the Greek and Roman churches. Tlii } admixture of the " words of the Lord which are pui'e words, as silver tried" with " reprobate silver" that had not the ring of the true metal and the image and superscription of the King, roused his honest soul. He withstood them to the face, because they were to be bhmed. Foremost amongst the opponents of this compromising policy was the minister of St. George's, Edinburgh. " He drove home to the mind of the Protestant world see as Roman Catholic Blshoji's raliu-e, wlien ho was dying, asliiiigf the latter to come and s him, 'as a neiH:hlM>ur, m a fullow-touiiu.Miiiiii, and as a dying man.' The Doctor w_ not ai home wlien tlie measuije came, but iw soon oh he was informed of it he went over to the iittlaue. He was, however, told tl^ere tliat Kathor Hay could not then see him, as he was labourintf under a fit of couching. The second time the Doctor called he was debarred from ifi>in(f into the presence of tha dying man by the excuse that he was asleep Soon after he had to go on a :-'issionary tour, but before he returned Father Hay had passed into the eternal world." — Ku. H are ihat and He be APOC?.yPHA CONTROVERSY. 127 the conviction that the Bible must be purified frum this remaining taint. It ought to have been accomplishea oy Luther; its accomplishment will preserve for ever the name of Andrew Thomson." Much of human infirmity entered into the conflict on both sides. "The House of the Lord was filled with smoke." But there were both truth and beauty in the remark of Thomson to Haldane : — " All of human infirmity that now obscures this great work will pass away like smoke, but the flame will con- tinue to burn and prove a beacon to distant posterity." From his well understood principles, as well as his close intimacy with Dr. Thomson, it might be conjectured what side Dr. Bums would take, and that with him, on » question of this kind, neutrality would be impossible. In the 26th volume of the Christian Instructor (that for 1827) he has three letters (filling thirty-seven closely- printed pages) addressed to a " Friend," on the " moral bearings of the Bible Society controversy." In introducing them Dr. Thomson says : — " We have much pleasure in laying before our readers the following letter from Mr. Burns to his friend. The discussion which it contains is very important and very seasonable, ably conducted, and deserving of serious consideration. Our excellent correspondent may br assured that we shall be most happy to insert his communications on the two re- maining topics which he has yet to handle." \ \ As he has himself noticed elsewhere, on the very first appearance of Dr. Burns as a Commissioner in the Gene- ral Assembly, the Plurality/ qucdtion came up. It was in 128 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. / [' r K 1813, in connexion with the Ferrie case.* Dr. Feme when Professor of Civil History at St. Andrews, had re- ceived a i)resentation to the parish of Kilconquhar, twelve miles distant. The Presbytery declined settling him un- less he promised to resign his professorship. He refused — and the Assembly of 1813, by the smaU majority of five, supported him in this refusal, and reverse!i'the^|*res-. bytery's decision. In 1814, however, the General Assembly passed a Declaratory Act against plurality of oflices, as inexpedi- ent in itself, and inconsistent with the genius of the Chun of Scotland. An issue was raised by the ultra-Moderates yno were vexed at this concession to rising Evangelism, to the effect that such legislation was unconstitutional, inasmuch as the Barrier Act had not been complied with, which required a reference to Presbyteries. The Declaratory J\.ct was not however rescinded by the Assembly of 1815. The Moderates continued to com- plain, and in 1816 a new Act similar to that cf 1814 was introduced by Dr. Hill, which passed the ordeal of the Presbyteries, secured the approval of the AssemlJy of 1817, and became a permanent law of the Church. This rendered illegal any union of offices, involving non-resi- dence in the parish. In 1823, on the death of Principal Taylor, of Glasgow University, the Rev. Dr. Macfarlane, of Drymen, was pre- sented to the vacant principalship, and soon after to the charge of St. Mungo's parish in Glasgow. The Presby- tery, by a large majority, declared the presentee " un- * Son-in-law to Principal McCormick of St. Andrews, and father of Mr. William FsiTie, (ormerly a Minister of the Canada Preaby terian Church. . ■?; ^ » / the .by-.: un- i * I * PLURALITY CONTROVERSY. 129 qualified" to accept the latter appointment because of the incompatibility of the two offices. The Sjniod^by a much smaller majority, affirmed the decision of Presbytery, but the General Assembly of 1824, by a large majority rever- sed both decisions, and ordered Principal Macfarlane to be inducted into the parish. It was this case which brought out Drs. Thomson and Chalmers in the fulness of their strength, and which occasioned the publication of Dr. Burns' work, entitled " Plurality of offices in the Church of Scotland examined. Glasgow : Chalmers and Collins, 1824."* The composition of a work of three hundred pages in little over a month was a marvellous feat. But he was anxious to have it out for the Assembly — and shut him- self closely up for these weeks — and accomplished it. A serious illness was the result of this undue strain on his powers, and the excitement of the Assembly which followed. * Immediately on its appearance in April, 1824, Dr. Thomson, in the num- ber of the Instructor for that month, said of it : — " This volume was put in our hands just as we were about to furnish the printer with ';opy of relijji- ous intelligence, and we immediately read it with the view of being able to give our opinion of its merits in the present number. Our perusal has satisfied us that it is a work of great excellence. It is full of important facts and able argumentation, and bears upon the subject of pluralities in general, and of Dr. McFariane's plurality in particula*", in such a manner ai in our apprehension to set both questions completely at rest. . "We recommend it earnestly to all our readers, whether they are on the one side or on the other. " Those who are hostile to union of offices will find their principles at once enlightened and confirmed by its discussion ; and those who are favourable to Buch a union will see reason, abundant reason, to adopt very different views on this topic from those which they have hitherto entertainVd. "We really cannot express how much we feel indebted to Mr. linms for his able, temjterate and conclusive performance. It does much credit both to his understanding and his feelings, to his diligence in research, and to his power of applying his infonnation to the cause for which he contends. And we are certain that it must prove highly useful to all wh>> take an in- terest in the question of pluralities in our church, and whose minds are not totally blinded by selfisbneBS or ambition."— CAruttan Instructor. April, 1824. \ \ "n-1 1 I i i n, I 130 LIFE OP REV. DR. BURNS. In that Assembly, the proceedings of which on the Plurality question were separately published,* his work was an oft-quoted authority. The review of the debate in the number of the Instructor for August, 1825, says : — " To this work many references were made by speakers on both sides, in the course of the debate. Of these, some have been omitted in the printed Report, but we give the following as a specimen. * In investigating this subject I have followed a reverend gentleman (Mr. Burns), to whom the Church is much indebted for his researches, but I have chosen to verify his references for myself, and I have found them, in every instancs, perfectly accurate." — Speech of Robert Thomson, Esq., Advocate, p. 44. '* I bear testimony to if~ erudition and deep research, and the general accuracy of the Statutes and Acts of Assembly which have been brought forward." — Speech of the Rev. A. Fleming, of Neilston, p. 142. The Reviewer adds : — " That the praise bestowed on the work by this pleader should have been measured, was not to be wondered at, when we recollect that the professed object of his speech (as of Dr. Nichol's), was to attempt a refutation of the work." To the author's speech in the Assembly frequent allu- sions are also made — as " See this fully illustrated in Mr. Burns' speech." " The cry of Infidelity has been most fully discussed in the speeches of Dr. Thomson and of Mr. Bums." The book and the speech alike were regarded as mas- terly and exhaustive. * Review of the Report of the Debate in the Oeiieial Aasembly of the Church of Scot- knd, on the overtures anent the Union of Offices, May, 1825, Edinbuivh, 8vo. pp. vi 189. Price, 88. 6d. . I CAMPBELL OF ROW. 131 (( las- In our College days, as on Sabbath momiiig we wend- ed our way to St John's, Glasgow, to hear good Dr. Brown, or his acceptable assistant Mr. Grant (now of Ayr), we used to pass a plain but solid building, where ministered tc a small audience John Macleod Campbell — formerly of Row, Dumbartonshire — an earnest, holy man, though mis- taken. He had come under the spell of the noble but erratic Edward Irving, whose wild vagaries were for a lamentation, and whose weak-minded disciples, outrival- ling the extravagances of their master, were playing fan- tastic tricks before high heaven ! The faithful pastor of the sequestered parish on the lovely Gareloch did not go the length of the London enthusiasts — but he believed in universal pardon, and the revival of primitive miracu- lous powers, and became involved in other errors — which were borne with for three or lour years — but whic) at last, led to his trial before the Presbytery of Dumbarton, in June, 1830, and to his deposition by tlie General As- sembly the following year. When Dr. Andrew Thomson was told that Dr. William Cunningham was to be settled at Greenock, as assistant and successor to Dr. Scott of the Mid Parish, he exclaim- ed, " Good ! he'll be a capital fellow for knocking the Row hertsy on the head." Similar was the estimate which he had formed of Dr Burns, as his eulogistic reviews of his writings on the same subject testify. Chief of these was the " Gareloch Heresy tried ;" an elaborate tractate of 88 pages, which rapidly passed through three editions. It drew forth rejoinders from " Anglicanus" (123 pages) B'' , 132 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. and from a layman of the Church of Scotland, to the latter of whom Dr. B. published a " Reply," of which the In- etrudor says : — " The ' Reply' is a work of extensive re- search, and, although consisting of no more than sixty pages, and costing only a ' sixpence,' forms a thesaurus of which every student of theology should be possessed." Curiously enough the worthy minister of Gairloch in Rosshire, who was orthodox to the back-bone, took it into his head tli'\t the soundness of his theology was called in question, and wrote to that effect. This led to the inser- tion in the " Reply" of the following postscript : — *' Wlien I thought of levelhng my f '' ^e among tlie wild fowl on 'the Garoloch,' it never once occurred to me that the reverbera- tion of the report wouhl be heard to auch a distance as the hills and the glens of Ross-shire, and yot ' true it is and of verity* that the peaceful flock of the Parish jf Gairloch, Ross-shire, have been Badly annoyed Avitli it ; and their worthy pastor has resolved on this day (23rd February), to connnence an action against the poach- er on the principle of the ^ame laws. Of the Rev. James Russel I know nothing personally, but I have read many of his letters in the Gaelic-School Reports, and I have always held him in esteem as a •worthy man ; and sorry am I that by a mere confusion of names I should incidentally have given him one moment's uneasiness, or rendered it necessaiy for him to draw out at great length the vindi- cation of an orthodoxy which was never questioned by me. If any thing shall be thought necessary to repair the dsimage done, I am ready most willingly to make the following declaration when duly called on in the proper court. " Be it known to all men by these presents, that the arm of the Clyde, called * the Gareloch,' in Dumbartonshire, is not the same thing with the parish called ' Gairloch, in Ross-shire ;' that ' the Rev. Jolm M. C-ampbell of Row,' is not the same person with the Rev. James Russel, minister of Gairloch ; and that the terms * Helensburgh' and ' Port Glasgow,' are not to be interpreted ac- cording to the Liidathan code of criticism j but mean, literally — ' Helensburgli' and ' Port Glasgow.' " 1 api>rehend that the \vfhole mischief has been occasioned by a misspelling of the name. The parish is imiformly spelled Gare- loch. The lake is as uniformly spelt Gareloch. The ijroper ortho- graphy has been adopted on the title-page of the present pamplilet, and the publisher wUl attend to the correction in future. GAPELOCH HERESY — VOLUNTARY CONTROVERSY. 13^ ** The thing might perhaps have been designated as the ' Row Heresy,' but afraid that my old friend Mr. Story, of Roseneath, might feel hi.iisulf overlooked, I thought it best to adopt a desig- nation which miLjlit comprehend both sides of that beautiful arm o£ the« Clyde, and therefore called it, very harmlessly at the moment — ' The Gaeelooh Heresy.' " ^et, Dr. Marshall, of Kirkintilloch, sounded the tocsin of Voluntaryism in his sermon on " Ecclesiastical Establish- ments Considered," delivered before " the Glasgow Asso- ciation for propagating the Gospel, in connexion with the United Secession Chuj-ch." Mr. Ballantyne, of Stonehaven, had published " a Comparison of Dissent- ing and Established Churches," which supplied the more notable divine with some of his ammunition. Little notice was taken of these assaults by the Establishment till 1833, though, during the interval, the country was dotted with " Voluntary Church Associations," and ec- hoed the sound of battle from afar. In that year the forces on each side mustered, and a general action com- menced. For several years the conflict was keen. It developed some noble chivalry and splendid controver- sial ability, though marked and marred, as was inevitable, by not a little of that wrath of man which worketh not the rightec'isness of God, and of that envying ar_d strife which are the parents of confusion and every evil work. The oulpit, the platform, the press, were all enlisted. Sermons, lectures, addresses, debates were the order of the day. There was a snow-storm of pamphlets. On the Establishment side alone, it is said, that when the con- flict was at its height, the Collins establishment sent forth ¥ il! 134 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. monthly fifty thousand tracts. Seven magazines lent their aid on one side or the other. It is not to be expected that Dr. Burns would he an uninterested spectator. He was one of the first to accept the challenge of the doughty knight of Kirkintilloch, who had rung forth the Philistine's cry, " Give me a man that we may fight together." " The Religious Establishment of Scotland Vindicated" appeared in 1830 — a sermon of 57 pages, preached on October 12th, before the Synod of Glasgow and Ayr, at Irvine, and " published at the request of the Synod," on motion of his old friend Dr. William Hamilton, of Strath- blane, seconded by Dr. Wightman, corresponding mem- ber from the Synod of Dumfries. Subsequently appeared in succession a " Lecture on Re- ligious Endowments," delivered in the High Church, and published " under the superintendence of the Church of Scotland Society" of Paisley. " A plea for State Churches, in reply to the Rev. Archibald Baird ;" " Scottish Volun- taryism, the Atheist's Ally," a " letter to the Rev. William Smart," etc., etc. These all attracted much attention at the time,* but, like the multifarious and prolific literature of this controversy in general, they have ceased to excite much interest among men, and have become the property of moths. Dr. Burns was no intemperate partisan. He was no blind and bigoted defender of all that pertained to the * "The Doctor, in a most spirited and powerful letter, demonstrates the truth of his assrrtion. He ^jrives Mr. Smart a thorough and merited castigation. Dr. Burns' pamphlet is reiimrkalily wortliy of luiiversal piTusal. Lilie all the works of the same author, it srivos procif I General Assembly had no difficulty in plying the civil authorities for aid, by public f^rant.s, for now churches ; and why .she should have hesitated to tell her mind on the far more vital question (certainly also the more popu- lar one) of internal and constitutional reform, is one of tliose (piestions which I never could an.swer in any way that did not affect seriously her moral bearing.s, in regard to that political jiartizanship from which every church that lias succund)ed to it has invari.bly suffered Dr. Mc( Vie, in his acimirable and well-timed ap[)eal in 1888, on the duty of the Church to petition the Legislature for the instant abolition of Patronage, — an appeal which wanted only his name to it to have given it all the weight which anything coining from such a (piarter nuist have had — makes this remark : '" Time was, and it has not long gone l)y, when such a proposal Wduld not have been listened to in our supreme court, when it would have been diffi(;ult to find a person po.ssessed of sutficient nerve even to move such a pr(,()osal." 'i'he remark is well founded. But to do justice to the memory of friends both clerical and lay, all of whom I rather think are now num- bered with the dead, I must state a fact or two which came immediately under my own notice, a good many years before 1883, There was a fine lay movement in Gla.sgow for the remo' al of the grievance of jiatronage, headed by such excodent men as Mr. Heiny Knox, Mr. John Robertson, Mr. John Wright, and others ; and a ])rctty voluminously signed appeal wsis got up and present- ed to the General Assembly. The friends were certainly at a loss to tind at once a clerical member of the house who would boidly, and in the face of frowns and hootings, pre- sent the deed in open house and advocate it when it came up in due order. At length they fixed on Dr. William Ilamilton, of Stratldilane, father of Dr. James Hamilton, of London, a name precious in literature and theology. One morning, on coming up to the Assembly, I met my friend carrying a pretty large roll under his arm, and I asked him what it was. " The root and branch petition," said he, " against patronage." Though all my days an " \ ♦ ROOT AND BRANCH PETITION — TWO MISTAKES. 141 anti-patronage man, I was not quite " clear as to whether the time was tome for a movement of the kind ; and not beinjx a member, of course I could not help him. But, oh! how I often lamented that Thomson was gone, that McCrie was not within the church, and that Chalmers, altliough both wise and calm, struggled so long with the hydra be- fore he saw, as at length (and alas ! too late) h^ did, that patronage was a power for evil not to be regulated, but put down. Since 1830 it has been mv decided conviction, and the longer I live is the conviction deepened, that in two in- stances of great magnitude as respects the future, our Scottish Establishment failed cgregiously in performing her duty to her people. The one is, in that she overlooked till' great ([uestion of interna' »(.forin for the sake of simple oxtension ; and the second is, that the Evangelical l)arty, after they gained the majority, did not sj/mpathize with the ascendancy of the advocates of political reform in the State. Whatever may be said of the evil that arises i'vom clergymen taking part in politics, it is beyond all (piestioii, that, whether they do so or not, a C'liurch as established by law is, of necessity, so linked with the Oovernment of the countr}^, as to render it an object of very great moment that harmony between them shall be carefully maintained. But we all know full well that from time imnuiuiorial there has been an irreconcilable ditlerence betwi.xt the two ))arties in the State, the friends of civil and religious liberty on the one hand, and the conservators of tilings as they are, on the other. And who can now doubt of the fact that tlie Evangelical party in the Church of Scotland weie never jiiivileged to bask in the smiles of dominant Torjism ? The Clmrch should have bcion more alive to the mii-htv vantjitre ill- -should have rallied round the warm and llone-^♦ liearted friends of that measure — should have moved with unbroken liinks in the direction of vital reform ; and, when the first gleam of ho|)e for a century had dawned on her, should have demandt-d, if not the literal abolition of ]>atronage, at letist a j)ractical 142 LIFE OF REV. DR. KURNS. relaxation of its iron grasp. Well do I recollect the com- munication m.ide to the anti-patronage committee oi Paisley by our member, Sir Daniel Sandford, that Govern- ment were favourably disposed to such a change of the statutes regarding patronage as would have placed the appointment of ministers on a largely popular basis. In March, 1834, I was a member of two deputations to Earl Grey, then Prime Minister — once on an appeal against an obnoxious clause in what has been usually called Mr. Colquhoun's Bill, for freeing all new erections from the grasp of the patrons of parishes — and again when our member. Sir Daniel Sandford, introduced us to his lord- ship as the bearers of various })etitions from the west of Scotland for the abolition of patronage. On the first oc- casion we were handed over by Lord Grey to Lord Brougham, then Lord Chancellor, and we succeeded to the utmost extent of our wishes. In regard to the second, everything in his lordship's bearing to us was in harmony with our utmost aims, and all that appeared wanting wtis merely the expressed view of the church herself. Of the friends present on these occasions two besides myself sur- vive — Mr. Dunlop, M.P. for Greenock, and Mr. Andrew Johnstcm, then M.P. for the Fife Burghs : the others were Mr. Thomson, Sir Andrew Agnew, Sir D. Sandford, Mr. James Ewing, M.P.. for Glasgow, and Mr. A. Hastie, M.P. for Paislev- The sudden and unexpected event of Dr. Thomson's detvth, on February the 9th, 1831, was a sad blow to the progress of enlightened refonn, as the sequel soon shewed. It was in the As.sembly of 1832 that the question of popular rights in tlio elecition of ministers was first tried, on an overture for en(|uiry into the history and the prac- tical working of the dominant system of Patronage, and " the paper named a Call," set side by side with each other. The overture was dismissed as unnecessary, but the ice was now bn)kcn, and the question came up in the follow- ing year. Though not a member of tliat Assembly, I was one of those who were invited to meet in the house of Lord Moncrieti', for private consultation on the subject, a LORD MONCRIEFF — THE VETO LAW. 14a I few days before the time fixed for the discussion. Having learned from Dr. Cunningham that the law officers of the Crown, though favourable to some change, were averse to our touching the subjects either of patronage or of calls, and had advised us to be satisfied with a negative or a veto properly regulated, I declined attending the meeting, and communicated respectfully to Lord Moncrieff my reason for doing so. I held, as I still do, that the method of a direct and positive " call" from the people had many advantages over that of a negative or a veto, and more- over that it had ancient constitutional usage, and not a few legal d«'cisions, in its favour. Many were of the same opinion ; > t as it was resolved by a large majority of the fiiends of jopular rights in the Assembly to go on with the matter in the shape recommended, the greater part of our friends voted on that side ; a small majority of twelve turned the scale against us, but we augured well for 1834«, when the same measure was triumjjhantly carried by a majority of forty-soven. In 1833 the question of direct anti-patronage was also tried, and here, alas! we sustained a blow, the more severe as being inflicted by ourselves. The regular Moderates sagaciously saw that we were at vari- ance among ourselves. They did not need to put forth all their strength, and a milk-and-water motion made by one of our own reforming friends was carried over aminority of thirty-three, which was all that then openly rallied arciund th(; anti-patronage standard. It was not till 1842 that an auti-patronage mejisure was moved for, and car- ried by a large ma rity ; but alas ! it wa.s too late. The fa\uurable moment .lad been lost, and never could be re- gained. Dr. McCrie was sadly grieved at the is.sue of the overture of 1833, so different from what he had ad- vised in his vf'ry able ])an»j)hlt't on the subject, and so different from what in all probability Dr. AndrewThomson would have advocated. While these things were going on in the supreme court of the Church, Sir George Sinclair, and the otlior friends in the House of Commons favourable to {)opular rights, moved for a committee of enquiry into the working of the 144 LIFE OF llEV. DR. BUKNS. I* ' patronage system in Scotland since its re-enactment in 1712. There is no reason to (juestion the sincerity of the movers of this measure in their wish to aid and assist the Scottish Church, at a time when the desire for social and political reform was so strong, and especially in Scotland. I do not say that all the friends of this measure were men determined to put patronage down at all hazards. I think the very reverse. But I see no reason to charge on the measure the character of insincerity. The great error lay in the friends of ecclesiastical reform in Scotland not seconding it ; and even the General Assembly itself ought to have given it a public sanction, and recommended to the ministers and members to give their evidence in the committee, if called on to d.> so. There seemed to be a truckling to Toryism — at all events a jealousy of the keener or more radical Whigs. The scarecrow of an apprehended overtlirow of the Church Establishment, at the beck of voluntaryism and of high church prelacy combined, was held out to terrify the timid. Dr. Chalmers and many of the best friends of ecclesiastical reform kept aloof; but the Macfarlanes, the Cooks, and the Whighams''*" of shaking moderatism saw the crisis as it was, and took their measures accordingly, and with great practical wisdom. There is good reast>n for thinking that I)r. Chalmers was friendly to the proposal of a |»arliamentary committee to enquire into the state of matters in Scotland with regard to patronage. Yea ! there is good evidence that he strongly advised it, and wfis induced to change his opinion, solely in det'erenee to Lord Moncrieff How it was that a senator of such talents and knowledge of all the bear- ings of the case, became so afraid of any proposal to e of the most uffectivo speeches delivered by my fatlior In the (JeiMirBl Assembly, diiHny: he Church cmtniver-sy, wsin in ru|)ly to Mr. \Vhiifham, a» emhieiit lejfal func- tioniiry. It was published in pamphlet form, alotiK with speeches of Dr. CandliBh aiid Eiu'Il' Monteith, and forniH a favoiir.ible 8pucinioii of a f^rreat varit'ty of similar addrusHea tlelivorud by him in the various Church Courts and at public meetintfs on the absorbing ^leiue.— Kd LORD MONCRIEFF ON PATRONAGE. 145 mruenced more or less by the views tlirown out by his illustrious father in the appendix to his Lite of Dr. Er- skine, regarding the reluctance of the Church to agitate a change in the patronage law. But surely times were won- derfully changed from 1814 to 1834. If Sir Harry had lived to the latter of these dates the cast of his mind would have led him to long for a scarch- in"' review of the whole subject; not indeed with a fore- gone conclusion as to a " rocjt and branch" measure, but certainly with the hope of such vital changes in the law as would have made it work in harmony with the rights and interests of the people. Lord Aloncrietf leaves u.i at no loss as to his views of this subject when he says, in his reply to question 1332 in the Report on Patronage, " In my opinion, if the law of patronage is put under proper check or control, it is, in the present state of society in Scotland, perfectly adequate and safe for the attainment of the great object of every such power of nomination, without ever being converted from its proper character of a sacred trust into the means of serving the interests of the patron himself" I have never been able to see how the Church can retain her sp»"itual independence in any shape so long as the preser patronage laws are in force. The patron is not within he Church or in any way responsible to her. He stands . the door of her every church and effectually defies h jurisdiction. It does not appear, indeed, that the Church did «at the period of receiving her charter in 1592 consider the law as it then stood, or was ordinarily iiiter[)reted, us an invincible bar in the way of her accept- ing the benefits of a civil establishment; and yet, even so placed, she pi'essed for its removal. We ado[)t a " muffling " measure of our own to keep things as they are, in place? of asking at once a legislative enactment for our people, I and yet we resolve to stand by our s[)iritual independence. I Where is the consistency here ? In connexion with the attendance of witnesses on the Commons' Committee on Patronage, I may note a little incident in which Dr. McCrie was the main party. i 146 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. Going into the library of the Honse one day, I met the Doctor in the lobby, when he said to me, " Would you like to see the ' Booke of the Universal Kirke,' " which he had fvdly examined. Nothing could have given me more pleasure at the time than such a projiosid. "Come this way," said the Doctor, and lie led me to a desk whore sat one of the clerks of the House, who had the sacred dei)osit under lock and key. That gentleman had no symjiathy with us in our feelings at all, and wliile we were gazing on and "ghia ting over" the venerable volumes, he broke out into this objurgatory soliUxiuy : " May a tire from heaven burn all you and your l)ooks and 3'our Uni- versal Kirks !" We laughed heartily at the ebullition of Puseyite venom on the part of this disci[)le of Laud, Init little did we then think that the qimsi prediction would be fulfilled in October following, by a conHngration which soon reduced the committee rooms and all their contents to ashes. Till 18(J() I had a lingering hope that the vener- able M:5., so long kept l)ack nefariously from its owners, and at length ])laced almost in their grasp, might in some W{iy or other have escaped the tlames. In INGO, a visit with my \v'orthy friend Professor Lorimer, of the Presby- terian College of Theology, to the rooms of Zion College library, dis] idled for ever all my hopes. I have always looked back on the part I took in the Commons' Committee of 1834 on Patronage with ])erfect complacence. There were three })oints in particular on which I think that my Inbours in Lcmdon at that time were of some sei'vice to the interests of truth. In the first place, I got access to the records of Parliament, and thoroughly verified the impression long prevalent that the |)roceedings of both houses of Parliament in regard to the Patronage Act of 1712 were originated in political discontent, and pushed on with reckless and indecent ha.ste. In the second place, I was more minute and lull than any other witness on the anti-patronage movements of the Church from 1712 to the i)eriod of the famous "Schism Bill" of 17G7, which Princi])al Robertson, by a small majority, succeeded in consigning to a " committee V H MR. BELL AND NON-INTRUSION. 147 <9f oblivion " in opposition to the motion of Dr. Witlier- spoon that the overtuie should be sent clown to presby- teries. In the third ])lace, with the help of a clever young Eii'dish barrister, incidentally brought in my way, and who was curious to know what I intended to say to their " high mightinesses," I discussed at great length the pro and the C07I, as regards the famous Vdo Act, whu-h had not been passed, but which was carried triumpliantly several weeks after in the General Assembly. Some lead- ing members of the anti-patronage committee felt that tlie successful issue of the motion of Lord Moncrietf on that occasion superseded farther action on their part, and the committee, which certainly deserved better treatment at our hands, forthwith dissolved. In addition, Princi})al Cunningham repeatedly toM me that he felt himself per- fectlv satisfied with the reason assigned by me for holding that the Act of 10!M) was m no sense a jjationage act, but rather a well-regulated method of ])opular election. It was in the fall of 1(S8!) that the non-intrusion commit- tee circulated an othcial account of the ])rogress of the work on which they were engaged. The title of the ))iece is, "The State ot the Case," and it has the authority of Dr. Chalmers and of all the mend)ers of the committee at- tached to it. Just about a year after, Mr. Bell, Procura- tor of the Church, made his famous s[)eech in the Connnis- sion of the Assendjly, on the then position of the Church, and while defending ably the cause of non-intrusion, he shewed keen sensibility on the subject of anti-patronage, a fearful monster which had then begun to hold up its head, "hirsute and horrent," heforc the public; for Dr. i'andlish, Dr. Cunninghan), Mr. Maitland Makgill, and hundreds of other men of mark in the Church, had now come under a bond or engagement to see patronage toi'u up root and branch. In these varieut forth. Such of us as had always been anti- patronage men did of cour.se go readily along with the tide, now beginning to How in the right direction ; but we could not but feel that it was rather too late. The )f ! I 14<8 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. auspicious moment was in 1834, when the Commons Committee on Patronage was sitting, and when Dr McCrie was yet spared. The Church had not then learned what she found out in 1842, tliat patronage was not a boon liable to abuse and recjuiring to be regulated, but an evil to be })ut down. Moreover, there had been too much crouching to the Tories, and too much scolding of the Whigs. It was not until 1842 that the Church assumed her proper position on the anti-patronage principle. Prior to the assembly of that year a great meeting was held in the West Church of Edinbui-gh, when bold resolutions for the abolition of patronage were passed, and the anti -patronage standard was fairly unfurled. The meeting, of whose proceedings I have even at this distance of time (1867) a very clear remembrance, was a most harmonious and en- thusiastic one. It paved tlie way for the great battle in the Assembly of 1842, where the late lamented Principal Cunningham took the lead, and when the combined army composed of the " Moderates" and the " middlemen" was overthrown. What I always lamented was that this was the very first occasion on which the Church had assumed her ancient protest against the ftitally experienced evils of patronage. By this time also the Evangelical party, ■which had nobly gained and firmly maintained the ascen- dancy in the General Assembly, was broken in upon by a third party, known by the name of the " Forty," who in their first movement seemed to be sincere and honest, but whose vdterior proceedings were sadly prejudicial to the great cause at issue, by dividing our ranks, and giving to Sir James Graham and other wily politicians a plausible advantage, of which they failed not to avail themselves. It becomes a fair and a very interesting question, what, in all probability, would have been the result had the Scottish Church joined issue with the friends of anti- patronage measures legitimately pursued ? For my own part, I never had any doubt upon it in my own mind. I am far from thinking that the law of patronage would have been repealed root and brancli, but am clear that THE FORTY. 149 most effective popular checks would have been laid on by law, and patronage would have lost entirely its character as a marketable commodity. Any ap[)roved measures for Scotland would in all jn'obability have been followed up by similar measures on behalf of the now distracted Church of England, and the alliance between Church and State regulated on princi]>les far more in harmony with the theory of internal jiuisdiction and 8|)iritual indej)endenco. Vol- untaryism, as a system of national or of puVdic procedure and action, would have gone down, and Moiloratisin would have "conclusively" obtained a mortal blow. Even the Veto, with all its cumln-ous habiliments, wrought well for the ten years of its existence as a regulating law. During its continuance, many of the men who became afterwards loaders in the Disi'U})tion were Inought into the Churcl Much as I disliked !;he measure, because it stood in the way of something better, I never had anything in common with those professed advocates of the call and of anti- patronage who, in spite of neither of these having been got, and just because they have not been gained, remain within the Establishment. Had there been no such body as the " Forty," as they styled themselves, and had the ministers of the Establish- ment, especially those who called themselves " Evangeli- cal," stood firmly to their post, matters would in all pro- bability have ended otherwise than they did. But after all, let us remember that " God's thoughts are not as our thoughts, nor His ways as our ways." Looking back to 1843, may we not say, " What hath God wrought !" Looking at institutions worn out, it may be, partly by original defects in their construction, and partly by the abuses and sins of men, let us hope and pray for better times ; and in the meantime let us adopt the language of the inspired apostle and say, " ( ) the depth of the riches, both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments, and His ways past finding out." Never had he a busier summer than that which fol- 160 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. lowed the Disruption. Nor was he ever happier in his work. The glorious lil)erty of the sons of God was in an unusual measure enjoyed. Released from the crush- ing nightmare that had sat on them, and from the shackles whose iron had begun to enter their souls, many lelt in these happy halcyon Disruption times, a lightsomeness, a buoyancy, an enthusiasm, before unknown. By a singular coincidence, du^'ing the interval oi nearly a year which elapsed before the handsome new church was opened, those who followed him, and they formed an overwhelming majority of his congregation, worshipped in the "Old Laigh Kirk," in whicli thirty- two years previously he had been ordained, and where he had spent the first years of his ministry. It was a new era, and he seemed (ii, jommon with many) to reteivt v- fresh baptism of the Spirit, so that his word was with power. Such cheering missives reached us every now and then that memorable summer, at our " Hermitage" retreat, as the following : — "Camphill, Paisley, August, 1843. " My Dear Robert, — Our church is now contracted for, and will go on immediately. It is to cost £1,200. "We had noble work here on Sabbath last — 3,000 people are calculated to have heard a sermon at the tent, and the church was also crowded. There were 1,500 communicants. All went on with wonderful solemnity, and the crowds listened with apparent delight — much precious seed sown. May the dew and rain of heaven descend to refresh the thirsty ground ! My action sermon was Rev. vii. 13-end. Mr. MacNaughton's— * Awake O Sword!' My evening sermon on John iv. 11. Uncle preached in the tent at the South Church too, and in the ' Old Low ' on Monday night, when we had a Thanksgivincf and a thoiisaiul auditors. *' Remember me affectionately to the ladies, and thank Miss Ann, in name of Charles Leckie, for the valuable present." ■ UNITED COMMUNION SERVICE. 151 The above seems to have been a United Communion Service — in whicli, at least, the Free Hij^'h and Frco St. George's participated. The "Tent" was brought into re(|uisition; and seated on the green sod that roofed the sepulchres of loved ones long de})arted, with moss- covered monuments on every side, and the memories of other days crowding tliick upon them, they sang the oft- repeated song of deliverance, and held communion with the God of their fathers, who seemed to come nearer to them than aforetime. i CHAPTER XI. GLASGOW COLONIia SOCIETY.* HE society ori<]finatecl with Dr. Bums. Seve- ral considerations contriVmted to form and to foster his interest in Colonial evan- gelization. His younger brother, George, had at an early period in his ministry, been settled at St. John, New Bi-unswick, where for fifteen years he wielded a powerful influence for tr()o LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. €ral and Govcrnor-in-Chief in and over the British Pro- vinces and Dependencies in North America," who became Patron of the Society, and was always its faithful friend. At this meeting, Dr. Burns j>ro|)ounded his plan, which met with general acceptance. He was at once appointed principal Secretary — a post which he filled with universal approval during tlie fifteen years of the Society's active existence, till in 1840, it merged in the Colonial Scheme of the Church of Scotland. At different times ho had associated with h\m such men as Drs. Scott, of Greenock, Beith, Stirling (then ui Hope St. Gaelic Church, Glas- gow), W«'l,sh, Edinlnirgh (then of St. David's, Gl;i.sgow), Geddcs, of St. Andrew's, Henderson, of St. Enoch's, Glas- gow, and James Marshall. But though all of them ren- dered efficient aid, on him always lay the chief re.spon- sihility ; and the truth of the following kindly utterance of one of them, (Dr. Hentlerson) in proposing tho grateful acknowledgments of the General Assembly of the Free Church of Scotland, in 1857, on occasion of Dr. Burns' first appearance there, after his settlement in Canada, was conceded hv all : " I want particularly to draw atlontion hore, to the fact, which many know as well va myself, but which in tho cmirso of tiino some may not know, that \'o have had boforo us this ovoning, tho father of tho w hole Colonial Missiojiary ontorpriso. " In 1825, bcfor-j tho iJlmrch had cimtomplatod any operation of tho kind, our venerable friend (Dr. Hums), borne on in tho ex- uberance of lus zeal and interest on belialf (tf our expatriated bret/iren, instituted what at that time was known by the luiuio of tho North American Colonial Society, and the labrmrs of that Socitsty lay upon his shoulders. 1 lent a little help to him, in a kind of secondary capacity for several years after I went to (Jlass^ow, but had nothing else ti) do with it ; and this has made mo fully aware of tho groat debt of «)blii,'ation under which the colonies of iiritain, east and west, havo boon, laid by this venorablo man. I cannot ^M I W' MINISTERS TO THE iNoUTM AMERICAN COLONIES. 155 tish Pro- became 111 friend, n, which ppointed universal s active i Sclieine he had reenock, h, Ghis- 's, Glas- lem ren- rcMpon- tterance grateful lie Free . Burns' da, was t, which mo sonii) 10 father ration of tlio ox- >iitriato(l IlJUllO of tSociisty kind of <>w, but y awiiro 'intuiii, caiuiut )uti tliink tliis Assembly will fcol that he is ontitlird to a warm re- .teption, when they see him cniiiiiig hen- in his old ai^t', with almost (inabated vigour, and certainly unabated zeal, prosecuting the «amo good work." It was not long till the Society secured the cnnfidenco if the churches, and across the mighty deep, many long- ing' eyes were directed towards it. From all the North American colonies cases of destitution were pressed on "ts notice. Many excellent ministers were, through means of the Society, settled in all the Provinces. In one year eight vverti settled over fixed charges and nine sent out tis Missionaries. The seventh report, presented in April, 1833, mentioned "fourteen ministers sent forth in the course of as many months." By this time, an interest was awakened throughout the Church, so that young men of more than ordinary pro- mise "willingly offered themselves." Amongst "the rest, Dr. Candlish, who, at the time of his apj)lication to the Society, was acting as assistant to the Rev. Mr. Grcgor, of Bonhill, Dumbart jnshiro." * He was appointed to Ancaster, but circumstances pre- vented his going. We may speculate as to what this eminent man might have been, had his destiny V)een the (|uiet Canadian vil l.'ige, instead of the most prominent position in the Scot- tish •netropoli.'j. But " all this comoth forth from the Lord of Hosts," * Sninc tlino prcvliiiis to Pr. Caii;tli!f a frii'uil rill' (Illy, I'r. ('iiniiiii,'lmiu siiiil . — "I iiusiii to try (or Kllpatriok to kcui) mit a Moitcratc, nf I'ho iiainu u( CuiiUllNh, who lu aaaiittuiil to tho iBiUislvr vl liuitUUl. — jl>r, Cunniiiyhuin't Life. 11 1 !.-(; 1,1 FE OF REV. DR. BURNS, •' who ai>]K>intet]i the l)onn(1s of our habitation," and who is "wonderful in counsel .ind excellent in workintif." We suhjoin the main |)orti(»ns of the letters of Dt Candlish:— " BoNHiLL, 30th March, 1833. '' Kev. Dr. Burns, " Hkv. Sii'v.- KnowincT the intorost which yiMi take in tho settle incut I if Christian chiirchos in IJritish North Anii-rioa, I take the lib'vty, thotii^'h a stranL,'er, of ii(hhvsHin<^ you on the .subject. I an> ilis])os»'(l to rt'i^'.'ird that country as !>n intercstiii'^ Held of niiin'steria' i; 'xiur, and as I uiuU-rstand tli.it at present ihej-e se^ iiti t ho » call for achlitioiial hilxmrers there, I l)et(toex|iresH my desiroof serv in^' tile < ireat Head of tlieCliurchin any pan ol liis •, ineyanl wliero .1 fair opening may appear, and my willinnness accordinL,dy, to accept of any apixiintment wliioh may I>old out the reast/uuhle pros- pect of professional usefuhiess and re:<|i 'ctahility. I have been a prt;acher of the (lospel now for ai'ont ii . • yeais, during Jiearly four of whicli I have been regularly engaged in the discharge of pulpi*^ dntj', and latti'rly of parochial duty also, as an assistant in lilas gow, and in my present situation. 1 ho])e, therefore, that I may lv> in some measure warranted in my wish of forunng a more inti- mate and ]>ermauent connection with a congregation of my own. "Should you deem tins application worthy of notice and encour- agement, you will not, I .am persuaded, tind any dillicidty in niak- iiig the necijssary inijuiries, as to character and qmditicatiouB. .Meantime it may be sutticient ; • nu'ntion the name of Di-. Smyth, of St. tii'orge's, (llasgow, as .i ,»e;sou to whom I am will known. I shall be glatl to reciive any information which you may have *o ^communicate, and to attend to any hiiggestions which you nifty iiako. " i have the Iionour to be, !\ev. Sir, " Yuuz'H, very respectfully, " RoitEHT S. CAxni.isn, " Assistant to tho Minister of Bonhil' " "BoNiiii.L, 13th .April, 1833. "Bf.v. Sir, — Since T saw yon yesterday! have been con.<»idor- ing what yi;u said, relative to the appointnu'ut to .\ncaster, nwl I thiid< it may be proper before anything more is done in the n)atter, to exiilain \uv views to you more fully th.in I was (piitc! prepared to do at the ,)me. The appointnu'Ut seems in many respects »»juit- ftblo one, nioie especially, as I understand it to hold out a r»»tt«on- ably distinct promise ami prospect of being fixed and permuneut. I CO. ifcss, that at present, occupying a situation in tho chun-b i»t CORRESPONDENCE WITH DR. CANDLISII. 1" i4 h-»mo, whioh, howcvrr Imniltlo, yet affonls mo tho op])l Clmrch and tlio Head of tho Church altroad, is not tho rosnlt of ; liastily fonuocl resolution on my part, (foi- I havt^ proviously a»id dolibor- 'itoly looked .)n Canada as a v"ry important and promisinj^ Hold of ministerial laliour, and om^ having,' peculiar olaims on tho attontioji of otu' clnireh,) b»it the annonncemont «.f it will be sudden as ro- sp(>ct9 my friends. Now I am not disi»ost(d to take so imjiortant a stop in life, in a liunMod or sei'min;,dy precipitate manner ; and i very nnich fear it will not be possible for mo now to make the necessary arranijonjents for loavini,' this country before the season is too far advaniod, or in sulticiont time for occuj)yin;,' tho situation ill view. I'esidoH that, circumstances of a private naturo would make an abrupt «lepartnre very inconvenient, some roi,'ard is plain ly duo to my ont,'ai.(oment and situation as assistant horo. Thoiii^di ant bound to remain for any doiinit(f period, I am nnwillinj^ sud- denly to desert my post ; an- nian with whom the appointment rests, that he may not lose time an«l opportunity iiy relying ujion aid from a <|uarter where, per- liaps, lie might be unavoidably dis,ni|)oiuted. " I have to n-ipiest your excuse iir the trouble whicli I give you, and your candid inttipn-tation of wh.it I havt) said and written. You will give nu) credit I ln.pe, for sMicerity at least, and for an honest ilesint not to l>e misunder.stood. " NVith gratitude to you for the kind and cordial reception which you gave me. " I remain, IIcv. Sir, '* Very reaiieett'ully yours, "iioitiiiir S. Canhmsh." Tltc Rev. Henry Gordon, of Giinnrioque, nnrrate.s a visit to Piiisley "on oeea.sion of Iti.s a]>|>lii'a(ion to tlie Society." "Havinji, aloni,' witli Wni.'rinnliull Lraoh (now a niinister of the E|)i.sco^)al Chinch in Canaaa}, been (.Ic^ignated by REV. H. GORDON, OF GANANOQUE. 159 the 'Glasgow Colonial Society' as missionaries in Upper r-'nada, and on the 15tli July, 1833, liecn ordained hy the Prosbytery of Haddington, we visited Dr. Burns at his house in Paisley, and in his official crpacity as Secretary enjoyed dose intercourse with him, I was impressed by tilt' aflahility of his manner, the vigour, vivacity and freshness of his mental powers ; the graceful ease of his conversation. But tliat which most deserved admiration and which was most congenial to the objects of the visit, wiis the dcvotedness witli wliit of all his f.i I 102 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. I I ► i i» ! ' ' journeys, and rendered memorable by his association, duriiij^ it, with Dr. Chalmers. In June, 1838, he received from Sir Andrew Agnew, the following : — "LocuNAW Castle, " Stranraer, 7th June, 1838. " Rev. Dr. Burns. Dear Sir, — Your svvdwud attachment to the best interests of the Colonies, pntnipts nie to make a retiuest of you at this time. Doctor Chalmers has kindly promiaod to visit us here immediately on his return from France (Gml willing). It is an oid engagement of many months standing, and which he has repeatedly ratified. His object is to awaken hom sleep our torpid country, by giving repeated addresses on Church Extension and the other schemes of the fJeneral Assembly. " In order to make as lively an impression as possible (m the minds of cnir people, I am very desirous of seeing at the same time, all the several schemes fur.iiDKitrd lyy the liviii.; t^ininent divines of the natiimal church — and 1 would pray you to personate the Colo- nies ! It would give Lady Agnew and me much pleasure if you would honour us with a visit here. " A steamb )at, (the Lorhryau) arriving every Friday, (in 12 Hours from (ilasgow,^ at Stranraer, would land you within six miles, and there a carriage would bu in readiness to bring you up. Dr. C. exi)ecta to bo liere the eiul of .Inly — but of this nn ire particu- larly I shall make it my business to letynu know when I hear from him again. Only let me beg you in the meantime, to have the goodness to give a general assent to my scheme, and let me hope that you will yourself take a part therein. The necessity which e-vists amongst \js, for some such enlivening proceeding, I will not attempt to describe. You are yourself, I dnubt not, well aware of the state of tlu- case ; and I c I'ad souiii lu'silatlon nhuiit tlie "rond)inatii»n" stheme. WhcrLni|Hin Sir Andrew vvnjte nyain : — SIR ANDREW AONEW. VISIT TO LOCHNAW. 163 " Lo(mxAW Castlb, "Strankakh, lath July, 1838. "My Dear Sir, — V . are very kind in so cordially uxi>res8ing your willingiiosa to givo us the itleaauro of sooiiv^ you htTr. " There is much force in what you say reL,'arding the ililliculty of pleading more than one of the four j,'reat schemes of the churi'h at the name time. Hut on the other hand, it has been found that whore an interest in any one scheme has been aw.ik* ueil, atten- tion is the more easily called to nil the other*. A geinral awaken- ing is what wo desire. Uow that i» to he done can he heat ti>ld, when wo have felt our way a little more. Th«- ChiMvh E\ten.Hion cause is, as yet, hut partially undf'Htood, t*u»l would need all tho aid which it can receive from its UevM. ol\ uupi'ii and his frioid.*!. '* As to the Cohtnies, wo have hwvfely vouivihuti'd t<»wardH the auuuventatitm of thi^ir |io]iulation, and th>n< rtl^> few fainijiea aiunn<,'8t us where a ehoril would not \iluate, if toiu'hed '\\ tho MaHtv^r's hand. Nor m.'."* this l>o yo\\v only visit 5 having found out your way, and diacuvced that steam-power has brought vi« to yo\u' very d<>ov, yon will rt\lmit tho responsibility which now lieH upon you to make our latent energies marketable, by making Stranraer a suluub of I'aisley. Let us have a spiritual as well as a temporal benetit from tho tiow facilities of intercourse. " Hoping to be enabled very soon to have the pleasure of writing more distinctly as to the day of Dr. ChiOmers' coming, " 1 have tho honour to be, ** My dear Sir, " Yours very faithfully, '* Anurkw Agnew," On the 31. st July, Sir Andrew writes a third time, inti- mating that the week from the 19th to the 2(jth August had Iwen agreed Uju^n, and urging Dr. JUirns to take part with Dr. Chalmers " in this awakening." Dr. Chalmers 'ournal testifies what a week of unalloyed enjoyment it was. Dr. Burns was accomi)anied by one of the memhtrs of his family. Ho had a peculiar pleasure in meeting with the Presbytery of Stranraer, In I7f)f), that Pre.shy- tery had licensed his brother William, " the Pastor of Kilsyth," who had been tutor to Sir James Hay, of Park, Gieuluce. I r^ I ! ( 164 LIFE OF REV. Dl\. BURNS. In 183.), this presbytery published an address to the con<^n'ogati<)ns within its Ijoiinds, warmly eulogising the efforts of the Colonial Society and commending it to their confidence and suj)port. The very name too of the [)ious and patriotic Baronet, whose munificent hospitality he was enjoying, was of itself a passport to their hearts and homes.* I am not aware that any represented the other schemes of the church, but Sir Andrew accompanied the represen- tatives of Church Extension and the Colonies in a pil- grimage stretching over two weeks, with a loving interest and liearty enthusiasm, which riveted them to him in the bonds of a deathless friendship. It was at this time also Dr. Burns formed the acquaint- ance of General McDowell, of Stranraer, who became a fast friend of the Colonies, and from whose library the •helves of more than one Canadian college were richly replenished. The correspondence of the old veteian with Dr. Burns, was terminated only by his death. Dr. Macintosh McKay, who subsequently evin^jed his sympathy by devoting the maturity of his powers to Colonial service, lent early to the Society the benefit of his efficient advocacy. He writes to Dr. Burns from • The foiinilcr of the A^new family came over witli William thf Con- queror. The I'arliiiiiieiitiuy Art t)t' Iddl, which confirnis the family in the {)OHSfR.si(iii of its riKhtt* iiml ]iri\ii<'Kis, (niaiiitly descrihes them a.s liaving lei-n eiijoyeil '* jiast all i-.u'iiiorie of man." lUit thovi(,'h, a.s (IfHcentUil from the Ai^'iiews of >.''pnna'i(ly and tlie ili- Conreys of Kin^'sale, (I'reniier liaron of Ireland,) there Howed in his veins the blood of two of the mimt ancient and honoiirahje faniilies in tln' Kingdom, no liuart heatmore trnly than that of the chivalrous Chauii)itin of the Saldjath, in 8ynii>athy with th« mMti- ment :— ** Hove'er it he, it set ni.s to me 'Tis only nohle to ))»' j^'ood : Kind hearts are more than coronets, Anle faitli, tli.ui Nnnnan blooil." — Ed. DR. MACKAY. CANADIAN COLLEQE. l(i.5 Dunoon, February, 1830, ) venerable I'linci- pal has slept for some yecars back. I tr i-^t, my dear sir, you will continue having your heart encouraged and your hands strengthened 'if God, t«> plead and speed forward the cause of pre- cious, perishing souls. Many. \ doubt not, are the blessings on your bead already, from hundreds and thousands of our brethren in America, for what you have already done. All our friends in the East country are loud in their commendations of your labours uf love, and may these bo increased and favoured abundantly." The first published suggestion of a Presbyterian Col- lege for Canada that we can discover, is in the Third Annual Report of the Glasgow Colonial Society, drawn up by Dr. Burns, and presented by him at the Anniver- sary, held on the 22d April, 1821), twelve years prior to the passage of the Royal Charter which formally ushered it intti existence, and three years prior to the first move- ment of the Canadian Church. In his Report of the fol- m 3|B # 1 ^^."^^ IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-S) // M €// ^^ .^^dp. y <. 1.0 I.I 11.25 I4S t li£ 12.0 6" 1.8 U III1II.6 » /^ 7: ^i J^' i^^*'J^' V '^' o>j /A Photographic Sciences Corporation 23 WfST MAIN STRUT WnSTER.N.Y. U5B0 (716)872-4503 t!? 1; ; 'HI >• '. I i I H ' \ 166 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. lowing year, (27th April, 1830,) Dr. Burns returns to the subject thus : — " The Colonies seem particularly to stand in need of institutions sacred to the gi-eat business of the general and theological education of young men, natives of the Colonies themselves, who might thus be trained up from time to time for the service of the sanctuary." The first Synod of Canada, held in 1831, seems to have passed without any allusion to the matter.* At the second Synod, held in Kingston, commencing on the 2nd and closing on the 4th August, 1832, the subject of Theological Education was introduced by Mr. Rintoul. This Synod was presided over by Dr. Mathieson, of Mon- treal, and attended by twelve ministers and three elders. In 1889, a Bill was obtained from the Local Legislature to establish a college in connexion with the Church oi Scotland, under the title " St. Andrew's College of Can- ada." It vested in the Rev. Messrs. W. Rintoul, A. Gale, W. T. Leach, R. McGill, J. Cruickshank, H. Urquhart, and twelve lay members of the church, the right of holding " Lot No, 32, in the 3rd Concession S. of Dundas street, in the Township of Trafalgar," purchased with £500 stg., placed at the disposal of the Presbytery of Toronto, for the establishment of a college, by Sir Wm. Seton, of Pitmeden, Bart.; and 200 acres of land, being Lot No. 4, in the 5th Concession of the Township of Nissouri," donated for the same purpose by the Hon. William Morris. The name was changed to •' The University at Kingston," altered still further to " Queen's College at 'Tho Abstract Minutes of 1831, covering four small pages, contrast strikingly . ith the lf?4 well filled pages of our "Acts and Proceedings" in 1871. These miuute»ii. ;i minor roflecling the relative progress of the church these forty years. UL QUEEN S AND DALHOUSIE COLLEGES. 167 IS to the to stand s of the natives ained up 7." to have ncing on subject Hintoul. ofMon- B elders. ?islature lurch ot I of Can- A. Gale, rquhai't, fight of Dundas id with ^tery of 3ir Wm. 3ing Lot issouri," William fsity at liege at inply , ith ^ Kingston," when on the IGth October, 1841, a Royal Charter took the place of the Provincial Act. With the establishment of this institution, Dr. Burns had much to do, and to the formation of its library he gave very freely from his own. He had copious correspondence on the subject with the Hon. William Morris, Alexander Gillespie, Esq., and Rev. Messrs. Rintoul, McGill, Machar and others. When in 1840, the Rev. Dr. Cook and Mr. Rintoul went home as a deputation in its behalf, he rendered them most eiRcient aid. Dr. Burns took special interest also in " Dalhousie College," Halifax. In 1828, he was in search of a Presi- dent for it, and applied to the Rev. Marcus Dods, of Bel- ford, father of the Rev. Marcus Dod.s, of Glasgow, whom the Presbyterian Church of the Lower Provinces recently endeavoured to secure as their Professor of Theology, The following is one of the letters in a correspond- ence which seems to have terminated unfavourably : — " Belford, 17th March, 1828. " You seem to me to be in pursuit of the philosopher's stone. Where in these degenerate dcays do you hope to find a man posses- sed of all the qualifications that you rcfpiire ? In some of the things you mention 1 am much rusted. The rust, however, might by a little scouring rub oil. But of one of them^ Chemistry, I have just sufficient knowledge to enable me to put a proper quantum of salt in my kale. If this hiattm valde dcflendus in my mental furniture sliouid not form an insuperable bar to any further negotiation, 1 certainly am not disposed to put the propf)sal lightly away. But in the mtanwhile, if the above defect be not fatal, I should like to have some more particular iufornuvtion with regard to the College, of the existence of which I had not previously heard. I do iiot feel nuich disposed to leave this place for a distant land. " Yet my reluctance would readily yield to aught that I might con- sider a call of I*rovidence, or to the prospect of greater usefulness. With thanks for your offer of recommendation and best wishes." m m m :|i 168 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. ", 1 II li I! We had copied out eighty pages of Colonial correspond- ence which we are compelled to omit. These were culled from seven large quarto MS. volumes into which my father collected the greater part of his Colonial letters. In three thoroughly characteristic epistles, Dr. Mathie- son finds vent for the Scottish exile's longings, and his strong: attachments for the "Kirk." He ridicules the Episcopalian proclivities of a certain class. He deplores the deadening influence of ministerial secularities, sighs at times for a quiet country parish in his loved native isle, and gives expression to breathings after the higher Chris- tian life. Dr. McGill relates his settlement in Niagara, is severe on High Church grasping, and handles as it deserved, the notorious ecclesiastical census of a certain deceased prelate. He propounds a scheme for raising $120,000 for Queen's College, and pleads for two professors, " the best in braid Scotland," The letters of the Rev. William Rintoul are very numerous, dating from his leaving Maryport onwards, and reflect his earnest spirit. As pa'- tor in Toronto and Streets- ville, and for a time Superintendent of Missions, he pleads most meltingly for increased supplies to meet the preva- lent spiritual destitution. As one of the first Colonial ministers who moved in the matter of the college, he gives special prominence to it, specifying Dr. Cooke, of Belfast, and Dr. Burns as suitable men to fill the post of first Principal. The Rev. John Clugston, of Quebec, long acted as th*» ■.i.iiimiL^^ mm COLONIAL CORRESPONDENTS. 16^ faithful agent of the Colonial Society for Eastern Canada, and was a most valuable and voluminous correspondent. His letters are full of matter respecting his depai-traent of the field, noticing the arrival of many missionaries who always found counsel and comfort under his hospitable roof. He has gra[)hic touches on the doings of Dr. Harkness ; the Canadian Rebellion; the obnoxious rectories; Lord Durham, &c., with an occasional burst of honest indigna- tion at high-handed Episcopal assumptions. The Rev. George Romanes, afterwards Professor in Queen's College, gives many interesting details of his mis- sionary experience, places the East before the West, and speaks in ftivour of an order of circuit preachers. The Rev. P. C. Campbell, M. A., now Principal of Aberdeen University, in a beautifully distinct hand, fur- nishes a very minute and instructive account of his travels, and of the position and prospects of the church, lit up here and there by fiery flashes at the insult oflfered by the then Solicitor General (Hagerman) to Scotland and Scot- land's Church. Dr. Machar, whose name is yet fragrant in Kingston, returns thanks for files of The Witness and " Chests of Books ;" commends Dr. Cook and Mr. Rintoul, the College Delegates, to home sympathy and support, and expresses a decided preference for a Principal and Profes- sors from the old country, in opposition to my father's not : less decidedly expressed conviction that the selection . should be made from Canada. The Hon, William Morris,* is the most voluminous * Brother of the Hon. James, and father of the Hon. Alexander Morris. In one of 1 ni9 many letters he roniarks, "Our family left Paisley in 1801." He possessed many I most estimable qualities, and proved ever a true friend'of the Presbyterian Church. li !' i i 170 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. I f! Li, !'! of the lay correspondents. His letters abound in interest — bearing principally on Queen's College ; the efforts to pass the Local Acts, and to obtain the Koyal Charter, the importance of the preparatory education, and of securing first-class men, his published letter to Principal Macfar- lane and Dr. Bums, with occasional references to the vexed questions of the Clergy Reserves and the Rectories. Mr. Alexander Gillespie, of Gillespie, Moffatt & Co., indicates by his letters a peculiar interest in Colonial Presbyterianism. He encloses correspondence with Lord John Russell, about securing a Government grant to the college, recommends application to Governor General Thompson ;* is delighted with the union with the United Synod, and counsels maintaining friendly relations with the Synod of Ulster. On this last subject there is a fine letter from Dr. Kirk- patrick, of Dublin, who pleasantly recalls Dr. Burns' pres- ence at his Ordination in St. Mary's Abbey,f in 1829, along with Dr. Heugh, of Glasgow, as Delegates from the Scottish Missionary Society. He speaks of the healthy s})irit of the Irish Church since the cutting out of the Unitarian cancer, her interest in missions, her looking to Canada as a field, and the desire of a cordial understand- ing, which was fully reciprocated, with the Glasgow Colo- nial Society. Among old country correspondents .nay be named the Rev. James Marshall, who speaks of the Glasgow brethren as waiting for my father's recovery from the severe illness * Afterwards Lord Sydenham. t Dr. Kilpatrick's colleagiu' in Dublin for many years was the late Dr. James Carlile, the former coniijetitor of my father for the Low Church, Paisley, who was succeeded bv Dr. Jolm Hall, now (if New York. P«P Vw fjiitlif'ully, during liis absence, he kept his attached flock apprised of his doings. " Philadklphia, 14th Feby., 1844. " Dear Christian Friend.s, — It becomes me to acknowledge the mercy of our God in my preservation, both on the wide ocean and on the banks of the Delaware. We had gales of strong wind and what is called s(|ually weather for a week, when hovering on the Banks of Newfoundland ; and the snow and frost, and intense cold, since I began my journeyings in these parts, are somewhat different from what I had been used to sit home ; but the weather on the whole has been dry and healthy, and I never felt more vigorous. Since 1 reached New York on Thursday last I have enjoyed the privilege of joining in and assisting at the communion of the Supper of our Blessed Lord, in one of the princi2)al Presbyterian churches of that city, and of addressing in the evening a very large congre- gation in anotlier of the churches, belonging to the Dutch Ileformed Church ; and of prcachiiig the same truths which my predeces- sor NVitherspoon jiroclaimed on the spot, at Princet(n\ College, where that eminent man so long edified and instructed those under his care. In the course of an hour or two, on Monday afternoon, a large congregation of ministers, and professors, and students, and of the peoi)le at large, were brought together. It was easy to gather them on the sliurtest notice, for there had been there for some time past a deep religious impression, a I'evival of the best kind, and on the most approved principles ; and I preached, not on the church (question (for they had already got that from my friend Dr. Cininingham, and collected 500 dollars), but onllomans XV. 2i) : " AViien I come to you, 1 will come in the fulness of the blessing of Ihe gospel of Christ." " The Colk'gt! is a noble institution, and so is the Seminary for theology adjoii iiig. 1 heard mj friend and correspondent, Dr. Charles Hodge, Pn ifessor of Divini'y there, author of the E.q)t>sltion of the Ejihilc to the Unmans, examine one of the finest classes of stu- dents I ever saw, on \\\v all-important doctrine of justification ; and my intercourse Avith the President and Drs. Millar, Alexander, &c., was most agieeable. "Are they not a noble class of men?" said Dr. Cunningham. And yesterday, when we met for the first time on his side the great waters, my impression was, and is, that they wt so ; and that the educational institutions of Princeton, with • Dr. Cunningham's Life, pp. 210-12. PRINCETON. WITHERSPOON. 181 their seventeen profeasora and tiitorg, most of them eminent in' literature and theology, form one of the finest nurseries for the American churches. I stood by the grave of VVithorspoon, and read the Latin inscription on his tomb. 1 was in his manse and in his study, and occupied a chair which he took with him from his house at the head of Lady Lane, Paisley. I saw the original draw- ing of his picture, which is quite different from the engraving I have in Paisley ; and old Dr. Green, his venerable pupil, and hi» successor in the presidency, tells me that the one I saw here is the true likeness. With his grandchildren, and great-great-grand- children, three generations, I have had a great deal of intercourse. Many questions abfuit Paisley did they put to me, and I promised to see them lagain, if at all in my power. I came to this great city yesterday (Tuesday), and we have had a full meeting yesterday, and a sermon to-night, in the large and beautiful church of which Dr. Bethune, the grandson of Mrs. Graham, formerly of Paisley, and whose life you all knoAV, is pastor. It is midnight. To-morrow we go to Baltimore, where two Sabbaths must bo spent ; and then we go to Washington, where Congress is sitting, and before whom we are expected to preach. "This is a noble country, and the public institutions of this large city are unrivalled in the world. I have seen most of them to-day, and in one of the best of them (the Penitentiary) I f (nmd, as under- supei'intendents, two Paisley men, one of whom I had assisted as an emigrant about two years ago. Another of these emigrants came to hear me last night, a weaver, who is getting on remarkably well. There is much true godliness here, and in New York; but I rather thi;ik that the work of God prospers more in the smaller places, like Princeton, than in these large cities. I preach here again on Friday three times, at New York one Sabbath, and then on Monday again. " It will delight me to hoar that you are regularly supplied with gospel ordinances, and that the collections for the missionary schemes of the church are regularly made. Bear with me if I be not home before May, for Canada I must visit, and it is at present not so easily got at. "May the Lord bless you and keep you, and all the families of the congregation. May He cause His face to shine on you and on your friends. " From your affectionate Pastor, "RoBT. Burns. "P.S. Please read this to the congregation, and to any of the parishioners, and to Mr. Crichton."* * Mr. Thomas Crichton, bom in 1761, died in Novemlier, 1844 ; father o( the Oeneml Kirk Session in Paisley, and friend of Dr. Witherspoon, whose life he wrote in tlie Chris- tian Fnntructor. Ho wns a remarkable- man. He aided Dr. Burns in several literary en- terprises. A long letter of his, dated 14th of December, 1824, with which his excellent I 1 'n 182 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. h\ ■4 I li ihf He found many warm friends in America. The friend- ships even of college days were revived. He wrote thus from the elegant home of his comrade in the race of love and forgiveness forty years previously in Edinburgh, — the same kind, conscientious John Cod- man whom he helped to exemplify the precept, " let not the sun go down upon your wrath." " Dorchester, near Boston, *' 30th March, 1844. *' My Dear Robert, — Yoii are not forgotten by me. From day to day we meet, I trust, in the presence of the Hearer of Prayer, and at that gracious mercy-seat which is equally accessible from all points and from all distaaces. 1 have heard repeatedly of you and William, and I write you both by this mail. It will cost you the postage, for I canuot pay it here, — all the postage taken on this side IS a cod ; in other words, a halfiJenny ! *' I trust your studies have been going on prosperously. Before I can be home with you, the 1st of May will be over, and all prize matters will be over too ; but whether yo\i be successful or not, the benefit of the exercise is of itself a reward. " Yesterday Dr. Codmantookme to Cambridge, three miles from the city, to visit the University of Harvard, a noble institution, where I saw a very fine library, and some interesting MSS., with a copy i)i the Bible in the Indian language, translated by John Eliot, the celebrated apostle of the American Indians, whose place of laVjour was within three miles of Dorchester, where I now am. " We visited also the Cemetery of Mount Auburn, a very inter- esting place, like the Necropolis of Glasgow, but ten times as large. " I have yet other lions in the city to see, but yesterday we met at the house of Governor Armstrong (at dinner) no less than the real livlny lion of this coinitry, the celebrated Daniel Webster, un- doubtedly the first man of the States, a very pleasant and intelli- gent man. We had also the whole of the Supreme Judges, and a number of the clergy, »&c. — a most sumptuous and splendid enter- tainment. "I am staying with my old class-fellow at Edinburgh College, Dr. Codman, who lives in great style here, for he is a wealthy 'man and much respected. I preach for him to-morrow, and twice in the city." Bon in Paisley favoured ua, aided the Colo-alal Society at its start. With another son, John, whosottlo'l '.. CMvula ni 1820, my father used often to sojourn when "roughing it in the buuli." THE INDIAN. HARVARD. DR. BLAGDEN. 183 Referring to this visit to Boston, the Rev. George Lewis says : ** I was much amused with Dr. Codman's account of the ex- amination to which my colleague, Dr. Burns, subjected one of the Indian teachers paid by the Scottish Society for the propagating Christian Knowledge. Desirous of beginning at the beginning, and ascertaining the Indian teacher's elementary knowledge, the doctor asked gravely, ' Who was Nicodemus V The Indian, thinking ho was in jest, answered, with Indian gravity, ' A great warrior !' Yet, to the no small surprise of the doctor, he seemed afterwards per- fectly to xmderstand the distinction of President Edwards between moral and physical inability." * In August, 18G8, I visited Harvard University. The venerable custodian of the hundred thousand volumes of its noble library asked me to insert my name in the visitors' book. He looked at it, then at me, and asked if I was related to Dr. Burns, of Toronto. I told him who I was. He then said, " Over twenty years since, that gentleman visited this place, and donated to us some valu- able contributions. I wish I had more of them." Meeting at the same time with Dr. Blagden, the patri- archal senior pastor of the " Old South," of revolutionary fame, I found his recollection equally distinct. He spoke most warmly of my father's appearances in his church and the other leading city churches, and of the deep im- pression produced. The celebrated Dr. Bethune, of the Reformed Dutch Church, then in Philadelphia, when he preached for me at St. Catharines, shortly before his much lamented death, spoke similarly of his visit to the City of Brotherly Love. Dr. Henry Boardman, also of that city, when we met him two years ago at Chicago, and others whom we have met • Impressions of America, p. 888. • m Sii'i lii 1 T| J 184 1 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. i 8 i I m If during our residence in the United States, gave kindred testimony. In his Familiar Letters, Dr. J. W. Alexander (then Professor at Princeton, afterwards of the Fifth Avenue Church, New York), thus writes of Dr. Burns' visit : " Princeton, February 20th, 1844. " The Scotch delegates thicken upon ua : vre have had Rev. Dr. Burns, and Ekler Ferguson, and are daily expecting Lewis, who has arrived at New York. Burns, you know, is in Witherspoon's pulpit at Paisley ; he has been settled there thiity-three years. He is one of the most learned men in Scotland : has edited Halybur- ton's works, Wodrow's Histoiy, and is a\ithor of Memoirs of Pro- fessor McOill. Burns' manner in the pulpit (gesture excepted) is more oxtri than Cunningham's. But his sermon was noble, rich, original, scriptural, and evangelical ; and in diction, elegant ; and his closing prayer was seraphic. " *' Princeton, March 22nd, 1844. " Dr. Burns has been here, and in spite of my prejudices I must say ho prenched on Wednesday evening one of the very noblest discourses I ever heard. The text was from Zee. xiii. 7, "Awake, O sword,'' &c. It was teeming with scripture, but even the most familiar texts were made brilliant by their setting and connexion." —Vol. i., 388-391. Three years afterwards we find this notice of a subse- quent visit : ^ "May 8th, 1847. " Dr. Burns, of Toronto, left town this evening, after a sojourn of two or three days. He goes to Halifax, about a new theological school there, I think he has more exactness and extent of know- ledge, and a greater outpoiuing of it in vehement and often affec- tionate disccurse, than any man I ever met, unless I except Chan- cellor Kent, whom he resembles in his contempt for all conven- tionalities." — Vol. ii. 68. Very large sums were collected by the deputies from many parts of the United States for the treasury of the Free Church. The Rev. Dr. McCosh, President of the College of New Jersey, writing from Princeton (Cth Jan., 1872), adverts to dii SBT ter| I mei hill dec an(i PRESIDENT MCOSH. CANADA. 185 to the impression produced by his visit there, of the tm- ditions respecting it, of "how he preached an admirable sermon," &c. Then, reverting to their first and last in- terviews, he says : " I met him first at Dr. Guthrie's, wliero I was amazed at his activity. He was up long before me, and at two or three meetings before breakfast. I saw him at Brechin in the autumn of 18G8, when he was so deeply interested in the ^ ketches he was preparing of men and events in the Church of Scotland." The Deputies of the Free Church of Scotland were urged to include Canada in their programme. Among the documents that have come into our hands are lengthened communications signed by Mr. John Redpath, as chair- man, and Jilr. D. Fraser (now Eev. D. Fraser,D.D., London), as secretary of a committee in Montreal, as well as by a number of well-known office-bearers and members of the Presbyterian churches there. A sketch of the projected tour is appended. Circumstances prevented Dr. Cunning- ham from complying with this earnest invitation. Dr. Burns accepted, and gave two months of unremitting toil to the provinces. Dr. Burns entered Canada by Niagara, where he was met by Messrs. McGill and Gale, His first meeting was at Toronto, on the evening of the 10th of April; his last was at Halifax on the 3rd of June. The interval was crowded with a ceaseless succession of sermons, speeches, conferences, and receptions. He visited the leading cities and towns in the provinces, and everywhere, from all the Protestant denominations, met with the most cordial re- ception. By the representatives of several of them, and^ i I 186 LIFE OF REV. Dll. BURNS. by deputies from different Presbyterian congregations, he was waited on and presented with addresses, most frater- nal towards himself personally, and the cause he advocated. Among others, a body of Indians was in attendance, who greeted him heartily, and whose " talk," couched in the true Indian style, wound up thus eloquently : — " May your sky be always clear ! May your council fire never be extinguished ! May the smoke of it ascend till rolling ages cease to move." Of this visit the venerable Mr. Smart writes : " Dr. Burns' visit aa a deputation from the Free Church of Scot- land was of singular benefit to the Province. Delegates from the greater part of the churches in these parts met Dr. Burns at Brock- ville and Prescott to confer with him as to the future proceedings of the Church in Canada. His reception was most enthusiastic. He was escorted from Brockville to Prescott by a long train of men on horseback, and men, women, and children in all kinds of wag- gons and carriages, so that when the procession was joined by that from Prescott, it extended, it was said, for upwards of half a mile. In fact his reception in this part of Canada was like a military triumph. "At Brockville and Prescott public breakfasts were given, and the doctor gave interesting sketches of the history of the Church of Scotland, and a good many anecdotes of the disruption in Scot- land. " Dr. Burns had a wonderful memory. At a dinner of ministers and friends at Mr. Smart's the docter surprised us by his mention- ing the date of my own ordination, and remarked both of our ordinations were inserted in the same month of the EvangeUcal Magazine. " The doctor related, among other things, his first visit to Lon- don, where he met at Mr. Hardcastle's with the board of directors of the Missionary Society of London." The Rev. Thomas Alexander, then of Cobourg, speaks thus of the visit : " When your father came oxit as a deputy to this country I rejoiced at it, as I knew that Canada did not bulk very largely in the eyes of Presbyterians at home, for I had been home in 1841, and could not induce a single preacher to come out. I was with your father REVS. T. ALEXANDER AND H. GORDON. 187 a good deal, and had much pleasant intercourse with him. When the Synod met at Kingston, before our disruption, I remember going with him to the Governor, to ascertain his mind in regard to the Government grant, should our Church carry out our resolution to follow the example of the Fi-ee Church at home. He told us that if we were unanimous all our privileges would be conlirmed ; but if any remained they could claim them. We told this i<> the Synod, but some of them were afraid of losing the loaves and fishes Now there was no need of disruption in this country. All we had to do was to drop the words 'in connexion with the Church of Scot- land,' for we were independent in our action? of the mother church, and besides, we had passed resolutions ^jproving of the step the Free Church had taken. But the majority would not venture, and 80 about twenty-three of us broke oft", and organized the Canada Presbyterian Church. God has certainly prospered His own cause, and the services of your father and other deputies helped it on These were glorious times. " ^ t ; I Mr. Gordon, of Gananoque, gives similar testimony, and adds : " I may here introduce a pleasant little episode illustrative of the happy efl'ects of the social and genial nature of a pastor on his flock, among many proofs of the afi"ectionate impressions left on the minds of settlers in Canada who had been connected with your father's congregation at Paisley, which travelling much gives occasion to discover. One of those warm-hearted women, whom I happened to know, came to him, when he was in Kingston, with the gift of a huge piece of maple sugar, that was suflicient to sweeten the tea of a log-house family for a month perhaps. The doctor was too well acquaintvid with the effects of refusal on a simple, loving heart not to accept the kindness. But after the donor had gone, a grave con- sultation ^ras held by us respecting the disposal of the sugar. Your father's dedire was to take it with him to Scotland, as a large and fine specimen of Canadian life in the woods. But a difl[icult prob- lem started up, which was this — how to convey the specimen. * Where there's a will there's a way,' as goes the old proverb. The doctor's travelling trunk was pretty large, but then it was already so stuff'ed that it almost bafiied ingenuity itself to get room for it. Then if the warm weather should come on before the great Atlantic was crossed, was there not a danger of its melting, and injuring much, expensive clothes I Upon a careful calculation of the time that had to run in the voyage, that fear was silenced. But when the actual work oi stowing this ponderous, rebellious, unmanageable piece of sugar came we were all but to our wit's end. But here again the all-precious adage, ' where there's a will there's a way,' came to our help. Not having much, if any, of a Hogarth's pictorial genius to i' I i: , !*1 » ; is 1 188 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. i ; f ■ make life-like photographs of scenes strange as is the actor man himself, but just gravely to impress the importance and value of perseverance in a good cause, 1 may just, in simple unadorned narrative of truth, state that by your father's getting in, with all the weight of his solid body, pressing on the contents of the trunk, and then tramping with all his might, and, poor as I am '> » bulk, by my also sitting on the parts of the clothes most unman.agoably projecting and hindering the locking of the trunk, as the only make-weight he could get the use of, this most trmiblesome lump of sugar was got into some safe hiding-place, and conveyed across the seas ; and the consolation for all the toil and vexation is in the hope that it sweetened some cups of tea, enlivened innocently S(mie of the social gatherings at I'aisley, brought God's kind bounties to Canada before the ej'e, and your father's kind, loving consideration in bringing it BO far to give pleasure." Mr. Lewis says, with reference to this visit to Canada; " I had many opportunities of witnessing the good effects of the visit of Dr. Burns. The doctor was prepared, by his former con- nexion with the Glas','ow Colonial Society, for coming hither, and his visit was hailed by the Scottish settlers with unfeigned pleasure. " In reply to the ai)peal of Dr. Burns, the Canadas contributed above £2,000 to the Free Church, — plain indication that the heart of the i^eople is toward us,"* A fcw extracts from the " Journal" my father kept of his visit to America (especially to the South and the Provinces) may here be introduced : "1844. Feb. 21st. — At Baltimore ; good progress; meeting in the evening, collection $400 ; kindness. " 22nd. — Arranged for the South. George Lewis arrived ; sent for. Dr. Breckinridge, bold man, funny. Washington's birthday this ; went up to top of the monument — of solid marble, beautiful, tasteful, simple ; statue of Washington on the top like Knox's ; resignation of his command ; the paper in his hand was shot away by a young fellow who, in a frolic, said to hia companions that he thought he could tire through it ; he did so. Splendid view of the city ; at least three places Avhere slaves are or were kept for sale. Medical school or college. Healthy toAvn ; police poor, as in all the towns ; bad streets ; well supplied with water. Labourers a dollar and quarter per day ; live well ; no sqiialid poverty. " 24th. — Methodist churches, 13,000 communicants, 4,000 of these blacks, 20 black preachers. At tea at Mr. Kelso's (the gen- tleman who gave us $1000) ; had a delightful meeting — represen- tatives of Presbyterians of America, Methodists, German Lutherans. * "Impressions," pp. 3G6-7. U^ BALTIMORE. PETERSBURG. 189 German Reformed, and of the Free Church, very interesting men. Bishop Wiuigh, Knrt/, &c. Had exposition of chapter, and prayer. This the phm among the Methodists. 20th. — Met in the morning with twenty Methodist preachers and ministers, Dr. Cunningham jircsent ; (juestions pnt ; arranged to hear a bhick preacher ; itrejndice among the Metliodists ajainst them. Mr. Cidhnan, tlie leader of the blacks ; 4,000 blacks in communion in Baltimore alone ; 9,000 whites. 20,000 blacks in all in this city ; 3,000 of them slaves. Cen. Ross slain at East Point; his body sent to Halifax, and interred in St. Patd's Churchyard. *' 27t;i. — At Bishop W.'s large party, heard of the arrival of the venerable Bishop Soule, after a journey of 7,000 miles, attending eleven conferences, and appointing to stations 1,300 preachers, "March 2nd. — Went to Ptterslturgh. Mr. Foote, agent for the Foreign Missions. Crossed the James river, saw the seat, or part of it, of old Powhatan, the father of P(icahontas, whose bLod flows in the veins of many of the best families in Virginia. John Randolph, of Roanoke. Most of the old Gl;i'ne tht'oloLrioal eoiloetioii •_':!(.) vuli.aus. The Krue Cliureh i'cilonial Coinmittoo furnished Dr. liiirns with l^l.'iO, witli wliidi he made many valnalile |iiinli:'st's. Associated wi'h .Mr. Iilael\. now of .Maiiitolia, \\r. made the tir>t calalo;.'ne of Knox's Colleyu !-ihrary, which then «mhraced ovi r ,';,ii(ii| volmnis, tlie most oi which were the result of this bpucial effort made by my father » heu uu the e\ e of btiu'tiag for his uew home. m n ti ij .1 ■1 B !,, ,( -208 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. combined to render it a season much to be remembered. One extract, from the closing portion of this discourse, is all that we can give ; ** The period of my ministry embraces a jreneration of human beings. Of those who were office-bearers and members in full communion at the time of my settlement, a fraction only survives. Of those whose names stand on the ' lists' appended to the ' call' then addressed to me, two only remain. Many who were then the children and youth of families committed to my charge, have eince grown up and occupy important stations in society. The number admitted by me to communion at one hundred and thirty- four sacramental occasions falls little short of thirteen hundred individuals, being nearly the ordinary number of communicants twice told. Of these several hundreds had been catechumens ab the weekly classes for religious instruction, and over many of these I have had cause to rejoice. In the course of my ministry God haa permitted me to go through the whole of the New Testatru ni fn the form of expository lectures, together with the evangeiioai types and prophecies, and the larger part of the history, of the Old. My aim has ever been to unfold to you the mind of the Spirit, and to commend to every sinner the grace of the Divine Redeemer, We have walked together amid ihe rich pastures of Zion, and my humble aim has been to direct you to the Chief Shepherd." Our passage was taken in the ship Erromanga, a new vessel just built for the firm of James R. Orr &; Co. Cap- tain James Kelso, an excellent Christian man, brother-in- law of the proprietors, and himself a member of the firm, commanded for the last time before retiring from the sea. On Saturday, March 29th, we set sail, many friends having ** accompanied us to the ship." The previous night \ra: ; spent in a precious prayer-meeting, in the Rev. J. J. Bonar's church. Dr. Keith, the celebrated writer on prophecy, took part, and his weighty words lont a peculiar charm to that Greenock gathering. The six weeks' voyage had the usual " lights and shadows" which chequer life on the ocean, but was, on the whole, a season of much enjoyment. We had some severe storms, but only once M LIFE ON THE OCEAN. W. C. BURNS. 209 new Cap- ler-in- firm, le sea. lavin';; It vm J. J. jr on ;uUar reeks' iquer luch once were we in serious danger. Sweeping merrily along be- fore a favouring breeze, one dark night, we ran into a great field of ice. The crashing, grating sound started us from our hammocks. For thirty hours we were girdled with floating masses, and were afterwards told that, but for the good ship having been constructed of the strong- est material, the consequences might have been fatal. Many books of interest were read ; Pictet's Theology, in French, was studied ; a good deal of writing was got through with. Amongst other things, the farewell sermon,* which had been delivered from notes, was fully written out on board ship, and afterwards printed at Toronto. On Friday, the 9th of May, we reached Quebec. The first to welcome us, as we stepped on shore, was our now sainted relative, W. C. Bums, who had complied with the earnest wishes of his uncle and the Montreal friends, by coming out on an evangelistic tour a little ahead of us.f * "Circumstances having put it out of my power to comply with the wishes of friends at Paisley, that I should print my Farewell Sermon before leaving Scotland, I have en- deavoured to follow out that wish by devoting part of my leisure time on the voyage to the preparation of tlie manuscript for the press at Toronto. M" design is to send it to my much-loved brethren and friends, as a small token of remembrance endeared by dis- lunce. The wide Atlantic now separates me from those to whom, for more than thirty years, I stood in the relation of pastor, and whose best interests are still near my heart. While I write these lines, the waves of the mighty deep are rolling around us. We are entering the great Gulf of St. Lawrence. A few days arc expected to brnig us within sight of some of the most magnificent displays of the majesty of God. Already ha;'e wo witnessed his wonders in the gTnnt deep. Hitherto He hath held us in the hollow of His hand. Amid the howling of the storm, and the crashing of icebergs, we have been merci- fully preserved. The prayers of our sliip's com))any have regularly ascended with united voice before the throne, morning and evening ; and in these we have remembered our friends at home, as they, we believe, have remembered us. May He who sitteth on the floods reign in their hearts and in ours. May His testimonies, which excel in faithful- ness, be our united inheritance in this the house of our jiilgrimage ; and may His omni- potent grace establish in each heart and perfect that ' holiness which becometh HishouM Jor ever.'"— Gulf of St. Lawrence, May 1st, liH^>. —rrcfatory Note to Sermon. t One of Dr. Burns' last literary em])loyments was to write the record of that visit, which forms Chapter X. of the deeply interesting memoir of that apostolic missionary, by the gifted and honoured brother who has so soon followed him to glory. His sojourn in Canada extended over two years. Wherever he went he left "footprints.' In many parts of the backwoods eyes will yet fill, and hearts heave, and voices becomt solemn and tonder, when his name is spoken.— Ed. m I ' II .!v I ^4 ■H 210 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. :■ ill \ ■ It was the Friday of the Communion season when we reached Quebec. His old correspondent, the Rev. Jolm Clugston, of St. John's Church, asked him to aid in the service ; so he was into work at once, foreshadowing thus at the start, his New World life, which from its commence- ment to its close was " in labours more abundant." My brother and I kept by the ship. Father and mother followed us on Monday by steamboat, reaching Montreal about the same time with us. The few days of our sojourn in Montreal were spent with kind friends, " some of whom remain unto this pre- sent, while otlicrs have fallen asleep." The Rev. John Bonar, then of Larbert, had come out to supply for a seafion the faithful band who, for years prior to their enjoying a stated ministry, were favoured with the tem- porary ministrations of some of the choicest spirits of the Free Cliurch. Those were the days of the wooden struc- ture which preceded the present Cotd Street Church, and which was a Bethel and a Peniel to many. Dr. Burns was associated with Mr. Bonar in the inauguration of this tabernacle. Some of the students happening to be in Montreal, conferences were had with them. The follow- ing Sabbath was spent at Kingston, where a, full tale of work awaited him, and an enjoyable intercourse was re- sumed, which our subsequent eight years' settlement there, extended. We reached Toronto in the City of Toronto, under the kind care of Captain Thomas Dick (who has ever since proved a faithful friend), full of gratitude to that lovintT Hand which held the ocean in its hollow, and us on its t INDUCTION. TEMPERANCE. 211 loving Ion its bosom, and which brought us safely through perils of waters to our desired haven. The induction into the charge of Knox Church took place on the 23rd of May. On the afternoon of that day the Presbytery was en- tertained at dinner in the Eagle Hotel, Wellington Street, on which occasion Dr. Burns publicly and formally iden- tified himself witli the temperance movement. Tliough strictly temperate in his habits, he had hitherto been what is known as a " moderate drinker." But becoming increasingly convinced of the enormous evils of intemper- ance, especially in a young country whose character was in process of formation, as well as of the power of minis- terial example, he determined to identify himself with a cause then decried by many, and to make the memorial entertainment connected with his settlement the occasion of announcinfj his chanije. On Sabbath, the 25th, he commenced his pulpit labours. The news of his safe arrival gave great joy to his old flock. Their feelings found expression thus :* " Paisley, 18th Juno, 1845. " Yotir highly esteemed and mnch vahiod favours of 10th and 12th of May came duly to hand. The members of the congregation were exceedinglj'^ delighted to hear of your safe arrival, together with Mrs. Burns and your family, and all that were with you iu the ship. Your letters were read at the deacons' court ; and the one to the congregation was road at the prayor-meetiiig and after- wards from the pulpit. At tlio meeting, prayer was oti'orod up, and Bpecial thanks given to Almighty (jod for the protection aliorded you, and for carrying you through all the dangers of the deep, and lanrling you in safety at your desired haven, [t must have been a Beason of rejoicing to you all that you were so soon permitted, after landing, to enjoy a coininunion Sabljath, enhanced by the striking coincidence of its being the same Sabbath of our comma- :§■ * From Clerk of Session. '; i H I I'* I 212 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. nion, and that we were engaged in the same sacred ordinance. It is a matter of great thankfuhiess to your people here that you were strengthened and enabled to engage in your Master's service, and to proclaim the good tidings of salvation to so many thirsty souls in that land whither you have been called in the providence of God. You will now be settled as pastor of another congregation, and the union formed in obedience to the command of the great Head of the Church cannot fail to be abundantly blessed. Our prayer to Him is that He will hallow the sacred union thus formed, and that you will be long spared to be, as you have hitherto been, a faithful ambassador of Christ, an honoured instrument in the hand of God in training young men for the ministry, in promoting the spiritual well-being of many soiils, and bringing many ' to the knowledge of the truth as it is Christ Jesus our Lord.' '* After you left this a sadness came over us ; we felt we had ex- perienced a loss which our Saviour only could supply. The im- l-ortant day of the induction of your successor arrived. After all the various steps had been gone through, and the call unanimously given to the Rev. Mr. Thomson, the Presbytery appointed Friday, 13th of June, for his settlement as our pastor. The Rev. Mr. Hutcheson preached, Mr. Salmon addressed the congregation in defence of the pi'inciples of the Free Church ; Mr. Forester pre- sided, and laid the injunctions on pastor and people. The proceed- ings were all of the most interesting and solemn kind : and your valuable labours, as pastor of this congregation for the long period of thirty-four years, were prominently brought to view. We were all much pleased with your brother, Mr. Burns, of Kilsyth, being present. At the dinner on Friday Mr. Thomson made beautiful allusions to your pastoral labours ; and in his discourse on Sabbath he dwelt much on his o\\ n weaknesR, and that he came amongst us with fear and much trembling, when he thought of the responsibi- lity of the charge, on succeeding one of such powerful talents, energy, and activity. "We had also invited Mr. King, of St. Stephen's, Glasgow, to be present at the dinner and soiree. He interested us all very much when he detailed the particulars of the state of Toronto, and the cordial welcome you would there receive from an immense number of warm friends. The audience were perfectly overjoyed when your name was mentioned, and the prospect of comfort to youi'self and family in your new sphere of usefulness, in the mag- nificent countrj in v/hich you are now dwelling." This affectionate remembrance of him was shared in by many besides his own people. The old family physician. Dr. McKechnie, who to great skill in his profession added a warm and generous heart, and who had not seen it to ! 1 ' OLD PAISLEY FRIENDS. DR. JAMES BUCHANAN. 21 3 be his duty to follow his old pastor into the Free Church, sends him a valuable token of regard, designating it as " from a friend who has long esteemed him for his worth, who has always admired him for his talents, and who now venerates him as a faithful and devout pastor." Sherift' Campbell,* too, who, like the worthy "old doctor,'' remained behind in the Establishment, and whom we »vere wont to look up to in our boyhood as the very beau ideal of a judge and a gentleman, thus writes on the 30th of December, 1845 : » " You mention that you do not regret the step you have taken in going to Canada, and I am very glad of it, and trust that you never will. In that large field your active benevolence will find much to do, and will take delight in doing it ; and I shall receive with much satisfaction any accounts that tell of your welfare." This strong attachment of his dear old Paisley friends continued to the last. In 18G4 one of them (Mr. A. R Pollok), writing to him, says : " In Paisley, yours is quite a household name, and fondly do many speak of their past experience with you. Dr. A. S. Patter- son was telling me that he is nowhere so popular as in Free St. George's here, for he recals you to so many still in the congrega- tion, and that thus he shines in that pulpit with a borrowed, but not unwelcome, lustre." This chapter may fittingly close with the first communi- cation received hj Dr. Burns from the then Convener of the Colonial Committee of the Free Church, Dr. James Buchanan, who, as a native of Paisley, had once enjoyed Dr. Burns' ministry, and whose model pastorates at North Leith and Edinburgh, and well-known wi'itings, have made his name so familiar : * Father-in-law of Dr. Begg, of Edinburgh, who, as minister of the Middle Parish, Paisley, was one of my father s colleagues, with whom soon after his arrival in Canada the pleasant intercourse of bygone days was resumed. ij 214 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. " EniNBUROH, 30th June, 1845. " My Dear Dk. Burns, — It gives me verj' great pleasure to find that the first letter which I am required to write as Convener of the Colonial Committee nnist be one of congratulation to you on your in- dtiction into the charge of Toronto, which, important as it is in itself, is doubly so when viewed as a central and connnanding position whence an evangelical influence may emanate over the whole of Canada. We look forward with much interest and sanguine hopes to yojir future labours in that interesting field, and it will be our fervent i)rayer that both in your pastoral charge and your academic chair you may enjoy, as heretofore, a rich blessing from on high, and that you may have many precious so\ds given to you as your crown of joy. It is impossible, I think, to over-estimate the im- portance of your present position, whether considered with refer- ence to the existing state of Canada, or the future prospects of the church in that country : and it is a source of heart-felt satisfaction to us all that one so eminently qualilied in point of talent, and learning, and piety, has been found willing to devf)te himself to the Avork of training up, by precept and example, a band of native ministers for the supply of its spiritual wants. " f* CHAPTER XIV. PASTORATE IN TORONTO. R BURNS was pastor of Knox's Church, Tor- onto, from May, 1845, till June, 1856. These eleven years embraced a vast amount of varied work. During part of the time he combined professorial with ])astoral duty. The students were on his heart from the outset, and he never ceased to feel the warmest interest in their welfare. J>!r-i^ To Pluralities, Irjw ever, he was always decidedly opposed, and the junction in his case he counted " good" only " for the present distress." Whenever the college staff was sufficiently reinforced to admit of it, he laid his account with a separation. To the pulpit of his new charge he brought substantial- ly the same qualities which gave him so commanding a 'I .1 216 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. p sition in his oM. His discourses, even those most hastily prepared, ever bore marks of clearness of thought, correctness of , action, and cogency of reasoning. They were delivered with the earnestness and unction which always characterized him. The Scottish "Lecture" re- tained its own place. His sermons were often in coarse. He was faithful and systematic in his visiting as he had ever been. The Sabbath School was very dear to him. The pecu- liar liking which children always had for him, showed the warm seat which they held in his own heart. To his Bible Class he broulan may be intevestinj,', as sliowinu the extraordinary amonnt «;f work that he was in the habit of undertaking — and 1 may safely add, of aceoiiiplishing. " 'Leave Toronto, Wednesday 0th, by steamer ; make direct for Brockville ; i)reach there on the arrival of the boat on Thursday, and at I'rescott on the evening of that day. Friday, preach at Edwardsburg, and any other ]ilace that may be near enough to be overtaken on the same day. Set out for Kingston f)n Saturday, 8toi)ping at Gananoipie to preach there. Then make for Kingston, ■where three ai)i)ointment& may be made for the Sabbath ; two in in the city, and one wherever recpiired in the neighbourhood. Leave on Monday by canal, for your ordination at Bytown, on Wednesday, the KUh. Then i)roceed to Perth ; ar lorry that I cannot go to Osgoode also ; but could I not take 1 'illo on my way homo ? 1 must be in Turouto fur Sahhatli, the . Try and make the best of the above. Improve on the plan any way you please ; but keep the leading features in view, securing a meeting for Perth, where I have promised to preach.' " We met at Kingston, on Monday, the 11th August, and set out for Bytown by steamer. Of necessity, the Monday and Tuesday were days of rest. But the doctor enjoyed the rest — I was almost about to say — as much as he enjoyed his work. The islands, the bays, the curious nooks, the beautiful scenery, the strange mean- derings of the route ; all arrested his attention and excited his admiration. My wife has often remarked that she can never for- get the family worship, the intei'course, all the varied enjoyments of these delightful days. The other passengers seemed to appreci- ate them as highly as we did ; for he had a word of kindness and of instruction for all. And the words were so appropriate to — in fact suggested — by the scenes through which we were passing, thiit they could hardly fail to be remembered. For instance, at a par- ticular sjiot in one of the little lakes, where a stranger, looking ahead, could see no outlet for the boat, he said : * There we have an illustration of faith. We can see no w.ay through among the rocks and the overhanging foliage ; but we have faith in the pilot ; we believe that lie knows the way, and can bring us through.' From this text lie took occasion to preach a short open-air sermon FIRST VISIT TO OTTAWA. 219 the on the blessedness of trust in Ilim who f,'ui(le3 His people nmid all the perplexities of life, ainl at last liriiij^'s tliciii in ' tlinm^li the gates into the eity.' As to myself, in view of my ordination whicii had been ajipointed for Wednesday, I had addressed to me in the same coll()(|uial style, at intervals and in more »piiet corners, a brief course of lectures on ' I'astoral TlieoloLjy.' " We reached Ilytown on Tuesday evenincr, -md I remember, as if it was but j'esterday, our conversation which was just browyht to a close as we steamed down the ' deep cut.' lie >vas speaking i»f various texts ; and with that o]>enness which so characterize, ' When I come to you, I shall conu; in the iu\- uess of the blessings of the (Josjiel of Christ ;' and Fsa. Ixii. 10, ' Go through, go thr(jugh the gates ; prepare ye the way of the people ; Cast up, cast up the highway ; gather out the stones ; Lift up a standard for the people.' " The hitter of these was finally chosen ; and both text and ser- mon are spoken of by numy of the peojile in Ottawa unto this day. The services connected with the (jrdination on Wednesday, were conducted in the stone building < n Sparks street, then the VN'es- leyan, and now St. Andrew's 1 1 /man Catholic Chapel. OnWid- nesday evening, the doctor preached again in the .^ mie place, from Song of Solomon, ii. 10, 115. All the passages diat have been referred to, will be recognized by many as havnig occu])ied [)ronu- nent places among his favourite texts. It is needless to say how highly his preaching was api)rtciated at JJytown and elsewhere ; but, it is much to be able to add, that he gained the affection an I esteem of those with Avhom he was brought into innuediate contact, not less by his whole spirit and deportment than by his preaching." The following from himself foreshadows similar work : — " Toronto, 25th May, 184G. ** On the 14th June, I open the church at Binbrook and then go down to Belleville and Kingston, to look after both i)laces. My Owen Soinid visit I delay till August or so. Mr. INIcTavish* will do much good alone just now, and his visit will i)ave the way for one from me after. " You are expected to begin at Niagara, on the 21st. Mr. Nis- bet goes down the way on the Ttli, and labours six weeks. Mr. Esson, also, about the middle of June, and my day at Fretkiricks- burg, &c., will be die 21st. The I.ilands will also come under my notice. A trip to Amherst and Wolfe Islands may d 'or The Record, or for the first number of our new paper if it goes on. " * Now of Woodstock. iX 'M i II i'; ■h ) ■ * 4 ■■*-. 1 « ■ M i 1 220 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. ii ',!* Though the ocean rolled between, he forgot not his old- world friends. To his college companion, the Rev. James Clason, of Dal:?ell, between whom and Codman, tlie young American, he had acted forty years before the part of " peacemaker," he thus writes : — " Toronto, C. W., 24th January, 1846. "My Dear Sir,— You are one of the oldest friends I have in the world, perhaps the very oldest — and 1 must not even seem to forget you ; but our intercourse has not depended on me altogether, otherways you might have had reason to tax me with forgetfulness. " I have one near me Avho is a good amanuensis, and she has been my secretary on many occasions. I do not wish, however, to devolve on her the wholf business of correspondence, and more especially in the case o^' such old mnfrcrcs as you and I. "^lany considerations of an interesting kind rise to view, when wc- look back on bygone years — and another year has been seen by us both, while the goodness and mercy of our Heavenly Father have followed us all our days. A good many months have passed away since our arrival in this far land, and I can now form some idea of what a residence in Canada is. J do not repent my voyage across the great ocean, nor do I feel that I did wi'ong in breaking asunder so many tender and endeared ties. " A wide field of usefulness spreads before me here, both as a pastor .and as a teacher. I have just finished (Saturday,) one of my most interesting weekly exercisea, with 22 students — two hours of prayerful searching of the Scriptures on cases of conscience and visitation of the sick— for we take up Pastoral Theology on Satur day ; v Iiile two hours each other day is devoted to Systematic Theology and Church History. "Three montlis have been employed by me in this way ; and whatever may be the style of the execution, assuredly the work itself is most important and valuable ; more so than anything that ever before engaged my mind. " The regular lecturing and preaching on Sabbath go on also, and here I find the labours and preparations of former years of great use to me. " A large Bible Class also takes up two hours of Sabbath, and Mrs. Burns has upwards of 30 young women regularly at her's. " The missionary work is over and above, and a largo part of my time during summer was occupied in that way. When Dr. Willis returns from the Lower Province to take my class and pulpit for three or four weeks, I expect to get away on a tour beyfuid Lake Simcoe — the latest settled townships, and almost all S^')t- tish ; as usual, entirely neglected. It is to my mind revolting in iP. 1 DESTITUTION. DISCOURAGEMENT. 221 not his old- Rev. James , the young ihe part of lary, 1846. s I have in v^en seem to e altogether, 3rgetfiUness. md she has however, to J, and more d I. "*[any hen we look by us both, ive followed ay since our ea of what a across the asunder so both as a lay,) one of -two hours science and on Satur Systematic way ; and the work lathing that also, and |s of great [bath, and her's. be 2iart of When Dr. md pulpit ir beyond all S'^'it- [oltinp in i the extreme to wi^.ness such palpable proofs as I have seen, of cl'«> heartlessness of the churches at home. It is wonderful that there should be so much Christianity iM Canada as there is, considering the treatment our countrymen havt received and are receiving at this moment ; for, alas ! not one minister has been sent out as yet by the Free Church to this Province, and every mail has carried to the committee most earnest appeals. If such a man as your neigh- bour, Mr. Buchan,* would come to this land (and he is jiist the man), he would do incalculable service ; but men very inferior to him every way, if they are persons of real piety and liveliness, would do gi'eat good. " Some hopeful lads arc at the Hall, but years ought to elapse before they go forth, and what is the church to do in the meantime? Vacancies nuist be filled up, with such as we can get. The patience of the people is exhausted, and Scoi men you know ivill have minis- ters. We have above thirty stations in this one Presbytery of Tor- onti old cim- troversy ua.s reciilluil), " I did imt airivc wiili yuiir Ii^'ttcrs at all, t)iit yoti Inatod iiic liki; ft (jentlcnian." For siicli iiitt'lloctual «'ladiat('irslii|i he had a slrniiif lil faint, we wish to persevere and to ' give the Lord no rest' till Ho arise in His glory and in His majesty, and shine before all nations. " The enclosed invitation will explain itself. Copies of it have been sent to all the ends of the earth, and should the object com- mend itself to you aud your friends, you will kindly give it cur- rency through the religious papers and magazines of the Canadas. Oh ! that the Lord would rend His heavens and come down ! Let that be our unceasing prayer ! " Things here, to all outward appearance, have settled down, but not so in reality. " There is an under-ground rumbling which betokens men's minds to be ill at ease. But the Lord God omnipotent reigns. That is our happy assurance. And, whatever ])e the trials in store for His church and people, the isnas will bo glorious, for the mouth of the I ord hath spoken it. To Mrs. Burns and all friends in To- ronto and elsewhere, my wannest remembrances, and believe me ever, " Yours very affectionately, " Alexander Duff." ftnds. But On my father also devolved, several years afterwards, the making of the arrangements for Dr. Guthrie's expect- ed visit to Canada — aiTangements, which, to the regret of all, had to be abandoned on receipt ol the following : — " Copley House, Thobnton Hough, ** Cheshike, .15th April, 1867. " My Dear Dr. Burns, — You will probably have heard before this reaches you, that T left the Scotia at Queenstown, hois de com- bat, not through sea sickness, but suffering from my old heart malady. It is impossible for me tv describe my feelings, but they were not new to me. I had endured the same horril)le sensations on a night voyage aboard a steamer, two years ago, when passing from Geneva to Leghorn. On that occasion, I resolved I would never pass another night at sea, so long as there was a carrier's cart rumblmg along the road. I was so anxious to undertake and go through the American enterprise, in the hope that I might do f a ' tl fell )■ 1 230 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. something to draw the churches and countries nearer to each other, that 1 cast all warnings behind nie. We had a capital passage to Q ;eensto>vn, so far as the ship was concerned. The Scotia never Beenied to feel herself out of the dock. I would have endured other two or three such nights, but I could not boar the prospect of 12 or 14 of tliem, and unless I got away at Queenstown, 1 knew there was no other escape ; and I embraced it, almost as glad as the Israelites when the Red Sea opened them a means of escape, ind the way to the other shore. However, at the suggestion of some kind Americans. I let Charles go on — very nnich delighted he was that he also was not doomed to disai)pointment. " He will, I hoi)e, be turning up in Toronto, and I am sure he will find no lack of kindness so long as he is with you and Mrs. Burns. This is a sore disappointment to Ann as well as to me — but it just affords another illustration of the adage ' man pro- poseth and God disposeth.' "So we must just hope to see you and Mrs. Burns among ourselves again. We would welcome you both with much joy. May the Lord ricMy bless your and her abundant la'jours. " Ever yours all'ectionately, "Thomas Guthrie." ft f^- ll R' |H|'; ii These were Tabor visions and visits. He had other experiences as well. Thus : "February 14th, 1856. Confined by severe inflammation of Bide till Sabbath, 24th February, when 1 preached all day. Phil, ii. 12-19 ; Isaiah vi. 27. " Feb. 27th. Lists made up of communicants, 25. Pleasing prayer-meeting. "The Communion was dispensed on the first Sabbath in March, Mr. Inglis, of Hamilton, aiding. "Action Sermon, Rev. xix. 7, 8. " From that day, for five weeks, I was laid up by a severe bilious complaint, but through much mercy was restored, and after being on five Sabbaths in succession, absent irom my pulpit, was enabled on the third Sabbath of April, to take part in the public service, and on April 27th, I preached forenoon on Judges, vi. 13, * Omy Lord, &c.' Since May 4th, have been able fcjrall duties, including Bible Class. Up to this day. May 24th, I have been engaged in calls on members of the church and on others, in health and in sickness. " The preceding brief extract from his day-book records the severest sickness he ever had, " for indeed he was sick nigh unto death, but God had mercy on him." SUFFERING AND SUCCOURING. 231 It followed one of the most trying periods in his j)cr- suujil and public history, when his mind was on a constant strain and his heart knew its own bitterness. He notes but the simple facts, without a word of com- ment. His vindication came from an unexpected quarter. One of the two parties who formed the immediate occasion of the trouble, wrote on November 17, 1856, to » friend, during what proved to be his last illness: " Dr. B. and I were good friends at last. He came to see me fre- quently. If I had seen matters then as I do now, I should have often said : ' Get thee behind me Satan.' I was under a most powerful influence, with much malice, backbiting and lying, which I could not perceive in the mist around me. I hope the Lord will pardon all connected with that matter. " To the widows of ministers his sympathies flowed out very warmly. A minister once filling posts of honour and usefulness in the Free Church of Scotland, had " erred through wine, and through strong drink was out of the way." Fleeing his native country he took refuge in Canada. We found him one day in the Toronto House of Industry — a haggard, woe-begone looking object. He left soon after, no one knew where, but there was strong reason to believe him dead. In the interests of the poor widow in Scotland he took up the case. He adver- tised freely in the papers ; corresponded for long with Insurance Companies in which the party had life policies, and with the managers of the Free Church Widows' Fund. At last he got evidence which was deemed satisfactory, that the unhappy man had been found on the doorstep of a tavern, speechless through intemperance, was taken to the Hospital, and soon after died. At different times it li ■>i 1 Si I r-*' 232 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. seemed as if ho would fail in his benevolent design ; but he kept persistently at it, till he had collefted each missing link, and formed a chain of evidence which was irresistible. The Insurance Companies paid the amounts, and Pro- fessor Macdougall, professor of Moral Philosophy in the Edinburgh University, and convener of the Free Church Widows' Fund, wrote thus : — "EdixNuukoh, G Clarendon Crescent, *' 12th May. " I received your oblii^'int,' reply yesterday, just ns I was starting for our annual n)t'i'ting. It wiU gratify you to learn that the Trus- tees have unanimously voted to Mrs. , the full annuities for the current year. Before the Widows' Fund of our church was established he took up individual cases as they occurred. In con- nection with one of these we received this reminder : — " Toronto, Slst Dec. 1850. " I rather think you had moved long ago in favour of the H. Fund. We are anxious to get the whole collected and put into one sum, for the purpose of investment for behoof of the family. " A new-year's-gift thus bestowed will not be lost. A boon to the widow and fatlic : )ss will receive a blessing. Tiy and gather a little, and send it up to me as soon as possible, that the sum may be completed and invested at interest." Often did he thus cause the widow's heart to sing for joy- The repetition of such instances impressed on him the need of a general provision. He was familiar with the working of Life Insurance Companies. With the " Scot- tish Amicable" he was long connected, and for many years was chairman of its Paisley board. In the working of the funds, both in the Established and Free Churches, for widows' fund, gananoque. •23? the widows and or[)han.s of deceased ministers, he was thorou<,diIy versed. When the matter was mooted in Canada, he took it heartily up. Those who initiated the movement found him a willinjj: worker. On one of several tours in its behalf, he writes to King- ston to us : — " Montreal, August 1851 " We are coming on very successfxilly with our colloctions on bf- half of the Widow's Fund. St. Ofibrit'l street, already £1')!$ ; Cotfe street, £'192 10s. I think we shall make out £'4r»() or £.")()() from both. 1 expect to go down to Quebec on Friday, and IVIi*. ^^'alker, of Newton-Stuaii has come uj) to assist Mr. Fraser on Sabbath. This day (Fast Day,) falls t'> me. I am counting on being with you on the 12th, and you will circidate the address when you please, notifying also on Sabbath first my intention of submitting it to the practical regards of the congregation. I am counting also on Am- herst Island, on the 14th, and I'icton and Belleville as proposed. You will send circulars and a note. All this if the Lord will." Rev. Henry Gordon, of Gananocjue, accompanied him during part of one of these tours, and was with him also on his first visit to Ottawa. Linking the two, with a glance at his last visit to Gananoque, he says.- — ** The next intercourse with your father which I enjoyed, was in the summer of 1S45, I think, when he came to Canada as pastor of Kii 3x's Church, Toronto, with the determination to devote the re- mainder of his life to the interests of the Church of Canada, and in Canada, the land of his adoption, to leave his bones ; which he did — but not before the good Lord had given him about a quarti r of a century, and not much less than the period assigned for a gen- eration, to do his Canadian work, which was carried on with little or no interruption, in continuously sustained vigour and elasticity of mind, almost to the last hour. *' When he came to spend a considerable portion of the Christ- mas holidays of 1807 with me, the limbs indeed gave tokens that the outward house was tending to decay, but declension in mental vigour in the pulpit was very little visible, and on the occasion of collecting at my house some of his old Paisley acqiuiintances, and a good many others, giving a pretty fair representation of the Gan- anoque community, the American part inclusive, there wasscj little lack of that vivacity so characteristic of Dr. Burns, that at the close of this social gathering, I was thanked, as one by one they .11 &,.i I'i i» I LIl'K OK UKV. 1)H. UUIINS. ^Mslii'-I ijiioil niglH, f«tr luiviny; ^ivon tlicm Mio opporiunity of iuo<(t.- iiif u t'lioorfiil, oiiUti'liiiiiiii^, itiHinu'tivo old ilijo. ** U\it (o f my iiarnUivo. It. wuh on ihfl (KVHsion of l>r, Uunis" »'oiniii>^ (o Ottawii, (lu'ii rjillcd Itylown, in prcsitlo !it oniin.-Uioti of iiiy iinu'li vhIiumI frioiiil, iho |{(W. Tln'iiias \Vaniropt>. Uial on coniini; io tlu^ Hjtot. wlioro fnivi'llors laiul, tlio fart> ho wt'll and ho lons^ Unown, and wliu-li HtM'tncd io say. ' I lovo till' \vt. and the well known voioo Hmih urot'tcd mo : - ' Mr. (lonlon, I am i^lad ioscoyon ; I liavf m't>n yoiir minHionary pony und Mr. Ilcpworlh i>n it, and I am j^lail ho \h nsinfj; it for minsionary work ;' allndijijj: t'> my friond, Mr. Ilopwortli, aj^ralnitonH lal)oun>r in Mio Lonl's vinrvivil. noarly if not allogclhor, und who nnrpaHHi'H Iho famoof tioUlHmitir.s('o\n(try Tarson, ' passimj rich wilh forty ponndn a y»»ar;' for I oan altoHt (hat my friond has lu'cn cn^ajju'd in volnn- tary ovani^olioal labonrn, in a oironi. of pcrliaps ;{() miU'H in firenm- I'vMvni'o, HMh'o IS-IT). and ;U> dollars a y»'ar wonhl Ih' a fair iivorago <>stin\ato of his incomo. ju'rliaps less. Ho has ai'«iuirod an Rrl, not known in our days, of livim; withont money. " \\>ur faihor proacht'd a ijood many tliso nrsos at Ottawa, and many lu'h>nL;in,u to dilloront dononiinations wi'n> hrarcrH. 'I'h« I'ounnonts of a person with wl»om I was not aotpiainlod. hnt who ontorod frankly into i'onv«>rsatii .» with mo, (I do not think that ho Ivlonuod « on tho brethren and oonurogationa otonrehnrch, that tho Lord had sent a man of proaehin^ (pialitications, of those active and, in a govrcourae with your father, in his jw's Fund.' i went round with him in my own locality and somewhat in Hrockvillo, and was struck with tho zeaiousuess, cheorfulnoss an»l knowledge of lunnan nature with which ho wont about it. 1 remember that, in visiting a widow laily, whose con, a farmer, happened to bo absent, wo caujo into tho house after a journey from Kingsttm, on one of these coU\ sharp days, not a little tending to the sharpening oi physical powers — it being about 4 o'clock, p. m,, and not having dined. Tho Canadians' servo-all tea, butter such as wo lind at farmorh' houses, and cakes, that kind we never saw in Scotland, cndlcrs 1 think thej call cheni. woro among tlioiu ; but, as far as I can renioni- bor, tho Common help at all times, ham, was awanting — well, abun- dance of all this wjvs soon seen spread out on the table — and another 8tT\mg nr<.>of was added to the innumerable proofs before, that alcohol IS not needed for raising the spirits. ■■•■■ .: ,* IN TIIK COTTAdK. I^OUI) DAr.llOIISIK. 235 " For aUho' your fiiMi»*r in IiIh «!o|i!m hail won this wonian'^ hiart, and hf^r liniatk to nio waH ' ih>ar \i\r. I wan in troiilil.i that, I had nan nnco |iiiir a talthi for tho iJoct.or, ItuI hin lino hoinnly way ni;iy liiin of tlw; very fontiiii; wliicli r.-tmi' out in tlio (Jiiimno«|iin ('ott;i^(i, tin- Miotliri- (d'tlid Ididr, in tho (ixnlxjr- niiro of licr fr('liii;^'M, «'\r|jiinn(l, piittiii;; a stntn^^arronton tbo siMroiid Hyllablt; of " conifoitahlo," and ^dviri;,' n little vaiiiition to tho lirst : — "Oh, lnjt tlio doctor was tlio r'(>7/fortalil(^ tiwui tliat ni(;lit." To lend a li(;l|>ing liand to irifjonnouM yontli connnonc- ing lifo, was a iciid |)loaHur(3 to liiin. Mjiny apjdicationB he made to men in hnsii'-iss, and .sonmtimes to those high in ))owcr, in their behalf. Thus, for a young man in no way njlatiid to him, ho applied to the War hepart- m(!nt when the present Karl of I)ulh<»iiHie (then Mr. Fox Maiile), was in olliei;, and reeeivfsd from his lordshi[) a reply, an extract from whicjh will he found interesting: " War Offu'B, " lltliJj.nuary, 1849. " I rocoivud your l( ttor houio fow dayw Hincf, and am rcjoitod to hoar that it luut i»l*'aHt«l (i<>tl to proHpor you in tin; Janri wlnrc ^-oii are )>I,u'(m1. 'Iliu proHpority of HiH(!hnr(;h i.s at ail timos a howicc of delight, Iiut that of the portion of it with wliich we arc connet/ed, is pecniiarly ho. Your colleK*-' WeatH that of tlu) I'r(.sliyt«;rian CInirch in Kn;,dand in its nnmlxTH, .ind I trust will he Hutticitiit to 8Ui»ply prouchors vi tho Guspul to our JSorth Aiuericin Colonies, it,) will be to us most agreeable, more especially as regards interests more sacred and solenui than tlnjse of the body and the termination of a life temporal. What we have hear>1 i this respect is so [jleasing, sis just to excite a desire io hear more. In the meantime, we otler our united condolence. We have met with you often at thv heavenly throne, and conunended all your concerns into the hands of our common Father, praying that divine support may be imparted in this your time of need, and that all things may be made to v>((rk together for your good. We sympa- thize with you in the removal of one, .so many years your compan- ion in this vale of tears, and ihe sharer of your joys and sorrows ; and ^vo sympit'bi/.e with each and all the members of ycmr family on the breaking of a tie betwixt them and her, so tender and so endearing. You and I have often been called to minister consola- tion to others ; now you are calleil to test the value of that conso- lation in your own experience ; and I can say from personal know- ledge in circumstances similar, that never does the (iospel which wo preach commend itself more to the understanding and to the heart, than when, amid bereavements, it lays open its blessed foun- tains of comfort and of joy. Many lessons also will spring out of the retrospect of the past, while the hope of a re-union in a better land is Bweet'y soothing. " Aniid your arrowing intirmities — for both you and I must think of these while feel them — the new tie to heaven thus formed in your case, will I at once comforting and strengthening, and your closing days may bo among your brightest. It is now upwards of forty years since you and I used to exchange letters, and our period of sacramental intercour.se hius been not greatly short of this, and without interruption fr returning alone, he placed an envelope in the hand of the widow oontaining twenty dollars." " I have met him on his missionary tours (continues the same kind friend), which were frequent, preaching daily, or almost every day, and presenting to the people where he stayed the ' Memoirs of McCheyne,' volumes of sermons, such as ' Burder's Village Sermons,' and other works that he thought would advance the in- terests of godliness among the people. In order to this he spared no expense and grudged no outlay. He truly despised the ini- righteous mammon, and followed his Master's admonition, ' make friends to yourselves of the mammon of unrighteousness. ' He waa noted for the generous liberality with which he aided new and weak congregations and mission stations ; in several instances encourag- ing them to purchase puljjit Bibles by contributing freely to that object, as well as to the erection of new churches. On one occa- sion, after he had preached at a missionary station, the treasurer oflering him five dollars to pay his expenses from Toronto, he asked, ' What is this ?' Being told that it was to meet his expenses, he took out a five-dollar bill, and, putting it on the other, said to the treasurer, * add this to it, and get a pulpit Bible.'" Be it remembered too, that he was quite dependent on his salary. But he would stint himself for other's good. He gave to feel. In the public questions which agitated his adopted country he felt a deep interest. His extensive correspond- er ) as Secretary of the Colonial Society made him inti- mr ^ly acquainted with these. The vexed subjects of the Cle- -y Reserves and Rectories had not to be studied by him for the first time on his arrival. With their nature and bearings he was perfectly familiar, and he entered at once the lists as an accomjilished athlete, in a contest which was ere long to eventuate in triumph. He partici- pated in the feelings which the " liberal spiiits" of the day cherished towards the "Star Chamber," under whose crushing despotism the country had groaned. By speecnes and letters, by joining in deputations and otherwise, he aided those faithful men, who had been so long fighting the hydra of bigotry and exclusiveness. 240 LIFE OF REV. Dli. BURNS. ;ii ^i ( i! ' which had been feeding on the fat of the land, and to whose voracious maw, truckling politicians were ready to sacrifice the dearest interests of their country. A few years saw it in its death-throes, and none rejoiced more than he in its dissolution. In 1847-8 he published in the Banner a series of letters to the Earl of Elgin, the Governor General, on the liberal- izing of the University at Toronto, the non-partition of the University Fund, and the introduction of important improvements into the course of study. In Set)temljer, 1849, he printed in the Montreal Witness, in a similar way, some suggestions of a practical nature, which met the approval of members of the Government. The bill of the Hon. Robert Baldwin covered the whole ground which he had sketched. The main points for which he and others hru contended were secured with an unanimity that failed not to excite surprise. With the political leaders on both sides he was intimate, as also with the then Governor, (Lord Elgin,) whose cause he warmly espoused at a period when he considered him unjustly treated. Dr. Burns had a remarkable insight into human charac- ter. On various occasions during his Canadian life, he was under the painful necessity of exposing the base and baseless pretensions of parties who professed to be the agents of certain religious and benevolent societies. On two of these occasions he was subjected to much trouble and annoyance, and knew what it was to be " i)ersecuted for righteousness sake." He was ever a warm friend of Israel, and every well- JEWISH SOCIETY. LUBLIN. 241 designed and well-directed effort for Jewish Evangeliza tion met his cordial approval. But, convinced of the un- reliability of some of the accredited agents of a certain Jewish Society in New York, he " withstood them to the face because they were to be blamed." They made re- peated visits to Canada between 1850 and 1853, and carried away from an over-credulous public considerable sums of money. The revenue of the society in a single year rose occasion- ally to fourteen thousand dollars. Some of the best men about New York allowed their names to be put fonvard among the office bearers, with an easy trustfulness, which, however amiable and kindly, Dr. Burns felt not to be right. He wrote and spoke, and put himself to great labour and expense, to convince them of their error. He travelled to New York to make enquiry on the spot ; and published in a pamphlet of forty pages, a scathing exposure. The result was, that those who formed the elegant frontispiece to the society, convinced of its hollownoss, withdrew, and the whole institution soon after went down. " unwept, unhonoured and unsung." No sooner had one Hebrew bubble exploded than another rose on the surface. One Lublin, who professed to be a Hungarian Jc\^, sought to palm his pretensions upon the religious public of Toronto, in April, 1853 — and too successfully for a sea- son. Dr. Burns stood all but alone amongst his brethren in the belief that the man to whom they were opening their arms and their pulpits was an arrant impostor. He had successfully practised on the gullibility of many. i ■1 ■1^ 242 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. ( i when Dr. Bums handed him over to the police, but the legal evidence not being deemed sufficient, he was let go. So soon as he got out of the clutches of the law, he im- mediately disappeared, and was afterwards discovered to be a scoundrel of the worst class. This was a dark epoch in Dr. Burns' history — but "my God will stand by me and the cause of rectitude will tri- umph" — was his resolute language, and soon he found that " unto the upright there ariseth light in the darkness." The triumph in both instances was so signal, that his fel- low citizens of all shades of sentiment gave expression to their respect and gratitude, and a magnificent gold medal, and a handsome sum of money, presented by a large and influential deputation, headed by Dr. Ormiston, were the substantial expressions of it.* Many other illustrations of his skill in "trying the spirits" might be adduced. As for example — the case of the Roman Catholic Priest L , a pretended convert — who had excited considerable interest and sympathy in the city. A ))ublic meeting was to be held in Toronto to hear this celebrity. In the forenoon of the day of the meeting, he called to get Dr. Burns' name on the list of friends, and after some conversation, presented a very formidable-looking diploma, or something of the kind, as his credentials. • The inscription on the Gold Medal was this : " Veritas V'i.ncit (Family motto), " Presented to the Rev. Rohcrt Hums, D.T)., of Knox's Church, Toronto, by a large bosinj,' circumstances, in haviii',', notwithstandinjf the most unscrupu- lous conduct of volunteered aliuttors, successfully frustrated and exposed the audacious career of the accomplished iiii/KistDr and swiii'itlfr, Luhlin, a pretended Hunijarian nobleman, Moravian Bishop and ccmvert from .Judaism, and an aiient of the ' New York American Society for meliorating the condition of the Jews.' Toronto January, 1854." ice, but the was let go. law, he im- Lscovered to r — but "my ide will tri- 3 found that darkness." bhat his fel- tpression to ) gold medal, a large and m, were the "trying the -the case of d convert — empathy in Toronto to day of the the list of ted a very ihe kind, as ronto, by a large testimony of his ions dutectcil iiu- )riil courago under u must unsonipu- |(seil the aiidacioiia ended Himijarian ,f the ' New York January, 1864." IMPOSTURES EXPOSED. PROGRESS. 243 Dr. Bums read a little of it, and then, turning to his visitor, said : " Sir, there are many bad things at Rome, but there is good Latin ! That never came from the Vati- can as you s.ay." The fellow, wincing under the startling rebuke, withdrew, and left tlie city as fast as he could. Referring on one occasion to eight kindred instances, some of them applications for admission to the ministry, when his keenness of discernment did good service to the interests of religion and morality, he said : " In every one of these cases I happened to know just a little more than my brethren knew, and while they complained of me at first for my * rashness,' our church (but for this) would have been far more corrupt than it is, by reason of foreign admixtures." As to the results of his pastorate in Toronto, a briet statement of his own may be given : — " Of the progress of the congroii^ation, since the com- mencement of my ministry, tlie iollowing table of admis- sions of members may give some idea. A Communion List of Knox'' s Chntrh, cxtracfnl from the Session liceonl, this Wth J)er(n,l>,r, ISHD. Roll as it stood on 2J5rJ JNIiiy, 1845, tho day whon Dr. Burns was induotod 21."» Admitted in Sept. 184."), First Communion HO '* " Feb. 1840—48. Sept. 184(5—2:? 71 " " Feb. 1847—38. Sept. 1847— :i4 72 " " Feb. 1848— 33. Sej.t. 1848— 18 51 " " Feb. 1841>— 40. Sept. I84'.>— 51 91 " '♦ Feb. ]8.")0— 74. Sept. 1850— 21 Vo " " Feb. 1851— 55. Sept. 1S51— 25 80 " «' Feb. 18.52—25. Sei.t. IH.52— 34 50 " " Feb. 1853—39. Sept. 1H53— :!0 &■) " " Feb. 1854—37. Sept. l.S5t— 70 107 " " Feb. 1855— 35. Sept. 1855— 39 74 l(Hi4 Being an average of about 80 per annum. M. CHAPTER XV. ,^ * ^ ! i PROFESSORSHIP. R. BI'kXS visited Kinpfston as delegate oiii th<; Free Churcli of Scotland on Friday &t<6 Saturday, the l!)th and 20th of April, 1844. On the 7th of Jklarch, 18 12, Queen's College, had been opened, with Thomas Liddoll, D.D. of Lady Glenorthy's, Etliidmrgh, as Principal, and the Rev. P. C. Canijiholl, ^l.A., as Professor of Clas- sical Literature and Px'llcs Lettros (now the Very Rev. Priucipal C.inipboll, of Aberdeen). Seven theoloirical students were in attendance at the time of Dr. Burns' visit. Six of those waited upon him, intimatins their intention of sciKuating fn»ni the Estab- lishcd Church of Scotland and of connecting themselves with the Free Church.* • Tliij nainoa of tlioso six ^tlllllllt.^ wiro, wo liclicvc, Aliens Mi'( 'oil, John McKinnOll, (lobert Walliuio, LauUlaii Mcl'liurDuu, TIiuiuum Wordrope, uuU Patrick Or%y. KNOX COLLEGE. MR. GALE. 24a n McKlnnoD, In July, 1844, the disruption in Canada occurred. The new body took the old name, " The Presbyterian Church of Canada," dropping simply the words " in connexion with the Church of Scotland." In the Fall following, Knox College was < sbiblished. The Rev. Andrew King, M.A., of Glasgow, afterwards of the Theological Semiiia'*y at Halifax, who had come out as a delegate, was induced to remain over the winter, and to act as interim Professor of Theology and Hebrew. With him was associated the Rev. Henry Esson, M. A., as " Professor of Mental and Moral Philosophy, Classics, and General Literature." The college was opened on the 8th of November, 1844, with fourteen students. For a time it dwelt " in tents," shifting from James street to Adelaide street, in small unadorned edi- fices ; then to something better, in what forms part of the present Queen's Hotel ; thence to its present quarters, which it is hoped will give place by and by to a build- ing more in accordance with the advancing spirit of the age and the increased wants and resources of our church. We have already noticed that Dr. Bums for a time com- bined the professorship with the pastorate. His tirst communication, after deciding for Canada, was to the stu- dents. So soon as he arrived he commenced arrangenxnts for their benefit. He prevailed on the Rev. Alexander Gale to devote a month to the preparation for winter work of tl'ose who had remained in the city. He laid great stress on the preliminary training, — on what he denominated " grinding," — and that gentleman kindly undertook this duty. I r< ! !i 246 LIFE OF REV. DH. BURNS. " Hamilton, Tuesday, Sept., 1845. " Mr. fiftle, at my reqiiost, aj^iTfa t(t take iliaige of tlio students for one lumith, and t<> ri-hiilc ut our houHo, wheru tlio Htudeiit.s will meet with liiiii for at least three hours a day, for exercises in lan- puiif^es and ithilcHophy. 3Ir, (ialu is well t|ualitled in every way for this work, and I hoiic that the younj^ men will protit mnch under his tuition. He will also preach for me on the lOth. I need Bcarci'Iy say that wo roly on your paying all attention to Mr. Gale's comfort. " We were privilogofl to enjoy the tcncliings of that nmi- ahle and accompli. shed man, with the little hand tliat liad gathered some weeks hefore the commencenjent of the Bcssion in the liiimblc tenement in James street, wliich formed the cradle of Knox College. His fatherly counsels, and the exercises upon " Watts on the Improvement of the Mind," and kindred text-hooks, were of lasting hcnefit. In those days, when Uj)per Canada College was largely under High Clmich influence, and our public school sys- tem was hut in its infancy, feeling the in)p(»rtance of a preparatory school as a l"ee(ier to the college, Dr. Burns urged strongly the estahlishment of such an institution. Toronto Academy was the result. He drew up the eir- cidar regarding it, and acted as chairman of the hoard. Mr. Gale was made Princijjal of the Academy, and Profes- sor of Clas.sical Literature in Knox College. A.ssociated with him were the late Rev. Thomas Wightman and Mr. Thomas Hcnning. Both boarding and day schools were conducted with di.stingui.vhed ability, and jnoved a great blessing. When the public educational institutions were placed on a footing in accordance with the views of our church, the Toronto Academy, which had satisfactorily served its end, was discontinued. In the higher female education, Dr. Burns also felt a FEMALE EDUCATION. GRINDING »» 247 deep interest. He prevailed on Cliristlan ladies of sound principles to open seminaries, which nii^^dit be an otlset against those well-known establishniouts to which parents of lax notions arc too prone to send their dauj,djters at an age when the character is most susceptible of impressions, and the mind receives a set. "TonoNTo, Aug. 20, 1853. " Tho S are now fjiirly cinltarkotl. Pfrhiqis Kiiii,'Mtnu may briny a few bnartlerH. Wo have t'liiltrufcd tlu- iuiiljo of llio ovan- <,'t'lical chiirulie.s, and tliey seem lu-arty. 'I'lu'so I'opi.sli and Pnsoyite seniinaric'H arc eating out nur vitals. Femali^Mi'iiiiiiarii'M, if pniperly conducted, and nn sound evanijelicul ininciiili'.s, will exeniso a cniuuiaiiding influence on the chiirchcH and on the coiunnmity — a subject of far greater imi»ortance than many HUi)po!4o. " I .send you a letter from Dr. (Jnthrie, that you may let Mr. O. and others seu thu light iu wliich the thing is regarded in Scot- land. » Dr. Burns served in the college till the arrival of the Rev. Dr. Willis as permanent jirofessorand Piiiicipid. Hi.s prelections embraced Church History and the Evidences ol Christianity, with occasional lectures in cognate depart- ments. He had a good deal of " grinding" in the ch^men- tary branches, and was ready to .set his mind in any direc- tion where he felt there was a want. On the matter of " ]»reparatory training" he laid great stress, and published, in ltS48, a Icngthencil document ex- planatory of his view.s. These did not meet at the time with that mea.surc of favour which he desired, but they were subsequently c.irried out,substantially,in the tutorial arrangements. Such supplementary ])rovision for ground- ing in the elements was ncequare, preached on 2 Cor. V. 21 ; at Watei'down at 7, on Rom. xv. 39. " 13th. — At Cummingaville, on Luke xxiii. 46. " 14th. — Collected of money, £90 : but the amount of subscrip- tion is £175. "15th. — Duniai> ; subscription £20; arrangements made for collecting. " loth. — At Gait ; preached forenoon and evening, 2 Cor. iii. 18. " 19th. — Set oil" for Doon ; sermon at 7. New Hope omitted — a pity. " 2l8t.— At Berlin and Woolwich. " 24th.— Preiiched at Fergus, 2 Cor. v. 21 ; and Elora, 1 Peter iv. 18, ' Scarcely saved. ' "20th. — I're uihed at Mount Forest, forenoon and evening; rising j)lace ; con 'ersed ab(»ut the site ; agreed to enrpiiro about it. "27th. — At Duihiun, church roofed ; shall they sell i examined che ten acres ; preav;!ied, Hom. vii. 9 ; addressed on College ; keen contest about M. P. " 2Hth. — Dangerous ride up to the Sound. " 29th. — To Colling wood ; church matters there going on well." In September wo find him preaching and addressing at Grimsby, Clinton, Niagara Falls, St. Catliarines, Port Dal- housie, Niagara, VVoodHtoek, Innerkip, IngersoU, London Lobo, Williams, Komoka, Westminster, &c. COLLEGE LABOURS. BURSARIES. 249 •* October Ist. — Delivered (opening) lecture on the Literature of tlie Christian Miuistry — large attendance ; guud many students ooniinu;." To the discharge of his duties in the seminarv h .. brought an enthusiasm which never flajjtjed. Ljokinjr out for students, gathering books for the library or curiosities for the museum, intluencing friends to establish bursaries and scholarships, collecting subscriptions for the college buildings, securing works of standard theology for stu- dents at reduced rate;, and commending the institution in every way ho could to the sympathies, the prayers, and the liberality of the church. In its behalf he undertook a journey to Groat Britain in the summer of 1857, in company with the Rev. Donalil Fraser, then of Montreal, afterwards of Inverness, and now of London, himself a graduate of the institution. It was his first visit since leaving his native shores, and his appearance and advocacy op the floor of the Free Church General Assembly awakened much interest. A consider- able amount of money was collected, and umch advantage in various ways accidedtotho institution. Latterly he made a specialty of the bursary fund, establl.shing a bur- sary himself, Mrs. Burns founding another, and several relatives and friends following their exaini»le.* • Mj' father always set a lil(?l» value on Imrsarles nr srholaiNlilpH as nlils to (Icsrrvinff Btudciits. Tlio <)t)talnlii|,' (if tlii'so ho ni;iili' a s|ncialt,v hi liis cITiirts fur the culli ^,'c. On o?"j ocoo-sion. III Sfiitliiiul, he niuilu iin I'lTort in this dirt'itiiiii In liilmlf of a incnilier nf his own family ; for with his Ihnlteil iiu'onic ainl o|ic'n-l,anili'il cliarily It was not caHV to make the " entls meet." An omitletl portion of hisaut(iiilo^rra|ihv rcurs to this. " Kort\ years hiul rolled away, and three peers in siicirxsinn had oiri\pird ilu; diicid ehair of the palueu at nandlton, w^en It came inti' hiv mind to make a Kli^iht eNpcrlmiiit on thu memory and the heart of a .S 'otti^li nohlfninii to whom of courM' I was totally imknown. My son U(d)ert, formerly of t-'t. (athMrini's, now of ('lili'imo, lllhiois, I'.S., was In l>rj eommencint; Ills stndies in theo!o|;j at Ohuifow Colli -c 'I'hr liamiltoii liur>arli's are 'Kolden' ones ; and a ^^ift worth the taking is snrelv worthy of licin^,' asked. I amused myself |>emdnt{ ii letter to tlie duke, w hen at the palaee, stated the laets uf the ease, my father's el'iims, and my son's standing' at eolle;;e ; sending at the same time my friend PrufuiMor liucliaiiuii'M high uortilleutu. Ten days brought mu an answer fruui the duke'* i'.|<- m r it ■if I t 250 LIB'E OF REV. DR. BURNS. The circulation, at lialt'prioo, of Dr. Cunningham's work? which he acconij dished «>n a hirgo scale among the stu- dents, was a gieat hoon. 'J'liis he was enahled to do through the generosity of several gentlemen, specially of Mr. Jose[»h McKay, of Montreal, who had previously done so much to del'ray the expenses of preachers coming to Canada. Through a similar arrangement " Mosheim's Church History" and other works were secured for a trifle. Many young men on their settlement in charges received dona- tions of Itodks from him. He was frank, generous, an-i kindly in his intercourse with his students. To the stili'ne.ss and starchedness of magisterial autlujrity he was ever a stranger. The punc- tilious eti(pietto wliich stands on its dignity, and insists on ceremonious deference to its exacting behests, he could not away with. To emjity -headed cor -eit when accompanied hy flip- pant impertinence he Moidd show no mercy. A shallow youth, desiring to annoy him by luiearthing a buried controversy, asked him if he could let him have a copy of a long-forgotten pamjihlet, which he had issued during tiie heat of it — he replied "No ! but I once jtublished a discourse on * Young men exhort to 1»e sobcrminded,' and if you come across a copy, I would advise- you to study it." A student being examined before Presbytery, who ci'iilldi'iitial ihIn her, tluit lii.s (fracc liiul contiiilurcd and ro)i|)€otcd my c-luini, and t)mt my |>re8if lliivi' yi.ars sit thirty tfuinviw »jr two yt-urn ut IKly wore 111 my cliiiU'L', und thu dolilti'i-atiiinn wort' |ilrii-reted hy hirnmlf- - meaning, sir, that it was himself that done it !" Another who hail launched out into a prayer of pro- digious dimensions, had to be stojiped by tin assdciate of the Doctor, thougli at his suggestion, to prevent their losing the conveyance which was to carry tln-m to another ap|)ointmt'nt. One of the Synod bores, no longer In this country (and there were a very few such), had taken the tloor, and was ilescanting in grandihupient fttyle on tlu' Ib'ad.^hipof Christ over the nations — readiirig the climax of 1 is ora- tory in the scene of the Gadarene "Poik Scud's." Thoroughly t^'cd out by liis windy wonly vajxmring, the Doctor ro ;e, and f-ald — " Moih'rator, 1 am amazed that this venerable Court can listen to such httldii(h(tticed : domestics of whatever deni>minaticm always present anil conversed with. In the case of Koman Catholics, no contuovkksv, but warm appeals in regard to the Word, the W(»rk of Christ, the danger of looking anywhere for salvation except to Chri-st, the solemn prospects of Death and Judgment, and the folly and mailness of dependence on man. " Gathering pvpils for male and female Ijiblo classes and Sabbath schools (d trails attended to. Thus there is a mutual fccdiug, as it were, Creat carelessness I tind, however, in those things. Your Sabbath school, by being re-modelled under your own eye, will be improved. Our Bible classes please r.io nuich. Keep regular books of visits ; parents' name ; profession ; each child ; communicant or not ; servants ; denomination ; remarks, ;tt. These hints maybe of some use, but they are /utj/ict/." i 'f^Stj/l 254 LIFE OP REV. r'\ BURNS. ,>■■ Toronto, March 13, 1848. "Isympftthizo with you on the difficulties you must hav: d\i on tho Huliject of Hclinission to sealing ordinances. I have felt them all my days, and tliey are increasing every day with mo. My opinion is, that time and forbearance, and painstaking, with much prayer, are the only means of concpiering them. Hoth you and I have sort of 8;ifety valves ; and yet, 1 am always sorry when jK-rMons, tired of my etForts for their good, go away. Our standard lias lieen greatly raised, and is rising. Tho whole system of our Free ('liun-h, if properly acted out, will issno in this. Tho style of preaching, too, will allect it, and above all, privUo com- luuninjj and earnest appeals." •* TonoxTo, 10th July, 1848. '* Thoro is no poculiar difliculty in the case of discipline which you liring In-fore me. .\fter commnning on your part with the pan I .s, llu-y nin.st both ajipear before the Session, and make con- fession of their guilt. They are then rebuked, and apjiointed to conversi! with two nuMubers of Sessiftn, who are understood to satisfy themselves, not only of their apo-'-'Mit penitence, but of the nigulaiity and c<»nsistencv of their walk and conversation. On a f.ivouralili I'tport to tin- Session, tlu) parties are atluionished, and prayed witli, and suit.ilily exhorted as to their future conduct. They are thus held to Ite ab.solved from the scandal, and re-ad- mitted (if meMibiTs before) into fellowshi|». If not previously meiulHTs, they may tlu-n, om* or liotli, be reeeived (aftei- due examination), and enjoy the privileges of thech;:reh. This was o\ir \iuit"orm practice in Scotland. No case has come luider my notice in Canaila. Much depends on the .sj/>/(/(/(»>((.s of peidtence and .slfiiliiti'ss of walk since marriage. I have seen us Ak/^ Imrk |)arties for months a!id lonu'i'r, liecanse the}' exhibited no tither syuiptoui than merely a lixed tletermination to have l>a[)tisin at all liay.u'ils. Ki'iiiu your account of the ease, there seems to be no dangir in this instance, ami 1 hope and piav that the lilessing of the Oreat Head may rest on this, apparently your tirst call to a faithful and yodly discipline." "TottoNTo, 7th Jan., Ifi.W. ** I am so mn ii occupied with my Churcii Ifistory ami Normal Scho il atti-iidai;^.', in addition to all my otiter duties, that 1 have scarcely a mouM;nt for extra work. We have heard that you have taken poHsessio.i of your Itasement floor as a teiu]iorary place (.f wovdiip. In our b.ineiuent 1 had two months |iu))li>; labour in preaching, prior t<» the opening of the chunOi, and these two months were to me very sweet ; large crowds of hearers, all near me, and the impression on the whole, more in uni.son with my feelings than since our entry into the greater plact*. "May souls bo converted to tjutl by your ministry I May your 13, 1848. ist hav: ilt I have felt ly witli mo. taking, with lioth you Iways 8<»rry away, ihir •hole systeiii I this. Tho )riv vto C(jm- iily, 1848. I>liiio which rt with tho I lll!l.ko CDll- ,]tlmiiito, l)Ut of •.sat ion. On itluioni.slied, ire conduct. and rc-ail- ; previously (after duo Til is waa under my ' penitenco d no other tisiu at all IS to lie no liU'ssiuLC of at call to a , ISaO. ml Normal tliat I liavo t yoK havo :y place of l;>iiour in tlies(> two rs, all near in with my May your ADVICE TO YOUNG MINISTERS. PROF. YOUNG. humble place of assembling be a birthplace for precious immortal spirits ! " I feel no discouragement from anything, except myself, and I believe that causes in uukselve.s are specially the obstacles in our way. " I should be sorry if anything like depression should affect yon in your private or public labours. Any tendencies this way must be guarded against, and we havo much in our own power. Let us simply rely on strength beyond our own, while we are diligent in the use of all means. " In close was I'rofessor Young's oxpos6 of the Oxfonl Es.saya, a very ahle and eloipient piece, which 1 rei;rot to hay, ho refuses to publish. I lent him tho book, and recommended tile theme to Ids attention ; and his compliance with my ur^int rcpiest was to me very 'gratifying, and tlu' style of its accomplish- ment still more so. The subject had necessarily engaged much of my own attention in my evidence class. That class I would like IV ifcssor Young to take chari,'e of, as the state sta- iiic'iit in condensed form, with a vidimus of Cliurcli His- tory [iropcr, selecting certain epochs for luUi i elaboration, v/ith occasional dissertations on cognate topics. He did not believe it was his piovince to be a mere chronicler ol dates and facts, or a delineator of ecclesinstical battles With the prominent controversies he made the student? sullicicntly familiar, often enunciating the principle: "If you wish to refute an error trace it to its source." He would indicate without illustrating, directing to the sources of information instcnd of going into all the minute details, ei'ecting finger posts or mile stones for the travellers along the [»athway of knowledge, rather than bei).g by their side at every step. He s\ipplied seeds of thought and spurs to mental effort. His lectures on Apologetics partook also of this cha- racter. With the tactics of the old opponents of the truth ho was thoroughly versed. Having been from his youth a devourer of books, and retaining the habit to the last, he was intimately acquainted also with the modern modes of attack. He was abreast of what is called "the advanced thought" of the times — though often sorry that his increasing defect of vision ])recluded Ills lending more of the teeming i)roduetions of the press. He was well awaie, however, lliiil iniiiiy of the present instnnnents of nssault on tlui i Itmiel of our faith were but the spt^nt shot of former battles — the 'lucient cannon le-inotdded and re-niouuted that have been spiked times MONTREAL COLLEGE. 257 clear nnd )ld Tosta- \\\n\\ His- laboratioii, . Ho did ronicler of •al battles e student? icii>lo : " If iivce." He 11^ to the to all the ii\os for the athor than led Bceds of this c;ha- mts of the n from his lie habit to with the if what is 1 — though ])rccluded the ]nvss. |he [)resent fiiith were nt cannon ked times without number, and even turned on the retreatinj^ foe. Ho was generous in his treatnuTit of honest and sincere doubters, b witii the so}>histii'al lucubrations of pre- tentious sciolists he had no patience. His interest in Knox (\>Ucge remained unabated. AM through his last visit to the ol»l (•oiintT-y it was on iiis heart. He spoke for it in the (Jcneral Assembly, and in private circles. He also publishid a cirfulnr on tl>o.so de- partments in which aid was Hpoclidly leipiired. The last letters he wrote we»v to ils rnncipal and to Dr. AlacVicar of th»> sister institution. Between the two (.\)lleges he alwayH eudeavouied to maintain thti mvst i\iv»ndly relations. He strongly advocated the claims of the Montreal College, and did what he could for its benetit. In the report, submitted by him «m July 9, 1H44, to the Colonial Committee of the Free Church, of his visit to the Provinces of British North America, he thus writes : ** Were a Theulogical Institution not up there (Montreal) under the charge of the ministers of ted at an early period of the settlements in Norih America, was an evil whoso consequences are developing themselves even to the present day." The last ai-ticle he penned was with reference to Knox t''ii ' ill ■ M 41 ■1 ' El ,'' f li . 258 LIFE OF REV. DU. BURNS. C()lli';,'o, and it was a striking coinoidonce, wliinh was ncfticcd \)y many, that tho Iii.stitutit)ii within whose walls HO much of liis timo was si)ent, and for whoso interests lie laboured and prayed so earnestly, became tho scene of his last illness and death. The testimony of ono of tho earliest students of tho College, may fittingly terminate this chai)ter : " Tlioro is no (k'i).irtiiit'nt of our work in whifh Dr. 'Rums took n (iL'i'piT intuvi'st tliJin tliu trai/iin!^ of youni^ ninn for tho iiiiuistry. Ho Hiiun iiiiulo hiiiiHt;lf thoroughly iici|iiaiiitu(l witli tho wants of our ('an:iili:in church, ami his HaijaciouH mind cloarl}' perceived that till! main hope of our church was ii; raising up a native minis- try, men Itroiiyht »[) in tho country, feeling at homo lioro, and Ixitli understanding and sympatliizing with tlio peculiar circuni- stances uf the pc'iilo. Hence, he devoted himself with charactor- intic zeal and energy to tho estahlishment of Knox (Jollego for tho theological training of our stiulents fur tho holy ministry. He- Hides doing ho mucli t(» collect a lil>rary for that institution, and de\()ting himself witli untiring imlustry, at a very advanced period of life, to the instructon of young men in his own department, ho ftlso took the deepest interest in the jiersonal welfare of all tho young men attending tho classes, en11l',i,'u for the linistry. 15o- ititution, and vancud i»<.Tiod •l>iirtnient, ho iro of all tho their circuui- u their ch they woro entirely cm- hiniself that iio did much, /ersatious and Buuh u niiuis- CHAPTETl XVL MISSIONARY LABOUl R. BURNS rcjoirod in bcinof a missionary at largo. His labours in the mission field were distributed, at intervals, throughout tho entire year. In the matured glories of "the Fall" ho took great delight. The mild and mellow " In- dian summer," with itsgiiuze-like haze overhang- ing tho landscape, the genial air, the varying tints of tho trees, tlio gorgeous tapestry of nature, presented a fairy scene on which ho loved to gaze. To the winter sleigh tour he was specially partial. It became a standing institution with him. He loved to visit the churches, to see how they did, especially in the new townships where men are " famous according as they lift up their sharp axes upon tho tall trees." In many a forest cathedral the stump of a tree served for a pulpit. ^ 'i ( '■«'■' I : ; fll ml .ious Principal, aided by a thf)roughly quali- fied stall' of Professors, is a prominently pleasing feature in the naoral picture. The Grande Ligne IMission, and the Institute at Pointe aux Trembles, are refreshing exceptions to the general apathy of Protestants in Canada to the claims of the numerous victims of a degrading superstition. "The British commercial miuu in this city is highly enlight- ened, and intelligence on all sul)jects of mercantile and interna- tional interest is steadily diHusing itself among all classes in the comnninity." "London, Ontario, Monday, April, 18G4. — Not quite so lazy this morning ; up at seven, and feel refreshed with sound sleep. What thanks do we owe to the Great Keeper of Israel, who never slumbers nor sleeps. I i»reached twice yesterday from Horn. v. 7, and 2nd Thea. i. 10 ; attended also the Bible class and Sabbath school, and addressed both ; well attended they all are. In my last I quite forgot to refer to what y(ju say about a call from Mr. H — '• — . In re)»lv, I say this : On the subject of the Imnuiculate and Supernatural Conception of the blessed Redeemer, there never was any dilference of opinion in the Roman, Greek, or Protestant Churches ; but as the worship of Saints, and particularly of the Virgin Mary, advanced in the Church of Rome, from the tiftli cen- tury downwards, there appeared a great wish to secure for Mary the same prerogative as belonged to her blessed and divine Son, namely, perfect freedom from the taint of original sin. By many Popes and by many Councils, attempts were made to have this declared an article of faith in the Church, but without success. No agreement could be come to, and the Council of Trent itself was compelled to abandon the attempt. At length, about nine or ten years ago, the present Pope, Pio Nono, with his Cardinals, who al, whicli i Montreal ly so in a ncrease in i, its valu- iitcrcoiirse id vantages he "New pety ; and e increase, a liealtliy iited, love I'clics, and nsiitution )niplished, ;lily quali- ire in the istitute at e general numerous y enlight- interna- es in the te so lazy nd sleei>. ho never oni. V. 7, Sabbath In my rom Mr. maculate ire never ■otestant y of the iftli cen- )r Mary ne Son, ■y many ive this ess. No self was e or ten .la, who LONDON. KINCARDINE. ORILLIA. 263 are his sworn advisers or privy councillors, solemnly enacted it as a dogma of the Holy Roman Catholic Church, and so it remains. " I think if you will look in the library for Edgar's Variations of Popery, you may find something about it." Then follows an extemporized picture of his book-case, and the whereabouts of " Edgar" marked : " I paid a visit on Saturday to Hiiron College, and spent an hour very agreeably with Archdeacon Hellmuth, who is also Princi])al and Professor of Divinity. It is a very promising Institution, and the building superior to ours. "Orillia, July 4th, liSOO. — How I Avished to have had you all with us on the voyage and at the sermon ! We had a company of thirteen in all fr(jm the IVIansc, and from Mr. l^aterson's, and we were two hours on the Couchiching Lake, in a small pinnace belong- ing to Mrs. P . The place, llama, is seven milus to tlie north- east, and there the minister (Mr. Urooking, W. ]\Ieth.) met us. We took our pic-nic witli us, and enjoyed it on the green grass near the church, which, with its beautiful spire, stands on the loftiest part of the ground. At two p.m. we met in church for public Avoi'ship, and had a large congregation, fifty being Indians. 1 preached by an Interpreter, who happened to be the Indian schoolmaster, and Avho seemed to be re.ally in earnest. It is not easy to preach by an in- terpreter, and yet I learn that nearly all the Indian missionaries do so, Dr. O'Meara being an exception. The prayers are all in English, and not interpreted, most of the natives having as much English as lets them enter somewhat into the solemnity of a devo- tional service. We collected seven dollars to help them to get o, bell. We returned by eight p.m. in safety, after as pleasant a day as I have ever spent. It was an interesting sequel to the holy communion on Sabbath, a season of joy, and let us hope, of profit. To-day we go on to Medonte, and there, and at Oro, the same in- teresting service will be gone through as here and at Beaverton. " I forgot to say that on INIonday evening was the anniversary of the Orillia Bible Society, when we had grand speechifying and a fine band, Mr, Dallas in the chair. I am in perfect health ; my limbs strong, and fourteen public appearances, with twelve differ- ent subjects of address, have not at all disabled me." " Kincardine, July, 1807. — Constant engagements, both in preaching and hearing, have rendered it impossible for mo to find the time or even the place for penning letters. Now, the morning dawns upon me between four and five, bright and lovely, after rather a sleepless night, for I had the whole English work yesterday morning, noon, and night, to carry oiit. and by the rich mercy of our Heavenly Father, have found the promise amply fulfilled as on many occasions before : * ' As thy days, so shall thy strength if ■Hi f .. ;ilf ^# 264 LIFE OF REV. Dll. BURNS. u. Iffl i ' J be." Wh.at a delightful communion season wo have had ! How yon would have enjoyed a really Highland Sacrament ! The church crammed as full as it could hold, and 1,500 in the Grove, about a mile distant. Tlirre the Gaelic preaching went on, and there the tallies were spread under the canopy of Heaven, nicely covered with fine white linen, and a nice tent erected for the min- ister, &c. "All was deeply solemn, and conducted with beautiful order and quietness. Mr. Fraser tells me that it was, in every part, an exact S2»ecimen of a Ross or Invernes.^-shire commun'on, for in the Highlands no cluuvh coidd hold the multitudes tht'O assemble from all quarters — somelimes to the number of 10,000 or 12,000. Friday was devoted as iisual to what is called "speaking to the question,'" and Professor Caven and 1 enjoyed wonderfully fovr hours hearnig in an unknown tongue, amazed that we could so easily enter into the sentiments and feelings, wilhoiifc understand- ing the language of the people. " It Avas a genuine specimen of the thing, and Mr. Fraser j>re- sided with grea*. propriety, and I am told, by those who knew the language, that not an iinsuiiablo itlea or word was inrroclnc^d — for eight experienced " men" spoke at greater or lessor length, and much to the purpose, the text being John iii. 3, and the signs and evidences of regeneraiion distinctly brought out. We both spoke also in English, after being told of the leading topics that had come under review. To-da\i I rest, Mr. Caven taking my place in English, and Mr. Grant, of Ashtield, in Gaelic. *' To-morrow I go north to Tiverton and North Bruce, and every day has its meetings — one or more — sermons, pic-nics, and my visit will also be helpful to five sacramental occasions, "Jan. ]8G8.-r-The Artemesia falls, seventy feet in heijht, are beautiful, and our station at the mills there, is in fact, our best, I had ninety hearers on Tuesday evening, and the miller, Mr. Hislop, is earnest and active in our behalf. The ' City of Euge- nia,' indeed, is only on paper as yet, but there are a good many settlers in and around, mostly Presbyterians of the ' old kirk,' who are flocking to join us ; a number of them from Paisley. * Inkerman-strect' is about a mile long, and graced by two small cottages ; one of them is inhabited by an old emigrant from Pais- ley, of the name of Macbraine. Vir. and Mrs. Beattie are within six miles, and our meetiiig again in one of the most romantic spots in Canada is very pleasing. " The niunerous memorabilia of former visits in 1859, 1801,1862, and 1863, and especially of the one when you accompanied me, are very numerous and very pleasing, such as the books to the Kin- ners, the Psalm-book tt; ;,he Winters, &c. William and Elizabeth Kinner are both in full communion, and Adam promises well. "Yesterday I preached in the house of Mr. P to about forty, including children, and the old woman is still as blind as she was OTTAWA. GLENGARRY. 265 m had ! How mient ! The II the Grove, ^ent on, and javen, nicely for the niin- iiitiful Older 'eiy part, v-n m, for in the itir. a.*seiiible or 12,000. akin 3 to the Icrfnlly fnvy we could so nndersltind- , Fra^er pre- ho l;ne\v the nrrodnced — 3s;S'3r length, 3, and the it out. We ading topics in taking my 3. e, and every ica, and my height, are it, our best, miller, Mr. ity of Euge- good many 'old kirk,' om Paisley. two small from Pais- are wilhin lantic spots 1801,1862, ied me. are the Kin- Elizabeth well, bout forty, 13 she was in 1841 , and as keen as over to come doAvn to Toronto to ' got her eyes i)ulled out and put in again,' but still averse to any experi- ment in the way of operation. To those extracts, which are principally from letters to Mrs. Burns, may be added the reminiscences of several esteemed brethren in whose districts ho itinerated. With reference to his last visit to Ottawa, the same kind friend (Mr. Ward''ope), who detailed an earlier visit, adds : " So far as I know, he was then about seventy-tive years of ago ; yet, as in days that had long gone by his much loved three services on the Sabbath were imdertaken. " He preached in Knox Chui-ch, Ottawa (which name had then super.ieded the name of Jjytown), from 1st Cor. iii. 21-23. ' All things are yours, &g.' In the afternoon ho preached in Nepean, whiiher I accompanied hiui. The place of meeting was the biiild- ing occupied by the Presliyterian church under the pastoral care of the Rev. J. L. Gourlay ; and his subject was ' Family Wor- ship,' a theme on which he loved to dwell. When the service was concluded, it was within little more than an hour of the time ap- poiiited for the evening meeting mi Ottawa, and we had six miles to drive He was a liule tired, but coidd not forego the antici- pated pleasure of preaching, and so he requested me to drive on before and open the meeting, in the hope that, by a more leisurely drive to the city, he would be qtiite recruited. I did so, and in his hope he was not disappointed. For, when he had got into the pulpit at the close of the second singing, he was able to preach with all his wonted vigour. His subject was ' Christ appearing in the presence of God for us ; and the discourse was listened to with attention, corresponding in some good degree to the earnest- ness wi'h which it was delivered. When he had concltided, there were, in many hearts, thoughts too deep to be lightly tittered — thoi^ghts of Jesus, the glory of whose mediatorial work the preacher had sought to set forth. But yet about the preacher himself, some who had heard and known him a quarter of a centtiry before cotild not withhold the remark ' When he's ance in the poopit he's as gude as ever.' " I was present," writes the Rev. Daniel Clarke (formerly of Indian Lands), in the Free Church of Lochiel, in 1848, " when he preached. The church was without doors and windows. The text was ' If our Gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost.' The discourse was indeed very, very impressive, and listened to with very marked attention. I believe it did much good. It iiroduced good etfects in many, some of whom still remain, and their good- ness does not appear to be like the morning cloud or the early dew I • H' M '266 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. fi' !; , : ^ that passes away. I invited liiiii to Indian Lands. The expecta- tion of seeing and liearing him drew together an innuense crowd. I beUeve the like had not been in the Indian Lands before that time or since. " After this, the worthy, greatly beloved and venerable Doctor paid visits to Glengarry, when I had not the pleasure and privilege to meet him.'' There w.is no spot in the province my father loved so much to visit as Glengarry. The Rev. D. Gordon, who for so many years laboured most faithfully in that region, writes thus regarding these visits : "Among the most distinct and pleasant of the pictures furnished from an experience of twenty years as a minister are those of ' sac- rament weeks' in Glengarry ; and of these Aveeks, some of the most delightful reminiscences are those of your sainted father. ' ' I think I may safely say that the ros] lect and esteem with which he was regarded by all the Free Church Presbyterians of Glengarry amounted to a kind of enthusiasm. He knew it was so in Indian Lands with both minister and people. His first visit during my residence there was in the summer of 1854, on the occasion of »ur communion. I remember on one of the days, the Gaelic and Ji.iig- lish portions of the congregation were thrown together at his re- quest, and he preached in the tent in the woods to about 2000 people. " He Avas in one of his very happiest moods, and preached Avith great freshness and poAver ; and I believe there are not a feAV of his hearers that day Avho could noAV, after the lapse of seventeen years, giA^e you, not the ' text' alone, but some precious ' notes' of the sermon, and perhaps name the Psalms that Avere sung on the occasion. " That communion week was an Elim in the wilderness journey of some of the Lord's jieople among us ; and to lengthen out the en- joyment of it, many of them foUoAved him to Lochiel the next week, Avhere he was to assist at the same solemn service. " Speaking of this visit, in a letter dated 2l8t of August, Dr. Burns says, ' I look back on my visit to Glengarry with peculiar relish ; much have I enjoyed it, and my warmest wishes and most ardent prayers are with you and your fellow-labourers in that in- teresting field.' " His next visit was in 1858, and in replying to my letter asking his assistance, his only stipulations Avere, that he should have plenty of work to do — that after the five days' service in Indian Lands he might go to Lochiel sacrament, and thence to Vankleek Hill. He says : * You are at liberty to arrange for me up to Aug. 4th, when I must wend my way home^^'ards, or, it may be, farther east.' On the Sabbath referred to (the third Sabbath of July) he preached one of the most powerful sermonH T ever heard, from John xix. 30. INDIAN LANDS. LOCHIEL. COMMUNIONS. 2G7 The exi)ccta- iniense crowd. 8 before that erable Doctor and privilege ler loved so Jordon, who that region, res furnished those of ' sac- le of the most ler. ni with which of Glengarry I so in Indian (it during my casion of ,ur 3lic and Ji,iig- her at his re- ; 2000 people, reached with not a few of 3f seventeen IS 'notes' of sung on the is journey of out the en- el the next A^ugust, Dr. ith peculiar es and most 3 in that in- Dtter asking have plenty n Lands he I Hill. He 4th, when east. ' On 3 preached hn xix . 30. The people seemed much impressed. On the Wednesday following we accduipanied him to Lancaster, where, by previous arrangement, he wiXH to assist the Rev. J. Anderson at the communion. INIany of our people came to join in the service, a distance of twenty-four miles ; and some of them felt tliemselves well repaid for the junrney in hearing one sermon, from the 2nd chapter of the Song, 10-13 verses. "On May 24tli, 1805, Dr. IJurns again writes : ' I have a great desire to pay a visit to Glengarry this summer, but I fear that your arrangements for the connuiniion may not comport with n)y pre- vious engagements. It so happens that the third and fourth Sab- baths of June are already taken up with sacramental d\ities in the west ; yea, also Sabbath, July 2iid. Thus it is that the first day I can otier to be with you is Sabljath, the Dth of July. Will this do ? Could you make such an arrangement as w')uld allow me to asssist at two, or even three, sacramental occasions ? say, at Lochiel, or Lancaster, or any other place where the conmiunion may not have been. 1 don't mean to be at the Synod, but will reserve my strength for Glengariy. I have certainly a wish t(j see something of the good work that has been going on among you.' " In tracing the pleasant impressions of these connuunion-weeks to their source, however, I find that they are due (piite as much to the s jcial Christian intercourse with your revered father as to liia pulpit services. " I remember as distinctly as if it were yesterday, being greatly struck with his appearance and manner as, coming out of his room, he gave or responded to the salutations of the morning. That air of gonial content and devout cheerfulness spoke of a serenity and a joy in the deep places of the heart, with which the world might not intermeddle. " His conversation in the family, at the table, and in the other intervals of public d"ties was a great treat to us all ; and moio than once the time at the breakfast table was lengthened out, quite unconsciously, to more than two lumrs. "We will ever entertain a vivid remembrance of one of these occasions, when the old man seemed to grow young again, as he gave us a graphic and minutely detailed accoinit of the l)eginning of the Kilsyth revival. I think I can hear yet the ring in his voice as he repeated the message brought to him in the manse by his sister, ' Kobert, Robert, come to the church — the days of Cambuslang are back again ! ' ' ' We often sought to turn the conversation to this or that passage of the Word, that we might have the benefit of his opinion in re- gard to them, and, indeed, I have met with few from whose familiar conversation so much might be learned." The Rev James Cameron, of Chatsworth, writes thus of his visits to the Owen Sound region, vividly narrating a thrilling incident which nearly cost him his life : i t ■ t: 'I I ^ ^f ,] * : B L mL L 268 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. " He visited thiso parts many times, in summer and in winter, when the country was almost a wilderness, and after it became settled and covered with I'resbyterian churches. With perhaps one exception, nothin^f can V)e said of these visits to us hut what may be said of his ministrations in scores of cases, somewhat sinii- lai*, from the Atlantic to Lake Hunm. He came lu'imful of hap[>i- ness and kindness, of zeal and of sermons. His progress throui,^! the country had in it somethiuL? of the nature of a triumphal mavcli or an episcopal visitation. Crowds of all countries and religiniis came to hear him preach, and after the service he held a kind of a levee, at which there a[)peared to present their respects people whom he had married nearly half a century ago in Scotland ; others wlumi he had baptized ; others whom he had admitted to member- ship or otlice in his former city congregations ; with lots of newer and younger Canadian friends who had seen him or heard him or heard about him in out-of-the-way places, and felt therefore that he had a right to know them. Ami the good old man knew them all in a fashion of his own, not by sight, but by their voices and his wonderful memory, and the (piickness and percejjtion that is generally given to those whose vision is defective. But I sketch here a picture of no unusual occurrence. " A remarkable incident, however, occurred on one occasion ; and this constitutes the (jxception to which I have referred. Your father had fnllilled his engagements in Owen Sound, where the Rev. Mr. ]\Iclvinnon, who has gone to his rest, was then pastor, and had set out for Durham. When within six or seven miles of Dur- ham, the waggon in which he was travelling drew up in front of a little wayside inn, that the horses might be watered. That the animals might drink more freely, the driver had removed their bridle. The day was hot, and to shield himself from the sun Dr. Burns raisetl his umbi'ella, when the animals, now destitute of blinkers, took fright, and with their bits hanging before their col- hirs, and their reins draggling in the dust, they ran away over what the editor of our liei'Mvd, in a notice of the event, calls ' the rough- est road we ever travelled.' The road is now as fine a road as there is in the Province, and over it Dr. and Mrs. Burns travelled after- wards in a covered carriage and pair, when he pointed out to Mr. Cameron, of Priceville, and myself the spot where the horses came to bay ; but at that time it was a horrid piece of road. There were on it an abundance of stumps and sttmes, ruts and mud-holes, and, worse than all, a ' piece of cordiu'oy,' notorious among the ' cordu- roys' of the Garafraxa for its badness. For nearly two miles the maddened brutes ran without slackening speed. The old man made a feeble attempt to check the horses ; his seat flew from under him, and he sank down and lay prostrate in the bo':tom of the waggon. He was perhaps unaware that straight in front of him, and in dangerous nearness, lay the Rocky Saugeen River, with ita steep banks and ricketty bridge, and abrupt curve, which alway? and in winter, ijor It Ijocjiiiio Witli porliaji.s to us l)ut what ">'ne\v]i.at simi- "'f'll of Jiapiii- fogre.ss throMLjh |iiiiiipJial iii.aicii •■ind i-fligioiig lit'kl .a kiiiil of K'spocts ])L'ople ''>tlaii(l ; ..tJiers -o to inoiiiljor- lots of Honor 'iL'iird liiiii or tliereforo tli.it iiu know tlieiii voices and his I'tiun that is i^iit I skotcli me occasion ; ■orred. Y„nr d, wliere tlio m pastor, and iniJes of Dur- in front of a •d. TJiat the 'moved tJieir the sun Dr. destitute of )re their col- ay over Aviiat ' the rongh- oad as there veiled after- out to Mr. rses came to There were ■holes, and, the ' cordu- ' miles the e old man flew from bo';tom of n front of liver, with ich alwayf REMARKABLE ESCAPES. 2G9 required steady and caiitious driving. PTad tlio horses taken the river, he could not li.ave cscajiod ; but wluii within half a mile of the dangerous spot, they suddenly, and with none t<> check or guide them, turned to the right, and walked into a fence corner he.side two hemlock higs, which were pointed out to me as still existing, la.st week, by ]\lr. MacKechnie, into whoso house Dr. iJurns was taken after the runaway. In the bottom of the waggon wei'c; found his gold watch and communion tokens scattered about, but with the excoi)tion of a few l)ruises, he himself was unhurt ; and after a little repose he went forward to Durham and la'eached that very evening to an audience that listened to him as one that had almost come from the dead." On another occasion, at the Rouge Hill, the stage in which he was travelling upset. He fell undermost ; pas- sengers and luggage came down on him. Had it not been for the great " strength of his chest, and God's kind interposition," he remarked, he might have been killed. Sometimes his experiences of travel partook of the ludic- rous. He was nearly shot on one occasion for a bear ! He was driving with a friend through a snowstorm, when something went wrong with the harness. They were pass- ing a farm-house " in the bush," and while his companion went for a bit of rope, my father, dressed in his huge bearskin coat and cap, and with immense hairy gloves on his hands, stepped forward in the snow, and began feeling the harness. The woman of the house, coming to the door and looking out through the falling snow, discerned the strange object, and cried out that a bear had attacked the horse. The man came running out with his gun, and was taking a sight, when he burst out with a loud guf- faw, and cried, " Tuts wumman, that's Dr. Burns." Dr. Ormiston, now of New York, mentioned to me his being associatet! with him once at a country church opening. On a bitter winter morning, entering his f'.i f,'*; 'if IJl 1 :n 270 LIFK OF REV. DR. BURNS. :; '^ ch}im])cr to sec if lio was up, lie found the window Ijlowti open, the snow dril'tini,^ on tlie coverlet, and the water in tlio basin frozen liard. My father was sliiv.M'iiii^r in tlio blankets, but bearin;^ the inconvenience, which would liave disturbed beyond endurance many younger brethren, with philosophic patiencean '^nd tlie us shivoi-i,,,, ■-''i^'o, Avhieli '7 youiii^rei- sfcian rcsi;.-. ^'ir below him in Jiis o "endure le question e snow and t]ie whole ^fetliodist 'WO of the mercifully i^iil friend eral miJes Jiis desfi- if nothing lie Gara- where he Je apart- omewhat d, in ad- barrels, IS. But hielings, J to his servant ; and he was never hap})ier than in front of the blazing lo;^'- tire, or wlien partaking of tlio homely fare which such true-hearted hospitality sup[)lieeople. Coining into tlic house after preaching, he would gene- rally say — " Well, ^Ir. Gunn, any remarks 1" Having alluded, in one of his discourses, to mercy as God's "darling" attribute (a favourite expression with him), Mr. G. asked him one day if there was any " pet attribute in the character of God." He then poured forth in earnest affectionate discourse, an explanation of the expression. Mr. Gunn (in a recent conversation we had with him), dilated with delight on the prominence which my father gave in his preaching to the pure simple Gospel, and how it melted the hearts and opened the hands of the people. He spoke of regions where the liberality of the people would flow out at the stroke of his rod in fourfold larii-er measure than when the rock was struck by many others. " The Doctor," exclaimed he, " could get a couple of dol- lars from people who would give half a dollar to others. He came to- one place in the country where the people were so pressed that I thought they would give little or nothing, and they gave him a hundred and twenty dollars for Home Missions." He mentions how bent my father was on carrying out his engagements. If he made an ij I i Ni! 272 LIFE OF RF.V. DR. BURNS. l\ t.. II appointment lie must fulfil it at all hazards. On one occasion he had arranged to go from Beaverton to Orillia. Mr. G. told him he could not go. My father suspected that it was a scheme of the worthy elder to detain him. Mr. G. pointed to the sky and to the lake. The storm was such, as the day advanced, that it would have been tempting of Providence to attempt the journey. Most reluctantly he was com])elled to abandon it. He would call the family together for exhortation and prayer be- fore leaving; then, in parting with them, he would often add to kind expressions of interest in their welfare — " I hope to see some of these lads at the College." " He watched the walls of our Zion," was one of Mr. Gunn's quaint expressions regarding him. " Three or four, I remember, he succeeded in keeping out from the minis- try of our church, who would have disgraced it." He mentioned certain instances where the parties turned out drunkards. One of them was on the eve of settlement at a country place not far from the city, and the people were not a little disconcerted at the obstacles thrown in his way. To make up for their disappointment Mr. G. assures me that my father offered to give them supply every Sabbnth afternoon for a whole year for nothing. When engaged in his customary sleighing tour during the Christmas holidays of 1867-8, he was suddenly summoned home by what proved the fatal illness of my beloved brother William, a rising barrister in Toronto, and office-bearer in Knox Church, whose sun "went down at noon" on the 4th January, 1868. My father being beyond reach of railway or telegraph, WILLIAMS FATAL ILLNESS. 273 3- On one t to Orillia. ■ suspected detain Iiini. Tlie storm have been iGy. Most He would prayer be- )uld often ilfare — " I ne of Mr. 3e or four, 'he minis- it." He irned out ttlement !ie people irown in Mr. G. V V I suppl nothing. ' during iuddeuly 5s of my Toronto, at down legraph, in the back townships, the Rev. Wni. Burns, now of Perth, kindly consented to go after him. He made tip to him far in the interior, when just starting for more dis- tant settlements. That esteemed friend, whose kindness at this sad domestic epoch we can never forget, writes re- garding it : " His first question, quite unsuspicious of the cause of our meet- ing, was : ' Have you been preachinif in this neighbourhood V Being told that the illness of his son William was the reason, he imme- diately prepared for a return to Toronto. And now was seen the in- fluence of what appeared conflicting duties and his high regard for his promise. It had been arranged that he should visit tlie charge of Mr. MiUigan, of Douglas, on his way to Fergus, where he was to preach for Mr. Smellie ; and while on his way to Orangeville he was in great trouble about the disappointment of tliese brethren. More than once he felt inclined to fulfil his engagements with them, and return to Toronto on the Monday following. When, however, it was urged upon him that the dangerous condition of his son de manded his immediate return, his whole fatherly feeling seemed aroused, and after a few searching questions he turned full round and said : ' Have you told me the worst ? Is Willie still living V And these questions he frequently repeated on the journey home. " Arriving at Orangeville, the time taken up in changing horses was spent in taking a little refreshment, and in sending word to those who were expecting him, feeling himself bound in honour to do all in hia power to prevent disappointment. " On the way from Orangeville to Brampton his mind seemed to be constantly occupied, now minutely relating the circumstances con- nected with his own sickness some years previous, and noting points of resemblance between his own case and that of his son, lie would become h' pef ul that a vigorous frame might be able to throw ofl" the disease ; and again, after a lapse of silence, during which he was evidently thinking of the deeper things of the soul, he would speak feelingly of the spiritual well-being of his son, more than once committing him to the care and love of a covenant-keeping God. *' Arriving at Brampton in the evening, after all the regular trains had passed, we were, by the kindly interest of the station-master, to whom the case was presented by the Rev. Mr. Pringle, taken on a freight-train to Toronto, where we were landed at the west end of the freight-yard, narrowly escaping an accident from a locomotive on another track. After, with some difficulty, making our way to the street, we proceeded slowly (for the Doctor was much fatigued) towards William street, and as we drew near the house he became violently agitated. In a whisper he asked me, while clinging to S If I I,' t f I I i i 274 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. i!! ! i me very closely, * Do you see a light in Willie's room ? Do you think he is alive ? Is there any sign at the door?' While stand- ing at the door, when the servant intimated that he still lived, his whole feelings, roused to the utmost, burst forth in the cry, * Praise the Lord !' when, being led into the parlour, he sank into a chair, thorouglily exhausted, having sustained a day's travel and anxiety under which many a younger man would have sunk." There were certain missionary enterprises of our church with wliich Dr. Burns had specially to do. As convener of the " Red River" committee, he had the principal share in planting Presbyterianism in that inter- esting settlement. First formed by the Earl of Selkirk, in 1812, it has had a history than which romance can fur- nish nothing more thrillingly eventful. These hardy and heroic settlers passed through many martyrdoms. The fire, the famine and the sword did their worst against them. But these they felt not, so much as the long con- tinued deprivation of ordinances administered according to the time-honoured usages of their ftithers. As they went out, scarce knowing whither they went, it was fully expected that a faithful Highland pastor would accompany them, but this arrangement failed. For many years, weary, wistful eyes were directed athwart the mighty ocean, and ever and anon they hoped " their eyes would sec their teacher," but " the vision tarried." Some, dislicarteneh«kler eked in IS apt to unities, iuct was a very ui very induce- >orsonal n's Bay Presby- iiig per : on the vill ex- n of the My father had an unquencliable liatred of slavery. It was intensified by his intimate relations with Dr. Andrew Thomson, who was the chief champion of the Scottish emancipationists. He loved to dilate on the memorable meeting in Edinburgh, when that noble man rose in a distant part of the hall, and in a speech of thrilling power, turned the tide against the " gradual" party. " Give me the hurricane, rather than tne pestilence," the winged words which formed its climax, shot like a lightning Hash through the land, and rung as by a thunder peal, the knell of British slavery. He wrote and spoke much on the subject. With the friends of the Negro in Europe and America he had a close intimacy. Thomas Pringle, the African explorer, poet and philanthropist, was very dear to him ; and some leading members of the Society of I'riends he highly esteemed. Hence his re- peated references to the question in connexion with his visit to America. To the apologists of the system he found it hard to give any quarter. It was to be expected therefore, that when an " Anti • Slavery Society" was organized in Canada, he would be active among its officers, and that when a movement was inaugurated to establish an asylum for the fugitives from slavery, and to ameliorate their social and spiritual condi- tion, it would receive his warmest sympathy and support. In 1848-9, a large tract of land was purchased in the township of Raleigh, near Chatham, which secured at a low rate comfortabla and happy homes for several hun- dreds of these children of sorrow. The Rev. William King, M.A, the " Clayton" of Mrs. Stowe's " Dred," has favoured I 280 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. US with the following narrative of this benevolent enter- prise, whose projector he was honoured to be, and of my father's connexion with it. " T first became acquainted with the late Dr. Bums in November, 184G, -when I landed in Toronto as a missionary from the Free Chiu'ch of Scotland. The Doctor called on me at the Welling- ton hotel, to inform me that the boxes containing my books and clothing had ?irrived safe from Now York, from which place I had forwarded them to Toronto to the Doctor's care. Ho then kindly invited me to go to his house, and remain initil I should get my aiijiointments from tlxe Toronto Presbytery, but as I had only a few days to remain in the city 1 wished to get myself brushed up after my long voyage and journey (having visited Louisiana, after landing in New York, before I went to Canada) ; I thus preferred remaining at the hotel, and declined his kind offer. During the winter of 1840 and the spring of 1847 we often met on missionary duty. In April, 1847, I received a letter from the Sotith, request- ing me to go tlioro as executor, for the purpose of settling the estate of my late father-in-law. It became necessary for me then to divulge a secret which I had kept in my own breast up to that time, namely, that I Avas a slave-owner, and that I must go South to give them their freedom, as the legal difticulty that formerly stood in the way was then removed. This statement fell like a bomb-shell in the midst of the Presbytery, and made quite an explosion. Mr E was furious, Mr. II otherwise calm, was quite excited. The Doctor and Mr. Gale saw the difficulty of my position at once, and asked me how long 1 liad been a slave-owner. I said * since 3842.' ' Did the Free Church know that you were a slave-owner,' enquired the Doctor ! I said ' no, I did not think it necessary to inform the Presbytery of Edinburgh who licensed me, as the views of the Free Church announced in the General Assembly of 1845, by Doctors Candlish and Cunningham, were the same as I held, that slaverj' per se was not a sin : that the relation of master and slave was not necessarily sinful ; but the burden of proof rested with the master, to show that the power which he possessed was not abused, but was used for the best interests of the slave. This was my position ; I owned a number of slaves, but could not set them free. There were legal difficulties in the way, and when these were removed I could not manumit them in Louisiana. No planter at that time coiild manumit his slaves and leave them in the State. He was bound to remove them beyond the jurisdiction of the Southern States. This I was then prepared to do, and I informed the Presbytery that I intended bringing them to Canada. But as I was about to leave the Province for a time, I would resign the commission which I held from the Free Church into the hands of the Presbytery, with the understanding that ill VISIT TO UNITED STATES WITH MR. KING. 281 nt enter- id of my rovember, the Free Welling. ny books :h place I Ho then hoiild get had only ushed up ma, after preferred iring the lissionary request- tling the me then ) to that South to fly stood nib-shell on. Mr excited. at once, i ' since -owner,' issary to le views )f 3845, I held, ter and ' rested 3ed was . This not set i when lisiana. leave nd the red to them time, hurch ' that when I returned again to Canada with my slaves, I would resume the connection, and labour as their missionary, " I left in May, 1847, for Louisiana, and returned in May follow- ing with the slaves that I had set free. The Doctor was the first to meet me on my arrival in Toronto, and from that time till his death, he took a warm interest in thr coloured population of Can- ada. In June, 1848, I broiight the spiritual destitution of the coloured people in Canada before the Synod, then met in Toronto. A committee was ajipointed by the Synod to nuiture a plan for a mission ; the Doctor was on that committee, took an active part, and in the followin'4 year the Buxton mission was established. At the same time t' • Fugitive Slave Dill was passed by tlie Congress of the United States, which, in the fall of 1840, sent 5,000 fiigitive slaves into Canada, strii)ped of everything but life, without a fiiend and without a home, and for whose soul no man cared. In the spring of 18r)0, the report had reached the friends of the slave in the United States, of what the Free Church in Canada was doing for their social and moral improvement. A committee in Pittsburg in- vited the Doctor and me over in November, 1850, to tell them Avhat we were doing in Canada for the fugitives. It was in November we visited Pittsburg, and as there were few railroads in those days, travelling was not so pleasant at that season of the year, es])ecially as part of the journey had to be made across Ijake Erie ; sind about 200 miles of it through rugged mountain scenery, in the old fash- i(/ned stage-coach, with leather straps for sjjrings. On that journey, and the labours that followed it, the Doctor gave full proof of his power of endurance, and of his missi(mary zeal, which never .abated till the close of his life. We left Buffalo on Wednesday evening, in a steamer for Erie, where we arrived at three o'clock on Thurs- day morning. The night was stormy, and we slept but little, most of the passengers being sea-sick. On our arrival at Erie, the stage was waiting to take the passengers going to Pittsburg. We had barely time to take a hasty breakfast, and twelve of us were pack- ed inside the stage, where we were to remain for two days and two nights, the time generally required to cross the mountains and reach Pittsburg. During the first day we got along tolerably well, but as night came on, cold and wet, the rain falling during the night in torrents, the Doctor and I tried to sleep some, as we had got but little the night before, but the jolting of the convey- ance over the rough roads was such that we found it impossible. Early on Friday morning we reached the summit of the mountain range, and breakfasted at the mountain house, a place that was as cold and cheerless as the mountain itself. The passengers were not in a very good humour, and expressed their dissatisfaction in terms not very agreeable to the landlord. The house was cold, the vic- tuals were cold, and there was nothing comfortable about the place. The Doctor alone was cheerful, praised the beef-steak and tea, of both of which we had an abundance. The passengers became I kiS 282 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. more reconciled, and hy the time we were ruiuly to start all appeared in better huinour. Tlie remaining part of our journey lay amonf; the hills that form the western shipe of the Alleghany mountains. The valleys were studded with villages and well cultivated ; a Presbyterian population having settled at that part of Pennsylvania at an early period, and nuii.e to themselves comfortable homes. The village chui'ch, with its spire rising in the midst of a cluster of trees, could be seen as we passed ah^ng. The rain had ce.ised, the sun l)egan to shine, and the Doctor kept the passengers in good humour with hisrenuu'ks on the scenery, and i)leasant conversaticm. The day passed pleasantly, and at night we were informed that we would reach Pittsburg by three o'clock in the morning. This was glad news to the passengers, and especially to the Doctor and my- self, who had scarcely got any sleej) since we left Toronto on Wed- nesday morning, unless what we could get in the stage going over rough mountain-roads. We arrived at Pittsburg a little after three o'clock on Saturday morning ; went to bed four hours ; were lip and breakfcasted at seven. Visited during the day all the minis- ters in Pittsburg, and made arrangements each to preach three times on Sabbath. Everywhere we went, the ministers of all de- nominations gave us a warm reception, with but one excei)tion. and that was Dr. R , of the New School Presbyterians. He declined to have anything to do with us. He had been Moderator of the General Assembly at its last meeting, and had taken his stand against any discussion of the question of slavery. The Doctor argued the question with him, and said that we were not going to lecture on slavery, although we held strong views on that subject, but it was not to discuss these that we had come to Pitts- burg. * We come,' said the Doctor, ' to tell you what we are d(jing to improve the social and moral condition of those coloured per- sons who have f oixnd an asylum in Canada. We have nothing to do with the law in the United States that drives them to Canada ; our object is to give them homes, give them the Bible and the capacity to read it.' Dr. R refused his pulpit even on that ground, and as we rose to leave he expressed the hope that we would not think hard of him for refusing his pulpit. The Doctor simply remarked that we could not form a favourable opinion of a minister of the Presbyterian Church who would refuse his pulpit to advocate the cause of giving the Bible to those who have, by the laws of the United States, been deprived of the privilege of learning to read it. On Sabbath the Doctor preached three times to crowded houses ; on Monday we held a public meeting in one of the largest churches in the city, which was well filled. The Doctor preached €very night during the week, and three times on the following Sabbath. All the Professors of the three Theological Institutes generally attended ; the Doctor was in high spirits, and spoke with power and eloquence. One of the I'rofessors remarked, on coming out one evening from hearing one of the Doctor's eloquent ser- PITTSBURG. BRITAIN, 1800. 283 all appeared ' lay anionft mountains. Itivalod ; a ennsylvaiiia ible homes, a cluster of . ce.iaed, the [era in <,'ood jnversation. lied that we . This was ;or and my- ito on Wed- ! going over little after lours ; were 11 the minis- reach three •s of all de- ) exception, erians. He 1 Moderator ,d taken his very. The ve were not ews on that ne to Pitts- VQ are dtjing )loured per- othing to do anada ; our he capacity ground, and not think y remarked ister of the dvocate the laws of the ing to read to crowded the largest )r preached e following Institutes spoke with on coming aquent ser- mons, * Well,' said he, ' wo have had delegations here from Ire- land and Scotland, but none of them ever preached and spoke on the platform with the power and eloipience of Dr. Burns.' The result of the visit was a handsome subscrii)tion f»jr the mission, and a fine-toned bell, sent expressly for Buxton, and paid for by the coloured jjecjple. " In the summer following our visit to Pitt.sburg, the Doctor spent a week with me at Buxt ju, where he preached on S;ibl)iith, and during the week he visited Chatham, Tilbur}', and most of the mission-stations in the west. From that time till IHo? the Doctor fre(|uently visited me at Buxton. On one of these visits, in 1853, he dispensed the Lord's !Supi)er, and received a number of communicants for the first time. C)no of these was a woman named Lydia, with three of her cliildreu, who had escaped from North Carolina. She had never been baptized, and the Doctor, after the manner of the Apostle, baptized Lydia and her household ; the first household that he hud ever baptized during his public minis- try. In A])ril, 1800, the Doctcjr and I visited Scotland and Eng- land in behalf of the Buxton INIiasion, where we collected most of the money that built the mission-church. The Doctor was to at- tend the Tercentenary of the Reformation, arnl was frecpiently sepa- rated from me ; and as we had only three months to renuiin, and most of the time were in Scotland, we only visited London, Man- chester and Liverpool, in England. We agreed, on visiting Scot- land, that I was to make all arrangements, and the Doctor was to speak when I called on him. The interval lietwcen my meetings the Doctor filled by preaching and visiting his friends. It Wtis a season of great enjoyment both to him and me." When home with Mr. King, in 1830, in the interest oi the Buxton Mission, in addition to addressing the Free Church Assembly and other public bodies in Scotland and England, he appeared before the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of Ireland, and met with a very warm reception. Following so closely the " year of grace," he had the opportunity of marking the influence of the mighty revival- wave that had swept over the land. When in London, he had an interview with Lord Brougham. He conferred also with the Portuguese Am- bassador, on the slave trade. The pecuniary result of this visit was over four thousand dollars for the mission. ! • ii i ITTflt ii 284 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. With many other home-mission enterprises Dr. Burns iiad to do — occasionally too, with the stated supply of congregations during important eras in their history. He supplied, during a large part of two years, Georgetown and Limehouse, some 30 miles distant from Toronto. Such services were always freely rendered, to his power, yea, and beyond his power. His connexion, for a similar period, with one of the Toronto churches, may be briefly dwelt on, as illustrating this side of his character. For several years Dr. John Taylor, (formerly of Auch- termuchty), had ably and faithfully served the United Presbyterian Church in Canada, as her Professor of Theo- logy. Conjoined with the professorship was the pastorate of the Gould Street Church in Toronto. A few months previous to the auspicious union of the churches, Dr. Taylor felt it to be his duty to return to his native land. The congregation (which had erected an elegant struc- ture on an eligible site), was in comparative infancy and burdened with a heavy debt. Its very existence was im- perilled. Dr. Burns was asked to aid in the emergency. He at once consented, and by two years of unsalaried and un- ceasing service, he tided the struggling cause through its difficulties. The remuneration which he would else have earned he insisted on going to the reduction of the debt Under his energetic leadership, the wavering band of faithful ones was rallied, their flagging spirits were roused ; re-inforcements came, the debt was diminished ; and the wav prepared for the settlement of the faithful and devoted 5 Dr. Burns 1 supply of listory. He rgetown and 3nto. Such power, yea, one of the 1 illustratintr ly of Auf'h- the United ;sor of Theo- he pastorate few months urches, Dr. lative land. 3gant struc- nfancy and nee was im- icy. He at led and un- through its Id else have f the debt ig band of rere roused ; )d ; and the and devoted OOTLD STREET CHDRCII. LOWER PROVIXCES. 285 pastor, under whose earnest ministry the congit'gation has grown to be one of the best in the body. In many ways the Gould-street people showed their ai)prt'eiation of his disinterested labours ; and when they insisted on his acceptance of a very handsome sum of nujney, he took it, to gratify them, but only to invest most of it in the form of a bursary for Knox College. He often visited the Lower Pi-ovinces. In Nova Scotia he had to do with the foundinir of the College, and of Chalmers' Church, Haliftix. The long and honourable connexion of his younger brother George with New Brunswick, drew him specially towards it. Thence he received his first strong im})ulse to Colonial life and labour. To Prince Edward Island, that " garden enclosed," which will be ever linked with the name of the father of our beloved Queen, he was specially attached. Mrs. Mackay, of Rockfield, a noble woman, was the foundress of Presbyterianism in Cape Breton. She con- sulted with Dr. Burns all the time, and was guided by ais advice. The seven large volumes of Colonial correspondence which he gathered have far more of her letters than of those of any other single correspondent. The- glimpses which they give of the inner life of the Island thirty or forty years ago, enhance our estimate of the importance of that great religious awakening, of which it has recently been the scene. This interesting region, whose spiritual welfare he had so long consulted, he had peculiar pleasure in visiting. I > i . 28G LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. He visited Newfoundland in 1858. The intercourse he hjid with the Rev M. Harvey, who is securing for himself a prominent place among Colonial literati, and with Lady Banncrman, the excellent wife of Sir Alexander Baunerman, then Governor of the Island, was specially refreshing. Lady Banncrman, writing Mrs. Burns in 18G0, records her impressions : — "St. John's, Newfoundland, 18G0. '' It is a pleasure to find that yoix and Dr. B. have so alFoctioiiate a recolloction of tho short visit yon paid to NowfoiuuUand. All who had the happiness of nieetini,' or of listening to the earnest and talented instructions of the Doctor, have reason to renienihor the r('fr^^llnlent of su(;li an arrival amongst us, and will gladly liail your return." In another letter Lady B. writes : " I w;is nr. ;li instructed by the last sermon Dr. B preached here, (All things are yoiii's, iVe.,) few days pass without my reuieuilieriiig some part of it. Had I been as well aeipiainted with the force and fxdiiess (Vithwhicli he is oiabled to teach (iosiiel truth, as 1 ouglit to have been, this would not have been the only sermon I would have listened to from him ; but now^ lean only mourn over the lost opportunity, and hope 1 may some day have the privilege, I unwit- tuij^iy faili'd to secure, brought again witliin my reach. " 1 shall not forget, if we are spared, the kind hint Dr. Burns gave me to show our catholicity of spirit, by occasionally attending other branches of the Protestant Church. I have thought that when our appointed minister had prepared a portion for each one of his Hock, it would be unkind and discouraging to seek for spiri- tual food from another; l)ut there are times when he may be absent, when I may follow the friendly advice." I'!!; Amongst other regions outside his own ])rovince, whieli he visited, we must not lose sight of Chicago and the great West. Between March, 1867 and April, 1870, 1 was first pas- tor of the First Scotch Presbyterian Church in Chicago, intercourse is securing iiial literati, wife of Sir Island, was 800, records LAND, 18G0. so jvH'octioiiiite luuUaml. Ail ,() the earnest to reiiu'iiibcr k'ill gladly hail hreachod liore, • reineuihei'iiig he foive and I, as I ouylit rniou I wmikl over the lost ego, I lunvit- iit Dr. Burns illy attending thought that 'or each one ek for spiri- lay bo absent, ince, which ^■0 and the s first pas- n Chicago. CHICAGO. ELMIllA. MONMUUTII. 287 connected with the Canada Presbyterian Church. IMy father's visit lasted a month, in August, 1 8G7. He enjoy- ed amazingly the stir and enter[)rise of Cliicago. Ho was bent on seeing every object of interest — nothing seemed to escape him. None would have joined more sincerely in the general lamentations over the colossal ^,atastro[)lie which has overtaken this marvel of the West, ^liiiiy Scotchmen, and Americans too, richly enjoyed the services he conducted at the Metropolitan Hall, the Memorial Methodist Church, and in other places. Always enthusiastic in his admiration of the Gael — ho determined to visit the little colony of faithful Highland- ers, 140 miles from Chicago — where we have enjoyed many precious seasons of fellowship. He took charge of the communion there, and it recalled many kindred scenes in Canada, in which he had taken part. At this time we visited Monmouth College, and enjoyed 'lie hospitality of its worthy president, Dr. Wallace. Wluiu he returned from this tour, he visited my former flock at St. Catharinos, and for over an hour he talked to them about it, recounting with amazing accuracy of state- ment and minuteness of detail every incident. As one of my old friends said : " he shut his eyes and gave us a perfect photograph." In bringing the church of his attachment to Its present advanced ])osition, Dr. Burns bore his full share. " It was his happiness to oreaK groiuid in many a district which has since borne abundant fruit, and in others to revive what was weak and ready to die — his uxu})erant eiu rgy and I'esolute will serving, in not a few cases, to rally the friends of Presbyterian order in districts where ho found them weak and disheartened. The country was ripe for such a labourer when he came to it, and he I I 288 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. s '■ 4 I mm ■ !l saw aiid seized the opportunity, preachinj? far and near, undeterred by distances and severities of weather, which many persona of much youniifer years woukl have hesitated to encounter. In this way he contributed, we are safe in saying, more than any other individual, to give to the Presbyterian Church in this Province, the wide in- fluence for good which it holds to-day." * * Senuoii preiiched in Gould Stretc Cliurch, Toronto, on the 23rd of August, 1869, b> Rpv. John M. Kintr, M. A. uguat, 1869, In CHAPTER XVII. |l MISSIONARY SKETCHES. R. BURNS kept copious "jottings by the way," in his day-books. The following brief notice of a Canadian " Paisley" is a specimen : this "city of the ' woods" has made rapid progress since : " 1864.— August 6th, 7th, 8th. Paisley. Preached four times ; two stations, eight miles distant ; 180 communi- cants ; ten years since settlement, not less than 500 in the . . village, sixteen miles from Southampton ; thirty-four from J^jJ Owen Sound ; sixteen from Walkerton. Communion J twice a year in the village ;: five prayer-meetings con- nected with the congregation ; five Sabbath schools, and a Bible-class ; pupils, 160 in all ; one common school, 100 ; a first-class teacher ; $2,000 for a building ; one Episcopal ; one Kirk ; one Free ; two Methodist ; a Temperance Iiodge, improved as to Temperance ; progressive advancement, fourfold in four years ; Muir, an old Paisley weaver of 71, was at my ordination in 1811." T » 290 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. I' After his missionary excursions, my father -vras in the habit generally of writing out fuller notices. From a mass of material of this description we make several se- lections : "Toronto, 29th Aug., 1845. " On my way to London I preached or addressed meetings at three places — Diindas, St. George (Dainfries), and Gait. Owing to the wetness of the night the attendance at the first of these was smaller than it would have been ; bnt judging from what I saw, I would say that the congi'egation of our friend Mr. Stark seem to be decided in tlieir principles, and united as one man. At St. George I occupied the pulpit of Mr. Roy, a worthy minister of the United Secession Church, who preaches hero and at Brantford every Sab- bath. At Gait the meeting was a very crowded one, and it was manifest that the interest felt in the debate a few weeks before, between Dr. Liddell and Mr Bayne, had whetted the appetite of the x)eople to hear a little more about the principles of the Free Church. The town of Gait is the chief place in the township of Dumfries ; beautifully situated in a valley on the Grand River, and possessing great capabilities of increase. The township is four- teen miles square, and the land nearly all arjible ; a large propor- tion of it being cleared, and of the finest quality. The position occupied by a minister so talented as Mr. Bayne is a very impor- tant one, and his congregation is one of the largest and most influ- ential in Canada. " On my way to the west, I had also an opportunity of paying a visit to the Rev. Thomas Christie, at Flamburough, a venerable minister of the United Secession Synod of Canada, whose strength has, for fourteen years past, been spent in the work of evangelistic effort, and wlio has been tlie instrument of planting a number of congregations. On his arrival in the district, without a friend :o direct him. Providence led him into conversation with a plain man who w\as breaking stones by the way-side, and whose judgment and piety were of considerable avail to him. Of the knoll or rising ground which then caught his eye, Mr. C said, '* there is the proper spot for a house of worship." On that spot his church was soon thereafter reared, and his then unknown acquaintance has been for years an elder in the congregation. With tlie brother of this worthy minister, formerly of Edinburgh, now a very extensive proprietor of some of the finest land in the township of Dumfries, we spent a few days. It was the throng of harvest. Many reapers we found at work, all men of suitable strength and skill in the exercise ; among the rest an Indian chief and several of his tribe, with intelligence and activity in all respects equal to the rest : and here I saw what I had it not in my power to witness for many HONOURABLE ADAM FERGUSSON. 291 'as in the From a everal se- , 1845. aeetings at Owing to these waa it I saw, I seem to be St. George lie United ivevy Sab- ind it was ks before, ppetite of the Free wnsliip of lid lliver, ip is four- ',e proper- B position !ry inipor- aost influ- paying a venerable ! strength angelistic umber of friend :o •lain man ment and or rising re is the urch was has been c of this xtensive umfries, r reai^ers 11 in the is tribe, !st : and r many years — ^the master, tlie family, the domestics, and the reapers ail congregated in one lari^^o company at evening worship, while the early hour of five in the nioruing wituussoil the same assembly similarly engaged, prior to the coinmencuinont of the work of tha day. With Mr. Christie and his labourers, prompt i)ayment, healthful and abundant pri>vision, and entire abstinence from spirituous licpiors, are the standing rules, and the blessed effeota are palpable to every eye. *' Whenever I have been called to address a congregation on these visits, I have made it .i rule hr.st to preach the (io3i)el of the grace of God to sinful and dying men ; and thereaftei", if it is deemed proper in the circumstances, to address the hearers on their duties as a congregation connected with the Presbyterian Church. " Among the respectable Scottish proprietors whom I had the pleasure of meeting in the vicinity f)f Hamilton, T must be allowed to particularise the Honourable Adam Fergusson, of Woodhill, who settled with his family in Canada West twelve years ago, and whose patriotic etiorts for the improvement of the colonj' are ex- actly what might have been expected from the enlightened public spirit he ever manifested in his native land. His communications to the Highland Society of Scotland (afterwards embodied in a volume for the public) are very valuable. He has presented me with a copy of the second edition of this work, inscribed to the library of our Free Church College here, and in his letter to me he modestly speaks of the work as ' belonging to a day th;it has past, and if looked into now' says he ' it can only clann notice as affording a pleasing and a cheering record of the advances wo have made in the last ten or twelve years.' Well may he add, from his own experienced observation : ' 1 see no reason to shrink from the sentiment of ' Sjieru nidiura.' " My visit to London soon convinced me that the pious habits of the Christians of Ross and Sutherland had accompanied the emi- grants from these counties, who are settled in large numbers in and around that i)lace. A day had been set apart during the previous week for solemn humiliation, and its public and private services had been waited on by large and attentive audiences. ( )n Friday there had been held an experience meeting for ' speaking to the question' as it is called, and several aged and pious Higlilanders had entered into subjects of spiritual and practical theology with the depth and unction of a Baxter or a Bates. Saturday was ush- ered in with early prayer-meetings ; at eleven we had [)ublic ser- vice in English and in Gaelic, the evening also being devoted to prayer-meetings. On Sabbath the spacious Scots Church was packed with English hearers, while one of the Methodist Chapels accommodated the G.aelic part of the congregation till three o'chjck, when they got possession of the church, and the communion ser- vice in Gaelic went on. The singularly aii'ecting strains of the I li ■ n ii ^i. i 292 LIFE OJf UbIV. D\{. BURNS. music of the Gael, their slow and cautious approach to the table, and the whole solemnity of tlie scene brought forcibly to my mind vrhat I had of 'en heard of but never saw, the sacramental scenes of Ferint(jsh and Kirkhill. The evening service was in English ; but on Monday we had both English and Gaelic. Our excellent friend, Mr. McKenzie, of Zorra, took the entire charge of the Gaelic de- partment, and a large number of his people came in to join in the service. His services in this district, along with those of Mr. McMillan, of Williams, and Mr. Allan, of Stratford, have been eminently blest. Nor must I omit to notice the debt of gratiuule we owe to INIr. John Eraser, of the Bank*, who by his own almost unaided efforts has kept together the congregation in London — conducting public worship both in English and Gaelic, with faithful and judicious exposition of Scripture, and. in every way that sound judgment can dictate, building \ip the Carch. O, that our breth- ren of the Free Ouirch at homo had just seen for once what I have seen of these interesting assemblages of an industrious, well-con- ditioned and pious peasantry from the hills and dales of Caledonia ! They would need no pleading further to send us over a few of their Macdonalds, and Erasers, and Stewarts to occupy such;/ noble field. Nor let it be supposed that the English part of the popula- tion here is less interesting than the Gaelic. There is great need of the ministrations of the gospel to all classes. Indeed for the town of London an able and acceptable English minister is perhaps of more importance at present than a Gaelic one ; but St. Thomas, Eckfrid, Mosa, and other settlements in the district are almost wholly Gaelic, and these warm-hearted Highlanders are really hun- gering and thirsting after the bread and water of life. Would the Free Church only send us just now were it only one Gaelic minister, of power and popular gifts, we might, with the aid of Mr. Eraser, and the occasional visits of the Gaelic ministers from other town- ships, *' get along' pretty well, as the men of the United States say. But if these townships are left much longer without help in either language, one of the finest openings of a missionary character in the world is closed perhaps for ever. " Prior arrangements required my leaving London on my return on Monday evening. My regret is that I had not another Sabbath for the visit. London may be considered as the centre of a noble country, equal in extent to the whole lowlands of Scotland, and in agriculttiral resources, far superior. I felt a great desire to go along through the whole of the districts of Lake Erie round to Gotlerich, knowing as I did, that there are masses of our country- men there who would have given me a hearty welcome. The round Presbyterianism of our Free Church is the very tiling that these districts require, along with good schools, to form a great country. Deeply also do I lament that our Deputies from Scot- • Father of the Rev. Dr. Fnsor, of London, icrsally regTCtt«d.~ED. Ha died within a !«w yean after, uni- KINGSTON. RIDEAU CANAL. 293 land have kept so far to the east. The finest parts of Canada have not been reached by thoni as yet. IMay the great Head of the Chnrcli speedily send forth standard bearers, to display the banner of his cross and crowTi in those goodly lands !" " Toronto, Sept. 17, 1845. "The second Sabbath of August I spent in Kingston, pveuchcd three times on the Lord's day, besides giving a discourse on Satunlay evening, specially addressed to the members uf the congregati( m. At that period there was every reason tf BecVv.-ith is Gaelic ; many of the settlers are from the Marquis of Breadalbane's country ; and all of them more or less flourishing. The kindness I met with in both of these townships disposes me, irrespective of all higher considerations, to repeat my visit. " Lanark had not been put into my list at all. This, however, was no reason why I should not pay my respects to my old friends, whom I had known of old in that place ; and, short as was the notice, we had a tolerable audience. An adjoining settlement, called Middleton, I visited also, and preached to about two hundred in the open air. Here I met with such warm-hearted men as Messrs. P and R , and others, whose intelligence and piety cheered me. " Perth demands all that we can do for it. The congregation here have built a Free Church, most advanta eously situated. Here I spent the Sabbath — preached three times to crowded audiences, and '>n Monday held a church meeting, at which the Member of Parlia- ment for the County of Lanark, Mr. Cameron, a member of the Free Church at Port Samia, presided ; and where the very best spirit prevailed. There are here a number of sensible and active ftlders and others, who take a lead in the congregation, and the cause would prosper exceedingly could a young evangelist, of talent and piety, be obtained as pastor. A central situation like this will diffuse a healthful influence all around. i i ■ f DALHOUSIE. 295 bless his [tiiro, coni- pinity, and seen here ddressinir er, a call" in favour ommitted excellent ;ge, Edin- [chairman, places, a ev. W. G. are in a he Gospel laborious *lac«, too, spectable, Alleged to rian. Of are either A large ' from the re or less ownships epeat my tiowever, friends, was the fclement, fiundred nien as id piety on here Here I es, and Parlia- of the ry best active id the talent lis will " The Dalhousie Diatrict was to me personally very interesting. There I met with not a few whom I had seen and known twenty- five years before in Renfrewshire, and whose circinnstances now contrasted most favourably with their situation then. It is won- derful what may be effected by industry, sobriety, and content- ment, even when physical disadvantages are very great. The land here is far from being the best, and the distance from markets great, while the roads are bad. And yet, it was refreshing to find, that our industrious and well-behaved people of the west of Scot- land had come on amazingly well. A fine spirit prevails among them. Sobriety is prevalent, and they are what may be called a religiously disposed class. The library of St. Andrew's Hall, I had the opportunity of examining, and I have no doubt that the read- ing habits which that Institution has cherished, have proved salu- taiy in promoting intelligence and sound morals. The number of volumes is nearly 1 ,000, but they are mostly old and worn out, a good sign of the proper use which has been made of them. I preached in that hall, and at another station in Dalhousie proper. The Free Church decidedly predominates, and a stafi' of nine Elders is a very good commencement. There are three stations which will form together one charge. The site for a Manse on the beautiful lake of Mississippi, was pointed out to me, and the people are both able and willing to support a minister. A more promising station for an active pious labourer, cannot be. I undertook to have the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper dispensed among them in the course of the season. " Of Brockville, Prescott, and Gananoque, I need not particu- larly speak. I visited and preached at each, and held conferences with the sessions at each, the results of which are on record. To the kind friends in these places I owe many thanks ; may they and theirs prosper in the best sense ! I regretted I could not visit South Gower, one of the largest of our congregations ; neither could I visit Edwardsburgh and the adjoining settlements ; but it gave me pleasure to learn that there was a good prospect of the ordina- tion of pastors over these congregations soon. Mr. Boyd, of Pres- cott, has long laboured among them in the way of occasional visits, and he will feel gratified in seeing them comfortably settled under pastors of their own. " In the Bathurst District, I found a peculiar attention had been paid to the cultivation of sacred music. The singing delighted me, and my associations led me back to the earnest and * grave sweet melody' of the Kilsyth audience, inspired by the revival of reli- gion in that place. The practice of sacred music I found to be one of the relaxations in which the people took much delight. Long may such be the relaxation which pleases ! St. Andrew's Hall was expressly built for what is technically called a spree on St. Andrew's day. That is now past. The Temperance Society has gained its laurels here, as everywhere in Canada, and the voice of psalms is the music that now fills the place. '^ !i» V It 29U LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. *< Toronto, 22iul Nov., 1849. " Immediately after the celebration of the holy ordinance of our Lord's Sui>per in Knox's Charch, in the beginning of Sei)tein})er, I resolved, in humble dojiendonce on God, to carry out my intention of a missionary tour to Canada East, Nova Sc(jtia, and New Bruns- wick. In much mercy I have been enabled to do so, and eight Sabl)aths, embracing nine weeks, were devoted to the work. Every colonial minister must be, to a greater or less extent, a missionary; and the time devoted to the missicm field is by no means lost, even to the congregation more immediately his own. A missionary spirit is fav(jurable to active effort in every way ; and an affectionate flock will lose, nothing by extra evangelistic labours on the part of their pastor. " The Free Church congregation of C6t6 Street, Montreal, has always had a iieculiar claim on our church. Its members were the first who raised the standard of the protesting Church of Scotland in the colonies, and they have continued to grasp it with an un- flinching hand. They erected, at great expense, years ago, an ex- cellent and commodious place of worship, with lecture-room, Bible class-rooms, and accommodation for week-day schools. The Free Church at home has snp[ilied diem, from time to time, with faithful ministers, in the character of deputies, who have remained for periods of from three to six months each. With all the inconve- niences inseparable from frequent change of ministers, the congre- gation has never lost a member by desertion ; and it is fit present in as flourishing a state as at any time since its first opening in May, 1845. Its staft" of elders and deacons comprises a band of faithful men, characterized by sound judgment, elevated piety, and active habits. The uiimber of members exceeds 200. An addition of twelve was made at the communion on the 24th Sei 'ember last ; and I have not the least doubt that were a talented and laborious pastor settled permanently amongst them, the increase would be rapid. It is not, however, to mere numbers that the office-bearers look. They prize a godly discipline ; and, in carrying out this principle, they have set an example which all churches would do well to imitate. I found not the smallest difticulty with them on this head. Our views accorded well ; and I was not conscious of any difference in the practical carrying out of these views in the congregation of Knox's Church, Toronto, or of Cote Street, Montreal. " The deputy who had laboured last among them was the Rev. James Lewis, of Leith, one of the most talented and eloquent ministers of the Free Church. The effects of his preaching and of his visits were very visible in the state of the congregation. My prayer has long been that God would put it into the heart of some such godly minister to come over and help us, not in the way of occasional and limited residence, but as a fixed pastor, * to take part with us in this ministry.' It is to my mind one of the most per- plexing mysteries in hiHuan character, and in the movements of FRENCH CANADIAN MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 297 churches, that the finest of all fields for evangiJistic and mission effort on the face of the earth, should have so long escaped the notice of men and of churches who stand first unquestionably in apostolic zeal. In the city of Montreal, Satan has pre-eminently his seat. The whole province is unquestionably one of the finest of the preserves of the man of sin. Everything in the political department is working into his hands, and the churches of the Reformation seem respectfully quiescent. " Four out of eight Sabbaths were devoted to Montreal — one of these the communion Sabbath. On these sejvsons I look back with singular pleasure — they were refreshing and gladdening. In the meetings of the Sabbath school and of the IJible-classes, I saw tl)« germ of growing prosperity to the congregation. In the services an the wharf too, and on board the Hrromaixni and Montreid ; in the visit to ' Poiute aux Trembles ;' in the weekly prayer -meetings and lectiu'e, and in otlier occasional exei'cises, a deputy to this place sees at once the freshening field of his labours, and the extent of influence which they command. " In the operations of the ' French Canadian Missionary Society' the members of Cute Street take a deep interest. The society is catholic, and liberal in its basis ; and since its C(mimeiicement in ISo'.) its operations have been characteriz.ed by energetic harmony. A (lay devoted to the institution for boarding and educatini; young habitants of both sexes, was, to my friends and me, very delightful. The place is about eight miles below the city — beautifully situated on the banks of the river — a large brick erection, capable of accommo- dating upwards of one hundred pujiils ; and a hundred acres of the finest land attached. With Mr. and Mrs. Tanner, with the teachers of the different departments, and our excellent friead, Mr. John Black, who occui^ies a most important department in the society, we had much agreeable intercourse. The examinations were con- ducted both in English and French ; and we left the Institute with a deep impression of its value, and of the paramount duty of Pro- testant ministers and members looking specially after it. The superintendent of the farm, Mr. Symington, from Johnston, near Paisley, soon hailed me as an old acquaintance. He has already uitroduced Scotch improvements in the system of agriculture. A well-written appeal which he drew up, soon brought from Mr. Playfair, of Glasgow, and other friends, an ample supply of imple- ments of the best kind. The stouter boys, with one or two of their teachers, were busy making a drain rcmnd the premises, and we felt as if translated to the Lane Manual-labour College at Cincin- nati. " While at Montreal, it was proposed that a missionary visit should be paid to Vankleek Hill, and Lochiel, in Glengarry. Four days of the first part of a week were devoted to this ; and our valued friend, Mr. James R. Orr, lately returned from Jamaica, with renovated health, accompanied me. We sailed up the Ottawa I m f n ( A < -i 298 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. in tho recjnlar steamor, sixty or seventy miles — and a macmificont scene it is— as far as St. Aiulrew'a, where we laiulud, and t ivulled by car to Lachnte (or Jrvustdan, an iho new l'(ti)ish nomenclature calls it), where our worthy brotlutr, tho llev. Thomas Henry, is seLiied. It is rpiite a rural diHtrict, Scottish in its aspect, and iinist of its inhaliitiints Scottish. On tlie ovenini,' of the day on which we left the city, we had sermon and address in Mr. Henry's church, and to a resi)ectahle cnngregation of his peoi»lo. On all such itcca- siinis, it is the best plan to declare to the i)ei)ide, fir.st, the simple truths of the ylorious gospel, and, having dune so, to exhort them in a separate address on their special duties as church memhers, with appeals to our distinctive i)riiicii)le3. This last is not in every case necessary, Imt in nf) case should tho direct preaching of the gospel to perishing sinners he neglected. Visits of this nature tend to strengthen the hands of the minister, while they cheer and en- courage ins people. •* At St. Andrew's, we observed, rising near tho Roman Catholic Chapel, a large building, which we learned was intended as a I'opish College or seminary — one of many such erections all over Lower Canada. Thoy are all more or less under the influence of the Jesuits, and exert a power, of no slight kind, in strengthening the hold which the Papacy has over the minds of the people. Next day we crossed the Ottawa, and after a journey of some thirty or forty miles in all, reached Vankleek Hill, a place which brings many pleashig associations with it. It is a village in the west of the township of West Hawkesbury, eight miles south from the Ottawa river, containing about three hundred inhabitants, many of them originally of German or Dutch extraction. In the village there is a steam grist-mill, several factories, and not a few symptoms of progressive advancement. The Presbyterians here and in the neighbourhood generally adhere to us, and we had a good attendance at church in the afternoon, of persons not only from the village, but from the country round. We went in the evening to see the manse which had been built for Dr. Macgillivray, when he resided here as deputy from the Free Church, and the peoi^le cherished the hope of his becoming their pastor. Although that able minister did not see it to be liis duty to remain with the congregation here or at Lochiel permanently, his residence and his labours among them were eminently useful, and of both a most grateful remembrance will long be cherished. It is proper also to state that in Canada and the United States Dr. Macgillivray, by his energetic appeals, collected £200, of which £80 have been ap- propriated to the erection of the church at Lochiel, £20 granted to Lancaster and Dalhousie Mills congregations, the rest devoted to Vankleek Hill, and applied in part to the purchase of a glebe and the finishing of the manse ; the residue being reserved for building a new church, which may become necessary. It is but justice to notice these valuable efforts of my worthy friend, at whose manso LOCH I (to be) we called, survoyii ments ; lulmiriiig the dee marking out the precise sj of Dr. Patorson, and tho " Lochiel is eight miles i o'chtck next day we foui hundred brawny Highlan walls (jf their large and hi hours to the message of .< most thankfully aided b> faithful catechist and mis;- llev. Daniel Clark, of I simplicity, who, with pic good measure of Highland the banner of truth, and set. He had come in met " It was a very small ]>; visit. There are in all fo the Indian reserve on wl teems with Highlaiulers, t seventy years ago, fouglit soil. It vvas here that m; in China, had many of hi considerable nmnber of (i Scotland, also visited this Dr. Macgillivray, have lef Alexander Cameron, stud as a Gaelic missionary in return to college a few w by the Presbytery of Tor( vices during the winter, acquaintance with many o such as Mr. Cattanach, others, for whom I pray t; rest in rich abundance on " On our return next d Andrew's, and after a ver; St. Eustache, a place well in Lower Canada. The n dow-shutters of some of melancholy memorials of : had been burnt to the grc taken refuge within its towers or spires, with thei able distance. Here, and i the settlements of the old contrast betwixt the husbs and that of these poor pe LOCHIEL. HIOHLAIsDLRS. •200 (to be) we called, survoying its comfort able but tonantlosn a|>art- ments ; wlmiriii*,' tliu deep <,'r<)VO witliiu which it is ciidiodded ; markin'4 tmt the precise spot for the * ijianse ^'Hrdeii ;' mid tliiiiking of Dr. Paterson, and the faseinutinj;' pa^es of Iuh em'hantiii:,' Ixiok. " Lochiel is ei;^dit inileHSDuth-west of V'aiiklci'k Hill, and at twelve o'clock next daj' wo found ourselves' there. «iinoniided by seven hiuidred brawny H'L;hlander.s, assembled within the rising .stone walls i)i their larj^e and handsome erection, and listeninn fen' three hours to the nies.sa<,'o of salvaticm, in the ilelivery of which I was most thankfully aided by the valuable assistance in Celtii; of our faithful catechist and missionary, Mr. Alexander Cameron, and U\e llev. Daniel Clark, of Indian Lands, a yodly man, of primituu aimplicity, who, with I'iety and pi'udonce, combined with !« '"e good measure of Hi^ddand tact, has for years held up sin'^le-haim xl the banner of truth, and borne the brunt of many a resiiluary on- set. He had come to meet us upward.s of twenty miles. " It was a very small iiart of (jlemcarry 1 had it in my power to visit. There are in all four lar^e and populous townships, besides the Indian reserve on which Mr. Ciark is located. The district teems with Highlanders, the descendants of those worth}' men who, seventy years ago, fought the battles of loyalty on the American soil. It was hero that my young relation, 1\Ir. W. C. Burns, now in China, had many of his most deli^^htfnl tokens of success. A considerable number of ( Jaelic ministers, from the Free Church of Scotland, also visited this district, and their labours, with those of Dr. Macgillivray, have left the best effects. This last siunmer, Mr. Alexander Cameron, student in theology, has laboured successfully as a Gaelic missionary in Vankleek Hill and Lochiel, and on his return to college a few weeks ago, Mr. Jcjhn Ross, lately licensed by the Presbytery of Toronto, has agreed to give his valuable ser- vices during the winter. My visit to these places brou},dit me into acquaintance with many of our friends of whom I had often heard, such as Mr. Cattanach, Mr. Neil Stewart, Mr. Buchanan, and others, for whom I pray that the blessing of the Most High may rest in rich abundance on them and on their families. " On our return next day we again crossed the Ottawa, at St. Andrew's, and after a very weaiy journey of many miles, reached St. Eiistache, a place well known in the annals of the late rebellion in Lower Canada. The marks of the balls on the do(jrs and Avin- dow-slmtters of some of the houses, were pointed out to us as melancholy memorials of fearful events. The Poi)ish ch irch, which had been burnt to the ground with many miserable beings who had taken refuge within its walls, has been rebuilt, and its double towers or spires, with their tin roofs, catch the eye at a consider- able distance. Here, and at Ste. Therese, we were in the midst of the settlements of the old habitans, and we could not but mark the contrast betwixt the husbandry to which we had been accustomed, and that of these poor people, whose situation seems to be very 1 ■ Ll j4 ■ if. ^f- |i- m ,1 ^Sl 300 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. little changed from that of their ancestors two centuries ago. Th* state of the roads and the agriculture, indicated that we were noi in the midst of British settlers. The influence of Popery, even on the external circumstances of men, was seen in palpable contrast with that of Protestantism. I felt somewhat as 1 aid when tra- velling in Virginia, where the withering eflects of the system of slavery are seen in the very blasting of the fields, as well as in the degradation of man, ' the gi'owth that dwindles there.' Near !Ste. Therese we saw a large stone-building of four stories in height, which wo were told was a college and boarding-ho\ise, under the control of the Jesuits. Here, education, after the fasliion of Popery, is given to upAvards of eighty young men, with board, at a remai'kably cheap rate. The driver of our car told us that hia three sons, lads somewhat advanced, were kept and educated there, in a style which he considered the best, at fifteen dollars per month, for the whole. The education given, I have reason to be- lieve, is superficial, at least, in sd far as the connnunication of real knowledge is concerned ; but 1 doubt not that attention is paid to the comfort of the inmates. It is the interest of the ct)ncern noi to be wanting in tliis respect ; and the college has good endow- ments from those lands which, to a prodigious extent in this Pro- vince, belong to the Pomish churcl). The temx)tations oftered to lax Protestants arc thus very ninnerous, and we fear that from this cause, and from the frequent intermarriages betwixt I'rotestants and lloman Catholics, the career of pernicious error is much ad- vanced. " In both St. Eustache and Ste. Therese, there are congregations and churches belonging to our Church. In Ste. Tiierese, the Kev. David Black, son of the eminently pious Mr. Black, formerly of Lady Yestor's, Edinburgh, has been settled for a number of years ; and in St. Eustache, we have, since the disruption, had Mr. suui- from time to time, a missionary and catechist settled. Swinton, forme: 'y, and Mr. William Maclaren» this last mer, b(jtl' students of Knox's College, have been very accept- Our friends rent the church for a nominal siun, may, perhaps, be looked on now as substantially their able and it own : at least, they are not likely to be disturbed in the possession of it. How important such a station as this ! The Scottish settlers may not indeed be very numerous in the district, but they are very influential, and rapidly on the increase. If our Church had it in its power to plant here and there, in these Lower Provinces, faithful men, and were these faithful men also qualified to go among the French settlers, and talk to them in their own tongue, and distribute suitable tracts among them, much good would unquestioiiobly be done. Sevei'al of the agents of the French Canadian Society are settled at stations in this neighbour- hood. One of them has lately been asked to officiate in the parish church,' in place of the curd whom the bishop had sent, but vrho MONTREAL TO BOSTON. 301 1 ago. Tl»<) e were nov, ry, even on lie contrast " I when tra- e system of ill as ill the Near !Ste. 3 in height, , under the fashion of h board, at us that his cated there, dollars per eason to be- ation of real )n is paid to concern nov ;ood endow- in this Pro- is ottered to liat from this l*rotestants is much ad- ongregations e, the llev. "ormerly of number of uption, had ttled. Mr. last sum- very accept- minal sum, ntially then: bed in the this ! The the district, ase. If our these Lower so qualitied in their own much good ■ents of the s neighbour- in the pariah int, but wJw was unncceptable to the people. An aged priest has also been lately brought to the knowledge of the truth, and is labouring amid much discouragement. Thus we see, that were faithful and consistent men here and there among the habitdiifs, they would have a wide sphere of usefulness, not only among their own countrymen, but among the natives also, whose prejudices would dissolve awaj amid the genial influences of kind treatment and disinterested pas- toral faithfulness. " On our return to Montreal we crossed the ' Isle Jesu,' and saw its four parish churches. When within eight miles of the city, we passed a village in which we noticed a specimen of the completeness to which the ecclesiastical establishment of the Popish Chui'ch in these lands is carried. In one clump, we saw an elegant i)rospect. Arrangements having been duly made for a missionary tour in the eastern settloments and in Frince Edward's fsland, Mr. For- rester and I left Halifax on Saturday morning, by coach, for Tnu'", a beautiful settlement of old standing, about sixty miles eastward. picrou. 303 es grow in nicy oi cht I we stayed witnessing 3ling of the Thia ia the Lbany ; and , entitled to iimodations , respectable anada, next r Montreal, increased by , the Ameri- t of the pil- i,y — who has ^e possession f thousand of mechanics in old Paisley jarpet-manu- ation dxuing A the infor- .1 subjects, I he day after town friends visits, and I Sir. and INIrs. ring my stay visiting some city, and in huvch on the If to my view \t ornaments erior presents 1 comfortable oofs of judg- jllected much , a devotional veiling, wlun rtant servii-os >nary tour in nd, Mr. For- ch, for Truro, ilea eastward. Here we made arrangements ior sermon on my return, and passed on to Londonderry, ^\here we found the Rev. John Munro, ordained missionary of the district, waiting for us, accompanied by JMr. Maclean, a lay friend, whose services on this and other occasions were to us very valuable. i>T.r. Forrester went on to Pugwash or Waterford, and I remained at Wallace. We had travelled this day nearly one hundred miles, and the mercy of a faithful God preserved us. Next day our services were divided amongst the settlements at Wallace, Gulfshore, and Waterford ; and the attendance at all these places was very encouraging. " On Monday and Tuesday we held meetings at all these places, and also at New Annan and Earlton, and the town of Pictou, where the principles, proceedings, and prospects of the Free Church of Scotland were, more or less fully, illustrated in connexion with the preaching of the gospel to perishing sinners. The- whole land was spread out before us as a wide iield of missionary labour, and we felt deeply the want of suitable labourers. Mr. IMunro has been engaged very usefully in part of this field, for nearly a year, as a Gaelic missionary. The Rev. Messrs. Stewart, Sutherland, and Campbell occupy large districts in the range of Pictou, and are de- servedly esteemed by the people to whom they minister. My old friend, Mr. Stewart, 1 found waiting my arrival at Pictou, and on Wednesday! accompanied him to New (ilasgow, where a portion of his congregation assembled. After sermon and address on their appropriate duties, we re-crossed the harbour, and preaclied in the evening to an excellent congregation in the town of Pictou. The Free church there occupies a commanding position, and will be, when completed, a commodious building. Of it, and of the church at West RivfTj and perhaps one or two more in course of erection, I may remark ti^at some help from the friends of colonial churches would be highly desirable, as the great body of adherents to our cause, in these placoj, are in humble circumstances, and a succes- sion of unfortunate harvests has crijtpled sadly their resources. In the district of Pictou, the great body of the people are our warm friends, and they cannot be fewer than from twelve to hf teon tlimi- sand souls. Six Gaelic ministers would bo I'equired here in addition to those already settled, and there are numerous Highland settle- ments to the east and west of Pictou entirely destitute. A .iuer missionary field there cannot be. Miiusters of the I'resbyterian Synod and others have indeed done munh to supply tl'o s[)iritual destitution, but still the harvest is very plenteous. May the great Lord send forth faithful men, who iihay be able to teach the people in their own tongue the Avonderful things of (Jod. " It waa arranged that Mr. IMunro and I should go to Prince Edward Island ; Mr. Forrester, who had accompanied us thus far, returning to Halifax. On Thursday, we went by steamer to Char- lottetown, a distance of seventy miles. Uiifortunatoiy, the letters giving notice of our intended visit had not reached, and thus no } 41 m it, l! ^ ! 'H ; i:' r mmr t f t I 1 ! 304 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. arrangement for missionary work liad been made. In the circum- stances, we made tlv.' best of it ; Mr. Munro setting off to visit his countrymen in different settlements, from ten to thirty miles distant from Charlottetown, while I remained in the capital of the Island, and in its neighbourhood, till Monday. I had two opportunities of preaching in Charlottetown on the Lord's Day, by the kindness of the Methodists and the Baptists ; and at three o'clock in a chapel al>out seven miles out of town, which seems to be common to differ- ent evangelical bodies, we had a crowded audience. At this place also I had the pleasure of meeting with my excellent friend, the Hon. Charles Young, who, five years ago, welcomed Mr. Robb and me as deputies from the Free Church, and rendered us most valu- able services. It has often been to me a niatter of deep regret that the suggestions of that gentleman, at that period, had not been promptly acted on. The whole island was then ready to welcome us, and an effective minister located at Charlottetown would have been the centre of Free Church influence, and of sound evangelical truth through the colony. As matters have been, and are, our in- terest in the island, except among the Gaelic peojile, is not exten- sive ; and those friends of the Redeemer who, tive years ago, or since, were thirsting for the water of life, have gone away from us in different directions. As to the Scottish Establishment in the island, however, it is in religious feeling and character below zero. One young man, from Ireland, had hovered among the residuaries here for a whole year, keeping up something like a Sabbath-day's meeting in St. James's Church, but doing nothing effective in the way of ministerial duty ; and a Gaelic minister of some talent, who had been with them for a year and a half after, did not appear to have altogether repaired the injury that had been done. A mis- sionary from the Free Church (Mr. Mclntyre) had laboured faith- fully among his Highland countrymen, but Charlottetown had not been supplied. Monday and Tuesday having proved very wet, serious obstacles were interposed in the way of the projected missionary visits to Belfast and Murray Harbour ; but Mr. Munro's perseverance and zeal overcame many difhculties, and at my request he agreed to remain a month in the island, the Presbytery sanctioning this arrangement, and Mr. Sutherland, of Earlton, agreed to succeed him for the same length of time. Both of these gentleman had, by former visits, done most effective service to the cause in the island, as had Mr. Forrester, Mr. Stewart, and Professors King and Mackenzie, of Halifax Free College. Indeed the brethren of the presbyteriep of Pictou and Halifax, could not have done more for the island than they have done, consistently with other calls. The great error has been in the want of a resident minister of our church at Charlottetown, as the centre. That place has at least five thousand inhabitants, and many of these are Presbyterians of Scotland and of Ireland, who would have combined with us readily. PRINCE Edward's island, cape breton. 'Si)'} Of the Gaelic population in the island, amounting to many thou- sands, we have a very strong hold, and their attachment to our Srinciples is based on something better than mere expediency. Mr. Iclntyre, the Free Church Gaelic missi(mary in the island, ban proved himself a faithful and successful labourer ; but he had loft some time before, for Cape Breton, and from the state of his health, it is feared that he may not be able to resume his labours in Prince Edward- It was to me matter of regret that want of time put it beyond my power to follow him to Cape Breton ; but I rejoice in the favourable aspect of the cause there, and in the good eflFected by a late visit of our active and energetic brother, Mr. For- rester. Let us hope that the call addressed to Mr. McLeod, of Logie, will be favourably responded to by that esteemed minister. The accession of such a man is just what is needed to cheer the hearts of the worthy pastors who have been labouring long, amid many difficulties, and who are earnestly desirous of the presence and countenance of one so well fitted to be at once their fellow- labourer and their guide . The enlightened efforts of Mrs. Mackay, of Edinburgh, have t^ld most successfully on this interesting field. Reflection on what thid Christian lady has been honoured to accom- plish for churches and schools in Cape Breton, must be to her own mind matter of lively gratitude, as assuredly it is subject matter of thankfulness to not a few who will prove her joy and crown in the great day. " While in Prince Edward, I had an opportunity of hearing from Captain Nelmes, of Bermuda, the particulars of the death of Mr. Morrison, and the present position of the Free Church in that island. Mr. Morrison, and Mr. Struthers, of ComwalUs, were the first ministers whom the Glasgow Society desi^'nated to the Colo- nies, in 182G. Mr. Struthers is still spared, after years of useful labour both in Demerara and Nova Scotia. Mr. Morrison laboured first at Dartmouth, and in the Acadian School of Kalifax, but lat- terly he was for a series of years minister of the Scotch Church in Bermuda, and the notices I received of his pastoral faithful- ness, were veiy satisfactory. With the advice and aid of the Free Church Colonial Committee, at Edinburgh, he lately went to Trini- dad, partly for the recovering of his health, and partly to assist in the settlement of a Free Church minister in that island. In much feebleness he was enabled to discharge that duty, and he returned to his post in safety, but not with any perceptible benefit of health. He lingered for a short time under complicated sufferings. and died in hope, amid the prayers and regrets of an attached people, who were cheered by his dying testimony, as they had been edified by his pastoral labours. Application has been made to the Free Colonial Committee for a successor to Mr. Morrison, and let us hope that a station so very important will not be left long desti- tute of a settled minister. " On my way from Prince Edward iBland I had an af^reeable ■'i'\ ► f« 806 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. I M »;!'■ '•'it ••» ':'i I . 'i . ■iV meeting with the Presbytery at Pictou, when various matters re- garding supplies for different stations were settled. Along with Mr. Sutherland I went on to Rogers Hill, Earlton, and Truro. Unfortunately, circumstances prevented me from fulfilling my en- gagement at the first of these places, where a large congregation had assembled at the hour which had been fixed. At the church of Earlton, embedded in the centre of a grove without any dwell- ing near, we had a large meeting ; and it was very gratifying to me to meet personally with some venerable Highlanders who had been amongst my earliest correspondents as Secretarj- of the Glasgow Society, and whom in this sense, I had long knoAvn. These patri- archs of the bush i>resented to me fine specimens of the ' mtn' of the parishes of Sutherland and Ross. Thirty years ago they had been ' cleared off' from their patrimonial domains, and had wept as they beheld for the last time the sepulchres of their fathers. Many severe difficulties had they to overcome in their first settle- ment in the wilderness ; but God has befriended them when men were unkind, and they now present gratifying spectacles of suc- cessful colonization. Mr. Sutherland, the son of one of these hoary veteran Christians, studied at Edinburgh College, and is now the spiritTial pastor of his kinsmen and his countrymen in the pilgrimage to Zion. Earlton was like many other places left long unoccupied by a regular minister, but the good men of the old land were the ' holy seed' here, and by their powerful efforts here religion was kept not only alive, but in a healthful and thriving state, while not a few fields that had been occupied by licentiates of churches were withered. "At Truro — Icmg highly favoured by a succession of excellent ministers of the Presbyterian Church, and still enjoying many pri- vile<;e8 — we had a successful meeting in the Baptist chapel in the evening. It Avas the time of the sitting of the Assizes, and the respected Judge, with Crown Counsel and other official gentlemen, closed \he labours of their circuit, by attendance on the preach- ing of the gospel in the unassuming but comfortable meeting- house. " It was on Sabbath the 14th, according to appointment, ' Chal- mers' Church,' as the new edifice has been designated, was opened for public worship. At all the three meetings we had large and respectable audiences. The part of the services allotted to me embraced the morning and evening meetings ; and Mr. Forrester, pastor of the church, officiated in the afternoon, delivering a most appropriate discourse on the character of the good Centurion, who had shewn his love to the nation of Israel by ' building a 5yna- gogue.' The collections this day exceeded £100. Much praise is due to the members of this congregation for the liberality thev have shewn in carrying on and completing the building. The Free Church has now taken up its right position in the centre of the populous city. St. John's Church, at Dutchtown, will, however. matters re- Alfmg with an. I Truro. log my en- longregation the church t any dwell- ifying to me ho had been ;he Glasgow rhese patri- le ' men' of JO they had id had wept leir fathers. ' first settle- fi when men icles of suc- me of these lege, and is •ymen in the jes left l(jng n of the old efforts here md thriving y licentiates of excellent ig many pri- lapel in the zes. and the 1 gentlemen, the preach- )le meeting- lent, ' Chal- waa opened id large and otted to me :. Forrester, ering a most iturion, who ding a syna- ich praise is )erality thev The Free entre of the 11, however. 1 HALIFAX COLLEGE. DR. \VILKF:S. 307 be still kept up as a place of worship, and may the blessing of the Great Head rest on both, " It was interesting to find in Halifax a well appointed literary and theological seminary for the training of young men for the ministry. As the classes had not met, I had not an opportunity of meeting with the students as a body, but with five or six 1 had intercourse, and my impression of their abilities and piety was exceedingly favourable. I have learned since returning home that eighteen have enrolled in tlie preparatory and theological depart- ments, and the able prelections of I'rofessor King and his coad- jutors will, by the blessing of God, tell favourably upon them. In Halifax as in Toronto, the same impediments will be found to arise from the defective state of elementary education in the province. Canada is decidedly in advance of Nova Scotia, both in normal schools and in common ones ; and I rather think ir. district gram- mar seminaries also. The friends of education in that province are perfectly aware of this, and the question of academies and schools will be a vital one in the Legislature. But whatever issues may be arrived at, assuredly the members of the Free Church at Halifax must keep their institution in vigorous operation. Perhaps there, as here, there may be some danger of aiming all at once at too perfect an organization. In the infancy of all churches, one or two rea''y effective instruments have been compelled to do the work which may, in a more matured state of a church, be spread over a mmiber. Assuredly the very existence of Free Presbyte- rianism both in Canada and the other provinces, hangs upon right- ly constituted and successfully conducted seminaries iii Toronto and in Halifax. '' On Monday and Tuesday we had public services in Halifax, and at Dartmouth on the ()p[)osite side of the bay ; and on A'ed- nesday evening a crowded audience assembled in Chalmers' Church to listen to an exposition (if the distinctive principles of the Free Church. On this occasion. Professor King acquitted himself with all his well known talent and tact ; and the ellect of the meeting on both friends and foes were unquestionably gocjd. "After enjoying much agreeable fellowship with kind friends, I bade adieu to them and to Halifax on Thursday for Windsor, on iny way to St. John, Is. B. Whom should I tiiid in the coach as my feilow-traveller but my respected friend the Rev. Henry Wilkes, of Montreal, on his way from England, having left Liver- pool by the steam-oacket on Saturday se'iuiight. The details of his visits to England, l^cotland, Switzerland, and France, wert to me exceedingly interesting. We stopped together anight at Windsor, and next day set sail for St. John by the steam vessel that plies on the Bay of Fundy. We reached the city by the morning of Satur- day, very early — betwixt two and three a.m. — and found Mr. Thompson, Dr. Miller, and other friends waiting for my arrival. 308 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. From Saturday to Tuesday I had the gratification of enjoyin.? in St. John much agreeable intercoiirse with our friends of the Free Church, and others also like-minded in the essential matters of Christ's kingdom. On Sabbath we had three services : in the old Methodist church, Germain street ; in the temporary Free Chi rch, St. Stephen's Hall ; and in the Centenary Church of the WesLiyan Methodists. To that body we are under great obligaticms for tlieir readiness in accommodating us with the use of their places of wor- ship. On Monday evening there was held what was announced as a meeting of the * Evangelical Alliance,' in St. Stephen's Hall, ■when brethren of at least four different denominations met in fel- lowship, and when Mr. Wilkes favoured the meeting with refresh- ing details of his visits to Britain and the Continent. Malan, Merle D'Aubign6, Gaussen, and other eminent men of the Evange- lical school oi the Continent were brought visibly before us. Sketches of evangelistic oity upon them, and com- mission an able minister of the New Testament, to occupy this first-rate station in the visible church of the Redeemer. It is need- less to disguise it. An ordinary man will not do for Quebec. If the thing is properly managed, the new Free chiirch of that city will become a noble rallying point, otherwaya it will be a monument of folly. It is, indeed, a lovely gem ; but a congregation of eight hundred is not easily raised in Quebec. It is right that our friends, both in Canada and Scotland, should know this. The obstacles in QUEBEC. METIS. MEULE DAUllIGNE. Cll rmrishecl for as not equal ivil and re- nt,' influence Daviil Dale, iniorposi'd ; otten in the ffood men, ith, Forfar- , deserves inactions of I firm hand, ied around igrant still, vo America, re he occu- young and lowned his- ttcd for the )ious minis- irned, after at Cavers, aan, James g that was 1 11 «•" I!'! ,1 ii i ■:•,'! J i ■-•1 li! 312 LIFE OF REV. Dli. BURNS. ministry, in tho Lower Province, caught my fancy ; and most will say it was a dream of tho night. I do not think so. That distin- guished man preaches well in all the three languages, English, French and German ; and if he desired to add a volume to his valuahle hi8tr)ry, I know not a finer topic than the history of reli gion in Lower Canada. That Province was the scene of reforming and evangelistic efforts in other days, tlKMigh crushed by the over- whelming influence of Popery. ' The influence of the Vatican;' it is remarked by a late historian of the Province, and a Roman Catho- lic, 'was opposed to the prosperity of a colony whose real interests Italy did not understand.' " One of the out-stations which were visited, from Quebec, was Port Neuf, on the shore of the St. Lawrence, about thirty miles up from the city. There are here about twenty families, chiefly Scotch, and connected with an extensive paper mill, belonging to Messrs. Macdonald & Co., Quebec. Mr. Macdonald has also lately acquir- ed the entire seigniory. He is a warm friend of our church, and his ready and liberal kindness, with that of his partner in the con- cern, and Mr. Miller, and others, has been the means of keeping up an interest in this locality, for years past, highly favourable both to education and religion. Mr. Young,'* one of the students at Knox's College, is at present engaged as teacher of the school in the place, and he conducts w "ship on Sabbaths and at other times ; the same place serving both 'lool-house and chapel. — His labours are justly a2)preciated. Th mmodation is excellent. The day school is well attended, and tne Sabbath classes are in a prosperous state. I received much kindness from Mr. Miller, with whom I stayed four days. We had two meetings for worship, and the at- tendance was good. Altho\igh the number of Scotch families, in the immediate vicinity, is not very great, there are scattered here and there in the district round, a considerable number of Presby- terians, partly Scotch and partly from the north of Ireland. A faithful missionary or catechist settled here, might be the means of getting together a considerable congregation, and the moral and religious influence of a spiritual community, amid the darkness which broods around, cannot fail to prove highly beneficial. The acquisition of a seigniory by an enlightend Protestant, is an event of no inconsiderable moment in the prospective history of Lower Canada. — The proximity of this settlement to Quebec, and its easy access from that city, would render the superintendence of it, by an able minister settled there, a matter of no difficult accomplish- ment. A snow-storm detained me a day longer than I intended at Port Neuf, but I did not regret it, as it gave me an opportunity of visiting the most of the families, and of holding agreeable inter- course with Mr. Young on his literary studies." * Now Rer. Alex. Young, of Montraal. I ST. SYLVIiSTEU. LKEDS. 313 I most will hat distin- i, English, ime to his ry of reli reforming Y the over- Vatican;' it nan Catho- il interests iiebec, was by miles up 'fly Scotch, to Messrs. ely accjiiir- mrch, find in the con- of keeping irable both tudents at scliool in her times ; iis labours The day prosperous whom I d the at- imilies, in tered here )f Presby- eland. A i means of moral and 3 darkness cial. The an event of Lower nd its easy e of it, by ccomplish- [itended at )rtunity of ible inter- "January 25th, 1h53. " It was on Wednesday, November 17, I went by steamer to St. Nicholas, a port on the soiith side of the S'. Lawrence, and about ten miles above Quebec. It was in the afternoon we embarked, and a few miles only of the land journey could be overl ..ken that night. My guide was a wortl / son of Erin, who, with hisHiiiigh, had been sent d()wn some fifty miles expressly forme, and without any notice of the wishes or expectation of the people, farther than just an order to 'bring me up.' This is always to me the best proof of a desire to obtain the services of a missionary ; and when at all practi- cable I make it a rule always to comply with hints so broad and so intelligible, and I never yet had cause to repent doing so. We stayed all night at a house of refreshment, nine miles up the conn- try, where the privilege of evening and morning domestic worship was enjoyed. In the surrounding district, however, only throe Presbyterian families are to be found, and these are at considerable distances from each other. Passing on next day southward, we soon got beyond the range of French Popery, and in the Township of St. Sylvester came into contact with about twenty faiiiilius, mostly from the north of Ireland. In the house of stanti:d place of worship at the former was well tilled by an attentive and sserious looking congregation, of proljably more than two hundred; and from eighty to one hv.iidred were assembled in the other place. These four stationp. of Leeds and St. Sylvester would form together one manageable charge, aud they are fully ready to receive a minister. — The past serviceh of s.icli faithful young meu as Messrs. Swinton, Alexander, McLaren and Murray, * have been duly appreciated. The earnestness and the skilful propriety with which the praises of God were simg in these hjcalities, as well as in those of Inverness, formed a pleasing feature as an index of pious feeling, and a proof of congrcL^ational ovganization. Sabbiith schools and Bible classes also appear to have l)uen successfully conducted. " In St. Sylvester and Leeds the number of families adhering to us cannot ho fewer than one hundred and twenty. But there are out-tields which must not be overlooked. "There are Frampton, Brougliton. and Kennebec road, in all five stations at least, and upwards of c c hundi'ed avowedly Pres- byterian families, but scattered at varied distances over a large ex- tent of country. In connexion with a fixed pastor at Leeds and St. Sylvester, a lay missionar)' or catechist for these appendages, would be of great value. On the Kunnebec road, the llev. Simon Fraser, now of McTSal), laboured for some years ; and our friend, Mr. Angus Macintcjsh, now in Scotland, in one of his zealous mission tours, iirst brought to light the existence of settlements of Presbyterian families at the otlier places, who had been many years without the knowletlge or the s^jiritual aid of the Church who!:e children they wei-e. In I'egard to temi)oral support for a gospel ministry, there will l)e, as there has been, some difhcul- ty ; but there can be no question as to the call of duty address- ed to us, to look after those children of our people and of our Church, now scattered abroad. *'0n Monday, 22nd, I went on to Inverness, where I preached that day and the next day in the same i)lace, and at the same hour, to congregations of betwixt eighty and a hundred. Cn both occasions a conference was held after sermon, and every encouragement Jield out to the people to keep together, and to wait for more regular supply. TJie number of families in Inver- ness l>elonging to us, professedly, cannot much exceed fifty, and they are for the most part Gaelic. To show their real desire to ol)- tain a minister, they have built a nice manse in a convenient situa- tion. My two days' intercourse with these excellent people, wtis Messrs. Swintcii, now in United States : iti'Liiri'ii, (if Ottawa ; Alcxaiiilur, of I inptist Church, Orantfurd ; Murray, of Uriiusliy. lies distant, ;i;il place of ! and serious od ; and from lace. These ogether one a minister. irs. Swinton, ciated. The aises of God F Inverness, and a proof jible classes adhering to it there are road, in all wedly Pres- • a largo ex- i Leeds and appendages, llev. Simon our fi'iend. his zealous settlements '. been many the Church pport for u mo diflicul- ity address- and of our I preached the same ndred. On and every ler, and to I in Inver- \ iifty, and lesire tool)- nient situa- 3eoi)lo, was EASTERN TOWNSHIPS. LIBRARIES. 315 of the most pleasing kind. Much ir^elHgence and warm-hearted piety met my obsorvat:(jn. I was greeted with real Christian iitlec- tion, and left them with the full impression, that a j)ioua yming minister, having the Gaelic language, would find in this towiislup a most promising field of useful labour. In hx iking into tlu; libra- ries of the families with whom I stay, I am often deliglited to find in their proper places of influence, some of the standard works of our most venerated aubliors ; .intl here, I found that .several pinus colporteurs from the United States had given extensive circulati(m to new and cheap editions of the Avorks of the Flavels, and the Charnocks, and the Baxters, and the Howes, of the justly vene- rated Christian, authorship of other days ; and, moreover, that these visits of yoinig men, most of tliem aspirants to the ministry in the Presbyterian churches of America, had Ijeen in other respects pleasing ;ind salutary. Here also I found some prouusing speci- mens of attainment both in family and ccmgregational singing. Need I add, tliat both in Leeds and Inverness, there is much physi- cal beauty t(j meet the traveller's eye; while the 'falls of Inver- ness' remind me of similar scenery in other lands. — l)isai)pi anted was I to be told, that the river on which these ' falls' were, was not called the iVcss (as I anticipated,) but the 'Thames.' This, how- ever, did not take from the beauty of the scene. ** Richmond and Melbourne are seventy miles from aVf.'-.itroal — nearly half way to Quebec — on the line of the great railway now in progress from Mnutreal to Portland in iVLaine, C S. They are on the river St. Francis, a beautiful stream, of consider- able flow, and admirably adapted for public works. " I spent one Sabbath in this interesting li)cality, and })reached four times on the Lord's day and Monday. To the friends in i)an- ville, Richmond and Melbiiurne, T am under obligations fur their great kindness. Their pleadings for a resident evangelical minis- try shall not soon fade from my memory. God grant that such an invaluable blessing may soon be enjoyed ; and tlien shiill thr .s[)iri- tual graces of the lovely district more than vie with its pliysical beauties and connnercial capabilities. " Had it been in my power ti> have devoted at least one immfh b. missionary ' ibours in the eastern townshii)s, I might have obtained some idea of the extent of the held and the religious condition of its inhai)itants. A whole season wouhl be needed to do anything like justice to such a work ; and yet 1 know not a mi.ssionary tour which, if properly prosecuted by a minister of Christ of due ex- perience and energy, would bo of more avail t(j the cause <'f Christ and the interests of his Church in tliis western world. Tlie supe- riors of these townships are, properly speaking, tlie shareholders of the American Land Company of London, and there are among them, and occupying stations (jf influence, those who have felt the power of the truth in their own minds, and know the value I * i . I ^ < ' li 'I' ■: , 1 i . j \ 1 1 1 ill 1 l! ■' 1 ) ii 1 i r 'i 316 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. of religion to the well-being of a community, even in a temporal point of view. Will no apostolic man be sent out from the capital of the British empire, who, with the weight of influence which that Company could command, and the far loftier influence of zealous and enlightened Christianity in his heart, in his sermons, and in his whole career, would devote six months to an enterprise which would almost to a certainty issue in the permanent 'lifting up of a standard' for the people inhabiting one of the finest portions of the habita])le globe ? O that the Presbyterian Church in England would think of this, and, making common cause with us in Canada, send us, for a season, one of their ablest champions of the faith, accompanied by one of their pioiis lay members — say a Nisbet, or a ljiir1)()ur, or a (jillespie. 'The thing Avould pay' — ah, that it would — not, it may bo, in the sordid dross of this world, although there is gold in that land too — but in the durable riches of the kingdom that cannot be moved. " " Kl70X COLLEOE, "ToKONTo, Oct. 15, 1858. ** It had been for years my wish to visit Cape I'reton and New- foundland, that I might thus complete my survey of the religious state of the British provinces of North America. In the cottrse of events, the summer recess from College duties put it in my power to carry my plan into execution. The first two months of the re- cess of 1868, April and May, were devoted to the supply of the pulpit of Knox's Church, Toronto, now filled up by the accession to the list of Colonial ministers of a tried and faithful pastor. June and Jtily were occupied by Synod duties ; by visits to Durham and the West ; and by sacramental engagements in Glengarry. These last formed a repetition of whfit it had been my privilege to enjoy four years before ; and I look 1 ^ack on both jccasions with singular relish. While the associations with the settlement of Glengany, or the Eastern District of Canada West, are invested with a historical prestige peculiarly interesting, these older branches of our Colonial Empire present to the membei's of our Free Church a scene at once captivating and encouraging. They form a stronghold for evangeli- cal truth. Our congregations there have been gathered together and organized on the best principles. The standard set up i» a high one ; and the thousands who rally round it seem to be actu- ated by the best spirit. In more than one instance has their sin- cerity been severely tested. They now enjoy the ministrations of iix or seven faithful men whom they love, and their fields and dense forests bear testimony to the vitality cf that power, which can con- gregate hundreds, and even thousands, to listen to the Gospel sound. " It was on the 2nd of August we sailed from Portland, U. S., for New Brunswick and Nova Scotia ; and it was on October 2nd, exactly two months after, we loft Portland for Toronto, on our re- NEW BRUNSWICK AND NOVA SCOTIA. 317 I a temporal the capital a which that } of zealous ons, and in prise which ting up of a rtions of the in England s in Canada, f the faith, Nisbet, or a dat it would lough there he kingdom 15, 1858. n and New- he religious e conrse oi I my power 18 of the re- )ply of the accession to stor. June )urham and Ty. These !ge to enjoy ith singular lengany, or a historical )ur Colonial ene at once or evangel i- 3d together set up ia a ;o be actu- is their sin- strations of s and dense ch can con- spel sound, and, U. S., tober 2nd, on our re- turn. In addition to my special objects, I had lioped to spend some time in the east and south districts of Nova Scotia, and in the city of St. John's, N. B. It has been matter of deep i-egret to me that the engagements prospectively made behoved to ])e broken up, and intercourse with these interesting fields suspended for the present. In the old Acadian settlements the aspect of our sister chui'ch is exceedingly promising ; and the city of St. John's, N. B., can never cease to live in my memory, as the scene of fifteen years' labour of a very near relative of my own, whose name is yet fresh and fragrant there, althougli the majority of those who enjoyed his ministry in earlier or in later life have not been sutfered to remain by reason of death. In 1817, when he first settled in St. Andrew's Church as in some sense the pioneer of the Colonial staflF, the city had its ten thousand inhabitants ; now its citizens fall not much short of four times that number. The history of IVesbyterianism in that city has been somewhat chequered ; but the Free Church now numbers, in and around, four congregations ; and the prospect is at present more cheering than it has ever been . The brethren have lately been visited by the deputies of the Presbytei'ian Church of Ireland, and we in the Colonies, always prize such visits as re- freshing and edifying. " Passing by steam through the Bay of Fundy, we reached Wind- sor, N. S , by six in the morning of August 3rd, and arrived at Halifax, by railway 45 miles, early in the forenoon. Our arrival was hailed with much cordial kindness by the worthy family whose hospitality vre enjoyed during our stay in the city ; and a whole host of old and much attached friends clustered around us, all vying with one another in their offers of friendship. The congregation of Chalmers' Church I found in a healthy state under the pastoral charge of the Rev. John Hunter, who succeeded Dr. Forrester, on the appointment of that gentleman to the superintendentship of Education in the Province. VVe had much agreeable intercourse with Mr. Hunter, as also with Professors King and Lyall, of the Free College, and Mr. MacKnight, the Hebrew tutor, Avho lias also the pastoral charge of Dartmouth. My earnest wish and prayer are, that the health of all these gentlemen may be preserve*! in vigour, and that their important labf>urs, in the several departments allotted to them, may be crowned with goodly success. Great hopes are entertained of an union being consummated between the two branches of the Presbyterian body which seem to approximate nearest to each other in sentiment ; but whatever may be the issue of this matter, there is much in the condition of the Free Church of Nova Scotia to fan the zeal and concentrate the energies of its members. The college has been eminently successful in sending forth promising young mea into the field ; and one pleasing feature in my late tour has been the opportunity given me of holding in- tercourse with a considerable number of the ministers who have been the first fruits of an Institution so valuable. r ttil ^!i 1 ■! 'i i ; 1 Ih I 318 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. " One Sabbath I spent at Halifax, on my way to Newfoundland, and another on my return. I had also an opportunity of visiting and addressing the Sabbath School of Chalmers' Church ; and on the Tuesday after the hrst of these Sabbaths, we enjoyed, in com- mon with many friends, a pleasant social meeting of the teachers and pupils of all the schools in connection with the Free Church ; emVjracing those of Chalmers' Church, Dutclitown and Dartmouth. Between two hundred and three hundred jmpils attended. Ad- dresses suitable to the cccasion were delivered by ministers and lay friends. A corresponding member from Cornwallis, 70 miles dis- tant, attended, taking a lively interest in the meeting ; and the occasion was gratifying to the elastic minds of the young, as well as to the more matured feelings of their seniors. This rural fete took place in a grove, not many minutes distant from the city. " On Friday morning, August 13th, we sailed for Newfound- land in the steamer (hprey, one of the vessels connected with the Cunard line, and which pays a fortiiiglitly visit to that Island from Halifax, calling at Sydney, C. B. , on her way to and from. Our voyage of GUU miles was prosperous ; Cai)tain Sampson being atten- tive to his passengers, and all on board anxious to promote each other's comfort. We spent Sabbath; 15th, at sea, and had public worship on board, when all the Protestant portion of the inmates of the vessel gave devout attendance. On Monday, we were sail- ing along the strong iron-bound coast of Newfoundland, and at four o'clock of the afternoon of that day, we landed at St. John's, the capital of the island; passing through the picturesque 'nar- rows,' aa the entrance is called, and announcing by the successive bofuiing of our ship's brass cannon tlie arrival of Her Majesty's mail at this the most venerable of her Colonial possessions. The Bay of St. John's is just one of perhaps sixty, round the coast of the island, characterized by the like features of security from storms and invasions. The choice of it for the capital was made three centuries ago, and nothing h.as occurred to render the wisdom of the selection quostioiuible. It is at once safe and com- modious, its waters deep, aiul its position relatively to the island as a whole, ami its l)earing on the home connections with the East, just what might be desired. The wharf was covered by hundreds, seri'uading the entrance of the Ospreij, and welcoming friends and visitors. Among the rest we soon saw the face of our excellent friend, the Rev. Mr. Harvey, who with several members of his con- gregation including the kind-hearted editor of a ' Tri-weekly,' gave us a right hearty welcome. Not many minutes elapsed ere we realized from onr own experience, what we knew from report before, that Newfoundland and St. John's were proverbial for kindness and hospitality. '♦Newfoundland was discovered by Cabot, in 1497, and its his- tory is associated with such eminent names as those of Gilbert, Raleigh, and Lord Bacon j and this last sage, on being asked hia wfoundland, 1 of visiting rch ; and on yed, in com- ;he teachora ree Church ; Dartmouth. ended. Ad- sters and lay miles dis- ' • ng ; and the ing, as well is rural fete the city. • Newfound- ed with the / Island from from. Our 1 being atten- romote each d had public : the inmates re were sail- lland, and at St. John's, resque ' nar- le successive ler Majesty's ssions. The nd the coast security from Lai was made render the ife and coni- o the island ith the East, )y hundieds, friends and 3ur excellent era of his con- weekly,' gave psed ere we -eport before, for kindness and its his- se of Gilbert, ig asked his : NEWFOUNDLAND DR. H. M'LEOD. SI.') opinion of the mineral resources of the island, gave it as his impres- sion that the best of all its minerals were the cod and the seals. The company of which his Lordship was a director, did nothing to explore the internal resources of the island ; but an American As- sociation has within these few years done something, and promises to do more for developing that valuable treasure. Mr. Cormack, in 1822, traversed, in company with a single Indian, the central parts of the island, and from his statements, vhich I have just perused, there can be no doubt that the resources in agriculture, in minerals, in fisheries, and in woods abounding with deer, have been as yet scarcely touched. Mr. Page has also favoured me with the ' Geological Report' by jVIr. Jukes, tiie sketches in which form a rich repast to those who are conversant with such researches . I do not dwell on those topics, but I venture an inference — Let the island remain in our exclusive possession, and let our rulers at home settle with France and America as best they may, only let us keep what we have. " It is more than thirty years ago since a church in connection with the Scotch Establishment was sefc up in St. John's. The num- ber of resident settlers of the Presbyterian denomination had con- siderably increased, and the congregation was organized under the Rev. Donald Frazer, whom they called from Lunenburg, N. S: At the time of the disruption, great efforts were made to retain the whole in connection with the Church of Scotland ; but a series of circumstances in the providence of C od, led to the formaticm of the present Free Church The attention of the Home Colonial Com- mittee and of the Presbytery of Halifax was early called to the help of the struggling society, and by the correspondence and personal visits of ministers, and of the Home Colonial Committee, matters were brought into a promising state. Dr. McLeod, now of Cape Breton, was, on his return voyage as a deputy of the church at home, shipwrecked on the coast, and this event was over-rulod for good. He remained for six weeks in St. John's, and was <;miiient- iy useful in giving information and advice, while the congregation was consolidated and cheered by his preaching and his visits. Two- thirds of the people adhered to our princii)les, and they brought along with them the piety, and the sound views, and the strict dis- cipline which constituted the main elements of a flourishing Chris- tian society. The congregation had to struggk with didiculties, arising from the loss of prf)perty and other causes ; but they have stood firm to the cause of tlie Redeemer — having reared a very neat and commodious place of worship, admirably located, and filled by a united body of sincere and affectionate fellow-worshippers. For six years they have flourished under the pastoral care of the Rev. Moses Harvey, formerly of Maryport,* in Cumberland, — a gentle- man who seems highly qualihed for the situation he occu[)ie8, by * This English seaport gave aUo to Cauoda tbe Kev. William Riutoul, one of her most useful miiiuters. m1 h I ' f-mmM^*^nm i ti*l I 1 'Ml ! j 1 1 it! fei 1 ' 1 i , i ; '.I i. !. !i t . ' i t ; :l ! 1 ■! Il'l 1 ' li'IO LIFE OB' REV. DR. BURNS. talents and acquirements which command respect, by a piety at once iinutt'ected and warm, and by a '.iiea-sure of prndence, good sense, and sound judgment rarely exenqjlitied. Besides his pulpit labours, and pastora' visits, and iSabb.ith schools and classes, Mr. H has been in the habit of delivering, during the winter season, short courses of lectures on subjects of a general nature, but bearing on religion, such as — the connection of science witli revelation ; the discoveries of Layard and others ; the poetry of the heathens ; and on these subjects he has edified and instructed his own people and many others, by publishing as well as delivering these valuable prelections. '* Of the two Sabbaths spent in Newfoundland, one was given to St. John's !'nd the other t(j Harbor Grace ; and these are the only Free churches as yet in the island. In addition, 1 preaclied in St. John's on two week-evenings, and addressed the classes both on a Sabbath and on a week-day evening, after a very pleasant 'gather- ing of the clans,' on the grounds adjoining the residence of the ininir'^ ". With the leading families of the congregation our inter- course was frequent and of the most friendly character. We can- not look back on the days we spent among these intelligent and liberal-hearted people, without the most grateful recollections. Indeed, it is to the spontaneous and hearty liberality of the friends in Halifax, in St. John's, and Harbor Grace, I am indebted for all the expenditure incurred within the Lower Provinces. The ex- periment which has been made satisfies me that, whether a 'federal luiion' among the British Provinces is realized or not, such an union among the churches is highly desirable ; and the occasional interchanges of visits which would ensue, could not fail to advance the cause which is common to them all. " St. John's is the seat of a Roman Catholic Bishop, and Harbor Grace is the seat of another. Newfoinidland is one of the favourite preserves of Popery. Of 120,000 inhabitants, nearly one-half are Popish ; and of 25,000 in St. John's, 18,000 are votaries of Roman- ism. This gives a vast ascendency to Popery in the Colony, and its influence moulds the Legislative and Executive, as well as the Province generally. The present Governor, Sir Alexander Banner- man, holds the reins, however, with a firm and independent grasp ; and had the Episcopacy of the inland acted with the spirit of the Sumner, the Tait and the Bickersteth school, we might have f.ood hopes for evangelical Protestantism. A monkish medisevalism is a poor set off against the sternness of an iron Romanism. It is well that for thirty years the Methodist Church has been comment ably zealous in Newfoundland, and at present the number of its adher- ents is 36,000. I know no field where an union of Protestants ftgainst the commou foe would be more commendable ; and for this end the prayers of all good men should ascend to the heavenly throne, that evangelical truth may be maintained in purity, and that scriptural godlinesB may give the tone to the community at )y a piety at iidence, gocd les his pulpit aases, Mr. H aoasou, short it bearing on 'elation ; the le heathens ; 3 own people lese valuable was given to are the only cached in St. 3s both on a sant 'gather- idence of the ion our inter- ur. We can- belligent and recollections, ^f the friends lebtcd for all The es ex- ler a 'federal not, such an le occasional il to advance , and Harbor the favourite one-half are es of Roman - Colony, and well as the :.der Banner- ndent grasp ; spirit of the t have f^ood icevalisni is a a. It If well lommenc ably of its adher- F Protestants and for this the heavenly I purity, and Dmmunity at LOUISBOUUG. 321 large. In connection with these views, I cannot allow the opportu- nity to pass without paying a slight tribute to the character of Lady Bannerinan, whose moral excellence and consistent religious charac- ter throw a lustre around the intinential station she has been called to occupy. Her sentiments are decidedly evangelical and liberal, in the best sense of these terms. She is exemi)lary in her attend- ance on religious ordinances, she takes the chief sui)erin*enilence of the Sabbath school, in connection, not tvith the Cathedral, but with the less imposing fabric which t)wn8 an evangelical ministry. She visits the sick and afflicted. She distributes funds, bo^ks and tracts ; and is the i)atrones8 of everything patriotic and Christian. Her religious intiuence and example have Jready, here and in other places, been owned of God for great good," "Knox College, *'TouoNTO, Nov. 4, 1858. " Tyre has a name in history, both sacred and civil, and the ruins of Old Tyre are most graphically and characteristically de- scribed in prophetic record as places on which ' tishcTmen would spread their nets.' What the ruins of Tyre are in tl e East, those of the once famed town and fortress of Louisbourg are in the West. Macgregor, indeed, in his excellent history of the British Colonies, imputes to ' fanaticism' the capture of this city and fortress in 1745, because it was the preaching of WhiteHeld that formed the proximate cause of that bold undertaking on the i)art of a few mer- chants and farmers of New England, which humbled the pride of France, and led to the extinction of her empire in North America. The Colonial historian perhaps had forgotten his own acknowledg- ment elsewhere, that the Jesuits and the ^frercs ' and the St. Sul- pice ' Sisters' of Cape Breton, were the great ' bounders on' of the poor IVIicmacs, in their scalping experiments on defenceless Eng- lishmen. " It has been said that the destruction of its capital threw the island beyond the liuats of vision. It may be so, for assuredly Britain has up to this moment shut her eyes on a colonial gem, compared with which Ceylon or Jamaica are baubles. Its agricul- ture and its woods are most valuable, its minerals pvA fisheries are boundless, and its local situation, relatively to Europe and Ameri- ca, makes it the very Thermopyla) of the West. Its population is sixty thousand, but its capabilities will suffice easily for ten times that number. Down to the close of the American war, when a few loyalists settled in it, the island was absolutely ignored by the mother country. It was not till the beginning of the present cen- tuiy that Cape Breton was thought of as a held for emigration. The first settlers were Scotch Roman Catholics from Barra, South Uist, Harris, and the Lewis ; and being the first, they very natur- ally and laudably chose the best of the laud. The eastern half of m nm i I f. 322 LIFE OF REV. DK. BURNS. the island is still theirs, but fishing has occupied their attention more than agricultvre, and the best of their farms are mortgaged. About 1810 the ' clearings' of the North drove away many valuable Protestant limilieii from their loved native abodes, and for twenty years successive colonies of these reached Cape Breton, and settled principally in the south-eastern, western and northern parts. At first they were poor and dispirited ; nevertheless they have done, on the whole, well, and are now in a fair thriving state. One fact is suffi- cient to show the progress of the Island. In 1832, when Macgregor published his history, ' one school' at Sydney is mentioned : now (1858) there are about one hundred schools. " It was m 1827 my acquaintanceship with the late Mrs. Mackay of Rockfield, Sutherlandshire, began. At that time her attention was directed to the state of the emigrants from her own county to Merigouiish, Earlton, New Lairg, and the district around Pictou, Nova Scotia. Her first eflForts were directed to the sending out well-selected libraries of religious books for the use of the settlers. The libraries thus formed were conducted on the circulating plan, and, from some letters of thanks to Mrs. Mackay, which I have just been perusing, it is plain that the gifts were justly appreciated and profitably improved. In the view of obtaining the services of a few pious Gaelic missionaries, Mrs. Mackay felt a desire to con- centrate her efforts and those of her friends on some one point ; and, as many of the northern emigrants had settled in Cape Bre- ton, that island was fixed on as a suitable field. So early as 1827 the Glasgow Society had received /ery afiecting details of the spiritual wants of the Island, and difterent individuals were fixed on as pioneers in the enterprise. In all such cases it is well known that the disappointments in the experience of all Missionary So- cieties, in the outset, are numerous, and it was matter of great satisfaction when Mrs. Mackay resolvad to take ' her little island,' as she called it, under her care. This ' little island, 'nevertheless, con- tains 30(X) s(piare miles. Its number of settlers had been increasing year after year, and no evangelical association had as yet given it any place in their benevolent regards. The mission of the Rev. Alexander Farquharson, in 1833, was on this account an important event in the religious history of the Island. That excellent man had to encounter a host of difficulties, particularly at the outset of his labours, but by divine grace he was enabled to conquer them all, and after twenty-five years' active and laborious missionary toil, he was gathered to his fathers in peace. He was a single- hearted devoted minister of the cross, and the blessings of his at- tached flock will rest on his widow and family. " Mrs. Mackiiy was spared to see a very considerable number ot the leading Gaelic settlements in the Island taken up by mission- aries whom she was mainly instrumental in sending out ; and theii labours were aided .and encouraged by catechists on the itinerating^ plan, as in Scotland ; by teachers ; and by supplying pious book) lit attention I mortgaged, my valuable i for twenty , and settled irts. At first done, on the fact ia 8utfi- n Macgregor doned : now kirs. Mackay er attention 'n county to and Pictou, sending out the settlers, ulating plan, vhichi have r appreciated e services of lesire to con- e one point ; n Cape Bre- iarly as 1827 etails of the Is were fixed s well known ssionary Se- tter of great tie island,' as ftheless,con- in increasing yet given it of the Rev. an important xcellent man the outset of onquer them s missionary ras a single- ts of his at- e number ot } by mission- it ; and theii le itineratini; ; pious book J DR. MACLEOD. li-23 gratuitously to them. The number of leading stations now in about a dozen, and if these are multiplied by four, the result may give us an idea of the number of spheres of labour. The extent of each charge is great, as the settlers are scattered ; and the demand for additional churches and ministers is nt ])re8ent very clamant. Three of the more remote charges I had it not in my power to visit, but the two Sabbaths I spent in the Island, and the meetinicH held successively at Sydney, Myra, Sydney INIines, lirasd'Or, Lioular- derie, Bedeque, Cape St. Ann, Wycokoma, and Plaster Cove, will dwell in my remembrance to my latest days. " The aiTival of Dr. iViacleod, of Logie Easter, first as a deputy from the Free Church, and afterwards as minister of Sydne\', is one of the leading events in the religious history of the Island. A man of ability and experience was earnestly longed for by the pastors already settled, and such a one they have had in Dr. Mac- leod. By his personal exertions in Cape Breton, in Nova Scotia, in Canada, and in the United States, he has succeeded in obtaining the necessary funds for raising churches in several parts of the Island. These neat and commodious places of worship raise their white spires in all directions. Among these, at Myra, not far from Louisbourg, is a large and handsome, but plain structure, capable of holding two thousand hearers ; and stormy as the Sabbath was when Dr. Macleod and I preached there, a dense collection of people, to the number of fifteen himdred, met us, gnthered, some of them, from the distance of twenty miles. Dr. Macleod has six churches imder his own immediate care, and assuredly the church at home would do well to strengthen his hands by sending out additional labourers. In the meantime I rejoice that ho has in his immediate locality two such associate fellow-laborers as tlie Rev. Matthew Wilson, the esteemed i)astor of Sydney Alines ind Bras d'Or. and the Rev. James Frazer, of Boularderie, now the oldest resident minister in the Island. Boiilarderie is an island within the Island, eighteen or twenty miles long by four or five broad ; a si)ot characterized no less by fertility of soil, in many parts, than by its being a stronghold of evangelical truth and ex- perimental religion. The number of inhabitants exceeds sixteen hundred. With a few exceptions they may be said to lie all of the Free Church. Mr Frazer is the only resident minister of any de- nomination or the island, and the number of intelligent ' mvn^ who strengthen his hands is large. I preached to five hundred persons on tne afternoon of a week-day in harvest, and in a lovely Imllow encL-upassed with trees, where the communion had been disi)ensed some weeks before. The scene was deeply interesting, and the grasp of the hand, and the tear in the eye, were unmistakeable marks of a hearty s|>iritual welcome. " The three churches at Wycokoma, Bedeque, and St. Ann's Bay forming one extensive and beautiful vale, are 8iq)i)lied by three dxceileut miuiaters, Messrs. Mackenzie, Macintosh, and Ross, who p. 4'i ii 1 ! 1 ?| M 'J H ' i { fii! 1 1 M ■ - f 1 f 1 fij j H ' ' ' I'f I' 'M Wf 1 ' I Kl mt ii 1 1 1 H' ' 1 ii, 324 LIFE OF llEV. DR. BURNS. had all been students at the Halifax Free College, and are no\\ fellow-labourers in localities bordering on one another. We had week-day services in each, and the number of hearers in two of these exceeded four hiuidred, while in the third, St. Ann's Bay, it reached nearly nine hundred. The settlements at Middle River, North Cove, and St. Peters, the want of time prevented me from visiting, and the sail in an open boat from lio.ilarderieto VVest iJay, sixty miles, was so retarded l)y want of wind, that the hour tixed for service was long passed before we arrived at the place ; and the painful intelligence met us, on our reacliing the house of the intel- ligent and pious minister, the Rev. Murd(jch Stewart, that two days before, his barn, his horse, and his hay had been burned to ashes by the hand of a deranged young man in the vicinity. Wvj passed the night under the hospitable roof of the excellent minis- ter, and next morning he accomjianied us twenty-tive miles, to Plaster Cove, Avhere the Rev. Mr, Forl)es labours, and where I gave my last discourse in the Island. After enjoying the hospitality of kind friends, I crossed the Strait of Canso, which is here narrow but extJ-emely picturesque, and wont on next day, sixty miles, to the house of my worthy old friend, the Rev. John Stewart, of New Glasgow. With him and his excellent family I stayed two days, preaching to a good .audience on Friday evening. The Sab- bath following was spent at Pictou, where we had two crowded audiences and a well attended Sabbath school. On Monday I went on to Roger's Hill and Salt Springs, on my way to Truro, preach- ing in both places. Wherever I have been the people ' ave come out well, even on week-days, although on these later occasions the pressing labours of harvest did sensibly, as was reasonable, affect the audiences. ** At Truro we had the pleasure of spending a few days under the hospitable roof of our esteemed friends Dr. and Mrs. Forres- ter. Tne Educational College and Provincial Training Establish- ment, over which Dr. F. was three years ago called to preside, is an honour and a blessing to Nova Scotia. We attended, on two suc- cessive days, the various examination and lecture meetings, pre- vious to the closing of the session. The eminently lucid, practical and pointed addresses and expositions of the Principal ; the apt- ness to teach, as well as the science, exhibited in their varied de- partments, by the teachers, in English literature and history, mathematics, algebra, and the kindred sciences, as well as in i-he Bubsidiary sections of physiology, botany, geology, and agricultu- ral chemistry, to say nothing of aesthetics, belles lettres, and music ; and the warm, enlightened, and liberal religious spirit which pervaded all, accompanied, as the whole was, with encourag- ing and eloquent appeals by Messrs. Archibald and Creelman, members of the Legislature and Commissioners of Education ; all these furnished to my mind a treat, intellectual and moral, of very rare enjoyment. Truro is one of the oldest and wealthiest of the CAPE BRETON. 325 aro now We haa n two of n's liay, e River, [iK^ from est liny, mr fixed and the ;he intel- that two limed to ity. Wsj it minis- miles, to re I gave itality of e narrow miles, to Dwart, of ayed two The Sab- i crowded ly I went , preach- we come ,8 ions the )le, affect ,ys under Forres- Sstablish- reside, is n two siic- ings, pro- practical the apt- aried de- history, as in ^he agricultu- tres, and oils spirit encourag- >eelman, ition ; all ,1, of very est of the aettlements in Nova Scotia, and its prevailing type is Presbyterian- ism of the Scottish Secession Church. That religious body has lately erected a commodious Theological College in the village. Its session had just been opened, and the venerable Principal, Dr. Keir, who had given the inaugural address, was suddenly called away by death, amid the deep regrets of that section of the Chris- tian community which had so long enjoyed his valued labours. " On a retrospect of my visit to Capo Breton, my impressiniis as to its religious state are very favourable. Under the labours of the present faithful ministers, those of Mr Farquharson, lately removed by death, and those of the Rev. Mr. Maolean. of Lewis, Scotland, who ministered four years in the Island, revisiting it afterwards, preaching daily once or more for three months, and realizing ' fruit unto life eternal' — the cause of Christ has remarkably prospered. "In reviewing the history of the Free Church in Nova Scotia generally, a careful observer of Providence must be struck with the large number of witnesses for the truth whom her annals have pre- sented to us, as glorifying Tjiod in their lives and by their deaths. It is also interesting to notice the representatives of varied classes of witnesses as standing out in bold relief to the eyes of the careful observer. Do you desire a specimen of befitting »pialification for duty, zeal in its discharge, and success in the i)reliminary training of young men for the ministry ? The lamented Professor Macken- zie, cut off in the very davni of his usefulness, may be honourably named. Do you wish to see the picture < i a pious labourer who, for a quarter of a centuiy or more, toiled in a very unpromising field, but who lived down his difticulties, and saw very clearly the fruit of his earlier and later toils i We point you to the Rev. Alexander Farijuharson, the pioneer in INIrs. Mackay's band of pious heralds to Cape Breton, and the father of its infant but prom- ising church. Do you desiderate a secrd'3 Day witnessed an assemblage of at least seven hinidred hearei's, the majority being Gaelic-speaking persons, and they as- sembled for worship in a small grove of trees near at hand ; the rest meutiiig in the newly-erected bui not yet finislied church. On [Monday there was service in both languages ; and thereafter, the congregation, having elected Mr. Russell to the chair, passed a cor- dial vote of thanks to the Presbytery and to the ministers who had dispensed among them the bread of life. '* There can be no doubt that the cause of religion and of our church in Nottawasaga is greatly indebted to ]\Ir. James IMair, who has for fifteen years discharged the duties of a lay missionary in the district. His public addresses in English and Gaelic, his visits to the sick and aged, his judicious management of private fellow- ship meetings, and his consistent walk and conversation, have contributed greatly to the nuiintenance of true godliness in the locality. But his health has been often infirm, and he has felt the burden to be too much for him. The church ought to have inter- fered long ago in the way of regidar systematic organization. A faithful pastor, having both languages, ought to have been there settled. How this is to be remedied now, is a grave question. The field is still very wide, but the number of our adherents is compa- ratively small. My impression is, that an union would require to be formed betwixt this district and the adjoining stations in Sunnidale. " In the township of Osprey, two different stations which had been visited by Mr. Nisbet,* of Oakville, in March last, were re- visited on the present occasion, and congregations vaiying from fifty to four hundred assembled to hear the word. On the last of these occasions, the ordinance of the Lord's Supper was dispensed * Now of tho Stukatchewaii iiiUiiion. OSPKEY. 327 to about sixty iiersons, the number of members in the district in all being eighty, of whom seventeen were admitted on the present occasion for the first time. The day was delij^htful. Ample acconi- modation wjis provided in a large barn, the use of which Mr. Hunter, the i)roprietor, though not of our communion, granted lis. The occasion was every way most solemn and im}iros.sive. During the summer, first Mr. Eadie, and then Mr. McLennan, CJaelic student, were employed as missionaries here, and their lal)ours have been most acceptable and useful. Indeed, no mission tour has imj)rnssed me more deeply than this one with a conviction of the valu(* of a pious missionary's residence and labours. And this was (mly one illustration out of many. My two months' mission brought me into contact with at least a dozen of f)ur jmmiising stxidents, in different localities, whose faithful labours were deser- vedly prized. I am satisfied that these labours interfere less with the peculiar avocations of the student in theology than any other work that could be assigned him. " Osprey, though part of it was surveyed and settled eight years ago, may be considered as a new settlement, the greater portion having been occupied during the last f(jur or five years. The open- ing of the Northern Railway made access to it comi)aratively easy, and the soil, generally speaking, is good. A considerable number of settlers from King, and other localities near, have ])urchased bush fanns, and thus Ospi-ey is profiting by toils already gone through, and experience already acquired. The settlers vied with each other in their tokens of kindness ; and my earnest desire is, that a faithful past^-r or itinerating missionary may soon be resident among them. Two villiiges, Singhampton and Feversham, begin to rise in the niidjtof the forest, and the fact of each having already its post office, and the additional fact of a fine road having been opened up fromtliis locality directly west towards Durham and Lake Huron, maik the prospective importance of a range of country which had been till very recently, shut out from observation. The roads in many of the localities are still very rough. The cross-paths from settlement to settlement seldom admit of waggons of the or- dinary kind ; and this obstacle in my way did, in one instance, occasion a iiost serious disap[)ointment, for which, however, I afterwards made up by avaiUng myself f)f the kind services of a quiet and sure-footed (quadruped of the horse species, unencum- bered with any appendage in the shape of buggy, or cart, or waggon of any kind. " Artemesia lies between Osprey and the Garafaxa road, and con- tains much good land but recently occupied. It is crossed diag- onally by what is called the Toronto road, from our city to Owen Soi'nd, by Mono and Orangeville, in length about 120 miles. On the northern part of that road, towards Owen Sound, there are many setr 'ements of Scotch and Irish Presbyterians. I spent some days amongst them, and preached to attentive audiences in five crowded ;'-l 4i I ( fi 328 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. ^ '* i school -houses. Tho number of persons in this township who claim nieinborship with us, or wore ready to give in their names as ap- plicants, was about forty, and there seemed to bo among thoso several pious and intollij^cnit men wlio might bo set apart as elders over them. On submitting this matter to tho Presbytery they were so nnich satisfied in regard to it as to authorize an application to Mi'ssrs. Cameron and (Jrant, of Sullivan and Owen Sound, though within tlio bounds of tho Presliytery of Hamilton, to give their assistanto in organizing a congrogati(m, electing elders, and dispensing tlu ordinance of the Lord's Supper amongst them. All this has been done, and Artemesia now holds tho rank of a recog- nized congregation. |{y a union with some of the adjoining dis- tricts a pastoral charge nught be formed, but it must I'emain at present as a missionary station. It is a considerably older settle- nient than O.sprey, but both the one and tlie other atlbrd painful specimens of what unlets a(.'anadian missionary wherever he goes — tnoevil that inevitably arises from the neglect of the Presbyterian Chiu'ch to liiiik after her scattered menduMs early, and to throw over them the shield of a kind guardiausliip. "Our excellent young missionary, INlr. Eadie,* by his informa- tion and tact, aided me much in my visit to Artenu^sia, and it has be. 1 tlu! result of my experience in this as in former instances, that our Presbylei'ian ' successicm,' in the way of guides and fi'iendly heli>s knows no interrupticm — no traps — for just when about to part with Mr. Eadie and other friends here, Mr. Andrew Elliot, an intelligent and pious elder in the neighbouring township of Siillivan arrived with his substantial two-horse waggcm, to C(m- duct mo to his own newly-erected mansion in Sidlivan, which his family had taken possession of the day before, and of which I hap- pened thus to be the lirst visitor tih extra. This intelligent gentle- man had come late]v from IVrth, C.W., whither his excellent father-in-law, Mr. Halliday, and other friends had come in 1815, when (Jovernment cliarteivd vessels and sent out ihojirift ii< (tiers to ' this Canada.* These wttrthy representatives of the first disturbers of tlie wolves and bi-ars of the forest, [ had tho pleasiu'o of meet- ing with a few weeks after, when Mrs. liurns and I paid a visit to Ml". Duncan at IVrth, on occasicm of the dispensation of the sacra- ment of tho Lord's Supper. It is exceedingly interesting to con- verse with fresh and hale oefdijendrKots in Canada ; to hoar t]w story of their che'vr he goes — Presbyterian nd to throw his informa- a, and it has • er instances, ■ guides and r just when Mr. Andrew ing townshij) ggon, to con- in, which his which I hap- ligent gentle- his excellent nno in 181 o, irst Ki 1 1 lets to •st disturbers ure of nieet- lid a visit to of the sacra- sting to con- to hoar thresent occasion we passed through a rich coiuitry, marked here and there by massy ridges of limest(nie, and the sweet Havour of the hay. gathering and the waving of the golden corn-harvests- ready for the sicklts, bh^nded pleasantly to- gether. I did not expect a large attendance at ' the Saturday ser- vice', and therefore was n()t disappointed. Hut on Sabbath we had the newly-reared frame fabri ; of the rlmri-h thoroughly packed l)y a r('Hi*nven«Ml at the tal)le on tl)e present occasion exceeded sixty. [ preiM-hed f(»ur times in connection with the holy ordinance, and on the evening of MoTulay a well-attended prayer-meeting was held in the house of Mr. Walter Story, where also the ordinance of bap- tism was dispensed. j; 330 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. F i ■■•} \\ 'i! •' On Augxist 2nd, a pleasant steam sail of thirty miles from Port Meaford, brought mo to tli.; town of Oollingwood, where, and at the neighV)ouring village of Nottawa, Mr. James Robertson* has been labouring as missionary for a few months. The station was in rather a dei)ressed state when he began his labours, but his able and indefatigable ministrations have very considerably revived it. There was a good congregation in tlu; evening, and my im • j)ression is that ours is the Itest attended place of worship in the town. It would be matter of deep regret were the station relin- ipiished. The prospects of Collingwood Cfjmmercially are fair ; the means of intorcounse with Toronto by railway are easy ; and the adjacent stations on dili'erent sides of it, give to Collingwood somewliat of the character of a ccmnecting nucleus. " After meeting with the Presbytery and giving in my report -f stations visited, I remained a week at home, and then, Augi. st null, entered on my allotted duties as interim supply for two or three weeks at Thorali, Eldoii, and Mariposa, during the al)sence of Mr. MacTavish at the lied River colnny. Two Sabbaths' sup- l)ly was given, and a third by exchange with Mr. Gray of (Jrillia. The iuteriuediate week-days were more or less occupied by preach- ing visits to the different stations. The attendance on all these occasions was good, and my imiiressions of the e.xtent and value of the field occupied by Mr. AlacTavish were so deepened by actual olworvatidii, that I almost longed for liis speed} return, that he might address his own peo]>le in their much loved native tongue; for although I was ably aided by interpreters, the great deficiency could not but be jiainful. Many evidences 1 had tliat the g(jial work of (Jod was pi'ogressing within that wide district. The nr^n of intelligence and of gifts for prayer and exposition of scripture are numerous ; they ai'o ready on all occasions to give valuable help, and the numerous prayer-meetings kept U[) by them are opportunities aiul means of much si)iritual good. On its ordi- nary day the weekly prayer-meeting was held in the chui'i a at Mariposa .'.t eleven o'clock, in the midst of the very throng of harvest, it was amazing to find more than two hundred present, and of these ohe-ltalf at least were men. " The energetic and pious pastor has since returned, after en- during a good many hardships aiul paying a truly accrfttable visit to a cohiny long isolated from tlie rest of the world, and now about to become the primary element of a scheme of extended and suc- cessful colonization. " A limited notice of my visit to the east is all that now remains of my two months' mission record. Allusion has already been made to Pertli, and tiiat town has certainly increa.sed a third since my last visit in 1848, and the erection of a handsome new church and tower very recently, is one proof among others of the progress of ' Now R«v. J. Robertson, of I'lvris. OTTAWA. 331 ''3 miles from tvhere, and lobertson* The station irs, but his )ly revived id my im- lip in the ition relin- are fair ; easy ; and ^llinuuood report nf ■n, Auiii.st i(»r two .»r le al)sonce baths' snp- >f Orillia, Ijy preach- I all these and value opened bj' dj return, ved native the ;,rreat had'tliat le district. [)<)8iti(»n of ns to give 4) by them >ii its ordi- clmn ,1 at throng of d ijresent, , after en- ;able visit now about and suc- w remains lieon made since my lurch and ►rogresB of iir church under Mr. Duncan's ministry. The communion sea- ^nn [Sept. llth], was a very delightful one ; and we weie protit- ilily j>repared for it by our Christian intercourse with Mr. and Mrs. 5lackinnon, formerly of Owen Sound, now of JJeckwith. The loek-day congregation there exceeded three hundred. Opportuni- ;ios were also given me of preaching at Ramsay, at Dalhousie, y three miles of portage by a primitive sort of horse railway. Ni'xt day the Presbytery of Ottawa met for the ordination of Mr. ^^ 111. Lochead, to the ministry of Renfrew ; and assuredly it was ix'Ui.'thing new to tiud hei'e an asseiiiblage of ten ministers of the Presb^-terian Church to conduct for the lirat time the solemn rites n m 332 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. of ordination according to the forms of the Presbyterian Church. It was laid on nie, as the senior minister, to preach and give the ordination prayer, and Messrs. Mackinnon and Simon Fraser, uf McNab, presided aMy in the other departments. All was con- ducted with due solemnity. Indeed, all my experience, whether in the old country or the new, fails to produce an instance of ordi- nation to the ministry conducted with greater external order, and more marked spiritual savour." " Knox College, 17th Dec, 1803. " I spent three Sabbaths in Quebec, and as one of these was the communion season, a pleasing opportunity was presented of hnlJ. ing Christian fellowship with the pastor, oftice-bearers, and moin- 1 erd of Chalmers' Church. Mr. Clark, formerly of Maxwelltowii, near Dumfries, Scotland, has been minister of the congregation which nieota in this handsome edifice, for more than ten years. Tho field of labour is an interesting one ; but ministers of Christ placed in the very centre of the stronghold of Popory, have multiplied difficulties <.i struggle with. The moral atmosphere all aroiuid is chilled, while it is surcharged with clouds, heavy and depressing. The love of professing Protestants waxes cold amid the overwhelm- ing obtrusions of an imposing anti-Christian Hierarchy. Our ex- cellent friend fei'ls this, and .assuredly ho and his people are riclily entitled to all the co-i>perative assistance which the brethren can render them. Cod forbid that they should sink in despondence I They grasp the standard of Zion, and they are hcmoured to display from the Diamond rock a banner, because of the Trutl " The niifision-tields in the neighb(mrhood of Quebe limited scalr in regard to numbers «>f Scottish or Presb tiers. Tlu^ want of a French-speaking Evangelical min by all (louoniinations, and the etlorts of the Protestant thus necessarily circumscribed almost within the narrcn, range of its own adherents. With ri-^ard to IVesbyterian settlements, the following is a list of thi).;t! 1 visited, lying at distances from the city varying from nine to thirty miles : — Stoneham — a beJiutiful pat^to- ral district or valKy ; licauport Lake— a favourite resort of tlio citizens for sport on the lake, or for a sununer residence ; the vil- lage of Lorette, where there is a well-known Indian settlement ; and the seigniory of Port Neuf. From our countrymen in all the aettlenunts I received a hearty welcome, and tho attendance at the services was, perhaps, as good as from the limited and scattered population, might be expected. In two of these places small churches have lately been erected through tho zealous ettbrts of a pious and single-hearted friend of I'oligion, who, as agent oi tho Bible Society, has much in his power in tho way of facilitating in- tercourse with these out-posts. At Port Neuf there had been for yeai's a Scottish congregation under a regular pastorship, but cir- are on a erian set- ry is felt 'lurch arc rterian Church. ah. and give the iinou Fraser, oi All was con- [•ienco, whether istancc i)f ordi- mal order, and Dec, 1803. if these was the jented (if hnld- rers, and mem- ' Maxwelltdwii, u; oongregatiiin ten years. The f)f Christ placed lave mult i I died all around is and dopressiiif,'. the overwhulm- rchy. Our ox- eople are richly u brethren can 1 despondence I Hired to display ut) ebfc esb hiin ant are on a erian sot- ry is felt 'lurch are vrroi, r.ange of littlements, the es from the city (eautiful pai»to- resort of the denco ; the vil- an settlement ; men in all the endance at the and scattered o places small us etl'orts of a as agent of the facilitating in- had been for orship, but cir- QUEUEC. 333 cumstances of an adverse nature, in regard to the staple trade of the place, have greatly diminished the resident population. " ( )n the diflerent occasions of our holding meetings in these places, the audiences respectively numbered from twenty to above a hun- dred. Small and limited as these localities are, they are important points in the niaj) of Protestantism. There care difliculties in getting them suitably superintended, .and visited with sulHcient fretfuency ; but they olier ample encouragement to Christian ministers and friends who kindly take an interest in them. With 'the INIdther Church,' at Quebec, as the church there may be called, there are con- nected a goodly number of pious men, otHce-bearers and others, who are indef^dgablo in their evangelistic efforts ; and while they are led on by the pastor of Chalmers' Church, their labours are counten- anced by the occasional visits of Christians of other denominations. A zealous missionary, resident in Quebec, might be the ' episco- pal' visitor of each alternately. In winter, no doubt, the state of the roads and the intense cold may interpose seridus ob.stacles, but ze.al and a robust constitution, with the blessing of (iod, will over- come them all. The missionary experience of twd years in P'lch a field as this would be a noble preparation for a permanent pastoral charge. Its labours would break a man into lall the habits of easy and judicious spiritual toil ; and the presence of the Spirit of Cod would assuredly not be wanting either to him, or td the subjects of his anxious and loving care. This plan has been .iddpted in years past, and, in all the settlements, there have been found, and will be found, persons in full communion with our Church who may be expected from time to time to embrace the opportunity of jdining in fellow- sliip with the church in the city on communion seasons. A spiri- tual visit paid to one of the settlements by the pastor, during my residence in the city, led to some promising adduions to the roll of membership, and was felt in other respects to bo a season of re- freshing from the presence of the Lord. " In the programme of arrangements, drawn up for my guidance, two importiuit stations of an outlying description were allotted to me ; but the distance and the heat of the weather rendered a plan of interchange absolutely necessary. Apiilication was made to Mr. Crombie, the excellent minister of Inverness, fifty miles distant, to share with me in the duties of the Mission ; and, he having readily complied, Mr. Clark cheerfully devoted two Sabbaths and the intervening week to supply for Mr. Cronibio at Inverness ; de- volving on me the charge at Quebec for the same period. " The worthy people, among whom Mr. Cronibio labours, had been visited by me more than ten years ago, when they had not as ?^et realized the benefits of a regularly settled pastorship. Ilecol- ections of that visit led me to desire its repetition ; and, on my way from Montreal to Quebec, I had an opjwrtunity of spending two days at the Manse, and of preaching on two several week-days to very encouraging audiences. It was in the very th/' ■r ij 334 LIFE OF REV, DR. BURNS. vest, and yet the people flocked willingly both at noon and in the evening to hear the (Jospel. Mr. Clark and I cordially concurred in our e.stimate of the religious condition of that interesting people. He found the work of G jd prospering among them. They have lately reared for themselves a handsome brick church, ornamented witli a tower, and tilled from Sabbath to Sabbath with a large and affectionate congregati(jn. *' In a spacious school-house at ' Wolfe's Cove,' belonging to Mr. Gilmour, the great Quebec merchant, I had an opportunity of preaching on two week-evenings, to small but attentive audiences. The occasioTial local preaching here is kept up by brethren of dif- ferent denominations. At St. Foye, two miles from the city, but almost a siiburb of it, I had an oi)portunity of addressing a crowd- ed meeting in the district school-house. " My visit to the city brought me in contact with a considerable number of Christian friends, office-bearers of the church, and others, many of whom I had known of old, and with whom renewed intercourse was at once sweet and profitable. In a city wliere formality and will-worship predominate it is the duty of all pious Protestants to love one another, and to strive together for the faith of the (iospel. It is now thirty years since my correspondence with Christian friends in that city connnenced, and on the subject, ever 0'. XT to them, of colonial evangelization. Twenty years have well nigh elapsed since I paid my first visit to the ' historic capital. ' " *' Toronto, September, 1867. " In the Autumn of 18G4 I had spent three weeks and as many Sabbaths in the parts of our Province which lie on the great Huron Lake, and although it was l»ut a limited portion of tliat territory 1 could visit, I saw enough to fill me with astimishnient at the great physical and moral change.s in the district, from 1847 when I first saw it as one unbroken forest, t(» the time when the same district rose to uiy view with its millicms of acres ' all taken \ip ;' Low- landers and Cults in hundreds, yea tliouaands, settled peaceably and comfortal)ly along road-lines judiciously marked out ; and echnols and churches provided to an extent that augured well. My vi.si.? to my l)rethren and friends three years ago were fresh in my mem- ory, and the names St. Helen's, Kiidoss, Kincardine, Tiverton, Greenock, Paisley, Southampton, Elgin and North Bruce, hud taken familiar and firm hoM of me, and gathered around them a multitude of .sincere good wishes; when in the coxirse of events a second opjjortunity of a visit opened to me. It \yas readily em- braced ; and with the excejitioii of Paisley and Southampton and St. Helen's, the localities already named were re-visited, and suc- cessful progress marked. Jn particular, 1 fouiid that Kincardine had obtained the services of an able minister in both tongues, .Mi Fraser, formerly of Thamestord ; and that a number of oxcelleni ! ! J r)on and in the ially concurred icresting people. jm. They have ch, ornamented yrith a large and (elonging to Mr. opportunity (if itive audiences, jrethren of dif- m, the city, but ressing a crowd- li a considerable ;he church, and h whom renewed In a city where iity of all pious ther for the faith •espondencewith he subject, ever years have well ,oric capital. ' " itember, 1867. ks and as many the great Huron t that territory 1 lent at the great 847 when I th-st lie same district taken up ;' Low- ed peaceably and )ut ; and ficlioola well. My vi.si:s resh in my nieiii- irilino, Tiverton, orth Bruce, had [ around them a ourse of event.s a was readily eui- outhampton and visitotl, and sue- that Kincardine )th tongues, .Mi iber of oxcelleiit CHICAGO. 335 men, principally from our own college, have been added to the list of pious pastors. The celebration of communion at Kincardine, and North Bruce, with the to me, a Lowlander, somewhat rare ac- companiment of ' the speaking to the question,' on Friday, brought to mind what I had seen years ago in (ilengarry, and what I had often heard of at home but never witnessed. At Kincardine the church, which has been greatly enlarged since 18G4, and the 'grove' adjacent, were both occupied on the week-days and on the Sabbath of the solemn occasion. The number of attendants in all could not be much below 2,()00. The tables spread, with their pure white cover- ings, under the canopy of heaven ; the powerful appeals of men in real earnest, and which were conveyed to listening multitudes in a language which distance of removal from its native haunts render- ed even more touching ; mingling too with the vocal strains of the wild but SAveet Gaelic melodies ; these all blended together coidd not but produce a deep and hallowed impression. It was a matter of deep regret to me that want of time and other causes put it out of my power to visit, as I wished, my friends at Paisley, Southamp- ton, and Egmondville. My previously-tixed visit to Illinois was pressing upon me ; and the arrangements for it admitted of no- change. *' It was on Thursday, August 1st, we set out for Chicago, by the Great Western Railway, We stopped that night at London, in the hospitable mansion of Mr. and Mrs. Chisholm, whose kind atten- tions now as before will never fade from our remembrance. From Detroit to Chicago the di.stance is 280 miles, and the ' Michigan Central' with its comfortable 'Pullman' dormitories, broiight us in safety to that large and rapidly growing city. The surface of the prairies is peculiarly favourable to railway travelling, and all my journeys through Michiijan and Illinois, to and from Chicago, have been accomi)li»hed, through the kind providence of God, without any untoward incident, " Till 18:W, Chicago was known only as a depot for Indian furs, and as a military post for twt) companies of the American army. For fifteen years after it began its rapid rise, its position on the prairies of Illinois and at the southern end of Lake Michigan was anything but inviting. Nevertheless, during twenty years past, it has grown with amazing rap'idity till its inhabitants are estimated at 230,(XK), It is now the acknowledged metropolis of the vast North- West. It is the great thoroughfare of pnjduce from all the seven Prairie States, and particularly of com and cattle of all kinds. Its streets are wide, well built and paved. Its 'Wabash' and 'Michigan' avenues, the former four miles in length, are superior to anything' in the older cities of the Eastern States, Its manufac- tories in machinery of all kinds, clocks and watches, and in nnisical instruments of ditlerent names, are on a great scale. Its ingenious contrivance for obtaining an ample supidy of pure water from the lake, has been executed within three years, and at the expense .. ' ; \ t :* ; i i CI 330 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. of one million dollars. It.s system of ordinary and grammar- school education is most complete ; and its colleges for the higher branches of education are established on the best principles. 1 had the pleasure of being present at the ojjening of the Presbyterian Seminary of Theology, on the 5th of Sei)tember, when an excellent lectiire was delivered by the Professor of Exegetics, Dr. Halsey. The other Professors, Drs. Lord and Elliot are well associated with Dr. H. as men of learning, ability and worth. This seminary is the fourth institution of the kind belonging to the Old School Pres- byterian body ; but the other branches of the Protestant Church, whether Presbyterian, Congregational, Methodist or Baptist, arc all provided with admirably appointed seminaries ; and it was to my mind peculiarly refreshing to find all the larger distributors of kn()wludge, whether literary or religious, under a decidedly Chris- tian influence. " The population of the city, as already stated, is estimated at 23(),(00, and constantly increasing. The number of churches, in- cluding all the places that are set apart for the worshij) of God, and also four Jewish synagogues, amount to about 120. Of the Chris- tian denominations, the Methodists and Baptists, under varied modifying designatitms, are perhaps the largest in point of num- bers ; but Episcopalians, Presbyterians, and Congregationalists, have each a fair proportion of the inhabitants. Presbyterianism. embracing the Old and New Schools, the United Presbyterians, the Dutch Reformed, the Scotch and the Welsh churches, with a few European sects of the same type, claims twenty-four congregations of greater or less extent. All this looks favourably ; but when we come to the question of actual attendance on the public worship of God, the report to be given is any thing but pleasing. I have heard the nuniber of church attendants estimated at an average of seven- teen thousand ; and well-informed persons assured me that this wass an estimate too high. There are large masses of citizens to whom the habit of regular church-going is a stranger. The German population exceeds sixty thousand, and among the professed ad- herents of both the Roman Catholic and Lutheran communions, the evidence is too marked and palpable that the day of the Lord is fearfully profaned. That sacred season seems to be given up by large multitudes to the varied forms of sinful indulgence and plea- surable amusement. The friends of the Sabbath, in and around the city, have lifted up a noble protest against prev.alent abuses of this nature ; but alas ! the enemies of the Sabbath have congregat- ed in larger assemblies on the other side, and secular interests of a local and political character stiind greatly in the way of a faithful execution of the statutes of public law on this vitally important matter. It is, however, a favourable symptom that the friends of evangelical truth are becoming more and more united among themselves, and more generally alive to the necessity and duty of combined and prayerful effort on the side of truth and of godliness. SCOTCHMEN AND CANADIANS IN CHICAGO. 337 it d grammar- • the higlier pies. 1 had r'resbyterian ail excellent Dr. Halsey. ociated with seminary is School Pres- ;ant Church, Baptist, are id it was to itributors of dedly Chris- istimatcd at hurches, iu- of God, and If the Chris- inder varied int of nuni- igationalists, byterianism. yterians, the with a few ongregations )ut when we ic w^orship of I have heard ige of seven- lie that this of citizens to The German irofessed ad- munions, the f the Lord is given up by ce and plea- and around ent abuses of fe congregat- interests of a of a faithful y important he friends of nited among and duty of of godliness. '♦ Amidst much that is flagrantly immoral and wicked in this great city, I believe that in regard to active, energetic, and united zeal and Christian effort, Chicago will bear a favourable comparison with the other large cities of the Union. The formation of moral and religious character in a rai)idly increasing community, becomes a subject of befitting thought to all good men ; and in this city the measure of the forms of Chris dan energy is truly gratifying to the moral observer. A large and united branch of godly ininisiers; a well conducted religious press, though as yet on a limited scale ; a compact and well-arranged system of Sabbath schools ; young men's associations for the mental and spiritual benetit of that vital portion of the community ; daily meetings for i)rayer and religious conference ; these and similar agencies are all at work in a humble but determined spirit, and under judicious superintendence. Among leaders in such goodly undertakings, the name of Mr. Moody deserves honourable and grateful notice ; .and he is sur- rounded by a goodly band of faithful coadjutors, both clerical and lay. ' ' There are understood to be in Chicago at least ten thousand Scotchmen and Canadians, and so far as religion has any concern in the matter, they are more or less attached to the forms and usa- ges of Presbyterianism. Earnest aiiJ untrammelled Calvinistic preaching ; the regular habit of pastoral household visitation ; the simple celebration of the ordinance of the Supper with accompanying week-day services ; standing in public prayer ; vocal and congrega- tional singing of the praises of God ; and the regular though not exclusive use of tiie authorized metrical version of the Psalms ; these are the understood features of Scottish Presbyterianism ; and many pious persons in Chicago felt the want of such a thing ; whilo they ivlso longed for a faithful ministerial superintendence that might gather in wanderers, and seek after those other Scotch and Irish Protestants for whose spiritual interests no one seemed to care. Hence originated ' f /it" ^'/'^^ Scotch Church' in Chicago. On application to the Canada Presbyterian Church a supply of minis- ters has for some years past been regularly sent them, chiefly through the kind offices of the Presbytery of London ; and in March last, my son, formerly of Kingston and St. Catharines, was induct- ed into the charge. In July last a suitable piece of ground in a central part of the city was purchased ; and within less than two months a goodly fabric has been reared, the first flat of which, raised six feet above the ground was so constructed as to make a commodious place of meeting for 500 persons. It was opened on the first Sabbath of September ; when three public services were engaged in and all largely attended. It fell to me to take the larger portion of the work on the auspicious occasion ; but the Rev. Mr. Bradford, of the United Presbyterian Church, and the pastor him- self, took part in the services ; on the Tuesday following a social religious meeting was held, when ministers of various denomina- ^ •i; I I;' , 1 338 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. tions, and several distinguished citizens, made nnitable addresses ; the collections altogether, on occasion of the opening, being to the amount of one thousand dollars. It is expected that from the com- mendable liberality of the members and other friends, the church, when finished, will not labour under the burden of a heavy debt. " At the distance of 140 miles from Chicago, and at about seven from Kewanee, a rising business village on the Burlington railway, a scattered, but beautiful prairie settlement, meets the eye. That is Elmira, where from twenty-five to thirty Scotch families reside ; mostly from the Highlands and islands of Scotland from fifteen to twenty years ago ; and the greater part understanding their native tongue far better than the acquired Saxon, which only few have arrived at. For the sake of their children, however, and the neij^h- bouring settlers, English is as necessary as Gaelic in the minister who may be sent to them. They have asked and received accept- able supplies from the Canada Presbyterian Church, and mainly by the kind oflBces of the Presbjrtery of London. I spent nearly a week among these worthy .settlers, having public worship for four days in succession largely attended ; and on the intervening Lord's day the holy communion was dispensed to forty communi- cants. The people are all in comfortable circumstances, and well able to support a fixed ministry' ' •\t determined to have none but from the Canada Presbyteri ■ 'nrch. I found here Mr. John Macnab, the worthy represt. i i J /e of a ' reg\ilar apostolic succession' of pious Celtic brethren fr . our chxirch ; and by this time he will be succeeded by Mr. Alexander Mackay, of Tiver- ton, one of my esteenu d Huron brethren. Of no other * living branch' of the original Celtic Church in the States could I hear ; but several Gaelic families at a distance expressed to me their de- sire to choose Elmira as the place of their future abode, provided only they could there enjoy the glorious Gospel in the language which no distance of time or place renders less dear to their hearts. The good folks of Elmira have already built a nice church and manse, and the future occupant of these, presuming on his being a man of the ' right kind,' will soon find himself placed in a most de- sirable sphere of growing usefulness. " About sixty miles south of Elmira, and within thirty of the great Mississippi, I had the pleasure of spending two days with Dr. Wallace, the President of Monmouth College, a literary instittition recently established in connexion with the United Presbyterian Church of the States, or at least under their superintendence, and attended by upwards of three hundred students ; and, wl it is rather uncommon, both sexes are admitted to the benefits < ( the prelections \mder very judicious nilea. There is also a theo- logical seminary in the same place, and in the same connexion. From all I saw and heard of these institutions, and of the men who have the charge of them, I am led to entertain a very high opittiou of their literary and theological character. It is seven- DR. WALLACE. DR. PRESSI.Y. AURORA. 339 teen years since I became acquainted mth Dr. Pressly, the venerable head of the older school of theology at Pittsburg, in the same ecclesiastical connexion. Some thinKs have recently occurred in their synodical proceedings and i»tlierwuys, whicn lead me to hope, that by some modifications that invoh no sacri- fice of principle, the way may bo opened for a closer fellowship between us, and that elder branch of the once undivideil Pres- byterian Church of Scotland and of Ireland. " On my way back from Monmouth and Elmira, I stopped two nights on a visit of sympathy to tlio Rev. Mr. Ebbs, formerly of Paris, now of Atirora, a beautiful rising town tjf 12,000 in- habitants. Mr. Ebbs is a faithful and acceptable minister of the Congregational Church, and it haa pleased God to visit him lately with a very distressing domestic trial in the loss of his only son who was drowned while bathing ; anii t promising young man. I also, when in the city, paid two visits to our worthy friend Mr. Duncan, formerly of Perth, now at Evanston, a peculiarly attrac- tive sphere of pastoral usefulness, twelve miles from Chicago, on the banks of the lake. In other instances, my visit to Chicago, and to the lovely prairies of Illinois, revived the aapiaintancoships o£ other years, leaving on my mind impressions salutary and sweet." fi CHAPTER XVIII. THE PIONEERS OF PRESBYTERIANISM IN CANADA, (^ T is not ours to assume tlie part of the His- torian, yet it seems a s\'itablo sequel to the record of Dr. Burns' hibours, to say some- thing respecting the earlier History of ^ Presbytcrianism in the region which formed their more immediate scene. The Rev. George Henry is the first Presbytei-ian minister of whose ministry in Canada we can find any record. Retiring from the post of military chaplain, he settled in Quebec six years after the trans- feronco of the Province to British rule, and from 1765 till 1784 he discharged the duties of his oflSce in full. He died on the Cth July, 1795, at the arlvan^ed age of eighty- •ix. For several years previously he had been assisted EARLY HISTORY OF PRESBYTERIANISM IN CANADA. 341 by the Rev, Alexander Sp.irk, an alumnus of Aberdeen University, who came to Quebec in 1780, in the capacity of tutor, was ordained in 1784, received from his Alma Mater the degree of D.D. in 1804, and died in 1809. Dr. James Harkness, from Sanquhai-, havin^,' been or- dained by the Presbytery of Ayr in March, 1820, minis- tered in Quebec for fifteen years — a man of peculiar idiosyncracies, whose successor was the present distin- guished incumbent of St. Andrew's Church, the Rev. John Cook, D.D. The Rev. John Bethune having retired from the chap- laincy of the 84th Regiment, held the first Presbyterian service, in Montreal, on the 12th March, 1780. He re- moved to Williamstown, Glengarry, in May, 1787, where, after eighteen year.s of faithful service, he died on the 23rd September, 1815. The present Episcopal Dean of Montreal, and Bishop of Toronto, were among his sons. He was succeeded in Montreal by the Rev. John Young, from Perth, Scotland, who laboured from 1791 till his re- moval to Niagara (then Newark) in 1802. The Lord's Supper was first administered by him in Montreal, ac- cording to the Presbyterian form, on the 18th Septem- ber, 1791 — within the Recollet Roman Catholic Church. The Recollet Fathers refused any pecuniary compensation from the " Society of Presbyterians " for the use of their building. Two hogsheads of Spanish wine, containing sixty odd gallons each, and a box of candles, amounting in all to £14 2s. 4d., were subsequently donated, and gratefully received. The first Presbyterian church, the y^ arable St. Gabriel, which still stands, was opened on r ■ i l\< ■ ■ip 342 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. the 7th October, 1792. On the 18th September, 1803, the Rev. James Somerville, of the Scotch Relief Clmrch, suc- ceetlod Mr. Young in the pastorate of this church. On the day preceding, the first Presbytery of which any re- cord remains, was convened. "Montreal, 17th September, 1803, the former Presbytery (A Montreiii having been, by unfortunate circumstances, dissolved, tlv Rev. Mr. John IJethune, minister of the (Jospel at Olengarry Upper Canada, formerly a nu'inber of said Presbytery, and the Rev. Ale.vander Spark, minister of the (io8]>el at Quebec, conceiving that it would be for the good of religion to form a connection and consti- tute themselves into a Presbytery, did accordingly meet at Mon- treal tliis Seventeenth of September, in the Year of our Lord, One Thousand Eight Hundred and Tiiree, and, after prayer, the said ministers, together with IVlr. Du?ican Fisher, Elder, took their Beats. The Kev. Mr. John IJethune was chosen Moderator, the Rev. Mr. Abjx. Spark, Clerk. Al»sent, the Elder from ( Jlengarry and the Elder from Quebec. The Presbytery agreed that they shall bo known and addressed by the iiaiuo and style of the Presbytery of Montreal." The " former Presbytery," whose records were lost, must have been composed of Messrs. Bothune, Spark, and Young, together with their Elders. Nor are there any records of this second Presbytery save the one quoted. Certain })arties seceded from St. Gabriel Street church in 1803, under the Rov. Robert Forrest, the germ of the present St. Andrew's church. Mr. Forrest left for New York the same year, and was succeeded in 1804 by the Rev. Robert Easton, from Roxl)urghshiro, who was sud- denly cut oft' in 1824.. In 1817 the Rev. Henry Esson, afterwards the accomplished Professor in Knox College, been me assistant and successor to Mr. Somerville, who died in 1837, leaving £1,000 for a Manse to St. Galmel Street church, and the same amount to the Natural History Society of Montreal. 1803, the rch, sue- ch. On any re- bytery o» )lved, tlv lengarry tlio Kov. ving that lid cdusti- at Mon- Lord, Ono ', the said -t»«)k their rator, the (•loiigarry tlieyshail 'resbjrtery ere lost, )ai-k, and lero any loted, hurch in 1 of the for Now by the Y Esson, College, ''ho died I Street History EARLY HISTORY OF PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH. 343 Dr. Edward Black, who arrived in Montreal in 1822, was associated with Mr. E.sson till 1831, when St. Paul's congi'egation was formed under his pa»toral oversight. In 1798, the Classis, of Albany, of the Dutch Reformed Cliurch, sent the Rev. Robert McDowall to labour in Can- ada. He proved a zealous and devoted missionary for over forty years, dying in 1841, at Frederickslmrg. His willow I distinctly remend)er. One of his scjns belonged to my church, in Kingston. Mr. Gordon, of Gunanoque, vmtes thus of him — " I was very intimate with Mr. McDowall, of Fredorickabiirg, who wa.s sent to Canada by the Dutch Reformed riuiroh, V. .S. , in compliance with an application from Canada for Chri.stian labunrcrs, at a time that there were so few of snch a.s the applicant.s wanted, (they, as I nnderstand, being I'rosbytorians,) or indeed of ministers of other bodies ; and in onr confidential conversations he told me that his missicmar}' labours stretched from Quebec, and below it, 1 think, eastward, and Toronto, then 'Little York,' and a small insignificant place, and beyond westward, lie told me that he had mnch accpiaintance and personal intercourse with (Jovenior Hunter, I think he said the first (iovernor sent to Canada, whom he spoke of very favourably, and that if he, Mr. M., had changed \\\^ church and become Episcopalian, the (Jovernor's influence was all in his favonr. But Mr. M. was of that single-eyed, single-hearted charac- tei that no temptations *' ! i r m 344< LIFE OF KEV. DR. BURNS. ,^f^ brother to the Hon John S. Macdonald, whom you knew so well, as a siiitablo Hcrvant tor moving about with Mr. McDowall. I had stopped at this man's inn to bait the horse, and as I wished to look over my notos for the evening's sermon, I said very little to the host beyond what l)U8ine8S required, and retired during the feed- ing to a room. But this zealous loyalist had on my departure straightway gone to Mr. Fmser, Mr. M.'s particular friend, and a Magistrate, to give him a description of all about the visible out- ward personality, of such minuteness ot could identify, and make it safe ttj get a warrant to lodge the suspected spy in any of Her Majesty's jails. Size, the peculiar fitness of the horse, the valiao strapped behind it, the lig;;t-wt:ght rider on it, all so peculiarly adapted for flight and escape, if recpiired. Above all, the dark trccasonous taciturnity that could not look honest men in the face. So well ha(' this informant — so to the life — det.jribed the suspected person's ouiward personality, with a view to unmistakeable identili- cation, that \ hen Mr. M. at night introduced me to Mr. B'raser, the real so exaci y answered to the person previously described, that Mr. Fraser Iwid enough to do to rcfraui from a good loud laugh as the salutation." !■' The Session Records of Niagara, w]ii(;h dato from 1st October, 17i)4, tell of the llev. Jolin Dunn, a licentiate of the Presbytery of Glasgow, coining over from Albany, where he had ministered for some time. For two years he laboured in Stamford and Niagara, then left the min- istry and became a merchant in the latter place. In 1803, ho perished with all on board the Speedy, a vessel car- rying ten guns, which foundered in Lake Ontario. Mr. Dunn was succeeded by the Rev. John Young, who came to Niagara from Montreal, where he had briefly laboured. Ho remained from 1802 till 1804, when the Rev. John Bums, a Scotch Secession minister, father of Judge Buitis, arrived from the State of New York. Ho preached every third Sabbath in Niagara till 1812, when the second American War broke out, and the town was reduced to ashes. Ho resumed in 1815, combining with the Pas- torate the charge of the District School, till his death, in NIAGARA. EASTMAN. SMART. 845 1824. Mr. Thomas Creen, from the North of Ireland, succeeded him, who soon after became Episcopal Rector of the place. In 1827, tlie Rev. Thomas Fniser, of the Re- lief Church, Dalkeith, Scotland, now residin^^ in Montreal (a vigorous preacher still), fultilled a hriof niinistiy in the old town, followed in 1829 by the Rev. Robert McCiill, from Ayrshire, who remained sixteen years. In the old Niagara district laboured long and faithfully " Father Eastman," as he was generally called. He came into the Province from the United States in 1791) or 1800, and planted " seven churches," most of which remain until this present. We remember him well — his erect gait, and springy step, and ringin<^ voice, and warm hand-clasj) — though when we knew hlai he was totally blind. We joined with some of his spiritual children in laying him in one of the quiet churchyards he hail marked out, when, "an old man and full of years, he was gathered to his Fathers." In 1808 or 1801), Mr. William Smart was under training for missionary service in the West Indies, at Gosport, within whose useful institute many hopeful youth were being brought up at the feet of tl.o venerable Rogue. A petition came from the peojjle of Brockville for a minister, addressed to the London Missionaiy Society. Mr. Smart, feeling that his own countrymen had claims, at least e([ual to the heathen, gave a favourable answer. He was or- dained in London, "to the work of the ministry, in Eliza- bethtown, U. C," and commenced labouring in Brockville in 1811. He planted the first Sabbath School in Omada. He formed the first Bible Society in the Province in 1817 — the first Missionary Society in 1818, and the first Reli- nk i m t| ^ i ■* •*.1k 346 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. li^l 4 > gious Tract Society in 1820. Mr. Smart's fi^-ld of labour Btretclied from Gananoque to Osnabruck, from ninety to one liundred miles in length — to Bastard (twenty-five miles) and South Gower (thirty-five miles) in rear of the St. Lawrence. In all Upper Canada there were but two Presbyterian mmisters when he came — Mr. Bethune and Mr. M».' Jo wall. In concert with Dr. Boyd, who arrived subsequently, he had to do with the planting of Presby- terianism in fourteen different places, all of which have now buildings of stone. He preached the first sermon in Perth, with an unfinished store for his church, and a flour barrel for his desk. Returning from a missionary tour in 1812, after the breaking out of the secon American War, a stray, spent twelve-} )Oundor pa.ssed over the neck of Mr. Smart's horse, fell nciar the feune, sank in and ploughed up the ground. Mr. Smart can look back over sixty years of honourable service ; nor yet is his eye dim, or his natural force materially abated. Dr. Boyd, from Ireland, ordained in 1821, has recentl}'' died on a field signal- ized by the indefatigable lal)()urs of half a century. The Rev. William Be!!, in 1817, followed the emigrants from Lanark and Renfrewshires, who had settled in the Perth district the year before. He sailed on the oth Apiil, and, " after fifty-seven days of horrors," rea^'lied Queliec. Ho took twenty-four days to travel between thatcity and Perth. Eight d.'iyswere sj)cntbetween Montreal and Prescott, with batteaux, oxen, and horses. From biockville he walked most of the way. His first house consisted of log walls, a roof, and a floor of loose split basswood logs over a pool (.f stagnant water. The closeness of the floor may bo under PERTH. REV. WILLIAM BELL. STRUGGLES. 347 4ood from the fact th.it one day one of the cliihlren fel' through, and was, with some difficulty, rescued from drowning. There were no partitions. No furniture could possibly be h id. Dr. Thom gave him two boards, from which he made a table. His pastoral visitation lay through stumps and swamps, over fences and fords, mid broiling suns and swarming mo.squitoes — fourteen miles at a time along blazed tracks, with the occasional howl of the wolf and hiss of the serpent; lodging in wretched hovels, sometimes \i|)set from canoes to the danger of drowning, and, when escaping, having no opportunity of getting wet '•lothes changed. Over a shocking road he has to travel on foot forty- two miles to Brockville, to get leave to perform m.'irriage, but, ojiposed on technical grounds by High Church offi- cials, he has to trudge back, and return on foot three months after to the Quarter Sessions, accompanied by seven members of his church. He collects money for a school-house, which he occuj)ies as a church. An E|)isco- pal clergyman comes to the settlement. He is uncere- moniously ordered to give up the school to him. He resists for a time, but at last gives it up, o])serviiig in his Journal: " It is vot safe living in Home and ftdlinrj out with the Pope." He is brought into court and fined heavily for trying to jmt down Sal»bath desecration. The proxies of drunken parents demand " christening " for a child. On being refused, they go off in hi-.jh dudgeon to a Roman Catholic priest, who goes thr()U-4,h the ceremony, fur half a dollar, in French, of which they wtire tsntirely ignorant. The enraged father complains to a magistrate, and next * >. i m WP 848 LIFE OF REV. DR. BUr.NS. morning, after a dreadful night of cold, is found stretched on the snow a stiffened corpse. Mr. Bell's MS. Journals, which are very copious and numerous, contain many similar incidents, with records of journeys to Presbytery meetings, requiring from four to six days to reach the place of meeting, perhaps two days being spent in travelling on foot, and the remainder by means of horseback, riding wa^(gon, small boat, or sleigh, as the case may be.* About the same time the Rev. Joseph Johnston, from Ireland, laboured in Cornwall, teaching also the district school, and was succeeded, in 1822, by the Rev. Harry Leith.who held uio same plurality till translated, in Decem- ber, 182G, to Rothiemay, Aberdeenshire, when Dr. Hugh Urquhnrt, who had arrived in the country in 1822, came into the post, from which death has just removed him. In 1818, the Rev. Hugh Kirkland, and in 1820, the Rev. William Brunton, laboured at Lachino, and, for five years, from 1821 till 182(1, when he was cut off in hLs prime, Kingston enjoyed a ministry of much promise un- der the Rev. John Barclay. The Rev. James Harris, from Ireland, was the first planter of Presbyterianism in To- ronto.-f- 7'lio name of Jenkins must bo joined with the honoured names of Bethune, Bell, McDowall, Eastman, and Smart, and others who, in the early period of our country's his- tory, served as Presbyterian jnoneers. " Father " Jenkins, when labouring m a missionary among the Oneida Indians, in New York State, was in- * Sec in A|>|>enilix II. sonu- liilorcstlnif extracts fr<>n> the Juurnala of thii vcnenbl mnii, kimlly fiiriiiolu'tl me l>,v liio oxfelluiitBoii, the Uev. Dr. Ueurtfe Uell, o( Clifton. t beu volualilo wvmunibilia uf Mr. Horrii in A|J|x:ndix {. wmm FATHER JENKINS. 349 duced to visit Scarboro', in 1820, a township which began to be settled by emigi-ants from the south of ScoUand in 1799. His field embraced the Townships of York, Mark- ham, Vaughan and Scarboro'. The Rev. James Harris, whose fatherly address as Moderator of the Presbytery of Toronto, on my receiving license, I will never forget, thus writes me with reference to Mr. Jenkins : — " With respect to Father Jenkins, I became ncqiiainted with liim in the fall of 1H2(>, a short time after my arrival in the town of York, and for many years maintained nninterrupted mininterial commnnion with him. He was a zealous and indefatij,'al)lo labourer in the Master's cause. Not unfreiiuently I accompanied him to some of the recently-formed townships north (jf 'l\)ronto, convers- ini,' with, and preachinj^ the (.lospel of Christ to many poor and destitute settlers, organizing C(mgregation8, and occasionally dis- pensing the Lord's Supper. Such visits were always cordially wel- comed."* The Rev. Arch. Henderson, who was ordained in 1810, came out to Canada in July, 1818. He belonged tothe A.sso- ciate Synod in Scotland. An excellent preacher, and a faithful labourer he has proved, to whom I am indebted for some interesting fiicts in connection with the early history of our church in the East. Father of our church, moderator of our presbytery, and now over eighty -six, he brings forth fruit in old age. He describes the rise of our church in Mf)ntreal and Quebec, the ministers who came over with Dr. Mason, of New York, and the phinting of Presbyterianisni at La- chute, where some di.s.sentients from the original congre- gation applied to the Kirk. The Rev. John McKenzic, in 1818, succeeded the * A certain diiniitary who, ecdesiMtioally, liad fnixotten liis first love, iiifL'lintf Father JenkinH, remarked the threodhiiruncsa of his coat. ('aiiBticull\ , v>;t cuurteoualy, the old gentlemau replied, " At any r»u-, I thank God it isn't a turncoat I" 350 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. Su wi«h to know how we spend the Sabbath in Caledon. I have thert^fore to intorm you th »t I and a number of the emi- grards a««eud>U» at eleven o clock, forenoon, in the house of .F. M. The sorvv^e \\\ wliioh we then enifage comuit-uces with prayer and praine j ^ ehaptev o|' th»* HlbU> i» n-ad, then <>ue of Burder'a village ■ov\»»<>nin, which yo\i gave nw whi-n I carno away, is next read. After lhi« the children arecat. chised, and the service concludes a» it bevf^^u, with prayer and praise. I am much obliged to you for the tracts and other useful pamphlets y<>u have sent me, for they M'o agreeable company to uie here in the woods. '* "Caledox, 27thJfm*», 1826. ** Yon mentiimed in a letter lately .sent, tlnvt a Sf^ciety haH been established ainongst you for grinding out miniaterH ;aid teachers to the British Colonics. I heard a sermon preached aUtut seven weeks ago, and with the exception of that opportunity, I liave not heard a sermon for the hist sevent^jen niontliH " VVhen the news of the establishment first reached us, Mr S, came to Caledon and called a few of the settlers together, to see what means could be adopted to get a pastor, through means of the society, when it was resolved that Mr. S. should write ti. the Rev. Mr. Burns, Secretary of the Society, and to inform him of our situation, and I ..hould write to you, so far to corroborate his statement, which I accordingly did. Among other things, I men- tioned tliat the minister wo\ild have to preach to three townsb |», viz. : Esquesing, Erin and Caledon. I also mentioned that the population of Caledon consisted of eighty families, chietly Presby- terians, and that the population in Erin was nearly tlie same, and the number of families in Earpiesing to several hundreds, and you were requested to converse with Mr. Burns on the subject." f iW-, i "Calepon, 1st March, 1827. " We are as yet deprived of the privdege of liearing the g<>apel regiilarly preached. We have, however, been lately favoured with a sermon, once a montli, by a Methodist missionary, who preaches to us every fourth Sabbath, in the house of John McUonaid, juu. 352 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. Wo aro now deprived of the labours of Mr. Redpath,* of wlium I gave some account, in a letter 1 wrote to you last .I;inuary. Hu was a man of small stature, and of a delicate constitution, while to have undergone the fatigue which he undei'went in spnadin-,' the glad tidings of salvation, would have re<|uired a stnmg aiul rohuHt frame, and indeed one of the best of constitutions. So wide was tlu; circuit in which he itinerated, that he coidd only give us a seruKiu once in three numths. All his journeys he perfonaod on foot, and though the roads were at some seasons of tht year nearly impassable, yet a word th of last m inth. Tho Uev. Mr. Harris, of Yf>rk, made tho intro- ductory prayer ; tho Kov. Mr. Ferguson, of West (Jwillimbury, preached tho ordination serm \. 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. MS80 (716) S73-4903 354 LIFE OF IlEV. DR. BUllNS. 1^,. i' ¥■•' B ' ■ ■b i 1 i ■ ... 1 i heard but tho howling of wolvos and the raging of the elements, ia now heard tho joyful sound of salvation ; and where tho huliiins lately howed to their iniajjinary gods, tho ambassadors of Jesus Christ proclaim tho triumphs of His cross." It was amid such antecedents and surroundings that the Glasgow Colonial Society was formed. How it fulHlled its mission wo have already seen. In 182G, soon after its formation, Dr. Mathieson, of St. Andrew's Chin-ch, Montreal, thus eloquently pleads for the land to which he had recently come, in a characteristic epistle : ' ' The settlers in Canada are chiefly Scotchmen ; and, do not think that tuo rigour of our winters chills the warm feelings which charac- terise our couutrynion ^ at home'' Distance from 'our dear own native land ' but fans our native ardour, and makes to cling to us more tenaciously all the stiiidy but honest prejudices of ycotchmcn. " The language of the captive Jews by tho rivers of Babylon is the language of many of your comitrymen by the rivers of Canada, when they think on the religious services in which they were ac- customed to join with their fathers : ' If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cuiniing. If I do not remember thee, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth.' Often does ' thdr home,' with all its associations rush upon their recollection. The cottage svliere they first received a father's blessing and shared in a mother's cai'o ; the fireside group, where *Tho sire tiinis o'er, wi' patriai-hal grace, Tho big ha' biblo ;' the country church, half hid among the vrees, whither they were early taught by pious care to turn their steps ; and tho sin) pie and the sublime worship in which there they joined — all recur, and place at the disposal of a skilful minister of our church a power which he might wield to the noblest purposes. " But let this generation pass away, and nothing be done to keep alive religiotia feeling and preserve religious knowledge, and it ia clear this advantage must be lost. The rising generation will grow up in comparative ignorance, and devoid of tliose inipressions that public ordiiumces are ciilculated to make on tho mind, and will present an iintractable material both to the philanthropist and the teacher of religion. May God and the General Assembly and our graciotis Kin ,' avert the evils which are likely to flow from such a state of society. Many of tiiese are Highlanders, whose sentiments may be expressed generally in the words of one of their number that I met with lately at the Sacrament in Glengarry : * I came into these woods, where the foot of a minister of the gospel had DR. MATTIIESON, OF MONTREAL. 855 never ^0011. T prayed that I might see one minister of this pcrsna- aion, in which I was br<>u<,']it n]), settled amonjj^st ns. I saw that. 1 prayed for another ; tlio\i'.;lit uniitlicr wouhl do much f,'ood ; tho labo\ir was loo much for one. 1 sitw another,-— l)'it so h!iiii)y a day as this I never expected to see in Canada, — five ministers of tho Kirk of Scotland in Glenf^arry !' *' It is said of us that we are all very apt to become Episcopalians when we come to this side of tho Atlantic. This may bo true with respect to some of our Iikj folk who wish to bo fashionable, and our little ft)lk wlio wish to be bi;^ ; and among the latter is your friend McL , who has renounced his cluiich, and has applied for Epis- co])alian ordination, as [ am informed, ' from a conscientious pre- ference to that cliin-ch ! ! ' But with respect to tho great body of the people, nothing can bo more fal.se than such a statement. Many of them, it is true, laudably attend tho services of tho English church, becanso there is no other within their reach. They (the Church of England) have been certainly nuich more zealous in at- tempting to plant themselv(!s in Canada than our good Kirk lias been hithei'to ; but tho time is not yet gone by, I hope, when what is lost cannot be retrieved, but now or never, I think, is the time both for the Assoud)ly and for individuals to exert themselves, and if they do, I do not despair but very soon, and [trecisely from tho same canses, there will be exhibited on the })osom of the bf)uiidle.s3 forests of Canada many cas hjvely moral pictures as Scotland ivjvf presents from the bosom of the ocean." At an after date, Dr. Mathicson closes another letter thus. Our readers will not grudge the s{)ace occupied by these two selections from the manuscript volumes of colo- nial correspondence : " [ would call npon tho peo]ilo of Scotland generally, and the clergy in parliodar, to bestir tliemselve.4 in our behalf. \Ve still retain an ardent love for our national church. We look upon our connection with it as a link, and a powerful one, in the mighty chain of alFections which \niites us to the beloved land we have left. Her ordinances are viewed by many in ('anada with a regard which, I am afraid, those who constantly enjoy them do nut uhvays feel. The God of their fathers is more imjire.'^sively felt to l)e their God when they sing to his i>raise the same Psalms in which in their infancy they joineil with their parents. The English liturgy may be an excellent composition, and every page of it may be full of piire devotion ; but it does not, and it cannot, awaken in our hearts the feelings which our Scottish worship calls up. It has no share in onr previous associali ms. It calls uj) no recollecticms of the soh'um stillness of the Scottish Sabl)ath, or the more delightful and hal- lowed sounds that, amid tho glens and hollows of our uativo , i r n I' '' "\i I 356 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. VEI ■ \ii' country, rise through the morning and evening stillness. The {)lant may be fine, but it is an exotic ; its fragrance may be fault- es9, but it is strange. It stands alone, unconnected with a single recollection, unless, indeed, it be this, that our forefathers were persecuted for rejecting it."* The Rev. George Cheyne, who arrived in the Province on the 5th of September, 1831, subsequently to the meeting of the first synod, has given me some interesting jot- tings of the era immediately succeeding the organization of the society. He was designated to " Amherstburg or any other part of North America." He went there, as his predecessor, Mr. Gale, had done, without any induc- tion service. In 1832, travelling to synod at Kingston, he took three days to reach Hamilton, most of the way in open lumber-waggons with wooden side-springs, and the roads " corduroy," — little better than an Indian track in some places. Hamilton was an insignificant town, and he had to stage it to Niagara, then a place of great importance, the starting-point of stages for the West and steamboats down the lake. In the summer of 1834 he visited Sarnia, which was just commencing — the surrounding country an unbroken forest. After a bitter cold night in one of these primitive houses, the worthy host called out, " Are you frozen, Mr. Cheyne? Are you frozen?" But Mr. 0. was none the worse. On his way through Tilbury to Chatham, then a wilderness, he stayed in a shanty twelve feet square, two men, two women, and some children occupying the single apartment. All through that western region, now dotted with flourishing churches, he faithfully proclaimed to the • An interesting memoir of Dr. Mathieson has been published, from the vigorous pen «f Mr. James CroU, who, in ho many ways, has rendered signal service to the church of his attachment. UNITED SYNOD AND U, P. CHUllCH. 357 i scattered settlers, amid many privations, the unsearchable riches of Christ. Other branches of the Presbyterian family laboured actively and successfully in Canada, with whose doings then Dr. Burns had not directly to do, but always fully sympathised. A few faithful brethren, chiefly of the Associate Church in Scotland and the Noi-th of Ireland, formed themselves into the Presbytery of the Canadas in 1818, which, in 1820, became the " United Presbytery," and subsequently the " United Synod of Upper Canada," numbering eighteen in 1840, when it merged into the Church of Scotlaud. In September, 1831, a foreign mission was determined upon by the United Associate Synod of Scotland, and Canada selected as the field. To the Church's call for volunteers, responses came from three faithful and devoted ministers, — Mr. Robertson, of Cupar; Mr. Proudfoot, of Pitrodie ; and Mr. Christie, of Holm in Orkney. Their sympathies went forth towards their expatriated fellow- countrymen, and to live and labour for their benefit they left posts of comfort and usefulness, in compliance with the call of God and His Church. Bearing commission* from their respective presbyteries, and from Dr. John Brown, chairman, William Peddie, secretary, James Ped- dle and John Ritchie, members of the Foreign Missions Committee, they set sail about the beginning of August, 1832. There was an understanding amongst them that Mr. Robertson should labour in Eastern, Mr. Proudfoot in Western, and Mr. Christie in Central Canada. Within a month after arriving, the first member of the little band was cut off by cholera. Mr. Proudfoot settled in London, ' ■■■■ -h ; »• } '?*■ f :» ,.'** St. I- i i' U' I i i! f' \ -i ! r 'I ( i i 11 m 35i LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. %'■ I where he was counted worthy of double honour, discharg- ing for many years, till removed by death, the duties of an earnest pastorate as well as of First Theological Pro- fessor to the body with whose settlement in the country he had so much to do. Mr. Christie, for thirty-eight years, laboured faithfully at Flaraborough. On tlie 8th of Sei)tcmber, 1S70, at the ripe age of 8G, having served his generation, by the will of God, he fell aslce[). Such were the heroic pioneers who founded what be- came the "United Presbyterian Chureli" in Canada, which has done a noble work in the land, and with which, at Montreal, in Juno, 1861, the Presbyterian Church of Canada formed so auspicious a union.* This glance at the past is well litted to make us " from this time say. What hath God wrought ?" The oft experienced and expressed feeling of him whose life and labours we have been attempting to delineate, in looking " before and after," was, " The Lord hath done great things for us, whereof we are glad." The Canada Presbyterian Church of to-day has 308 ministers (an increase of 20 in a year), 30,001) families, 50,000 communicants, over 8,000 office-bearers (including Sabbath-school teachers), and church accommodation for 128,210. During the past year 27 churches have been erected, and 11 manses, the latter new numbering IGl, an increase of 47 in three years. She has two theological colleges, with 150 hopeful young men, either directly en- ii * We had hoped to have received from a respected mhiister of the former United Presbyterian Church a flttiuir record of its most useful liistory, but have not succeeded, and must content ourselves, for the present, with this meagre notice. I PROGRESS OF CANADA PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH. 359 rolled as theological students, or in preparatory depart- ments, having the ministry in view. There is a flourish- ing widows' fund, and a fund for aged and infirm minis- ters. Her Home Mission embraces 122 distinct fields (9t) last year), these including some 700 stations. Our Foreign Missions are in China and amon^j the Cree Indians of the Saskatchewan, and it is a hopeful symptom that the col- lection doubled during the jiast year. The total contri- buted for congregational purposes during the year was 8403,014 ; for the schemes of the church, $4.7,990 ; for all pur]ioses reported, nigh half a million dollars. With a territory touching two oceans, fitted to sustain a population twenty times larger than the four millions now peopling it, and containing within it all the elements of material prosperity, our Church in the Confederated Provinces has amplest scope for the exertion of her utmost energies. Taking the Presbyterian Church as a whole throughout the Dominion, it has been stated, on reliable authority, that, numerically, she ranks first of all the Protestant bodies ; and taking the world-wide view, recent statistics, collected with care and published authoritatively, give her the same front rank. Surely then it behoves her to io her part, along with the other sections of evangelical Protestantism, in coming up to the help of the Lord against, the mighty, and to listen to the voice of her glorious Head as in His providence He says, " Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thine habi- tations ; spare not, lengthen thy cords and strengthen thy stakes, for thou shalt break forth on the right hand and on the left." \¥ •(fi« !li rl I, * CHAPTER XIX. 11 ? MISCELLANEOUS. UH readers will remember the shadow on his heai-tli in the morning of his ministry. Deep called unto deep, wave rolled in on the back of wave, yet though to his feeble sense and fallible reason, it seemed as if "all these things were against him," he found them among the " all things that worked together , for his good," and that there was a blessed " after- ^J/ ward," when, being " exercised thereby," the afflic- tion for the present, not joyous but grievous, yielded " the peaceable fruits of righteousness." During these nights of weeping he found himself often ** An infant crying in the night, And with no language but a cry. " THE EMPTY CRIBS. MRS. DR. BRIGGS. 3t>i Yet had he full sympathy -with the sentiment — " I hold it true, whate'er befall, I feel it when I sorrow moat, 'Twere better to have lovod and lost, Than never to have loved at all," By the empty crib, in the darkened chamber, he thus 'vrites to his sister, Mrs. Briggs, amid the wreck of his hopes and the eclipse of his happiness, when those little lights which gladdened his home, and in which he was willing for a season to rejoice, went out : "Paisley, January 1, 1820. " My deab Jane, — It has become my painful duty to inform you that our dear giil Agnes died this morning at nine o'clock, after a severe illness of seven weeks' continuance. She suffered much acute pain, but her last moments were peaceful and sorene ; and she was sensible till within a very short time of her removal. It is matter of gratitude that the transition was so placid, as, from the nature of the complaint, we had reason to fear much greater suffering immediately before death. For some weeks past we have been kept in a state of the most painful suspense between hope and fear, each alternately predominating. The shock, in the end, was sudden, and felt to be such. The dispensation is a painful one to her mother and me, but it is mingled with much mercy. We are thankful that we enjoyed her so long, and that her whole life was one uninterrupted career of health and enjoyment, and that her latter end was peace. We are especially thankful for the amiable disposition she displayed, and for the interest she took in what was good. She had arrived at that time of life when the mind begins to open and take an interest in what passes around it. She had begun to be our companion in private and in public devotion, and so late as yesterday, or rather this morning early, she referred to the worship of the family, which she took pleasure in attending. Her affections were ardent, and nothing seemed to give her greater pleasure than to be allowed to go to church, and to put her pence in the plate for the poor. She was beloved by aU who knew her, and many have been the kind enquiries that have been made re- specting her. Our loss is her gain. She is now infinitely happier than our most ardent wishes could make her. Her departure loosens one tie which bound us to the earth, and adds to the inte- rest with which we contemplate heaven. Ever since her trouble began we had reason to apprehend a fatal termination ; although, from the circumBtance of the complaint not being fully understood, and I Wi Jill IP, ..,t S6'2 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. Irom its having assumed frequently h favourable appearance, we naturally cherished some degree of hope. The complaint, whatever it was, had its seat in the head, and appears to have been some aflbction of the brain. She was reduced to a skeleton, and appeared at last to sink more from the exhaustion of the frame than from the violence; of disease. I was supporting her when she ex[)ired, but so gentle was the transition that 1 could not ascertain the pre- cise moment when the pulse ceased to beat. Her mother hiis been wonderfully sustained throughout. Her bodily health has been iincommonly go(jd, and her mind has been brought to a resigned and tranquil state. She feels nnich gratified by your letters, and ret|uests me to return her best thanks for them. Slie feels at not having been alile to answer them, but I know that you will lind too ample an apology in the circumstances in which wo have been placed. Your first letter reached us about the time when Agnes began to complain, and since that time our time and thoughts have been completely occupied. I intended to have written you, but you can easily conceive what it is to be agitated between hope and fear ; and domestic sorrow like that we have experienced must tend to xndis])03e as well as unfit for even the ordinary occuiJations of life. I do not know how I am to get through with the labours of to-morrow. I am prepared for the whole day, and must bring my feelings and my mind to it. Being the first Sabbath of the year, and having an extraordinary collection for the poor, makes me more desirous to appear personally. Before the moDth expired, the Lord caused " breach upon breach." Agnes, their " firstborn," for whom in this letter they are " in bitterness," was a lovely girl of four years. The " other lily gathered," of whom the next let- ter speaks, was but opening its blossoms in this inclement clime, when translated to the region of unsetting suns and unending summer. " A flower offered in the bud" they found to be " no vain sacrifice." " Paisle-s, January 29, 1820. " My dear Jane, — Little did we think that we would so soon require the renewed sympathy of our friends. The Avound lately opened has been made to bleed afresh, and attended with painful circumstances. Our only son, John, has been taken from us this morning, after an illness of seven weeks. He had got a bad cold about two months ago, which fastened on his throat and lungs, and grire him great uneasiness, reducing his frame to a shadow. For some time I fearal bette past.l in till proal Wo i DEATHS OF AGNES AND JOHN. 3G3 timo past he was alternately better and worse, and our hopes and fears prevailed accordingly. Yesterday he seemed to be considerably better, and we entertained hopes that tlie crisis (;f the disorder was past. During the night he became rapidly worse, and about four in the morning it was evident tliat the painful change was fast ap- proaching. Ho died without a struggle at a (piarter past eight. We are thus left childless, for God hath taken away the desire of our eyes with a stroke. This day four weeks, at nearly tlie same hour, our dear Agnes was translated from us. We felt her loss deeply ; but we were supported iind coniforted, among other conso- lations, by the thought that we had still remaining one dear object of our affections. Tliat is now taken from us, and the double loss is peculiarly i)ainful. Nature must feel, and grace does not eradi- cate feeling, alth(jugh it is designed to chasten and sanctify it. We desire to adore the hand of a Father in the stroke, however painful : but experience has taught me that it is an easy thing to describe and recommend patient resignation and fortitude under trials ; it is not so easy to put them in practice. We have been comforted during our suffei'ings by the precious word of the living God, and we now begin to enter more deeply into the spiritual meaning of those promises with which it is stored. It is, no doubt, one wise and gracious design of God in the trials, to lit me for tlie duty of sympathizing with and comforting others who may be in allliction. Speculation and theory will not do ; it is the actual participation in suffering which gives the requisite (pialifications. ' Tribulation worketh patience, and patience experience, and experience hope.' [ am happy to say that my dear partner has been woiulerfiilly sup- ported throughout the whole of the fiery trial, 8he is composed, but at times overcome. Our boy was just six months >'iiit.siaL\ 'oiiijiioi'iiig for tlicii- is J'isiiig. " 'inpc and cult and uals fur to the foreio:u mission, we asked his opinion, luid at once got this, which entirely harmonized with our own : — " Dr. W. and I hv.ve conferred on the subject of a missionary to the Indians. •' He spoke of a young man of the name of R , a promising young man, but, in my view, too young and raw for siich work. Really, I would feel a great difficulty in venturing to name any one for such a charge. Mr. Nisbet, is the man (I rather think), and then, a successor in the mission (at Red River) might easily be gut.'" Writing to him on the desirableness of making more popular and public the meetings at the commencement and close of the College, he replied : " I am writing on the Pope's Encyclical and other points. Could hardly venture a free address in a college, and before a learned aiidience. But I agree with you entirely, and have alv/ays advocat- ed such views." Every movement that was iBtted to widen the range of our acquaintance, and to increase the sum of our know- ledge ; every measure that seemed likely to benefit us intellectually or spiritually, and to make us more useful in the Lord's work, he was sure to encourage. Learning that we purposed (in company with our esteemed relative the Kev. "William Gregg,) to attend the IMissionary Anni- versaries at New York — he sent us the following : — "ToKoN'TO, April, 1854, " I am happy to hear that you mean to gn to New Idrk, on ocia- sion of the Missionary and Conference meetings. You will not only see Dr. Dull' again, but meet with many ministers and othei's of whoti you may have lieard, and whom yiiu may never have the op- portunity of seeing again. Yon may renienibvr me very affection- ately to Dr. McLeod, Dr. Alexander, Dr. lMiillii)s, Dr. Krebs. and indeed, all the good men Avhonv Dr. Cunningham and I had the pleasure of meeting when out on the Uepntation. Kirwan, (Dr. Murray,) in particular, T Avould like you to see. You may ask him f it* i^!*:! &i i I f ! !' m Pm t L !• I < 1 368 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNa his opinion now of the McG.'s and the American society for amelio- rating the condition of the Jews. "At the mission rooms, Nassau street, you will meet with Mr. Lowrie, secretary, and the father of the young missionary who was murdered by the Lascars some years ago. He is a good man. He may be able to tell you some things that may be useful to you. Try and stop a day at Princeton, to whose president (Dr. McLean,) I am writing, at any rate, to-day and will name you." When most unexpectedly to him and ourselves, an honorary degree came to us, from one of the oldest and most honoured of American colleges, he expressed his gratification thus : — Toronto, August 28th, 1866. " I have been hard worked by missionary labour since the Synod, and the trifling labour even of letter writing, is beyond my strength, atill I have no difficulty in preaching when 1 can get into the pulpit, which is sometimes a work of difficulty from my enfeebled strength. I hope to fulfil my engagements with you for 9th and 1 Gth of Sep- tember. "The announcement of the honour conferred on you by the Hamilton college was gratifying, and I sincerely congratulate you on it. It is forty years and more since I read 'Dwight's Travels in New York State, as far West as Hamilton College,' of which he gives a full description. See the book if you can. " Seldom in his correspondence with us, did he allude to incidents in his own personal history. To relations of ex- perience he was averse. Even on memorable epochs in his public life, he was reticent, yet, an occasional allusion occurs, as when his year of jubilee came round — though he shrank from its going farther. ** Toronto, June, 1861. " I wrote you on Saturday regarding the day of my jubilee. It is rather singular that, after noticing an erratum on your part, I should have fallen into one myself. Having the curiosity to look at my opening sermon on the ' Word of God not bound ;' the fol- lowing announcement at the top met my eye. * Preached in Low church, Paisley, on Sabbath, 21st July, 1811.' I know full well that the ordination took place on the Friday before, and, thus, on clear evidence the day in c^uestion, turns out to be, not the 8th — B^' mi PARISH LABOUR. HOME LOVE. 3G9 but the 19th of the month, thus bringing round, by the cycle, the jubilee day to the same day of the week as well as of the month — an interesting fact. The lapse of half a century suggests many solemn, Pud let us hope, salutary lessons." More than many suppose, who knew him only as the missionary at large, did he love the regular routine of parish work. He was fond of "walking the Hospitals," and minister- ing counsel and comfort by the bed of sickness and death. During the ship fever of 1847, and the cholera of 1848-9 and '54, his hands were full. Yet, amid the ravages of the "pestilence walking in darkness," he can think of pro- mising portions of the home field, that were white already to harvest, and use hospitality without grudging to God's faithful and persecuted servants. *' Toronto, 1st August, 1854. '' I got home safe and sound. I am glad I came home, as many duties have devolved upon me, in connexion with the prevailing epidemic which still rages around us. I preached all daj"- last Sab- batl;, and endeavoured to improve the solemn calls of Providence. " Dr. and Mrs. Kalley, from Madeira and Illinois, are with us just now. The St. Catharines people have made a move our way. I am not prepared to say that it would be a duty to refuse, if called to occupy what will become one of our most important stations and specially a missionary one, and a field on which the cause of right Sabbath observance may be beneficially fought for." When absent on his missionary tours, he kept up con- stant communication with home. As he went forth *' Mizpah" embodied his heart's desire and prayer for those who, though "absent," were "ever dear." "The Lord watch between me and thee when we are separated the one from the other." A covenant-keeping God wonderfully " preserved his going out and his coming in.' 3T0 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS ii However crowded with work and pressed for time, missives fragrant with a love with which a " stranger in- termeddleth not," were sure, with clock-Hke regularity, to reach those whose hearts went out, often anxiously, after him. If other days had sometimes to be missed, Monday morning would be sure to tell of the "high days" preced- ing, when he "mounted his throne," and was enabled to "triumph in Christ and manifest the savour of his know- ledge in every place." These letters were often undated. " Lindsay, Monday morning. " My very dear Elizabeth, — The weather has changed from the loveliness of sunshine to the dreariness of a bleaching rain. But Jehovah changes not, and by his graciously preserving care I am sustained in health and strength ; and yesterday was able to preach both forenoon and evening, though the audiencoa were small. My visit to Cobourg was a veiy agreeable one, and besides sojourning with the Frasers and at the manse, I had the opportunity of spending an hour twice with the daughter of Mr. Milne, who is to all appearance near her last. The case is a very interesting one. Under great bodily suffering, her mind is kept in perfect peace, hoping in the Lord. " On Friday, Mr. Laing took me down to Grafton, where we took tea with our esteemed friends, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, who are both remarkably well and quite delighted to see me, and many were the enquir. .i they made about you and your praiseworthy laboura. . . . "On Saturday, I came by the Port Hope Railway to Lindsay, forty miles, arriving at 7 p. m. Mr. and Mrs. Hudspeth are very kind, and they send you their best remembrances. This evening I give a lecture in the Town Hall, on Canada, and to-morrow I go to Cam- bray, seven miles out, where Mr. Douglas, the missionary, preaches every Sabbath afternoon." " Oil Springs, Monday, 10 a. m. " My ever Dearest, — After the labours of yesterday I feel quite well this morning ; having gone to bed early and got five or six hours' sleep, and up however at half-past six. In the forenoon at eleven, 1 preached at seven miles' distance, in the Township Hall, which is a very comfortable place for worship, and there we had a full and respectable attendance, not of bush people at all, but of respectably dressed settlers. The singing was admirable, and the a\idience had all the appearance of intelligence and seriousness. There I saw Mr. Patrick Barclay, who lives three miles off, whose PLANS OP CANADIAN PAISLEY. 371 place I am to visit to-morrow at three. I preached here in the Methodist Episcopal church, of which the Presbyterians have the use at certain hours, having helped to build it. It is seated for about 300, and was well filled. There are in the village one Episco- pal place of meeting, and two Methodist ones ; and great harmony seems to prevail among the people. The Sabbath seems to be well kept, and I attended and addressed a large union Saubath school at nine in the morning. The chief proprietor here is Colonel Elliott, formerly mayor oT Cornwall, whom I had known of old, and who came to both of our meetings. He is a religious man, and, though a Congregationalist, is very friendly to us. He is the proprietor of the plank road be- tween here and Wyoming, (15 miles) and makes the staves fur the oil barrels, many of which passed us on the road on Friday ; a good deal of the 'crude' oil is refined here and around, but the largest part is sent for distillation and refining at a distance. Any luipleas- ant smell is from the refineries, and as none of thorn are going to-day there is no smell at all. There is here published a weekly news- paper, called the Oil Springs Chronicle^ of wliich I must send you a specimen, very well printed it is. " I am to conduct meetings on Wednesday and Thursday. As yesterday, we expect two meetings for worship on Sabbath, and a sermon in the evening of Monday. My present intention is, (God willing,) to be home by Tuesday evening, the 26th, at half -past seven or about eight. " Remember me kindly to Miss McCaskell, Miss White, and all the young ladies, not overlooking Minnie and the infaiuvy brigade. " My ever dearest love, '* Your ever aflectionate husband, " RoBT. Burns. if i 11; :;. ^1 In the course of his missionary travels, reaching Pais- ley, he bethought him of the old world town. The " City of the Woods" made memory busy. Of his old friends, he could say with the Apostle, " I have you in my heart." Getting plans of the Canadian Paisley, he sent them across the water as a present to the Town Council of his early home. He received from the authorities the acknowleds: ment: 372 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. m " Town Clerk's Office, " Paisley, 12th Dec. 1866. "Rev. and Dear Doctor, — I received from our mut'ial friend, Mr. Russell Pollock, your letter, dated September last, addressed to the Town Council, and relative to plans of the town of Paislej in your adopted country. " These 1 laid before the Town Council, at a meeting held upon the 6th inst., and I have the pleasure to inform you that they ex- pressed themselves highly gratified at receipt thereof, and in acknow- ledging receipt, I was directed to convey to you the thanks of the Council, for your obliging gift, and to state that the same has been directed to be put up and preserved with the town records. " To me individually, it is pleasant to find you taking so warm an interest in this town, and in all that relates to its welfare, where you spent so many of your best years. You will be glad to leani that this town is improving, though slowly — that there are many new trades introduced since you left, adding greatly to the comfort of the people, •' Yours faithfully, *• Wm. Hodoe." He had a very high sense of the responsibility of the office of a Professor of Theology. On the dignity and solemnity of the Christian ministry he loved to dilate. He felt a holy jealousy for the motives of aspirants to the sacred office. Amongst requisite qualifications, whilst rating at their proper worth the intellectual, be attached the highest value to the spiritual. Especially did he insist on being " mighty in the Scriptures." The expertest employment of the sharpest weapons which the armoury of science and literature supplied, could never, in his esteem compensate for the lack of the ability dexterously to wield the Sword of the Spirit. How aptly he could quote Scripture ; how deftly inter- weave it with the texture of his preaching and his prayers, many will remember. On these and kindred themes which formed the frequent subject of subsequent s t-i ADVICES TO STUDENTS. 373 prelections he dwells in the very first letter he penned to the students after his call to Canada, which pressure for space kept out of its appropriate chapter, but which may be introduced here. It suits the candidates for the minis- try of to-day as well : "Paisley, December 28th, 1844. "My dear YouNa Friends, — The Synod of your Church has called me to take the inspection of your studies. Tl: a divine Head of the Church, will, we trust, speedily raise up some one, who, to the full vigour of mental power, adds that, for the want of which, neither talent, nor learning, nor eloquence can atone — the Hving energy of a spirit quickened from on high ; the holy activity of the men of other times, who counted not their lives dear to them, provided only they could spend and be spent in the service of Him whom they loved. I feel my utter incompetence to take the charge of those on whom shall be devolved the mighty responsi- bility of conveying the message of Heaven to degraded and ruined man ; and I feel it the more, inasmuch as it has all along been my clear conviction, that the pastoral office is of itself quite sufficient, and more than sufficient, to engage all the time and all the ener- gies of one man. In accepting this charge, therefore, I feel as if guilty of a glaring inconsistency ; and such an impression cannot but add indefinitely to the weight and responsibility of the charge. In the infancy of the church, such an union of offices is tolerated, because it is unavoidable. The fathers of the reformed churches of Europe found it necessary to act on the same principle ; and the men who have been instrumental in promoting the religious im- provement of the American settlements, in former and in later times, have done the name. Such considerations, however, do not diminish, but enhance the responsibility incurred, while they demonstrate the duty of every church, in seeking to embark the service of ministers uutrammeled, in the more laborious depart- ment. "If I have had the temerity of closing with a proposal, from which my sense of inability would have led me to shrink, it was not till after all my eff'orts to obtain the service of one or more of the ablest men in the church at home, had ended in painful disap- pointment. I rejoice that my esteemed friend and brother, the Rev. Andrew King, of Glasgow, has engaged for a season, to superintend your studies. The thought has more than once struck me, that possibly this excellent servant of Christ may, in the holy providence of Almighty God, have been sent to Canada, that he may remain with you, and the churches there, for their and your furtherance and joy of faith. If it is permitted to me agam to cross the great ocean, and to settle in the west, I shall rejoice not \ ■ h i "'T? . ' ! ?? %M 374 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. \''S a little in fincling such a fellow-labourer in the field, and that field we know, is sufficiently wide. In the meantime the labours of Mr. King among you will be by you duly appreciated, and when the season of his charge of you shall terminate, the pious ministers of the districts to which yo\i may remove, will, I doubt not, exercise over you a kind and edifying superintendence. My earnest prayer for you from day to day shall be, that your studies may all be con- ducted in the spirit of humble diligence, and entire dependence on God ; and that each and all of you may ever be constrained by the love of Christ as your animating principle ; and that the com- manding view you shall take of the Christian ministry, may be that of a divinely appointed means of converting men to God, and saving souls from death. Oh ! how miserably low and degraded are those views of the Christian ministiy which elevate it no liigher than a si^ecies of moral police ; a kind of decent instrumentality for keeping the people in order, and smoothing the rugged surface of society ! Let your views rise far above this drivelling level ; for let me assure you, that just in proportion to the magnitude of your aims, will be the measure of your spiritual activity in the frosecution of your studies. An activity Avhich is merely secular, would not desiderate in candidates for the sacred oflBce ; but a vitality that is S2:)iritual, and an activity that is heaven-directed, God the Spirit will assuredly bless. ** In common with your able preceptor, you must at present feel the great want of properly selected books in theology, for reference and perusal. Whether I may ever be permitted to see you in the flesh or not, one thing I pledge myself to do for you, and that is, to endeavour to collect for your use, a Library of Literature and Theology ; and the church at home will, unquestionably, help me in this. They have already promised to do so ; and private friends in the mother country, and perhaps on the continent of Europe, may make presents to you of suitable publications. But I am strongly inclined to give thanks that you are at present almost en- tirely shut up to the Bible ! The divine author of that Holy Book, is taking each of you by the hand, and is leading you directly to the fountain that Js pure, and healthful, and life-giving. And do you think the blessing will be withheld if you are found day after day drinking at the sacred springs which are exclusively his own I " Bonus textuarius est bonus Theologus," said Martin Luther ; and if the historian of that remarkable man, and of his times, has suc- ceeded in throwing one charm around his work more pleasing, more fascinating than another, it is that derived from the scriptural allusions witli which it abounds, and the Biblical * ' Theopneustic" spirit which it breathes. Merle D'Aubigne is not only a learned man, whose researches into the archives of other times have been profound, but above all other things he is mighty in the Scriptures, and he has drunk deep of the river that makes glad the city of our God. I might aay the same of our great historian, Dr. McCrie ; !l PREPARATORY TRAINING. .375 for every one who has read his sermons and lectures, must havo been struck with the extent and accuracy of his scriptural attain- ments, as well as with the vigour and independence oi mind, which his profound and hallowed study of the oracles of God has im- parted to all his writings. " Dear young friends, let me give you an advice. If your adop- tion of theolo;ry as a study, is merely professional, — if you have no reason to think that you have been renewed in the spirit of your minds, — if faith in Christ, the gracious Tledeemer, does not occupy the place of a commanding prin<;iple within you, — if, in a word, you are not really "living members of Christ," and partakers of that faith which unites to the Sa- 'our, — and is the animating prin- ciple of all obedience ; pause before you go one step farther. It is not Licentiates that Canada needs. It is not in the want of a pro- fessional Christianity, that your country withers and is blasted. She needs a larger supply of men of power — men of unction — men of spiritual life and holy energy. My prayer is, that such may be raised up from among tjon, and that the " Free" Presbyterian Church of Canada, may prove an instrument of mighty efficacy for advancing the interests of evangelical truth. With my best wishes and earnest prayers for your progress and success in all your studies. " I remain, affectionately, and sincerely. Yours, " EoBEBT Burns." We have had occasion to notice the importance which Dr. Burns attached to the mental discipline of the stu- dents. The inadequate provision made at the time by the Grammar Schools and the Provincial University, with the limited early advantages of the young men, ren- dered it the more necessary that our church set in order in this matter the things that were wanting. Esteemed brethren differed from him in this, and he had to en- counter a good deal of opposition. But the church came round in the end, substantially to his way of think- ing, and granted most amply the provision he sought. He submitted his views in 1848 to the College Committee, and, to aid in carrying them out, offered his gratuitous services. n ! ■m 376 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. The face of things has greatly changed since then. Our Grammar and Common Schools are on ahigher platform. Our Provincial Universities are on a liberal footing, and with their course of instruction re-arrauged, and their staff' of instructors re-equipped, are being rapidly placed abreast of the times. Our young men are feeling in- creasingly the importance of pursuing a regular curricu- lum of preparatory study, and taking their degree as University graduates. With exhibitions and scholar- ships multiplied, and their worldly circumstances im- proved, they are the better enabled to do so. But those who can look back over even a quarter of a century of our country's history, and remember our col- lege in its infancy, will acknowledge that there was much of truth in Dr. Burns' communication, the main portions of which we subjoin : "Toronto, C.W., 23rd March, 1848. '• To the Members of the College Committee. " Dear Brethren, — In the prospect of a meeting of the Genera] Committee, in the month of April, there are some matters to which I wish to call your attention. It is desirable that your minds should be directed to these prior to the meeting, in order that any measure which may be proposed may not be absolutely new to you. Of course, any proposal that may meet your views, will still require the sa^^ction of the Synod ; but such sanction may be counted on, provided only the committee are unanimous, or pretty generally agreed. No other motive can be supposed to influence me beyond a wish to see an institution, on which so much depends, properly or- ganized and successfully conducted. ' ' I. Too great facility in the admission of students appears to me to be an evil which ought to be strenuously guarded against. Our Institution is peculiarly a Theological Seminary. Those young men who are admitted to its benefits, enter not on a general course of study which may ultimately bear on any professional object ; they are received expressly as candidates for the ministry ; and the Church, in receiving them as such, throws over each the shield ot her patronage and encouragement. Hence the necessity of peculiar LETTER TO COLLEGE COMMITTEE. 377 care in this matter. Not only ought we to be satisfied with regard to moral conduct, right motive, .and apparent piety ; there ought to be, in addition, some good evidence of a decided change of heart in the applicant. If this in not attended to, we need not expect to realize the true object of our union as a Church in these lands, the rearing up of a spiritual ministry, with a special view to the con- version of men to God. And then in regard to mental qualification and attainments in applicants, I am clearly of opinion that greater strictness than hitherto is absolutely necessary ; and that in this matter, as in the one just referred to, unanimity in the examining committee ought to be held as indispensable. A mere examination before a Presbjrtery does not appear to me to be suflicient. A special committee of Synod might be named for this purpose, or a sub-committee of the College Committee, who might act under strict regulations, and with power to treat with applicants in the way of conscientious advice, rather than judicially and on probative evidence. A certain measure of previous literary attainment ought to be required in every one who is to be rci^eived into the seminary. It does not appear to me that Knox Collej,'e ought to be considered as designed to furnish merely elementary instruction in the classics ; and one design of the setting up of an academy certainly was to supersede this, so as to retain on behalf of the College its peculiar character as a training seminary for the direct work of the ministry. *' II. While I hold these views advisedly, and attach great impor- tance to them, I am, nevertheless, of opinion that even the students ^:t College, as distinct from those of the Academy, stand in need of much more preparatory training than they have been in the habit of receiving. Here I use the term, preparatory training, not in reference to further literary pursuits, but rather in reference to studies peculiarly theological ; and therefore, high as may be my hope of th3 indirect good to be derived from the institution of a preparatory school or academy, I am very clearly of opinion that an additional professor in the department of mental training, or philosophical education, is essential to the success of our Seminary ; and that under such an institution our young men will be far more likely to realize the desired advantage in point of intellectual pro- gress, than if mixed up with the pupils of a mere academy, or sub- jected to the ordinary routine of a gr^^.mmar school. " In ih.e first place : the department of English literature, with a special view to the principles of composition, associated also with the rules of correct and graceful reading and elocution, ought not to be overlooked. A special exercise of this kind two or three times a week, would be highly advantageous ; but to mix it up with any school-boy exercise, would defeat its end. It must be greatly mental. The yonng men of the College, and they only, should be its subjects ; and they ought to view it as a part of philosophical training, far more closely connected than may appear at first sight with the more immediate objects of the Seminary. The disadvan- {' 1 o78 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. I: 1 m l|?: tages tinder which settlors in the provinces, in n literary view, labour, doinonstrate the necessity of such exercises ; while the age of the young men, and their general status as to mental develop- ment, i)lace them beyond the ordinary range of scholastic forms, and render a training specially for themselves absolutely essential. *' In the second place : Interesting and imi)ortant as may be the prelections of a professor of mental and moral philosophy, it has always appeared to me very desirable that something of a character more directly practical and elementary — I mean in a philosophical sense — should be provided for the young men. Ff our own ies for the Ipits in the , I still re- '*, I applied to under- > the philo- rably, and r examina- tances pre- 1 cement of had been ;he powers epartment "l^gy, and iber, 1846, reparatory '^eral years Logic and rtments of ! a scheme gentleman inches. I Committee included ; I the week, lent ; and !, it seems kr out my at the de- ision now ents, that ■ for logic heir cora- illy taken ined, and esteemed the work. students ; than dia- le ; but I made to ir power, ully give ve. J>r. Willis, also, might with ease appropriate one hour daily to this department ; taking in connection with it, perhaps, the Evidences of Christianity, as affording the veiy best specimens of the applica- tion of that part of logic which has to do with the rules of evidence. With regard to myself, it would give me great pleasure to assist the young men in any way that may be thought best, to the extent of an hour a day. During the absence of Dr. Willis this summer, nothing would to me be more pleasant than to make myself in any measure useful in the department of mental training to the students who may remain in the city or near it. " While thus anxious to have our own institution set upon a solid and satisfactory basis, he was not the less interested in the welfare of our public educational insti- tutions. Finding that the University (then King's Col- lege), with its liberal endowment made over by royal largess to all the Protestant denominations alike, had become a close corporation to whose doors ecclesias Ileal exclusiveness had affixed its padlock (as we have already seen), he joined, immediately on his arrival in the Pro- vince, the band of Reformers, who sought to throw it open, and so to restore it to its original foundation. In the meeting which formally started the agitation, he seems to have taken a prominent part, reading the letters of absentees, which were addressed to himself, moving one of the leading resolutions, and at the close, the vote of thanks to the Ciiairman. In the Banner Extra, published for the occasion, it is headed " Great King'a College Meeting." It was held in the Congregational Chapel, Adelaide Street, on Tues- day, the 3rd Feb., 1846. The chair was occupied by the Hon. Adam Ferguson, of Woodhill, who aided so materi- ally in his day the interests of scientific agriculture and liberal reform — ^and typified so well the fine old Scottish f 1 I I II' i r 382 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. [\ri Hi: Gentleman, all of the olden time. The first resolution was moved by the Rev. R. A. Fyfe, seconded by the Rev. Adam Lillie, and supported by Mr. R. H. Brett. The second was proposed by the Rev. John Roaf, and seconded by the Rev. John Jennings. The third resolution was proposed by the Rev. Dr. Burns, seconded by Mr. Wm. A. Baldwin, and supported by Mr. Tyner. The fourth resolution was moved by Mr. John Wetenhall, and sec- onded by Mr. Peter Brown. Mr. James Hodgson pro- posed the fifth resolution, in which he briefly expressed his concurrence in the opinions which Dr. Burns had broufjht forward. The mover and seconder of the sixth resolution were the Rev. James Richardson and Mr. James Leslie. Then " the Rev. Dr. Burns, with a few brief remarks, moved the thanks of the meeting to the Hon. Adam Ferguson, for his able conduct in the chair." Thfse familiar names embrace the leading men that had to do witli this great provincial movement, over whose triumphal issue we have had long reason to re- joice. The motion with which my father had specially to do was to this efi'ect : — " That in order to these objects being effectually realized, and the educational interests of the Province secured, it is indispen- sable that the patronage of the chairs and the whole manageuient of the estate should be vested in a colonial body (distinct from the members of the faculty, or others holding paid oflices within the College), who shall report annually to the Colonial Legislature." The substance of his remarks is reported thus: **Mr. Chairman, — I have been entrusted with a motion on patronage and management. The importance of such a motion DR. burns' speech. PATRONAGE AND MANAGEMENT. 383 cannot be overstated. On the supposition of a right management in this College, nearly all the abuses of which we complain in its establishment and constitution would have been prevented or neu- tralized. On the supposititm of the trust remaining as it is, all your movements will be useless, and all the essential evils of the system will remain. What shall we say of a management imder which the benefits of a great provincial institution for the colony have been intercepted and turned into a narrow and sectarian chan- nel ? Sixty thousand acres of the finest land belonging to the Col- lege sold or given away by the illegal authority of trustees ! One hundred and twenty thousand pounds of money raised from sales or otherwise, and appropriated to any purpose rather than the educa- tion of the people ; transactions gone into and carried out, of which. Lord Sydenham said that a Court of Equity behoved to make in- quiry ! Charges of a most grave character have been brought against the managers of this Institution, and these, though circu- lated in every possible shape, rem.ain uncontradicted. My im- pression is, that in all cases of trust, the management ought not to be committed to those who have a personal and selfish interest dis- tinct from and at variance with that of the Institution itself, and to the neglect of this salutary rule may the evils complained ol be mainly ascribed. The motion in my hand says it is ' indispensa- ble ' that this state of things be no longer allowed. Whctlier or not the right of nomination to chairs and other offices should bp> vested in the same persons who have the charge of the funds, may admit of doubt ; but there can be no doubt at all that in the pre- sent case tliere must be a radical change in both. I do not see any good reason why the patronage and management may not, under an im- proved .system, be vested in the same body. The quest ion is, wliat may that body be ? Home nomination might do very well in tlie infancy of the colony, when teachers as well as ministers must necessarily be brought from the mother country ; nor even in an advanced state of the colony would I be \mderstood as shutting up tha^ source of supply. But you can easily see that a Downing Street or Whitehall nomination is liable to many objections, partly on the ground of politics, and partly on the groimd of private influence ; and, moreover, that the native talent of tlie colony ought as far as possible to be cherishc d. If you transfer the nomination from (iroat Britain to the representative of the 8overeit,'n in tlie Colony, apart from Ins CoTincil, you recognize a vicious principle of internal discord, which almost necessarily involves civil dissention ; while you leave wliat wo call sinister or hack-stairs inlluenco its full sway. There is and has been, and no where more than in Uppr-r Canada, a malignant in- fluence which has worked unseen, a deleterious miasma, like that which rises out of the chinks in an Italian soil ; a dark and hidden agency, which, like the simoom or samiel of the desert, carries d(>atli and desolation every where, and is, indeed, the ' pestilence whieli walketh in darkness,' such an agency we must try and trace out, ■ Hi; 384 LIFE OF REV. Dil. BURNS. Jl and even where wo merely suspect it to exist, seek its destruction. In whom shall we repose the patronage and management of the College, is, indeed, a grave question, and there will be difficulties in every view of it; but we may surely avoid the crying evils of the present system, and especially those which arise out of a scheme of self-election and self-control. Let the trust be essentially colonial, and let it be controled by regular review of the Legislature. Let there be adopted a plan by which there shall be presented the fewest possible temptations to make the concerns of the University sub- servient to private and family interest. Let various colonial bodies or departments be recognized, and the trust partitioned among them. Let there be no nominations for life ; and even let the elective system be strictly guarded. The great and rising interests of agriculture, I would especially wish to see represented in the government of the College, not only by the establishment of a chair for Agriculture, but by giving a seat in the Board to the chairman or head of a provincial association, en the plan of the Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland. The department of Law, as represented by the Benchers in the Law Society of Toronto, might also have a place, in the person of their President or head for the time beiiig. Medicine, too, whose interests have been so shame- fully neglected in the present constitution of the College, would have a claim to a seat ; as might have the Board of Trade. It is highly politic that the cities, as the great masses of the population, should be rejjresented either by their mayors or otherwise. The Principal of the College, too, might be one of thirteen or fourteen managers ; the Rector chosen as in Scotland, by the votes of all matriculated students, and the head of Upper Canada College, when reduced to, or rather elevated into, the rank of a High Grammar School, a feeder of the University, as orighaally meant by Sir John Colborne. You will ask, do I allot no place to the Government of the land ? I do ; three scats may be reserved for three nomina- tions by the Governor in Council ; one of these to be Vice-Chancel- lor, to represent the Governor, who may be ex-officio Chancellor, but without a seat at the Board. An University court constituted in something this way, would be saved from many of the evils of the present system, and particularly from the dangers of personal, private, sectarian, and political influence. " The cry about ' vested riglits ' I dismiss. The munificent boon was clearly meant for the general benefit. Private patrimonial interests, and trusts for the public benefit, are clearly different things ; and this belongs to the last of these ; and can we doubt the readiness of the Queen and Council to give up even a 'vested right' for the dake of such a Province as Canada. I would not re- ject a bill otherwise good, even though the patronage were vested in the Governor in Council, provided they were bound regularly to report their minutes. But remember, the Governor and Council are now at Montreal, not in Toronto^ and the distance, together VESTED RIGHTS. RELIGIOUS TESTS. 385 with the multiplicity of their affairs, might occasion a neglect in the trust ; and the management might be committed absohitely to a factor, something on the present plan, and who would undertake to give his present employers as little trouble as possible, provided only his salary were liberal and well paid. Keep, my friends, by the words * colonial ' and ' indispensable,' and let the responsibility be complete. We seek the interest of literature and science and art ; and these will be secured by such a reform as we propose. Theology we seo aside ; knowing that it will be well attended to by the difl'erent denominations. Tests also we dispense with, not be- cause a man's religious principles are of little moment, but because in point of fact, the plan of tests has not succeeded well. We think that the great object which we seek will be best attained by a pro- per patronage of the chairs. Is religion all comprehended within the chair of theology ? Is it not secured otherwise than by reli- gious tests ? Is there no Christianity in the Province ? And are not the men who m;iy be called in to the patronage and manage- ment of the College bound to act as religious men, and expected to do so ? I give up tests, but not as some of the brethren of ditierent denominations seem to say, because electors to chairs have nothing to do with the religious opinions of candidates. Does it make no difference whether a candidate be an atheist, or a socialist, or an adherent to demoralizing systems, or a sound and godly man I Would you care not whether the man were a devout observer of the Lord's day, or whether he were seen careering in folly on the holy day through the grounds of the College ? Would my friends who have spoken in the terms to which I allude, administer no oath at all de fideli, to the holders of the sacred trust of the Col- lege investment 1 But is an oath worth anything without the fear of God ? And is not the fear of God and his oath a religious act 1 * ' All education ought to be based on religion ; and a main ele- ment in the election of teachers, ought to be their religion. I do not know on what grounds the last speaker has said that a * bluster- ing infidel ' is not in the least likely to be chosen to any chair. I am not sure of that. I look at France in the days of atheistical ascen- dancy ; and I look at some of the German Universities, too ; and I see a bustling and a blustering infideUty getting along, alas ! too well. But I hope to see such men kept out, by the rising Christianity of the country ; by the force of public opinion ; by views of dut}' and expediency both. Men are bound to be religious wlien acting as guardians of a public trust like that of a College • they are bound to cairry their religion with them everywhere ; and nations, as such, are bound to honour God and support His cause. We differ much on many things ; but there are common principles in which we agree. My friends, I call myself now a colonist and a Canadian, and my wish and aim is, that your College may be redeemed from its gross abuses, and raised to what it should always have been, an ! t i II 386 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. enlightened, liberal, well-managed, and successful school of instruc- tion to all classes in our large and growing community." My father was fond of characteristic sketches. Many of these (such as of Dr. Balfour, Sir Harry Moncrieff, " the Apostle of the North") he drew up for the Christian In- structor, the Record, &c. He had an ample treasury of incident from which to draw. In such literary labours of love he wrote out of the abundance of his heart. When in an ordinarily happy vein, these rapidly-executed pro- ductions of his prolific pen were vivid and graphic, and eminently readable. The following, on his Brother, the Pastor of Kilsyth, may give some idea of these. We select it, not because superior to many others, but because it sheds light on his own history, and reveals the happy relations which obtained between the older and younger brothers : "Dr. William Hamilton Burns, late of Kilsyth, was born at the town of Falkirk, Stirlingshire, on the oth of February, 1779. His father, John Burns, was at that time a merchant in the town, but was soon afterwards appointed to the office of Surveyor of Customs at the port of Borrowstowness, and he held jilso, for fifteen years, the factorship on the Duke of Hamilton's estate of Kinneil. He died in 1 817, at the venerable age of eighty-eight. He was piesent, though merely as a spectator, at the battle of Falkirk in 1740, and often entertained the mem- bers of his family with anecdotes of that remarkable time. He was one of many in Scotland whose religious charac- ter was formed under the ministry of the celebrated Whitfield, who occasionally resided under his father's roof. " Dr. Burns began his studies for the ministry in the College of Edinburgh, in 1791, and with the exception of one session which h« spent at St. Andrew's, the whole of PASTOR OP KILSYTH. DR. CHALMERS. 387 his curriculum was passed at the metropolitan university. In all the departments of study he stood high, particularly in languages and theology. As he was my senior by ten years, he had become a parish minister two years before I entered college, and the summer vacations of 1803, 1804, and 1805 were spent by me at the beautiful manse of Dun, a small parish of six hundred souls, which enjoyed his ministry for more than twenty years ; and there we read together more Greek and Latin, from the classic authors, than it has been my lot to encounter, with equal success, ever since. At St. Andrew's he was intimate with Dr. Chalmers, and often battled with him on deep points, in regard to which that eminent man, as he after- wards acknowledged, was in grievous error. I do not think that my brother ever met with Chalmers from the time of their residence together at St. Andrew's till 1804, when that eminent man was in my elder brother's manse at Brechin, on his way to the ordination of David Harris, another fellow-student, over the parish of Fearn, a small country charge, which would have been unknown to fame had it not been that its family biography could boast of the classic ancestry of a Gillies and a Tytler. In those days Chalmers was heard of in the * Kingdom of Fife' as a * genius,' or sort of ' warlock,' and as 1 was then sojourn- ing in " the bishop's palace," in Brechin, well do I recollect the awe, not unmiiigled with terror, with which I gazed on his large head, bushy raven locks, and penetrating eye. I did not hear him utter a word, and this contirmed me in the truth of the information that had been })re- viously given me, that he was 'a dungeon of knowledge.' " At Edinburgh my brother had as his confreres, both in the Hall and in the ' Old Theological Society,' sucli men as John Leyden, Dr. Robert Watt, author of the * Biblio- theca Britannica ;' Sir Robert Spank ie, afterwards one of the Supreme Judges of India; Dr. Corkindale, of Glasgow; and Sir Andrew Halliday. With two of these. Dr. Watt and Sir Robert Spankie, he contested the honours of prizemanship, coming off senior to the one and second to the other. The subjects of essay were * Regeneration* I " I i ' 388 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. , -is. 1^ and ' Prayer.' With both subjects my brother was even then practically and experimentally familiar ; not so the others, for their views were latitudinarian, and after gazing for a period on the depths of Calvinistic theology, they, with a high-toned honesty which did them credit, bade adieu to the Divinity Hall, studied medicine and law, and rose to distinguished honour in both depart- ments. " From 1797 to 1799 my brother resided at Park Place, in Galloway, as tutor to the present Sir James Dalrymple Hay, whose son. Captain Hay, of the Indus, has written so ably on the improvement of the British navy. His predecessor in the fomily was the warm-hearted, witty, and facetious John Wightman, of Kii-kmahoe; and his successor was Dr. Thomas Gillespie, a scholar and a poet, afterwards P fessor of Humanity at St. Andrew's, and brother-in-law of Lord Campbell, the present Lord Chan- cellor of England. At a distance of years, the same place was held by my much esteemed friend, Dr Forrester, aripe scholar too, and now Chief Supeiintendent of Education in Nova Scotia, It was while preceptor in this family my brother had an opportunity of spending a winter in the City of York, where he got acquainted with a number of pious and learned divines of the English Church, who esteemed him not the less that he * took license' for him- self and not from the bishop, and ' opened his mouth ' on one or two occasions in an Independent or Congregational assembly. In those days such uncanonical doings were held as allowable only south of the Tweed. " It was in the summer of 1799, my brother received his real license from the Presbytery of Stranraer, and preach- ed his first sermon in the pulpit of Dr. Coulter, the vener- able incumbent of that town and parish. He then bade farewell to Galloway, but he carried with him, and ever afterwards retained, a warm attachment to the land which had been watered with the blood of martjnrs, and where, amid the freezing soil of moderatism, he saw, or thought he saw, oozing out some of the living drops or streams of an undisguised covenanterism. Many years rolled away STRANllAEU. DR. WILLIAM SYMINGTON. DUN. 'SH9 ere he paid another visit to these haunts of his earlier days ; but he kept up a constant intercourse with some of the branches of the respected family of Dunragget, and when Dr. William Symington, then of Stranraer, now of Glasgow, and a man of no mean name, introduced me in September, 1838, to the inmates of that mansion, how de- lighted they were to tell me little stories of the veneiated preceptor and his pupils. " My brother never enjoyed the ambiguous delectabili- ties of a ' preachership at large.' We in Canada call that sort of thing now a * mission ;' but it was not so dignified in our early d8y«, and be its joys many or few, my bro- ther never had them, for in autumn of 1799 he became regular assistant to the worthy old minister of Dun, the Rev. James Lauder. On the 4th of December, 1800, my brother was ordained assistant and successor to this ven- erable minister of 'the olden time,' and for two or three years, during which the colleagueship continued, the har- mony was perfect. It was not from the identical pulpit of the great ' superintendent of Angus,' the Baron of Dun, that my brother gave forth the same message that thrilled on thd lips of the evangelistic Brownlow North of his day, but it was in the same parish church, now unroofed in- deed, and converted into a family necropolis; but still ex- actly what Samuel Rutherford's church at An worth is, a simple but impressive memorial of Knox and his days. I have a lithograph of it and a history now before me, and I shall present both to the museum of our college. Need I say that the publication of the 'Life of Knox' in 1810, was soon followed by a visit of the distinguished McCrie to the manse of Dun, to examine the ' Dun [>a{)ers,' and to gaze on the interesting localities. The superinten- dent died in March, 1590, at the advanced age of eighty years. " From 1800 to 1821, my brother discharged the duties of the pastorship in this lovely but small parish, with a painstaking piety, and earnestness rarely equalled, never excelled. During the same period he acted as clerk to the Presbytery of Brechin, and never did official enjoy more f Iff 31)0 LIFE OF llEV. DR. UUll^'S. thorouG^hly the confidence and the warm afiections of all his brot Iiren. *' In 1820, the large and influential parish of Kilsyth, in Stirlingshire, became vacant by the death of Dr. Ronnie, a minister of learning and of piety who, though a native of the parish, was much respected. Our family had inter- est with Sir Charles Edmonstone, of Duntreath, the ])rin- cipal heritor, and a crown presentation was issued in favour of my brother, who, with the free and hearty ap- proval of all parties, was inducted to the charge in 1821. What a change ! From a pastorship of six hundred to one of near] four thousand! But the minister was in the full vigour of his manhood, his graces developing with mental progress and npplication, with a large experience, and a well prepared stock of lectures and sermons. To quote the words of Dr. Smyth, of St. George's, Glasgow, the endeared friend and fellow-labourer who preached one of the sermons on his death : ' Of the value of his minis- terial services it is hardly possible to give an exaggerated estimate. With talents of a decidedly superior order; literary and theological acquirements alike accurate and varied ; depth and tenderness of spirit in addressing all classes of hearers ; and pre-eminently distinguished ^y the spirit of grace and supplication, our beloved and lament- ed father was truly a master in Israel.' His speech and his preaching were not with enticing words of man's wis- dom, but in demonstration of the spirit and in power. His theology was that of the good olden school of the Scottish professors, the Erskines, Fishers and Bostons of the last century ; tliese men 'mighty in the Scripture,' whose names are identified with all that is sound in doc- trine, and powerful in appeal to the conscience and the heart. " It was in July, 1839, the first symptoms of an awaken- ed concern in regard to religion and eternity showed them- selves among the people of Kilsyth. Just about a cen- tury before in 1742-3, Cambuslang, Kilsyth, and the West of Scotland generally had been scenes of great awakening ; and there cannot be a doubt, but amid a good deal that KILSYTH REVIVAL. DISRUPTION SACRIFICES. 391 of all was discouraging, as may be ever expected in all such cases, many hundreds ascribed their first religious impres- sions to such seasons of revival, and passed through the pilgrimage of life thereafter in the full habit and with all the usual features of genuine discipleship. And so it was in regard to the awakening of 1839. In the ' New Sta- tistical Account of Scotland," ray brother has given a con- densed account of the awakening, and after two years had elapsed, his impressions of the good done in that season of divine visitation are thus summed up : * There are, we have reason to hope, not a few who have been savingly turned from sin unto God, while in other respects, the religion and morals of the people at large are much improv- ed. The places of worship are better attended, and there is more general seriousness during divine service than for- merly. Many family altars have been erected. There is a greater degree of zeal among us for missionary objects ; and there are about thirty weekly prayer meetings of a private kind among our people, not including those which are connected with dissenting bodies.' " During the whole period of the 'ten years' conflict/ my brother's mind never wavered. He had taken up his position, from long tried conviction, and he kept it with- out shrinking. And yet, few of the brethren in the min- istry made a more costly sacrifice. His living in the Es- tablished Church, taken all in all, could not be less than from £350 to £400. This he surrendered without a giudge, and for fourteen years thereafter considerably less than one-half of this income became his portion. His was in- deed the lot of many ante-disruption ministers, who had thus largely a trial of 'the spoiling of their goods.' " From the commencement of his ministry my brother kept a diary of occurrences both domestic and public, with sketches of character often very graphic. Such me- morials are interesting, and they form the very best sources of authentic narratives and of historic delineations. When in Scotland in 1857 I had an opportunity of perus- ing many of these sketches. The substance of those which refer to the * revivals' is already before the public t {i WIIIIIIJIMIIi.lji|..n*Lii 392 LIFE OP REV. DR. BURNS. in various shapes ; and it may admit of a doubt whether it would be advisable to print the other memorials during the prCvSent generation. " Till within the last three years Dr. B. had no regular help in the performance of pastoral duties. Up to the 78th year of his age he was enabled by the help of God to discharge both the public and the private duties of the pastoral office, but he felt it then his duty to apply to the Church for a colleague and successor. This was granted, and the Rev. Mr. Black was called to this office. On thjit gentleman have now devolved all the responsibilities of the charge, and great are the advantages connected with an entrance on fields of labour already successfully cultivated by predecessors who have made full proof of their ministry. " The minister of Kilsyth was one of the earliest movers in Scotland in behalf of the interests of temperance. The field of his pastoral labours, and the scenes presented in the neighbouring city, furnished most impressive practical arguments in support of the cause ; and he continued a steady and active advocate of abstinence principles to the close of his life. " The death-bed scene of this tried sers'^ant of God was not prolonged beyond a few weeks, but he suffered severely towards the close of that period. A calm serenity marked the complacency of his soul in God, and in those great and precious promises which it had been his delight to expound, and still more experimentally to realise. His life had been one undivided course of fidelity, uprightness, and deep-toP' 4 spirituality; and the evidence of such a life is self- testifying. His dying bed was surrounded by his nearest relatives, by his affectionate and pious surviving partner, and by his children and his children's children. The words which issued from his lips were sweet and edifying, and he glorified God in dying, as he had done in living. Happy in his family — all of nine members he had seen comfortably settled in spheres of usefulness — and literally without on enemy on earth, his soul winged its flight gladly on high, and his mortal remains repose I " UNCLE William's" letter, mrs. sandeman. 393 with the ashes of not a few of his spiritual children, with whom he shall again appear in the day of the retribution of all things ; for ' he was a good man and full of the Holy Ghost and of faith , and much people was added unto the Lord.' — Acts xi. 24. "Toronto, July 8, 1859." Among his many admirable qualities, " Uncle William" was a capital letter writer. Distinctly do we recall his full, venerable form ; his pleased, placid countenance ; his staid gait, " the measured step and slow ;" his deep bass voice, with its almost oracular utterances of heavenly wisdom, — terse, sententious, at times quaint and curious ; and that atmosphere of holiness and happiness encom- passing him, which revealed ever the "conversation in heaven." Between the brothers a regular correspondence was kept up. One of his last letters to my father was the following : — " Kilsyth, Nov. 29th, 1858. *' Andrew Moody is a pupil of Hetherington, and of Douglas. He has obtained the first prize for an essay which is highly credit- able to him. If health be given him, he promises to be a distin- guished hleve of the new college. Your son William, made a very favourable impression on us all. We have good news of our William's kind reception in a new place, five miles from Swatow, where he preached to a large assembly in the open air, and was hospitably received, and his assistants, by a wealthy Chinaman, who seems to be embracing the truth. D. Sandeman's death was truly an afflictive event — most unlooked for ; he was so stout and vigorous — to our view. '* The excellent mother writes to me in reply to my letter of con- dolence — in a truly gracious spirit. 'As days so shall strength be,' to them that know His name and trust in Him. Husband and three sons have been removed within a very short periled. Old brother John, wonderfully well at his age — lately in Edinburgh. I'm glad to see William's gift to your college library acknowledged. George will, no doubt, be corresponding direct with you. Ho^ preached here two montha ago, with fully more than average n wm II 1' s < ,1? '■^ 804 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. vigour. Mr Bain, (C. Angus,) and J. C. B., of Kirkliston, were with us at our comnmniou on the 7th, and also Johnston, lately from China. Your Elizabeth has really done her part wonderfully, as your companion in travel. Our Elizabeth is also a great help to me, and my good Lady Edmonscone puts ontire confidence in her as her almoner. We both are in our usual iL^alth, and with strength more than common at our time of life. But what do you think of Mr. Anderson, senr., (United Presbyterian miaister, Kilsyth, and father of Dr. William Anderson, Glasgow,) preaching the other day an hour and ten minutes, in his ninetieth year ! But this is a rare exception indeed, and not to be made too much of. ' Yet a little WHILE, AND He that SHALL COME WILL COMB.' This WaS oftuU lu jur revered father's prayers. " Within six months, and the lively hope of this "old dis- ciple" beccame fruition. On the Gth May, of the following year, the chariot was at the door, for whose coming he waited patiently all the days of his appointed time. It was but " a little while." " I die in peace. I will see His face, and I will behold His glory — Glory, Glory, Glory." " I hear His voice, let me go. Thanks, thanks, be to God, who giveth us the victory." With these words of triumph on his lips, as the first faint streaks of a May Sabbath morn stole in at the casement of the quiet manse, this good and faithful servant ent':red into the joy of His Lord, and passed up to the songs and services of the never- ending Sabbath. Between him and the brother to whom he thus pleas- antly wi'ote, exactly ten years intervened in life — and in death, they were divided within a month or two of the same time. They both more than rounded their four score, and for fifty-nine years served their generation in the ministry of the Gospel. My father aided Dr. Sprague, of Albany, in the prepara- DR. CODMAN. DR. SI'RAGUE, OF AL15ANY. 395 ston, were on, lately nderfuUy, at help to CO in her strength think of jyth, anfl other day s is a rare A LITTLE often in "old dis- jllowinir ning he me. It behold 3, be to rards of a May manse, ■ of His s nevei'- pleas- -and iij > of the ir four iion in •epara- tion of his sketch of Dr. Codman, for the " Annals of the American Pul[)it." He also pre]){ired for him a sketch of his predecessor Dr Witherspoon — which was too late for the first edition. In connexion with these sketches he received the following : " Albany, 10th December, 1860. "My DEAR Dr. Burns, — I thank you sincerely for your kind letter, and the acco-ipanying cori'octions of the typographical emirs in your admirable letter, concernini„' Dr. Codman. I shall see that the list is placed in the hands of tlie in-inter, before the next edition is issued, so th'it I hope you will find hereafter that the types have done you full justice. " In regard to publishing an appendix to my work, I cannot now speak with much contidence, as it will be at least two years before the last volume comes from the press. But, however, this may be, I think it of great importance that your hereditary reminiscences of Dr. Witherspoon, should in some way become the i)roperty of our Presbyterian church, and I venture earnestly to request that you will write them out at your leisure, and let me secure their pub- lication — if not immediately in my own w ork, yet in the Frc.sbtiferiim, or some one of our monthlies or ipiarterlies. I am sure that by doing this, you will place our church iiiider great obligation to you ; for if there is any one among the tirthers, whoni we all delight to honour, and whose history, even in its minutest details, we cannot permit to let perish, it is Dr. Witherspoon. Thank you, for your very kind opinion of the several volumes of my work already published. *' In regard to the Methodist denomination, I have not found it 8o unproductive or difficult a field as you might suppose. In regard to intellectual culture, I do not think that, as a denomination, they fall behind the Bai)ti3t3 ; and there is no doubt, thai among their comparatively uneducated men, they have had some of the first pulpit orators this country has ever produced. It is efpially certain that, with all their extravagances, both of doctrine and of practice, many of them have evinced the most heroic self-denial in i)onotrat- ing into the wilderness, and anticiiiating every other denomination in planting the Gospel in the very darkest parts of it. *' I record many things in my volume, both as matters of fact and as characteristics, which I should be far from endorsing, and some which are exceedingly distasteful to me ; but notwithstanding all this, I am satistied that living Christianity owes them a debt in this country, which has hitherto been but very imperfectly acknow- ledged. '* You had told me in a previous letter, of your finally recovering the box of books, though I regret exceedingly that you weie V i S96 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. subjected to so much trouble about it. I remember at the time I that I thought it difficult to account for it, without supposing foul play among some of the railroad officials. " Our country, as the newspapers tell you, has reached a fearful crisis. Unless God interposes in some marvellouj? way, the days of our union as a nation, will soon be numbered. I thank God there is one government in the universe that the caprice and folly of man cannot overturn. " Ever, my dear Dr. Bums, " Sincerely and affectionately yours, " W. B. Speaoue." Dr. Sprague's antiquarian likings suited him exactly, and they had much pleasant and profitable intercourse. He made some valuable Scottish additions to Dr.Sprague's extraordinary collection of autogi'aph?, ar.a received from him in return, &ome valuable American ones, and several of his works kindly addressed. A sketch in the Insh'uctor, of Hog, of Carnock, drew from the distinguislied historian of the church of the Netherlands, the Rev. Dr. Steven, this friendly criticism • " Rotterdam, 20th Nov. 1838. " Rev. and Dear Sir, — I trust to your forgiveness for the liber- ty T take, though personally unknown, in thus addre8gjn<; you. Indeed, I have been so long acquainted with your public okaracter as an author, and a valued leader in our national churck courts, that I feel convinced you will not regard as obtrusive !;h< <•■ uini- nication of a brother clergyman, however humble that curv. s, ,u- dent may be. If I am not mistaken, you have some connection with the Edinburgh Christian Instructor, a periodical which appears to me vastly improved, having all the freshness of its best days — and freed from that heaviness which, at times disfigured it. " In the October number of the Instructor, I find an excellent paper on the Rev. James Hog, of Carnock. The writer of that memoir, which I have perused with great pleasure, does not appear to have been aware, that Hog was the son of the minister of Larbert, and that he was nephew to Mr. Thomas Hog, of Kiltearn. I am anxious that the respected author of the life in the Instructor for last month, should, through your kindness, be put in possession of HOG, OF CARNOCK. DUTCH WORTHIES. 397 rat the time I ipposing foul 'ed a fearful , the daya of k God there folly of man ■3, JPRAOUE." Tfi exactly, itercourse. • Spragne's ived from id several 3ck, drew ch of the criticism • 3v. 1838. r the liber- jsgiri'^ you. ' ojiaracter vh. v'jui*ts, '■ <■■ iwui- corr, s, ,11- Jonnoccion 3h appears st days — it. excellent er of that ot appear F Larbert, 'n. I am 'Hctor for Jession of the aocompanying copy of a letter from James to Thomas Hog. I had transcribed it, some time ago for my own use, but conceiving that i« may be of service to the biographer, I transmit it to you. I have the original letter now before me, and several other old letters front Craighead, of Londonderry, Wodrow, f these — ;he touch sense of ! mode of ive often ubt were self, were ive liked absolute- LTowfuJly forgiven ini which friends. 1 among to know almost eferred erves a fuller notice, which would have caused too lengthened a digression there, but which in this " sketch" department of our miscellaneous chapter may be not inappropriately introduced. Our readers may remember the juvenile efforts of the boy preachers, and the "wooden pulpit." In thifc, extraordinary instance, at the expiry of fifty years, they had their reward. Mary P , for half a century was a noted drunkard. In the delirium of a drunken debauch she fell into the fire, and was all but consumed. In 1849, when cholera struck down her two manly sons, she crept, in the half- unconscious stage of drunkenness, amid the infected clothes and blankets of the bed from which the corpses of her boy» had been taken. Yet — she escaped — only to cry " When shall I awake ; I will seek it yet again ?" She returned for years succeeding, " as a dog to his vomit, or as a sow that has been washed, to her wallowing in the mire." The demon of drink dealt with hi3 hapless victim, like the Devil with the youth in the Gospel story —and it was not until she seemed likely to represent the " sinner dying a hundred years old, accursed" — that the Angel of the Covenant interposed to snatch her, saying : — " The Lord rebuke thee, O Satan, is not this a brand plucked out of the fire." In 1859, one dark night found her at the pastor's study, an applicant for communion, for the first time. Her hard life had whitened her locks and furrowed her cheeks. Into the wondering pastor's ear she poured this confes- sion : — " You well know that my besetting sin was the love of drink. It has been a sore fight, but through the 400 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. 1 i i i blood of the Lamb, I have got the victory, I saw it wae necessary for me not ooly to pray, but, to use other means so that, with the help of God, I would not be carried away. I knew Jesus was able to keep me from falling, but I must watch for ray soul. The desire was strong in me, for for fifty years I had been a drunkard. I could not pass a public house without the wish to taste. It had been my first work in the morning and my last work in the evening, to take a glass. How was I to keep myself from the tempter and the temptation ? I knew no waji but this. I lay in bed for days — for weeks, in prayer, in thought, until God should take away from me the very wish to taste. I felt that I must fight the devil out, and that I must fight him out now and there. In his great mercy, God gave me such peace of mind, and such comfort in Jesus, that I began to think that I might rise and walk safely, and from that day till now, I have not tasted drink, and I think the desire of it has gone from me for ever." Subsequently, when conversing with her more particu- larly on the causes of her change, he got from her the fol- lowing : — " When a girl, I was sent to live with an uncle far away from this place, at a seaport in the Firth of Forth. My uncle was in the Customs, and I was a servant in the house. Beside us there lived another family — the father in the same service with my uncle, and he had a numer- ous family — six sons, I think, and three daughters. I re- member four of their names yet, James, William, Robert, George. BREAD FOUND AFTER MANY DAYS. 401 " In their garden there was a large summer house, and it was fitted up as a place of meeting. I distinctly re- member when the young men came home from school or college, they used to assemble all the neighbours to speak to them about religion. Many a solemn word — many a warm prayer have I heard in that place, &;c." " Well Mary, (replied the pastor,) I know to whom you refer. The names of those young men have become house- hold words in the church of Christ, and are connected with all that is living, and earnest, and devoted in religioni Two of them have already entered on their eternal rest, leaving fragrant memories, and the other two have reach- ed an extreme old age in their Master's service. Their children too, have inherited the blessing. " So — Mary, in your case also, it seems, the bread cast upon the waters, has been found after many days." She lived a wonderfully earnest and consistent Chris-' tian ; and her end was peace. On her death-bed — to alle- viate her acute pain, gin was offered her — but with the Master when " wine mingled with myrrh" was offered to him — " she would not drink." " I know not yet, (said she,) but what I might fall under the old lust, and I will rather suffer than sin." AA ( 4 '■ CHAPTER XX. VISIT TO SCOTLAND AND LAST DATS. N April, 1868, he revisited Scotland, together ^ with his faithful partner.* The Rev. J. M. King, M.A , their much esteemed pastor and friend, accompanied them. He originally purposed returning in time for the College Session, but was prevailed on to spend the winter at home. He appeared pt the Free Church General As- sembly in Mpy, along with Mr. King, and met with a cordial reception. He spoke with his usual vigour and animation. • He sojourued for a short time in Montreal on his way, among his Itind friends at Terrace-bank. Mr. John Dougall, the founder and senior editor of that remarlcably useful Journal, the Mcntreal Witness, who remembered his Paisley ministry iu hia youth, records thus pleasingly his impressions at the time: "This venerable patriarch of the Presbyterian Church, bears the weight of fourscor* years with that vigour wliich has characterized all his previous history, and appears, in iMt, fresher and stronger than be did ten years ago. His intellectual ppvers, includipg MODERATORS ADDRESS. VARIED WORK. 403 ogether V. J. M. ■itoY and iginally College ) winter Bral As- nd met I vigour id friends at remarkably tiatry iu hii of fourscore I appears, in n, iucludipg The Moderator, the Rev. Wm. Nixon, of Montrose, thus addressed him : " With the doopest sentiments of respect, esteem, and thankful- ness to the God of all grace, to the God of our life and the length of our days, we welcome this renewed visit of such a veteran of our church, and of one whom we have been familiar with from ur youth, as one of the ablest, most .accomplished, and most active and laborious of our ministers, and the most devoted and ettective of all loving friends of Presbyterianism and true religi-m in the Do- minion of Canada. It is pleasant to think of the recompense of all your unwearied exertions in the present comparatively advanced condition of the church in Canada. We rejoice to see that in the highest sense your eye has not yet become dim, nor your natural force abated. And we pray and hope that you may yet be spared for years to do yet more and m(jre for the kingdom of your Lord, and to see His goodness in the Land of the living, and that in due time j'ou will rest from your labours, by having an abundant entrance ministered unto you into the kingdom of your Lord." His diary reveals how crowded with varied duties were these months of sojourn — sabbath and sacramental engagements — attendance at Dr. Wylie's lectures before the Protestant Institute, those of the Rev. J. H. Wilson, on the Pilgrim's Progress, and those of the Pro- fessors at the College ; — ransacking treasures in the Advo- cates' and Free College Libraries, favourite places of resort ; poring over books in private libraries ; collect- ing books for Montreal and Knox Colleges, at Clarke's and elsewhere ; conversing with friends about bursaries and scholarships,* or with likely men, about Canada as a memory, are in no way impaired, — tlie latter being, Indeed, extraordinary. He remem- bers, with the utmost precision, the persons and incidents and occurrences of tlie time of his settlement in Paisley, in 1811, or the radical time of 1818, or, in fact, any year of his long and useful career ; and, consequently, his conversation is a rare treat to those who take an interest in the past. Ilis knowledge of Canada is also very extensive, on account of his frequent preaching tours through various parts of it. Dr. Burns belongg to a family remarkable for the number of ministers it has furnished to the churcli, aa docs Mrs. Bums, nde Bonar. They leave to-day to take the steamer at Portland, and many prayers will be offered for their prosperous Journey and safe return." * Through his application the " Scottish Reformation Society" made offer to the three Colonial Colleges, of one-half of the sum required for two prizes in each, of £10 and £6 sterling for the successful competitors in examination on the "leading principles of the Koitti^ Controversy." " I have Just received," he writes from Edmburgh, April 404 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. 1 field of labour; visiting missions, and re-visiting the old familia,r churches ; speaking to companies of stu- dents on congenial themes ; travelling in the Highlands to help ministerial brethren, and to visit friends ; ad- dressing conferences on the state of religion ; writing letters — sometimes ten a day ; preparing the Canada chapter of W. C. Burns' life, with occasional autobiogra- phical jottings. — These were among the duties which oc- cupied him. A few extracts from letters of this period will give some idea of how he was employed : "EDiNBritGK, April, 1869. " I had a noble congregation yesterday at Mr. Morgan's, Foun tainbridge. The thought of the deep interest your dear brother* took in the erection of that church, was much with me, and pressed favourably on my mind. * * We are going down to a grand meeting at Queen Street Hall, at two o'clock, where we expect to hear a number of great men (see list in Daily Jieview of this morning). " My ' chapter work' gets on (chap, x., W. C. B's memoir), about half done, and many letters to write. I cannot do much more to the MSS. without your help. My eyes are sadly worn by gazing on the MSS., and trying to decipher and condense. Don't make haste on this account, hosvever. ** The conference at Glasgow has asked me to take part in it, and Mr. Wilson urges me. Independently of this I feel inclined to go. " Monday, 19th April, 1809. — Attended seventy -first meeting of Sabbath schools. Death of Mrs. Briggs.f" Dr. Bums was at Paisley at the time, after having 14th, 1869, "from Professor MacVicar, Montreal, the foUowin!? notice of the receptioi of the Society's offer :" ' May 1 aslc you to be so Icind as to inform the ReformatioB Society tliat the conditions of their minutes have been complied with, and to convey tc them our best thanks, and our deep appreciation of the kind interest tliey have thus ihown in our work. The Society have singularly anticipated ou i desire to offer our •tudents special inducements to study the Popish question, which is daily growing in practical importance in this province and on the whole continent. We intend, here- after, to require students to study the French language, so as to enable them to opento upon the dense spiritual ignorance of this province. I hope to be able next Session tc •uperintend theological studies in that language.* " * Late Tliomson Bonar, Esq. . . . „ t His sister Jane, widow of Professor Briggs, of St. Andrew's, special fnend of Mrs. Ooutts. LAST APPEARANCE BEFORE THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY. 405 3 spent some days with her. " Dear Robert," she said, " you have come from Toronto just to see me die. I like to see you praying, though I 'cannot always hear." On receiving the notice he writes : " Yes ! the event has taken place sooner than I anticipated. Her end was peace. The testimony of the life is of far more value than any utterances on a death-bed. " A truth, this last, to be exemplified subsequently in his own case, "St. Andrews, April, 1869. — The solemn scene of the inter- ment has passed with all becoming seriousness and decorum. A large concourse of mourners, as might have boon expected^ and a number of apologies from Edin. and elsewhere. These were all addressed to me, as my name was at the invitation circular." His appearance before the General Assembly of 1869 was one of peculiar interest. He was accompanied by the ^ev. W. Cochrane, of Brantford. His addiess is very fully reported, and was received with great enthu- siasm. It contains a condensed view of the progress of the church in all the British North American colonies. The Union Question, so prominent then, was touched on with great delicacy and skill, as it had been by him the previous year, in a way to elicit enthusiastic demonstra- tions from both sides of the house. The greetings tendered to Dr. Burns are thus re- ported. They were embodied in a resolution moved by Dr. Candlish and seconded by Dr. Begg : " Dr. Candlish could not abstain from expressing the warmest delight with which he had again listened in that assembly to their revered and beloved father, Dr. Bums. He was sure they would all join in thanking God that his visit to this country had contri- buted to the re- establishment of his health, and in praying that it might please Almighty God to continue to the last that health and strength which he had manifested amidst the infirmities of old age, though still 80 vigorous, still so lively, still so much '* the old man 40G LIFE OF REV. DIl. BURNS. eloquent," that he was before he left this country. He did trust that to the end of his days he would be able to take the same loving, lively, Spiritual, and godly interest in all that pertains to the advancement of God's work and call to his church." The Moderator (Sir Henry Moncrieff, Bart.), said— • " In uJ'Iresaing you. Dr. Bums, I feel myself iitterly incapable of expressing either my own feelings or those which are evidently filling the hearts of the members of this Assembly. When I re- memljor my tii'st intercourse with you, about the commencement of noy own ministry, more than thirty years ago — when, as Dr. Bums, of Paisley, you attracted the notice of younger members of the Synod of Glasgow and Ayr as one of our most earnest and elo- quent seniors in the ministry — to hear you now is to hear the same m.an, but the same man with a still richer eloquence than before — an elo(iuence flowing out into a stream of profitable light for guid- ing us in our thoughts concerning the matters which are stirring the breasts of yourself and your brethren in the land of your adoption — the same man bringing all the matured wisdom of your venerable age to increase the spiritual force and fervour which we always attached to your character. We have list<^ned with intense interest to your impressive statements regard' the settlement near the Red Iliver, the objects to be aimed a nnection with British Columbia, and the calls addressed botn lo you and us by the colonies of Highlanders whom you have so forcibly described to us. We have great delight in seeing you. We congratulate you on your vigour both of body and mind. It is an intense gratifica- tion to hear you. You raise the tone of our minds by your strik- ingly clear and full representations, as well as by your fervid and Bcriptural appeals. The afiections of our heart go strongly toward you. We pray for your preservation in the service of our Lord, and we bid you God speed in the prosecution of your intention to return to the chosen sphere of your labours. We shall not forget you or your prayers. Our own prayers will follow you. May the blessing of the Great Head of the Church be upon you abundant- ly for the peace of your old age and your everlasting joy !" The last letter he had from Dr. Guthrie speaks of the joy it gave him to hear of " your ovation at the General Assembly." This remarkable recognition by the supreme court of the church of his fathers was a fine rounding oft of his life. He had paid many visits to Paisley, and preached in n- PAISLEY TESTIMONIAL MEETING. 407 most of the churches. In anticii)ation of his leavin*^, a gathering of singular interest was held in his old church on Tuesday evening, the 29th June. Representatives of all the churches were present, and sentiments, the most kind and cordial, were expressed. His old friend, Pro- vost Murray, presided, and indulged in many pleasing reminiscences. There was the Rev. William Franco, the able and accomplished delegate in 1871 of the United Presbyterian Church to the American churches — the only remaining member of the ministerial fraternity in Pais- ley at the time he left. There was Mr. Pollok, once one of his most active young men, now just retiring from a most laborious and honourable pastorate. There, was one of his Sabbath-school boys, now a rising member in the British Parliament. There were many on whose brows he had sprinkled the waters of holy baptism, whom he had united in the bonds of wedlock, and whose loved ones he had followed to their long home ; many to whom he had sustained the relation of pastor and friend, and whose " children rose up to call him blessed." A purse with two hundred and twenty-five sovereigns was pre- sented to him by friends of all denominations, with a warm-hearted address from Mr. Gardiner, of Nether Com- mon, the little boy now grown venerable, who had been led up to him by his mother at the church door on thd day of his ordination. A portion of his reply may be given : *' My feelings are overpowered by the very unexpected honour that has been paid me. I had counted on being permitted quietly to slip away, loaded, however, with the best .ishes, 'understood' rather thaTu * expressed,' of many friends. You have not allowed it 80 to be, and words are wanting wherewith to indicate my sense <^-' 408 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. of obligation. Nearly threescore years — two generations — have rolled away since my introduction to the ministry in this place. Prior to 1811, when I came to Paislej', the trade had be*in for yeai's very prosperous, and the wages of the operative weavers averaged weekly from one (niinea to three times that sum. But a time of darkness came, and in 1812 there was a crash, from causes connected with the war then raging. Tn the spring of that j'ear I was in London, my companion in travel being a respectable Paisley manufacturer, the late Mr. William Bunxs, of Gateside. We at- tended a public meeting for relief of the suffering manuf.^.cturers of England. Three of the princes of the realm .attended the meeting — the Dukes of York, Kent, and Cambridge ; all spoke, and all spoke well. Mr. W'ilberforce and other philanthropists pleaded the cause of suffering humanity, and a fund was then created which continues to this day, and ont of which we have drjiwn from time to time to an extent somewhat commensurate with our necessities. More than twenty years p.assed before I had an opportimity of enquiring after the healthy state of this hopeful fund, and the worthy trea- surer, vviiose ominously pleasing or euphonious name was Mr. 1 lelp, told us, without the least hesitation, that he was burdened with the lead of twenty-five thousand pounds. It is characteristic of *a Paisley man,' I. fancy, that ho never fails to benefit by a good hint • and yourself, Mr. Chairman, and Dr. Baird and I, failed not to draw plenteously from the mine so propitiously opened to us. The fund was originally devised for English manufacturers, but we had influence .it the very commencement of it, as .above alluded to, to get the word ' British' suba+ituted in place of ' English,' and this n.ade all the difference possible in the matter; while *a King's letter,' in 1820, circulating through the cities and counties of the south, replenished the fund when it beg.an to diminish. With our pilgrim.age8 in .and around the metropolis, you, Mr. Chairman, .are well acf tainted, and for ye.ars after I had left Paisley and settled in Canada, you continued to ' w.alk the course,' knocking at the doors of Whitehall oHloials and west-end noblesse; having acquired, I presume, a kind of liking to such sort of things, and cherishing the thought that you were at once feeding the hungry and estab- lishing gre.at and liber.al principles for the public good. My en- trance on the miriistry was at a period rather early ; the field vast and difficult, and my experience small. ' Who is sufficient for these things r might I well enquire ; .and s.atisfied h.ave I long been that a smaller prep.aratory scene of labour would have been more desir- able. N(ir did 1 then thoroughly know the pecidi.arities of the Paisley ch.aracter. The Presbyterian clergy, both of the Establish- ment and the Secession, were all substantially Conservative, and any who breathed more liberal things were afraid to utter them. Still we were all at one in our views of doctrine and duty. By reason of the love of all the brethren to (mo .another, Rowland Hill called Paisley 'the Philadelphia of Scotland.' A change of senti- 1 PROFESSOR MURRAY. REV. W. COCHRANE, M.A. 40; > ment on some important points no doubt arose, i)iit unity of doc- trine and biniilarity in worship, kept us amicably togu,'''er, and ' the word of the Lord had free course amongst us .and was gh)rii}ed.' To later changes I shall not advert, but may I not still say, ' one faith, one hope, one God, one Redeemer, one Sanctilier, one home.'" It seemed providential that Prof. Murray, of Queen's College, Kingston, son of the Chairman, and the Rev. W. Cochrane, M.A., of Brantford, were present, and gave their estimate of the services which Dr. Burns had rendered to his adopted country. In addition to bearing generous testimony as to the extent and influence of Dr. Bums' labours in Canada, Professor Murray said : '* I was brought iip, in my earlier years, under the ministry of Dr. Burns. It was under his ministry, and by himself, that I was introduced to the Church of Christ in the ordinance of baptism, of which important ceremony I have no doubt Dr. Burns has .about as distinct a recollection as I have myself. It would now be im- possible for me to recall to remembrance the sermons which I w.as privileged to hear from the lips of Dr. lUirns ; but I know that a minister often unconsciously moulds the tenor of our whole lives, even although we may not be able to distinctly recall the particular instances where the truths which he proclaimed beg " My Dear Dr. Willis, — We sailed from Liverpool on the 24th July, by the Cunard steamship Kussia, and reached New York on Tuesday last, (3rd inst. ,) in safety and in health — much mercy. We thought of spending a week at or about the great city uf the States, but the hot weather and other considerations ch.anged our plans, and on we came, after one night's comfortable, but fearfully expensive residence at the ' Everett House,' and by the New Yoi-k Central reached our own city in safety, by 4 o'cluck in the after- noon of Thursday. On entiuiry, we found that yuu had gone off to Niagara on the morning of that day, and I hope this will find Mrs. W. and yourself i.i the healthful enjoyment of recreation for a few weeks. We had much agreeable intercourse in Edinburgh and Glasgow with your relatives, and with many mutual friends. Mr. and Mrs. Jamieson Willis, we had not seen very recently, but, we had frecpient meetings— one evening party at their house with a number of esteemed friends, and they were my hearers on Sabbath in the new church at Stockbridge. We saw also, Mrs. Orr Pater- son, Mrs. Robert Wodrow, Misses WiuL^ate, &c. " I preached in about fifty places of worship, and, in the present rfis-unitod state of things, by reason of union movements, I made no distinctions in my favours — preaching alternately for Dr. C. Brown and Dr. Begg ; Sir Henry Moncrieff and Mr. Moody Stuart, Dr. Candlish and l5r. H. Bonar, INIr. Davidson and Mr. Main. " I have brought with me a good many books for our library, and something has been done in the way of bursaries, &c. " I lay my account with giving the opening lecture, on the first Wednesday of October, and of course I will be very busy till then. '* On your return we ahall expect a meeting for arrangement of college duties. Mrs. B. joins in all good wishes for Mrs. W. and yourself, and " I am, Dear Sir, " Ever truly yours, " Rob. Burns." My mother's journal continues : "Wednesday, 11th August. — Soon after going to bed complained of chill — got a little better, but kept his bed next day — said to me, ' you had your sickness at sea, J am gouig to have mine now, and u RECORD LETTER. SERIOUS ILLNESS. 419 I shall be the better for it.' A simple remedy seemed to restore him, and he was desirous to fulfil an engagement ho had made for the evening. I persuaded him to remain in bed for a rest. " During this day (Thursday, 12th), my wife and I, who had come over from St. Catharines, where we had V)ecn spending part of our summer holidays, met with him for the first time since his return. He was remarkably cheerful, chatted freely about his visit to the old country, and seemed as happy and hopeful as we had ever seen him. Thu journal resumes : " He insisted on my going for a little to the house of a friend. When I came in, ho was in his own room ; had ccontinue his writing and to lie down. We had a deliirhtful interview, which an unwillinfjnoss to tire him made as abridge. Still, although he looked poorly, tliere was nothing to excite immediate or serious apprehension. * Our church's invaluable agent, who was ever a faithful friend, for whom my father had a great regard. 420 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. The journal continues : *' I was absent for about an hour and-a-half, and by the time I returned he was very ill. I found his pen in the ink, watch on the table, and no pro<,'re88 made in writing the letter. He had thrown himself on the bed in the other room, C(»mplained of cold, and our little girl of her own accord had run for the Doctor. She heard him say 'Constantinides.' He came very soon after me, and when he found the Doctor was so ill, said he was glad he was not ten min- utes later. Meantime, kind Mrs. Willing, had applied hot water, &c. This was the last time he was dressed. By continued hot ap- plications, stimulants and constant wiitching, he revived and began to feel comfortable. He slept pretty well, and on Saturday was better. He had two engagements for Sabbath — one West Church, and Mr. Campbell's. We at once got these filled up, so as to relieve his mind — also gave Mr. Reid the nearly finished letter, that he might have no anxiety about it. He made enquiries in regard to both, but was flatisfied when I told him they were both disposed of. He said, 'I wished to add two or three sentences to the letter, which I will dictate to you, also to page it.' "Sabbath, 15th. — He kept his bed, but seemed considerably better. ** Minnie went with Mrs. Willing to church, and the Doctor pro- posed my going out. I said, * no, no, this is your rest day, and it will be mine too — we shall sfiend it quietly together.' He slumber- ed a little, and I read to myself part of the * Sure and practical use of saving knowledge.' Dr. C. came in about 12, and finding the Doctor better, talked with him for half an hour, and gave him an interesting account of the death of Mrs. Judge R. whom he had at- tended. In the course of the day, I read to him part of the Free Church of Scotland monthly i?ectir J for August, 18G9. It contained seven obituary not" !S of ministers in Scotland, all of whom he knew more or less intim.vi,ely — especially Dr. Forrester, of Nova Scotia, and Mr. Buchan, of Hamilton, Of the latter, he had given some in- teresting reminiscences at a prayer meeting in Hamilton, the day after his funeral sermon was preached, not long before we left Scot- land. He had also written a sketch for his widow, whom he visited. I selected these two, being his most intimate friends — while read- ing, he was a good deal affected, and said : ' These are to me in- tensely interesting, read on ;' he also supplied some particulars that were omitted. Afraid of fatiguing him, I said : 'We had better rest a little, and I will take something else for a change.' He was sitting up in bed. " After a little, I brought another book, saying, * Here is a nice volume of sermons we have had in our bag on our voyage. I was reading one.' * yes, read me one. I picked up that volume in my brother's library, atCorstorphine; my name is on it, I wish that book to be yours. When Dr. Thomson was editor of the (Jhn^tian Instntctro, being busy, he sent me that volume to review. The author is the READINCJ, SINGING, PRAYING. 421 Kev. Mr. Cunningham, of HaiTow on the Hill, London, an excel- lent man. Yon will find the article in such a volume, such a year of the ('hrixtian Instrndor.' L said : 'You must wait until we get our books unpacked again' — (Robert and I found it afterwards, just date and place as he said). *' Wo had nf>t much more reading, but he continued to sit up, the day was very warm and bright, and he enj«)yed the window be- ing open. lie said he felt only a little oppri-.ssion about the chest, for that the Doctor prescribed a mustard poultice, which relieved him. As it grew dark, I proposed that for a change, Minnie and I should sing some of lier pretty hynms. The hymns were in succes- sion : * Thy will be done,' ' Jehovah Tsidkenu,' ' Shall we gather at the river,' and his gi-eat favourite, 'Nearer my God to thee' (this he always carried in his note book). Ho said, .. ith tears and a tremulous voice, ' that is delightful,' and ' oh dear Minnie, try not only to sing, but to get the spirit of these hyunis.' " I then bid her try one or two more lively, and .she sang ' The happy land,' and ' Rest for the weary,' 'That will do, dear, that will do.' " I then proposed that in case the Doctor should come, if ho felt able, we should have worship and prayer first, that he might not be tired or interrupted. He agreed to this and he prayed most solemn- ly and earnestly, comprehensively asking a blessing on all the ser- vices of the day — jjluading for all ministers, congregations, &c., as clearly as ever I heard him. This was hia last public exercise, and surely it is recorded in Heaven. " During the night he became worse, Dr, Constantinides brought Dr. Bethune, an old and esteemed friend of the family, for consul- tation. On Tiiesday he was restless — but during that night when Dr. Bethune was watching, he rallied wonderfully." (So much so, that the countermanding of the telegram sent to me during the day to Chicago, was thought of.) Th*^ journal continues : — " On Wednesday afternoon, (18th inst. ,) Robert and Elizabeth arrived. I think ho knew them. " He tried to look at me, and I believe it was the last of recogni- tion, but utterance had failed. " After this, he sank into a lethargy from which ho never rallied, symptoms of increased prostration, never moving from one position — any liquid rejected. ' ' The Doctor assured us he was not suffering, but that there would be no rallying. * He h dpng now,' said Dr, C, — who never left, waiting on him as a son, doing any or every thing to alleviate or soothe, so also Dr. Bethune ; to both I will ever be grateful for 422 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. thoir unremitting attention. ' Do you think the Doctor is conscious now V ask'jd my dctar friend Mrs. Leslie, (who, thirteen yecars ago had, along with our early aiid much valued friend, Mrs. Captain Dick, been my constant helpers during a long illness of the Doctor, an illness then appareiitly much m(>'''i severe than the present). "To Mrs. L.'a enquiry, Dr. C. very beautifully replied, ^No, the dear Doctor wcm't be conscious again, till he awake in Heaven !' Heavy breathing now commenced, with intervals of a deep drawn sigh, as if signifying the struggle between the earthly tenement and the spirit seeking to be free. I shall never forget the sound of that sigh, wliich became less frequent and less intense, as the breathing became grad\ial',y fainter and fainter; after twelve hours it ceased, with a gentle flutter — ttnigue nujved a little, and then every muscle was still ; and the liberated spirit passed away at twenty minutes past ten, on Thursday morning, 19th August. " During the night the dying bed was surrounded by ministers and kind Christian friends, every approaching sign of dissolution was anxiously watched — at intervals, fei vent prayer was otl'ered, and occasionally a few verses of a psalm or hymn were mournfidly Bung. As the spirit was departing, the Rev. Mr. King said: Pro- fessor Young, v/ill you give thanks ? *' Praise followed from earth, praise welcomed to heaven." " All night wo watched the ebbing life, • As if its flight to stay, Till as the morning hour camo on, Our last hope passed away. " Each flutter of the pulse, we marked, Each (ju iver of the eye ; To the '1 jar lips, our ear wo laid, To catch the last long sigh. " At last the fluttering pulse stood still, The cJeath-frosts through the clay Stole slowly, and as morn drew on, Our loved one passed away.'' r--^ CHAPTER XXI. MEMORIAL TESTIMONIES. 11. BURNS died on the morning of Thursday, the 19th of August, ISGD, at the age of eighty yviars and six montlis. On tlie after- noon of Saturday, the 21st, he was buriork of a young man, with scarce almost weariness. I know, d- ir Mrs. Burns, that you thankfully feel all this, and are persuaii that without a murmur, amid whatever sorrow, you have been en;uaed to give him up, even as dear Mrs. Coutts, when, in very early life, she had to part with her admirable husband, ami who, sitting on the bed. with her hand under his head, waiting fo" the last breath, when tokl by the nurse that he was gone, just with- dreir lier hand gently and said, ' Is he gone ? then I let go my liold ; my Maker is my husband, the Lord of Hosts is His name.' " Truly Dr. Burns was taken away like a shock of corn fully ripe, and though wo are apt to think of the many things he was still planning, and I suppose engaged with, yet that is but our poor thotigiit. His work was done ! The Lord makes no mistakes. We have each our lixed, allotted portion and measure of work, and another comes in to take up what we leave. How blessed to think of tbAt aiicount of the believer's departure : * Father, I will that 426 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. Hi tliey ftlso whom thou hast given me be with me, where I am, that they may behold my glory.' You will now exchange your prayers for Dr. Burns for thanksgivings in connection with his brighter blessedness ; and you have for yourself and the future in the wil- derness, all the promises of leading, strength, consolation, &c., Ac, imtil you shall be called to join the inmnuerable company above. May the Lord, the wonderful Counsellor, direct you aright ! " The Rev. Alexander Cameron, whom my father often visited, always with pleasure, in his Canadian as well as Scottish charges, lets his sympathetic soul overflow : " Ardersier, Sept. 1869. '•My dear Mrs. Blrns, — Little did I think when I received your last kind note from Edinburgii, announcing your intention of embarking fi'oni Livoritool, that the next news from Canada was to be the death of my dearly ])el(>ved friond and father, your honoured husband. Yet after all, my dear frieml. there is nothing to regret; his work was dime, and 1 believe well dono in the estimation of the blessetl IMaster whom he served so long and so faithfully. Does any living doubt that he has received the happy welcome, ' Well done,' *fcc. ? Lotus, therefore, not grudge that he has got to his •■.'est at last, though somewhat sooner, perhaps, than we wished. He took little rest while here. If work, and especially woi*k for Christ, could be said to be jvny man's meat and drink, it was surely that of Dr. Burns. ' In labours more almndant.' lie would not say so, but wo will all say it now. It is long since I knew him first, slightly, even before he left Paisley ; then in Canada, as my pastor and pi'ofessor and friend. I accompanied him to the backwoods on preaching tours (no slight privilege). He licensed mo, visited me at Glengarry again and again The more I was with him the more I loved and esteemed him. My heart, while I write, is full to t)verflowing, my eyes a fountain of tears, yet not tears so much of sorrow as of thankfulness to (Jod that I ever enjoyed so much of his society and contidence, and for all that the Lord did in him and for him. His last visit to Ardersier with yourself, besides the gratification it afl'orded to myself and dear partner, has left a most salutaiy improssion upon the people. The old and godly people hero and in surrounding parishes have never ceased speaking of his wonderful sermons and addresses. I believe many congregations throughout the land will give a similar testimony, while our church at large was refreshed through his never-to-be-forgotten addresses to our General Assemblies. " The Rev. Robert Wallace, of Toronto, formerly of In- gersoll, one of the very first students of Knox College, I] REV. R. WALLACE. OLD STUDENTS. 427 and the first licensed by my father after his arrival, gives his impressions thus : "I had the privilege, along with two other students — ihe first- fruits of the Presbyterian Cliurch of Canjida — '^f being licensed by the good Doctor in 1845, and I have naturally followed his course ever since with deep interest. " I need scarcely say that he was most indefatigable in his la- bours. I spent a day with him in this city in 1847, accompanied him in his visits among the people, having an appn>priate wi»rd of counsel for each, and praying fervently with the sick or the sorrow- ing. During the evening we visited several public meetings, «v^hich he addressed in succession on the subjects which had convened them ; and then, at a late hour, reached his own house, apparently as fresh as ever. " I have met him on his missionary tours, which were frequent, preaching daily, or almost every day. ' ' He also took great pleasure in aiding and encouraging the young ministers in tlieir various spheres of labour. Several times has that noble worker assisted the writer in administering the sacred feast of the Lord's Supper, at which times his warm sympathy with the Christian people, and his ardent and glowing pioty, seenuMl to get full scope and to be in their proper element. On sticli occa- sions he was wont to pour forth, as from a full fountain, the richest exhibitions of divine truth, not merely according to the letter, but with the evident enjoyment of one who felt its power on his own heart — who had an experimental acquaintance with it in its varied applications to hinuan life, and who delighted in the law of the Lord after the inner man, and feasted on the rich repast of which e invited others to partake. " He delighted to unfold the glory of Christ's work as a Divine Saviour, and the efficacy of his atonement, as well as to set forth the freeness and fulness of the gospel oiler as made to all the children of men. " ric was ever ready to defend the faith given to the saints, and to stand up for the peculiar doctrines of our holy religion. Once in the presence of a Unitarian preacher, a friend heard liim main- tain the doctrine of the divinity of our Lord in a strain of the most fervid and impassioned eloquence, while he deplored, in the most touching manner, the folly and the infatuation that lead n.en to reject that fundamental doctrine of the Christian faith to their own destnictirm. *' At the same time, ho over manifested a most catholic spirit, in his readiness to co-operate with all that he believed to be the true followers of Christ, in their works of faitli and labours of love. " He also cheerfully took part in soirees, as giving an opportu- nity for the people to meet together and cultivate familiar acquaint- 428 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. aiice with each other ; but he always sought to instruct and edify, as well as interest, the people on such occasions. " When addressing the congregation of the writer at Tngoraoll, he was fond of reminding them that his revered iicphew, W, C. Burns, of China, had selected the site of the church when preaching on that beautiful spot, under the trees, in 1846. He had a great regard for his nephew, because of his devoted piety and zeal in the Master's service. His visit to Canada had been like a streak of light. Wherever he went the hearts of ministers and other Chris- tians were quickened, and sinners were greatly if not savingly im- pressed. " One thing which greatly contributed to the Doctor's popularity and usefulness was his unselfish, self-denying spirit. In mingling with the people in their homes, even in the newest settlements, he was ilways content with whatever accommodation and fare they could afford him ; never complained of privations, such as he must have felt ; but on the contrary, ho was ever cheerful and happy, and promoted the same spirit among all around him. " Endowed with a wonderful memory and very ready conversa- tional powers, and having acquired vast stores of knowledge on all subjects, he was the life of anj' company, — enlivening his conversa- tion by pertinent anecdotes drawn from reminiscences of distin- guished personages, from events of former times, from current matters of public interest, and from many sources. It was a treat to listen to him in company, as he poured forth his rich stores of sanctififid learning, in a cheerful and pleasant manner. " Another feature of his character which should not be forgotten was his FERVENT PRAYEKFULNESS. Oftcr liavc I and many others been refreshed by the ardent outpourings of his heart around the family altar, or his earnest pleading in a more private manner, for any brother for whom he sought the blessing of Sion's King. Here was the secret of his power as a worker for Christ." From one of Dr. Bums' former students, now settled as a minister six or seven hundred miles from Toronto, came the following : " In this distant part public tributes of respect to the Doctor's memory have been i)aid. For a week a flag was hoisted at half- mast in front of our Manse, and the pulpit has been draped with black. "You have often heard him quote the expression 'abundant entrance,' explaining the figure as th.at of a ship coming into har- bour uninjured, with all her canvas spread, her hull unshattered, her masts tinbroken, and her rigging not torn. Such an entrance, I doubt not he had. " 11 n ' edify, ,'ly im- REV. A. SANSON. DR. HUGH M LEOD. 429 Another old student, settled at a still greater distance, in the opposite direction, thus acts as the mouthpiece of many : "Our fathers, where are they? and the prophets, do they live for ever ? 1 cannut realize that he is gone, and to liow many will it seem but a myth until the annual gatherings come round, when there will be many a heavy heart and many a bitter tear. " The event strikes to my own heart as if it were the death of an own father. What a bright record we can all contemplate in your father's life ! and how conspicuously does the past place him among the great cloud of witnesses. I cannot give expression to my feelings of reverence for the departed. Such fertility of mind, such unseltishness, such unwearied devotion to the cause of Christ! I cannot look around my study without my eye falling upon some book or manuscript, or manual that is not closely identified with his personal and fatherly counsel and advice. So accessible, so frank, and so painstaking that every moment found him engaged with some one or other of the students in private, helping them out of either personal or educational difficulties. " How many humble members also on both continents will lift up the propliet's lamentaticm, ' My father, my fatlier, the chariots of Israel and the liorsemen thereof ! But we leave him to his rest among the elders who have obtained a good report. " The Rev. Mr. Sanson, Episcopalian Church, Toronto, a very dear old friend, on receiving a memorial from Dr. Burns' library, thus represents the sentiments and feelings of many in other denominations : "These volumes will ever remind me of one whom I revered and loved, from whom I experienced much genuine kindness, and whose unexpected removal from the church on earth I must con- tinue to deplore. In the circle of my acquaintance I had not another Christian friend like him. His comprehensive sympathy was one of those few things which made this world loss dreary and niijre agreeable. It is seldom that one meets with so much simpli- city and godly sincerity — so much hearty love and kindness — so much consideration for othors and forgetfulness of self, accom- panied by so many rare qualities and valuable attainments besides, as it was my privilege to find in Dr. Burns. " From the Rev. Dr. Hugh McLeod, whose labours m Cape Breton have been so eminently owned of God in ^ 430 LIFE OF II EV. DR. BURNS. connexion with the great revival there, and whom he loved to visit in that interesting field, which was associated with tlie early efforts of the Colonial Society, we received the following graphic portraiture : •« Sypnet, C.B., ICth November, 1871. " My chief acquaintance with your venerable father was formed in the fall of 184."), when, as deputy from the Free Church of Scot- land, I visited the liritish provinces of North America. But from my earliest recollection I was familiar with his appearance, charac- ter, and name. 1 saw him several times in the General Assembly, both before and after the disrui)tion ; often heard him speak, and regarded him as one of the greatest and best men of his day. His voice always commanded the attention and respect of the whole House. Well do I remember how I used to hear him, from time to time, with increased i)leasure and admiration. *' His personal appearance was peculiar ; short but stout, indi- cating greAt strengtli. Accordingly his power of endurance was remarkable. He could do the work of two ordinary men. On the Sabbath he usually preached three times, and always with great energy. In addition to his other duties he often preached and travelled long distances on week days. His elocution w.as distinct and rapid as he advanced, till at length, like a mighty torrent, it swept all before it. Endowed with intellectual faculties of a very high oidei', and a mind richly stored with vari(jus learning, and disciplined by assiduous study, he was always a man of power. " in his preaching he was argumentative, lucid and impressive. Familiar with the wt)rd oi God as well as with the windings of the human heart, and possessing a faithful memory, fertile imagina- tion, fluency of exi)ression and teeming thought. His sennons were able, suggestive Jind chxpient. By his writings, too, he was widely known. In sustaining the periodical literature of his time his pen was ever ready. His contributions, in doctrinal, practical, and polemical discussion, were varied and always to the point. As a controversalist ho was acute, searching and convincing. Of the doctrines and principles of the gospel, in all their relations and results, he was the uncompromising champion. The Bible Society, the S'tciety for the Conversion of the Jews, the Anti-Slavery Society, the Colonial Society, the Gaelic School Society, the Cape Breton Missitm, and, in short, the various benevolent institutions of the day, had in him a warm friend. " After his settlement in Canada he frequently visited the mari- time provinces — especially Nova Scotia. His visits were always accomi)anied with happy results, and every one considered it a high privilege to shew him attention. The influence which he ex- cited on such occasions was not coutined to members and adherents THE APOSTLE OF CANADA. 4.S1 of his own church, but embraced a wide circle of Christian associa- tion. Wherever he preached, crowds flocked t<» hoar him. To none, perhaps, does British America owe more than to Dr. IJunia, who may well be called the Apostle of Canada, Not only have ccmgi'ogations been organised and places of worship built through his instrumentality, but many souls have been born oi the Spirit. The day when the secrets of all hearts shall be laid bare alone can tell how many shall rise up to call him blessed, and be to him * liis hope and joy, and crown of rejoicing in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming.' , " In the summer of 1H58 he visited Newfoundland, where he I * remained for about a fortnight, and where his labours were very ■ fruitful. On his return he remained with me two weeks, not to rest, however, but to work. We were continu.illy going about visiting the different stations. Although then bordering on seventy years of age his vigour was remarkable. In all his discourses there were noble bursts of sanctified eloquence. On every occasion crowds followed him, embracing persons of all denominations and ranks, which rendered it necessary for him at times to preach in the open air. I usually preached in Gaelic what he preached in English. Mrs, Burns was with him on this occasion, so that his visit was more domestic than it could otherwi.se be. She was truly an help- meet to him, following him in all his travels, ministering to his comfort, and sympathising with him in all his efforts to do good. During liis stay here he was extremely happy. In all his letters to me afterwards ho referred to the great pleasure which liis visit afforded him. From Sydney we proceeded to Sydney INIines, to Bras d'Or, to Boularderie, to Baddirk, and to St, Ann's, in all of which he preached with great power. Thereafter we sailed in a small boat up the Bras d'Or lake to West Bay, a distance of forty miles. In the evening he preached, as usual, to a large congrega- tion which gathered to hear him. Next morning I accompanied him to the Strait of Canso, where he preached, and for ever took leave of Capo Breton, I returned home. He crossed the Strait to Nova Scotia, where he remained for some weeks preaching in ditler- ent localities, and where his name is still so savoury. On Km re- turn to Canada he wrote a pamphlet on Cape Breton, giving a graphic account of its resources, scenery, and religious condition. He considered it one of the most valuul)le and desirable portions of her Majesty's dominions. His estimate is found to have been con-ect, and shows how observant he was. " Some time thereafter I had the pleasure of paj'ing him a visit, on which occasion I passed several days with him. Some of the happiest moments of my life were those I spent in his society. His conversation was always edifying {ind instructing. His man- ner was kind, courteous, and gentlemanly. His domestic supplica- tions were remarkable for their richness and fervour. Without doubt he was one of the highest ornaments of the church to which 432 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. he belonged. The Lord honoured him above many, and made him instrumental in carrying on His work on earth. He hath taken him h(jme * to theCloneral Assembly and Church of the First-bom, whose names are written in Heaven.'" The Eev. Dr. Ormiston, formerly of Hamilton, now of New York, was an old and valued friend. They thought alike on many subjects. They worked together in objects of common interest — religious, educational, and benevo- lent. From the time of their first meeting at Victoria College, in 1 844, they drew to one another, and the inti- macy remained uniiiterru})ted to the lust. His finely- rendered testimony will be acceptable to many : " New "Vork, " December 2nd, 1871. **Rev. R. F. BtTPvs, D.D, "Mv DEAR Sii, I very cheerfully comply wit) yov quest to send you some iuief personal reminiscences of your . ;ble and venerated father. " It Avas my ouviable privilege to enjoy his friendship for r ■ y a quarter of acent.iry, and to share his confidence during a greater part of that period. The intimacy of our feli iwship was never interrupted by a single misunderstanding. Its influence at the time, on my nn"n(l. was most inspiring and helpful, and its mem- ory now is consoling and grateful. I owe him much. I always found in him a sympathetic and good counsellor, and ever left his presence with higher resolves and nobler purposes to be and to do. The pleasure of our intercourse I have good reason to believe, was mutual, the profit chiefly mine. From the first I entertained a profound respect for his high talents, his resistless energy, his rare readiness, and his eminent and extensive usefulness, and I soon learned to love him for the simplicity of his character, the un- selfishnoss of his disposition, the generosity of his conduct, and the warmth of his aflection. Mistaken in judgment, rash in utter- ance, very I'esolute in purpose, and decidedly prompt in action, he doubtless sometimes was ; but intentionally unkind, personally selfish, consciously unfair, sullenly implacable, or sternly unforgiv- ing, never. Quick to resent a wrong off'ered to himself or others, he was equally ready to forgive and forget it. '* I regarded his general attainments as vast, unusually varied and accurate, and specially rich in historic f ict, and biographical incident. His memory alike retentive and ready, never seemed to DR. OHMISTON. FIRST MEETING. 433 lose a date or fact, place or person once entrustecl to it. His intc- roat in all that atlected the welfare (jf society and the progioas (jf the province was dee}) and moat intense, and particularly in all that pertained to the extension of the church, and the training of young men for the work of the ministry. In all that he did ho was so thoroughly sincere, and so terribly in earnest that he often geemeil impatient of delay, and irritated by hiiulrances. Ho had no syiup.ithy with indolence, slackness or inethciency, and he had not only a noble scorn for anything mean, fraudule.it or unreal, but also possessed a rare faculty for detecting fiihehood, i)reten- sion, insincerity or imposture in others, and when fully satislied in his own mind in reference to such m.attera, no fear of personal in- convenience or public disfavour could deter him from exi)osing them. As a friend I ever found him trustworthy, sympathetic and obliging; as a brother in the ministry, faithfid, atlecti ' Kite and true ; able in public ministrations, laborious in the active uities of the pastorate, prominent and active in all the business of the church courts, long associated with the management and instruc- ticm of the college; a willing, ellective advocate of every good cause, and an unwearied worker in the Held of home evangeliza- tion, even to the last. He richly merited the place he long held, as an acknowledged leader in the Church of God, and a felt power in the land. " Though past the meridian of life, ere he entered upon the Ca- nadian held, by his great gifts, his diversitied labours, his exhau.st- ing nngmidging efforts for the irood of the church, hu si)eedily won for h'uself a high place in the esteem of his brethren, even of those who felt themselves oft constrained to dilfer from him, and a Avanu place in the hearts of the entire people, in whose homes, lofty or lowly, he was ever a welcome and an honoured guest. Many a heartfelt simple tribute of honest praise have 1 heard be- stowed on him in every stn;tion of the dominion, wherever his elo- quent voice had thrilled them from the pul[)it, (jr his rich racy conversation cheered them at their hearths. No minister in Ca- nada was more widely known, more truly revered, and more per- sonally beloved than Dr. Robert iiurns. " Well do I remember my own hrst personal interview with him. It was during a visit he made to Cobourg, when tras riling in Ca- nada as a deputy of the Free Church of Scotland, i was at the time a student at Victoria College. The principal of the college, Rev. Dr. Ryerson, courteously gave to the celebrated visitor an invitation to visit the college and address thf students. This in- vitii ii your father's character, and specially mark the ripened mellowness of his later years, but that is not rerpiired. The elevated spirituality of his mind, the enlarged charity of his heart, the manifest nearness to God in which he lived, and the purified zeal for the work of tho Master, glowing with increasing fervour, which he manifested even amid the infirmities of a good old age, rendered communion with him a great privilege and a great power, too, I rejoice now that it was mine not unfrerpiently to enjoy the one and feel the other. Among the memories of my heart will ever lie cherished the re- membrance of all his kindness to mo in my youth, and his valued friendship in my riper years. What a blessing it is that the as- sured h<»po of re-union at uomo mitigates the grief of separation on the way. They are not lost who have only g(jne before. '* I am, my dear Brother, * ' Yours, very faitlif uUy, " W, Obmiston." The College Board and Senate, various Sessions, Pres- byteries a^^d Synods of the Church, together with the General Assembly, besides different public institutions, passed highly eulogistic resolutions. Papers and periodi- cals were wann and hearty in their obituary notices. Extracts from two or three of these will appropriately terminate these memorials. II Some of his earliest literary efforts in Paisley were con- nected with " The Philosophical Society," an institution rUILOSOPIIICAL SOCIETY. KNOX COLLEGE BOARD. 435 4 I th.in which none in tho community has had a moro honouralilo record. During liis last visit lie revived tho intimacy and associations of former times. Tiiis te.stimony is all the more to be esteemed as being a deviation from the ordinary custom : "Paisley, 12th October, ISr.O. "Tho society, havintj learned with deoi) regret that tho Rer. Dr. IJnviis liad died in Toronto on tho I'.ltli of August last, cannoi all()\v tho event to pass unnoticed. As tho circumstances are sitocial, they in this instance depart from what has heen their practice. Dr. Burns was one of tho earliest and most active promoters of the objects of this society. I'pwards of tifty-three years ago lie read pai)ers, and in 1813 was vice-i>resident. For several years he acted as president ; and during his hjug residenc^o hero spared no pains to contribute to the ethciency of tho institution. (>u his recent visit from Canada, tho land of his adoption, ho made himself ac- quainted with the operatiims of tho society, and took such interest in tiio proposal to found a reference dejiartment in tho Free J'ul)lic Library, tiiat he otiered a very handsome donation of vahial)lo works. His addre.ss on the occasion was v.orthy of his natural en- thusiasm, and was not only touching in its allusions, l)ut was an elo({uent and interesting record of succe.ssfiil work half acentm-y ag(». The labours of Dr. IJurns in connexion with this society aVjundantly show that ho had tliat intuitiveness to discover and that power to combine which are tho bases of successful investiga- tion, and that if his talents had been consecrated exchisively to scientihc or ithilosophic ])ursuits, ho would have held u fonMuost place in Britain. He is not the less to be valued because lie devott>d himself to tho welfare of his race tlu'ou^h the channelH of Chrisiian philanthroiiy ; and the socitity record with gratitude tlu'ir sense of tho beuetita which ho conferred by hia sympathy and exertions." From the resolutions of the College Board of Knox College we make the following extract, bctittingly embody- ing the sentiments of those with whom he was most closely associated in the training up of a native ministry : ** The Board, considering that, since their last meeting, God has been plea^ed to remove by death the Rev. KobiTt Munis, D. D., Emeritus Professor of Theology and Church History in Knox Col- lege, resolve to record, as they hereby do record, their high api>re- ciation of tho consistent Christian character of their late veiu'rablo father, and of the eminent services wliich he has rendered tu the J 436 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. collecjo and to tho church gcnorally. They fool that any statement of theirs can add nothing to tho estimation in which ho was hold, as his altility and zeal and devoted labours in behalf of all benevo- lent and phihvnthropic and Christian objects have boon universally acknowkulged wherever he was known. At tho same time they reckon it a privilege as well as a duty to give expression to the Bontimeuts of gratitude which they, in conunon with all their breth- ren, entertain, that he wa.ssi» long spanul to take a i)romineiil jdace in building up and extending the Presbyterian cause in this land, and tliat, by his disintoreatod, self-denying, unwearied ellorts, he was enablod, through the blessing oi (iod, to contribute so largely to that end. *' Coming to this country with a high reputation as one of the most distinguished ministers of the Free Church of Scotland, he was honoured by divine grace to maintain and extend the same. "First as pastor of Knox Churcli, and latterly as one of the theological professors, ho gave himself, with all his superior mental and physical powers and spiritual attainments, to the assiduous discliarge of t'.o duties devolving on him ; and oven when, by rea- son of advancing ago, he felt himself constrained to resign his pro- fessorship in the college, lie continued as Emeritus Professor to cherislj an unabated interest in all that concerned its welfare ; and such was his love of work in the cause of his INIastor, and such his pleasure in it, that ho persevered in conducting classes with his ac- custouiod energy. To liim tho library of tho college stands in3]iol, in every part <>f the land, in mis- sion Hti'ti'iiis an well as in sotth'il cdn'^rcLjations, havo contrihiited in a hiyh o to the [mmperity of tliiri church, and havo uiado the name of liKru.'i a housohold word in thoiiaanda of fainilios a name which parents will nienti'-n to tiioir children yet unhoru, as that of one whom they account it ainonu' the privile^'es of their livoa to havo seen and heard. His duties as a I'rofcHsor of Theolojry were dischargtid with zi'al and fidelity. He had .a deei) concern both for the spiritual welfare of the yoiuig men under his care, and for their proj,'re.ss in their stutlies. To his exertions mainly the formation of the ('oUo'^'e Library was due. His preaching,' tours had much infiuetice in calliui,' forth an increased lil)erality on the part of the church, in sust;iiuiuu' the colli';,'e, and his uual)ated in- terest in tlie institution, even after ho hail becitme an Kmeritus Profess()r, was nhowu by soun; of the latest acts of his Mfe " As a man, i)r. Ihirus couM not bo known without l)eiii!,' loved. Ho had a warm heart, and a lan,'e and ;,'enial nature. A man of great bri!adth of sympatliv, he was notaldy one who did not look at his own thiiiLfs, but tonk a lively interest in the thin;^s of others. Ho was generous almost to a fault. His overllowiiii; and manifestly sincere kindliness, his woiulerful vitality, his luifailiii'^ llow of cou- versatio!!, and the rich ;uid v.aried information he was accustomed, in all compajiies, to pour foi'th, made him in society tho moat de- lightful of companions " His charactt'r became in asiuLCulardoj^reo mollowod ; aloni^side of the sjjirit of power, which was always a predominant feature in it, catuo out conspicuonsly the t,'entler Lfratcs of the divine life — eminently amoni,' others, meekness and humility ; and no oiio co\dd converse with him without feeliui; that, day by d.iy, he was ripen- ing apaco for the change which bovh hv himself and t!io30 who looked upon his marked and voncrublo form knew cuuid not bo far distant. " The Rfcord, the mnntlil}' journal of tlio church, devoted several pasje.s to an adniirahly-written .sketcli by tlie edi- tor, from wliiclj wo make a few selections : ** Most of our readers will hare heard, before these par.agraphs meet their eyes, of tlui de.ith of tiie veiitr.iltle Dr. ibirus. Tho event took place on the moniini,' of Tliursday, I'.Mh idt., in Knox College, in which, with his family, he was residing for a few days before tmtering inti> a house of his own. Hi- had returned from Scotland, (m Thursday, oth, apparently in excellent health and good spirits. He pre.iched on llie I'veniiig of tlie foljowin,' Sabbath m Gould street churcli, of which he was a member. With his usual zeal for work, osptH:ially for preacliiuc, lie undertook to preach on Sabbath, loth, in two of the churchea of tho city, and uls j in Knox 438 LIFE OF REV. DR. RURNS. church, on S,ahh;ith, 22nd. 15ut hia workinfj; days were coming to an Olid, iiiid these; enyaLionieiits, so readily ' i terod into, were not to be fuUilk'd. The evuniiiy of Wednesday, lltli, ho siicnt in com- I)any with his son. Dr. R. F. IJurns, and a few friends, at the house of the IJev W. ( Irei^'y, and was, as usual, genial and pleasant. Dur ing the night ho was seizeil with a chill, which returned in an aggra- vated degree on the forenoon of Friday, llJth. Medical aid was called in, and it was hoped for some days that ho would soon re- cover from what seenu.'d to be simply a bilious disorder. JJut al- choUj.'h he rallied repe.itedly, the improveiMeiit was only temporaiy; : nd, notwithstaiiilimj all that medical .skill and aftecti(mato atten- tion could do, tlu! di.sease still kept hrm hold of its victim, and, as already stated, he ceased from sntreriiig, and entered into re.-it, on the morning of the lt)th. During the latter part of liis il'ness ho was unconscious, and from the lirst he was happi'y exempted from bodily pain. His son had left Toronto, and returned to Chicago, but a teleifram reached him in time to bring him back to see hia loved father in life, although in a state of extreme prostration. It is a very remarkable providence that Dr. lUirns should have come back to die in ( 'anada, for whose jpiritual advancement ho had laboured so zealously, and within the walls of the college, where for several years he was so fretpiently to be found, and who.se interests were ever so dear to him. In another column of the liccord will be found a communication, evincing the deep interest which he felt, even to the last, in the welfare of Knox College, and of the Canada I're.sl)yterian Cli'.irch. The communication referred ttj was begun some days after his arrival in Toronto ; indeed he was engaged in comi)leting it even after the '("aden hand of disease had been laid upon hiui. He still inteuvl d to make some additions to it, but was unable to do so ; and ive now publish it as it is, believing that it will be read by thousands with i)eculiar intei-est, as being tlie last product! >n of the i)en of the venerable writer, the last work of a public kind to wliieli his hand was put, and as shoning the very strong hold which the church and her institutions had of his thoughts and Jill'octions, even to the end." Tlio comniuniL'atiou roforrcd to above, in tlic |)ro{)aiation of which that busy hand was arrested, is as follows : " Kno.v Colleoe, 13th Aug. 1809. •* Deau Mk. EniToR,— VVe left Edinburgh for Liverixxd on Fri- day, the 2;5rd of July ; embarked next day in the line Cunard Btoanishi[) /ii».'<.v/((, and after a fair i)as3age of nine days, reached New York on Tuesday, the ;h'd inst. After a day's sojourn in that inagniticent city of the 'Emitire State,' we left by the Central Rail- way, on Wednesday aiternoon, and reached Toronto in safety. * • It was at one time my earnest wish to have visited the Oonti- fng to I not to coin- iJiouse Di;r M WHS LAST "ARTICLE." LIBRARY. SCHOLARSHIPS. 4Sy nent, p.nd in that case I might possibly have seen the celebrated discoverer of the * Codex Sinaiticus,' and been favoured with the actual inspection of that invaluable monument of an early century in the (Jhristian era. It had been indeed carried by the Professor to St. Peteraburg, and there made over to the Czar by purchase, but it had been brought back again to Leipsic for the purpose of a fac-dimile transcriptitm. This lias been accomplished at the Em- peror's expense, and in a style of uncommon elegance. When cir- cumstances put it out of my power to see the original, I was very desirous to see the fac-similo. The University oi Edinburgh, I found, had purchased a copy at the price of £34 10s. ; but this was Boon superseded by the gift of one directly, as I understand, from the Emperor. The spare one was purchased by Princii)al Candlish, aided by a few friends, for £25, and presented to the New college library. " With an inspection of this copy I was favoured by the kindness of my friend, the Rev. John Laing, librarian to the college. It is a magnificent work, in four large folio volumes, on the finest paper, and in the finest style of typography. It embraces the whole of the ' Codex Sinaiticus,' with ample collations from the Cottonian and Vatican MSS. , with historical and critical prolegomena, and a variety of miscellaneous illustrations. A German 'Mjokseller in Edinburgh, told me that I could have the whole wor; for about £20 ; but as this was beyond my means, I was obliged to content myself with the Proies-ior's (..applementary volume, containing a condensed view of the contents of the larger work, and selected specimens of the Codex. This I purchased for a small trifle, and it is n(jw in the possession of the college lil)rary ; and though small, it gives a pretty fair idea of the solitl contents of the great work. I should tliink, that were the managers of the Toronto University or of the McCJill C(dlego library at Montreal, to apply to the proper quarter, through the (iovernor-iJeneral of the Dominion of Canada, a gift of one copy at least, would be granted by the Emperor, Alexander II. *' With the view of promoting the system of scholarships or bur- saries for all the three colleges in the I'ominion of Cuujida, 1 print- ed and circulated an ' Appeal on behalf of the Colonies of the We.it,' my wish being, if possible, to olitain a few 'capitalized endowinents' of a permanent character. This was found to be rather iip-liill work ; and the only society or Ixxly of Christian men who entertain- ed the idea, was the 'Scottish lleforination Society,' who at once made the ofter, on certain conditions, of two bursaries of £10 and £5 each, to the three Theological Ctdleges in the Dominion, and connected with the Presbyterian Church. In each case the condi- tions have been complied with; and the probability is in favour of their permanence. The subject of competition will })o the leading principles of the Protestant controversy ; and the maimer of con- ducting the comparative trial is left to the discretion of the Senate in each of the Beminaries. ' >1 ij 440 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. ) 4 ** For tho first time, tho deputies from Canada managed to got a fair hearing in tho CJoneral Assembly of tho Free Chnrch. On all previous occasions they were tlirown into tho back-ground, and heard iit a hito hour, and by benches nearly empty. " Wo owe it to Dr. CandHsli that it was ordered otherwise this time. On the Friday of the 'bnainesa week,' and at eight in the evening, a full house listened ti) us ; and Mr. Ccjchrane, (jf Urant- ford, and I, were cordially complimented and thanked by tho moderator, Sir H. MoncrielF, a noble chairman. Three points (tf importance were pressed on tho notice of tho Assembly — our mis- sion to IJritish Columbia, our Red lliver Settlement, and our Gaelio Bursaries. On motion of Dr. Candlish, seconded by Dr. Uogg, all these were handed over for consideration to tho Colonial Conunit- tee, newly appointed, with Dr. Adam, of Clasgow, at its head. On the Wed.'iesday after tho close of tho Assembly, I was invited to a meeting of committee, when a resolution was cordially passed in favour of a renewed and friendly correspimdenco with the Foreign Missicm Comnxittee of Canada, in regard to the first and second of these subjects ; and as to tho third, ono l)ur3ary for tifty dtjllars, engaged for during the present year. It is painful to reflect, that the collections for the colonies have always l)een tho smallest of all, and that for years past the operations of tho colonial scheme have been .sadly crippled for want of means. In addition t just to suit the times, hut were conscientiously hold, and freely and fearlessly expressed. His energy was initiriug. Aa a preacher ho was evani^ilical, im[)ressive, and often powerful. His discourses were full of sound theoloL'y, enriched hy ajit illus- trations ; and even to his latest yours were delivered with remark- ahlo energy. '* Our revered father held, on most points, too decided opinions, and had too great force of character, not to come occasionally into collision with others, sometiuu-s with those who generally were to be found on tho same side with himself. But even those opposed to him res[iected his thorough integrity of puriiose, and his out- spoken honesty. There was a heartiness ahout him which even his opponents could not hut like. It is pleasing to add that his la.st years wore full (tf peace and trau()uillit}'. He liad to acousiderahlo extent withdrawn from the arena of public discussion. His charac- ter was more and more softened and chastened. Some personal misunderstandings were removt'd ; and wo helievo wo only state the truth when we say that. In Mire his removal from us, there was not ono who did not cherish towards him feelings, not only of high respect, but of warm all'ection. " In private life Dr. I>urns was genial and loving. His powers of conversation wei'o remarkable. It was impossible to weary of his company, or in it. the students under his charge h< was pectdiarly kiud and attentive. Ho manifested a warm interest in their studies, anil in everything aU'ecting them ; and <'f thoho who were settled in pastoral charges, there were few whom he did not visit and encourage by his presence, his counsels, and his minis- terial services. His liberality and uiiseltiahness in regar-l to money matters were rom.irkable. One instance of this may bo nuntioued. A few years ago the Doctor received a handsome sum ot money from one of the city congregations of Toronto, ff ♦he spiritual wants of those western provinces, Dr. Burns was in- strumental in sending out not a few ministers and missionaries to gather together the scattered Presbyterians, and organize them into congregatiims. When a call was made for one to cf)me and take tlie lead here, and assist in organizing a theological institution, he was ready to give his own services. When books were needed to form the nucleus of a theological library, he set himself to collect from his friends, giving at the same time many valuable volumes from his own library. And so, to the very last, ho was willing to his ability — yea, and beyond his ability — to do whatever was Mooded for the supply of ordinances, or for the promotion of the in -erests of the Church, and the glory of her great Head. We thank God for all th.at he was enabled, through the grace of God, to do ; and we rejoice in the assured hope that, after such a long, laborious, and useful life, he now rests from his labours, and hia works do follow him." < In the excellent funeml discourse of the Rev. J. M. M.A., on the "Good Fight," occurs the following beautifully-drawn portraiture of his character : King, "The ilrst feature which attracts attention, in contemplating the character of the departed, is the extraordinary activity which char- acterized him, his unceasing ajiplication to work, the wonderful en- thusiasm and energy which he carried, even in age, into every un- dertaking. Sabliath and week day ; morning, noon and night, till failing sight made it iiuprudent or impossible for him to read much in the evening hours ; Scotland and Canada ; nnr city, where his form was so well known, and the remote settlements (»f the Province, in many of which it was as readily recognized ; the college and his own residence ; in short, all times and places found that busy mind euiiilo^'cd, working or planning work, })rea('hing, teaching, glancing through books with dim eye but with (piick and sure discernment of their sjiirit and orth, writing nf)tices of brethren who had i)reced- eel him to the gi ive, or reviews of works of literature, advising with students as to their dilliculties, arranging the library or taking means for its eidargement ; never ina.t ive unless when com[)elled to cease exertion through sheer exhaustion ; and never satistied with any past achievement, but forthwith embarking on new enter- prises, laying new plau.s of work for himself — occasionally too for others — which looked far ahead. Activity was his delight ; idle- ness in others — he did not know it i.i himself — his grief ;iih1 annoy- ance. His very holidays, his periods of relief from his regular du- ties, w^ere only times of, if possible, more continuous and exhaust- REV. J. M. KING, M.A. IIIUEPRESSIBLE ACTIVITY. 443 r our ht >i as ill- 'ies to n into take n, he eil to ollect uines int enter a house but to make warm friends, if his en- trance did not lind them already such ; and so his name h;\s become a hou— liold w«)rd in the huuj, and the tidinus of his deaih will spre.i hrough it to awaken a tender regret in thousands oi hearts 444 LIFE OF KEV. 1>U. JJUIINS. '* That form, in which was cxhihitcd so sinfjiilar a union of stronj^th and frailty ; tho eyo dim, the intellect clear and active ; the limbs supportiny with dilHculty tho still massivo frame, the voice riiiginj:; oiit its notes tirni and clear ; the step slow and uncer- tain, the memory nnuiing rapidly alimi,' an exi)erien(!e of well nigh a century, and able to recall miniite incidents at any point ; tho hoary wreath of age around the brow, the face lit u]» with the play- fulness of childhood — that form, presenting contrasts so striking, has j)!vssed away. It was a sight yesterday wliich men regarded with wonder not unmixed with more tend('r emotion. It is only a niem»»ry to-day, a memory, however, whicli many will cherish with sacred respect for long years. " Wo have already quoted from Principal Willis' admir- able funeral .sermon. This chai)ter may appropriately close with one or two additional quotations : " My attention was drawn to our dt'eeaned friend in the ooWVpArft- tive youth of my own ministry, and towards the mid time ot his, as one taking a very prominent part in tlie cause of evuugelical religion, and watchfully guarding the rights and interests of the ( hvistian people, at a time when this rcipiircd no small \igilanre and vesohi tion. Men may acfpiiro, on very cheap terms, the reputation of friends of the evangelical interest, when the tide has come to tuni in its favour ; but it is due to Dr. Ihirns to say that he stood against the current when that ran in the contrary way. It is known that a blight had exten.sively come over churches in Scotland, England, and Ireland, half, or say three (piarters of a century ago ; and in the church of Scotland a full exhil)ition of the truth wiis, if I nicay not say the exception rather than the rule, at any rate far less gene- ral than happily it came to be in in(tre recent years. Our deceased father and brother took no unimportant sliare in the work of revi- val, and reassertion of the tnu; principles of our Scottish Prcsby- terianism : — and, when I say Tre.sbyteriani.sui, I do not merely think • if church government, but of the catechetical and confessional di'\v.' KHmIim. in the iuti uence ot his example of t.\^\\\, and tii)'orioU"«nesH, and pvayc rfulness witlial ! Like oli\i>r tnen he had his uuperfeetions ; h\\\ 'iisexot'II< ncies stood out \iro\iiinent, eouiinAUvl\ng rcspi'ot and eiiu;i^Miig est* ei« Those who dillered frou\ hu»\, and euntended with him, loved the man. It was not lu!* K»ast praise that hy artectiotiate hlandness (4 maimer, united to reninrkahle powers uf coiwer.siition, hu made himself an over welcome gU' at in the Innuhlest ( 'hristian abode : whilo iie knew and respucted those conventiimal co\jrtesies of refined society, by attention to whirh he eo\ild eon\inand the respect of the highest class. And I can testify to another kindred disposition lieiiig con- spicuous, one of the best tests of a superior mind, that, cm questions aliecting the public interests, ho was ready to receive light from •whatever tpiarter ; and on matters strictly pDfi'ssional, F have known few who welcomed more cordially the unrestrained inter- change of thought with friends or colleagues. Father — ]>atriarch I might say — of Canada's Presbyterian Church — rest in thy bed I We know who said, ' he is not dead, but sleeiteth.' Sleep on a while ; thou shalt stand in thy lot at the end of the days. Mourning rela tivcs may find joy in the thought, that t}*e first m«n'ning that has shone on the turf beneath which the departed lies, is that of the day of the Son of Man — of his rising in triumidi from the grave, and shedding so blessed a light on its darkness. " Death, take your part : king of terrors, do yotir worst. We know the limits of your power. It is not much you can do : it is not h>ng. Jiach returning Sabbath assures us of tin; completion, in his peoi>le, of the triumph over the grave the Saviour has won in his own person. How consoling the thought — even they who shall never know death, being found alive at Christ's coming, but who shall, in the twinkling of an eye, be changed at the sounding of the last tnuupet, oven they shall ikA prevent them who ari; ash-ei) ! * The dead in Christ shall rise first ;' not separate, but together shall thoy ascend to meet their Lord, and enter with like joy on their common inheritance. " A"Pr»ii:Nr)ix. I. Early History of Knox Cnum ii, Toronto. My venerable friend, the Rev. Jjimos Harris, wlio is onjoying a green old age, has kindly sent mo the follow- ing " Memoranda of the early liistory of the first Presby- terian congregation of the town of York, now known as Knox's Church, Toronto : "Tho undersi'^ncil, a Licentiate of the Presbytery of Mnn.i- giian, in coniioxioii with the Secession Church in tlio north of Irehmd, luivint^ received the usual testiinoniiils of good .stand- ing, as a ])rohationer, 3aiK'it the 10th day of August, said year. He was cordially rei'fived hy tlie Rev. Wm. Smart, then pastor of till- Presliyti-rian Church in tliat town. He wa.s urgrd by Mr. Smart l.. proceed to the town of York, now Toronto, with as little delay as possihh-, as the few Presbyterians residing tlureiu were anxious to be supplied with the i)reaching of the (iospid by a minister of their own denomination. He arrived in York on the 28th of August, having conducted religious services at various intermediate places on the way. Having arrived in the town of York, he called on parties to wlutuj lie was recommended by Mr. Smart. From said parties he learned that they had nut enjoyed, at any time previous, a regular supply of preaching — that they had received occasional visits from the llev. Mr. .Ft-nkins, at that time supplying the congregations (»f Kichmond Hdl and Scarborough ; and the prospects, on the whcde, were not encourag- ing. " There were, at that time, only two churches in the town of York — one Episcopalian, umler the pastoral charge of thi! Rev. Dr. Strachan, lato IJishoi) of Toronto. It was a neat frame building, occupying tlio site uf the present St. James' Cathedral, King Street. IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-S) A ,W ^^ ^^j m /. % l6 1.0 !.l |50 ""^^ M^^ 1.8 1.25 1.4 \h ^ . 6" ► Hiotographic Sciences Corporation 33 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. I4SS0 (716) •72-4503 ^'v- 448 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. '* The other was a Methodist Church, a frame building, situated at King Street West, larj^e and commodious for the time. " Although, at that time, Presbyterians were pretty numerously scattered throughout m')st, if not all, the settlements then foriaed, there were only two Presbyterian ministers as known to the writer of these notes, in the whole region west of Kingston. These were Rev. Robert McDowall ; he came into Canada in 1798, settled at EixiC3town, where he was spared to labour in the ministry for many years ; and Rev. Wm. Jenkins, who came to Canada from the United States in 1817. He was originally from Scotland, and belonged to the Antiburgher Church in that land. " The undersigned conducted public worship the first time, in a large school room, on the first Sabbath of September, 1820. Two diets were held, and God having permitted, we continued to meet for worship in said school-room about a year and six months. "The congregation considerably increased : entered on Sabbath, the 18th day of February, 1822, a new place of worship then re- cently completed. The new church Avas a small brick -building, fronting the hospital, now Richmond Street ; it stood on the pre- sent site of Knox Church. ' ' The new building was erected at the sole charge of Mr. Jesse Ketelium, the cost of pews, pulpit and gallery was assessed on the pews, and paid for by those who became pew-holders. This was the first building erected in York, now Toronto, for a Presbyterian congregation. It continued the only one until about 1827, when St. Andrew's Church was erected. ' ' The undersigned was ordained pastor of the congregation on the 10th of July, 1823. The Presbytery of Brockville, having, in compliance with a call, moderated in by the Rev. Mr. Jenkins, ap- pointed a committee to visit York, and jjroceed wi'h the ordina- tion. The committee consisted of the Messrs. Smait and Boyd, ministers. Mr. Boyd not having arrived in due season, Mr. Smart, Blr. Jenkins, and Mr. Scliolfield, an elder, who accompanied Mr. Smart, proceeded with the ordination on the day appointed by the Presbytery. " On the 23rd day of July, said year, a meeting of the recently organized congregation was held for the election of elders. Mr. Mcintosh, of the town of York, and Mr. McGlashan, of York Mills, were unanimously chosen. They were set apart to the oftioe of the eldership on the 10th of August following. Mr. Mcintosh filled the office about five years, Avhen he was removed by death. Mr. McGlashan died in Nov. , 1844, having witnessed the disruption in Scotland in 1843, and in Canada the year following. He was also permitted to witness and *ake part in the cordial arrangements for a union between those who withdrew from St. Andrew s congrega- tion, in Toronto, and the small congregation of wliich he had been, for many years a zealous and faithful office-bearer. " The iirst communion was dispensed to the first Presbyterian REV. JAMES HARRIS'S NARRATIVE. REV. W. BELL. 449 congregation, on the 14th of September, 1823, to twenty-eight members. Mr. Jenkins assisted on the interesting occasion. " Thus he, who in much weakness, commenced his labours in tho \ovfn of York in 1820, was permitted, through God's infinite mercy in Christ Jesus, through many infiriftities and great shortcomings, to labour in the field allotted him, without interruption, until the summer of 1844. In the early part of said summer, owing to ar- rangements for a union of tho two congregations, into which ar- rangements the undersigned cordially entered, he domitted his charge to the then recently formed Presbytery of Toronto " It is now twenty-five years since the two congregaticjns united, taking the name of " Knox's Church," and the writer of these notes records his decided conviction, that said union has, by (Jod's blessing, tended largely to promote the interests of Presbyter- ianism, and in connection therewith of vital godliness in the city of Toronto. "James Harris. John Boss, Malcom McLellan, and Edward Henderson were or- dained to the eldership in May. 1827. J. H. II. Presbyterian Pioneers. The Rev. George Bell, LL.D., of Clifton, has kindly furnished me with the following very interesting state- ment, with reference to the missionary labours of his father, the Pioneer of Presbyterianism, in the old Ba- thurst district, which may fitly follow Mr. Harris's narra- tive : The settlement at Perth had been formed in 1816, and the Scotch settlers having sent for a minister, Mr. Bell accepted their call, and sa-led on the 5th of April, 1817. Fair promises of every comfort had been made by the captain of the ship, which were soon found to be worthless. After they were fairly at sea, the passen- gers were shamefully treated. After fifty-seven days of horrors, Quebec was reached, and they escaped from the ship. Mr. liell was treated with great kindness by the dovernor, Sir John Sherbrooke, and promised a free passage to Perth After v,-aiting some days for the steamer Malsham, to be ready to sail, they left Quebec ou vSaturday CTeuiag, 7th June, ar- riving at Montreal on Monday murning, horses beiiKj employed to help the steamer xtp th* current 8t. Mary into poii ! The passage to D D 450 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. Prescott was made by means of a batteau with four men, the por- tages at the principal rapids being made by carters, and oxen or horses being used to drag the boat at some of the others. Eight days were spent between Montreal and Prescott, and although the transport was furnished free By Government, the expenses by the way amounted to much more than the whole would cost now. De- layed for days for want of waggons, Mr. Bell went on to Brockville, on the 21 st June, where he met with the Rev. W. Smart, of Brock- ville, and the Rev. Robert McDowall, from Bath, besides Rev. Mr. Easton, of Montreal. The last, together with Mr. Bell, preached at the dedication of Mr Smart's church the following day. The meeting of these pioneers of Presbyterianism in Canada was interesting, and the mind readily passes over the intervening half century, and adores the grace of God for the wondrous progress which has been made in the work so painfully commenced by them and a few others. From Brockville to Perth was two days' journey, walking most of the way. Perth was reached on the 24th June, twenty-four days from the arrival at Quebec. Next day a house was rented, and the family arrived, suffering severely from the dreadful journey, and almost blinded by travelling a whol'e day through the forest, swarmiiiLj with mosquitoes. The house consisted of log walls, a roof, and a floor of split basswood logs loose over a pool of stag- nant water. The closeness of the floor may be understood from the fact that one day one of the children fell through, and was with some difficulty rescued from drowning. There were no partitions ; no furniture could possibly be procured, and even boards were not to be had, as the saw mill was not in operation. Dr. Thorn kindly gave Mr. Bell two boards, from one of which he made a table. But little of Perth was yet cleared ; a few log houses had been put up, but many were living in tents or huts of bark. They were thank- ful even for such accommodation as they had, as some on arriving had to sleep under a tree until they could erect a hut. The following are extracts about this time : ** SonSe of the Scotch settlers called to see us, and welcome us to the place. From them I learned that disputes ran high among themselves. I could see that, in discharging my duty here, much pat; jnce and caution would be necessary. The people were much in need of instruction, but most of them were careless about it. The moral as well as the natural world seemed to be a wilderness. I took another day's visiting in the Scotch line. There beiiig no road yet opened, I was so fatigued going round swamps, climbing fences, and getting over fallen trees, in the course of my long journey, that at night when I got home, I was ready to drop down. A meeting being held on church aff'airs — I observed with regret that some came bare-footed, and very poorly clad. The poverty of the people prevented anything being done at this meeting, beyond appointing a committee to manage the afiairs of the congregation. MR. bell's diary — EARLY STRUGGLES. 451 he por- bxen or Eight )Ugh the 3 by the w. De- ockville, f Brock- les Rev. [r. Bell, ring day. lada was ling half progre3S by them ing most enty-four ,3 rented, [ journey, he forest, y walls, a I of stag- 1 from the was with artitions ; were not »m kindly able. But a put up, ire thank- 1 arriving ome us to rh among 3re, much rere much about it. [ilderness. being no climbing my long rop down, ^th regret )overty of beyond negation. There being no school of any kind in the settlement, T had been requested to open one. I indeed found it necessary for my own children. A log hut was obtained and fitted up, and while the repairs were going on, I opened the school at my own house, with eighteen children. A Sabbath school had been commenced on the second Sabbath spent in Perth, with five children, increased to twelve the next Sabbath, and to fifteen on the next. A man came to be married one day, but that ceremony could not legally be per- formed, to his deep regret. He said if it could not be done to- day, he would lose the woman, as she was just going to leave the settlement. His simplicity and perplexity were more amusing to me, I fear, than to him. " The boys and I had commenced clearing upon our park lot, and every morning we got up at four o'clock, and worked at it till breakfast time ; but we suffered much from the heat and mosqui- toes. " The upper story of an inn which was as yet unfinished, was rented for a place of worship, and after two-and-a-half months the Lord's Supper was dispensed, Sept. 14th. The number of com- municants I had admitted was forty-seven, two of them for the first time. I preached from Rev. i., 5, ' Unto him that loved us,' &c. , with much liberty and comfort. We afterwards partook of the Lord's Supper together, and it was to many of us a comfort- able and refreshing season of communion with God. "4th Oct. 1 set out for the Rideau, where I had promised to preach the next day. On my way I called upon A. Morrison, and prevailed on him to accompany me. It was well I did so, for with- out a guide, I had never found the way. From his house we had fourteen miles to travel through the forest, with scarcely a track to guide us. We passed the Pike (Tay), and Black rivers, which we had to wade, and two bad swamps. This visit gives a fair sample of Home Mission work at that time. Long joiirneys on foot, part o£ the way through pathless forests, wading creeks and swamps, lodging in wretched hovels, sometimes upset from canoes by the unskilfulness of others, to the danger of drowning, and when es- caping, having no opportunity of getting wet clothes chang d. " 13th Oct. Set out for Brockville on foot, for at this time there ■were almost no horses in the settlement, nor anything to feed them. The road was very bad, and it was dark long before I reached Mr. Randall's, where I proposed to pass the night. Thirty miles. " At this time he went to the Quarter Sessions to obtain a certifi- cate to enable him to solemnize marriages, but opposed by high church officials, it was refused on technical groimds, and three months after lie had to make another journey of forty -tw o miles to Brockville, with seven members of his congregation, to get the matter arranged. At this time (Oct., 1817), Mr. Bell visited Kingston for tho purpose of trying to reconcile two parties of Presbyterians — Scotch 11 452 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. ll and American — who were desirous of getting a minister, but who were disputing as to whether he should be obtained from the Church of Scotland or the United States. This journey was made mostly on foot, a small portion of it being by means of a borrowed horse, and a part by a small boat. He regretted to find the two parties irreconcilable. Perth was a military settlement, and Mr. Bell had much to do with the military officials, both in his own affairs, and on behalf of the poor settlers, many of whom were in a starving condition. He received the utmost civility and even kindness from the Governor- General, and those high in authority, but on coming down the scale there was a great change. A schfiol-house had been built with money collected at Quebec and other i)lace8, on a subscription list " for erecting a school-house at Perth, U.C, for the use of the Rev. William Bell." It had been erected under the direction of the worthy secretary menti(jned above, on the public reserve, and by much diligence and sacrifice of time on Mr. licll's part, a good school had been collected. The house was used for the school on week days, and for public worship on Sabbaths, for nioxd than a year, imtil the church waa ready for use. About that time an Episcopal clergyman came to the settle- ment, and Mr. Bell was unceremoniously ordered to give up the uchool to him. The absurdity of this was so apparent that he re- sisted for a time, but at length gave it uj), observing in his jouraal " It is not safe living in Hume and 2)lea-ing ivith the Fope." At first, Sabbath profanation was very common. After the regular observance of public worship was introduced matters im- proved among those attending. Many, however, were not attend- ing, and to bring an influence to bear on these the following plan was adopted : — '" Taking one of my elders with me, I called at every house, slianty and tent, in the viUage and neighbourhood, si)oke of the sin of i^rofaning the Sabbath, and requested the aid of all in preventing it. This had the desired effect, and from this time ff)r- ward there was a visible reformation. " Some years afterwards greater difficulties were encountered. Sabbath breaking became very prevalent, urged on by many who, from their position, ought to have been leaders in giving a good moral tone to society. In opposing vigorously these evils, Mr. Bell aroused a p^ ; secution, which for violence of personal abuse, insults ar.d legal prosecutions would scarcely be credible if fully described in vmr happier days. In 1829, after a perseciiting law suit, in which he was mulcted in damages for his faithfulness in opposing vice, he writes, " Paid £45 15s. lOd., the price of freedom from persecution. O Britain ! how vain is thy boast of freedom." Mr. Bell had to contend with much ignorance in regard to the administration of church ordinances. A man and woman called one day with a sick child, which they had brought four miles on a dreadfully cold day to be christened, lest it should die. The man I out who rom the '^as made )orrowed the two ch to do behalf of ion. He rovemor- the scale A Quebec ool-house had been lentioned 1 sacrifice :ed. The c worship ready for the settle- ve up the hat he re- is journal I) After the atters im- :)t attend- wing plan d at every spoke of of all in time for- ifterwards became ion, ought ciety. In secution, secutions er days, mulcted "Paid ,s es, D Britain ! ard to the man called miles on a The man AWFUL DEATH. PEACEMAKER. WIDE FIELD. 453 was known to be a very immoral man, and on inquiry it appeared that neither of the parents was present, and that the persons who had come stated that they were to be godfather and godmother : the father of the child was a drunken and profane man. Mr. Bell stated that he could not baptize the child then, but that if the pa- rents were willing to be instructed in the truths and duties of the gospel, and to follow such instruction, he would do so at a proper time. " The man, on hearing this, became insolent, got up and said he did not care whether I christened the child or not, as he could take it to the priest, who would not object, if he paid him, which he was willing to do. They then left the house, went to the Roman Catholic priest, and had the child christened, paid half a dollar, and went home well pleased. The service was performed in French, of which they did not understand a word. " " The father disapproved of what they had done, when he cam© to know and wished me to re-baptize the child. This I declined, which so much offended him that he went to a magistrate, and made a complaint, giving a very erroneous account of the whole transaction. On the following Tuesday he was in town, spent the day at the tavern, and blustered a great deal about having me punished for refusing to baptize his child. In the evening he left the village drunk, and next nioming, the cold being intense, ha was found dead, and frozen stiff among the snow, about half a mile from Perth, When the body was brought in, before the Coroner's inquest, it presented an awful spectacle — the limbs stiff and bent up — the grey hair erect and clotted with snow, and the eyes staring wide open." This was an extreme casCj but it illustrates one class of difficulties a minister meets in a new settlement, and among a mixed population. Numerous cases occurred in yhich the minister was expected to settle disputes about property, to settle difficulties in families, quarrels among neiglibours, &c. The following may serve as a sample : — '* Nearly the whole of last Saturday was spent in settling a family quarrel, about the property of a deceased relation. The parties were all Highlanders, named Campbell, and I had much ado to prevent their going to law. With much reluctance on tlie one side, it was left to arbitration. Dr. Thom and I were chosen, and settled all matters between them. But what violence and talking of Gaelic we had all day !" Those ministers and elders, who now attend meetings of Pres- bytery and Synod, have little idea of what labour and suffering were involved in such duties in the early years of the country. Mr. Bell's journals contain records of journeys to Presbytery meetings, requiring from four to six days to reach the place of meeting, perhaps two days being spent in travelling on foot, and the remainder by means of horse-back riding, waggon, small boat or sleigh, as the case might be. Mr. Bell's field of- labour was of wide extent His oongrega- ^ am 454 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. tion proper was very much scattered, and besides attention to them, he made missionary journeys very frequently into all parts of the military settlement, as well as into the older settlements toward the St. Lawrence. In these journeys he had ger.erally to walk, as he had no horse for some years, and the roads were not cleared. In 1820 new settlements were formed in Lanark, Dal- housie, &c. As these contained many Scotch emmigrants, he ex- tended his work among them, which added much to his alreadj severe toil, but he had the happiness of collecting and preparing for settlement, congregations in several places, including Beckwith Lanark, Dalhousie, &c. " On the afternoon of Sabbath, 17th September (1820) our neigh bour, Mr. Brizee, called to tell us that Elder Steven, from Bastard had just c ime in from Brockville Avith a load of settlers' baggage, and was going to preach a sermon at his house, and invited us to attend, We did so, and heard a very odd sermon from Heb. xii. 1. * Let us lay aside every weight, «&;c.' He said, as the day was hot, he would follow the advice in the text, and lay aside some of his own yarn. Suiting the action to the word, he pulled off his coat, and preached in his shirt sleeves." Although work was hard, there was much encouragement in the warm-hearted manner in which he was received by those whom he followed in to the wilderness with gospel ordinances, and still more in the manifest tokens of divine favour, giving success for the present and hope for the future. His journals abound in ex- pressions of gratitude to God for deliverances from dangers, and blessuigs bestowed. The Rev. George Cheyne, a laborious and faithful Pioneer in the West, sends me these interesting items as to his early labours in Canada : "I landed at Quebec on the 5th Sept., 1831. After spending a short time with Dr. Harkness, at Quebec, and Mr. Esson, at Montreal, to whom I had letters of introduction from Rev. Mr. Leith, of Rothiemay. Mr. Leith had been some years in America, grammar school-teacher and first Presbyterian minister at Corn- wall, and was succeeded by the late Dr. Urquhart in both offices. Mr. Leith, before it was known that he was leaving, had secured from the trustees his appointment as grammar-school teacher to the great disappointment of the authorities of the Church of Eng- land, who were then grasping at every thing for themselves. The Church had been organized into a Synod during the summer, and consisted of nineteen ministers. Having been ordained before leaving Scotland to " Amherstburg, or any other place in North America," and as my going to Amherstburg depended on Mr. Gale's I AMHERSTBURG. ME. GALE. SCENE AT COMMLNION. 455 lit ion to aU parts tlements lerally to were not ark, Dal- , he ex- s alreadj )reparinj feckwith ur neigl) Bastard baggage, ted us to b. xii. 1. was hot, ne of his his coat, iment in )se whom and still iccess for lid in ex- gers, and faithful items as spending Esson, at Rev. Mr. America, at Com- ;h offices. I secured 3acher to 1 of Eng- v^es. The tner, and id before in North [r. Gale's I leaving it, I presented my documents to the Presbytery of Toronto. The Presbytery then consisted of Messrs. Shedd, of Ancaster, Rin- toul, of York, MacGill, of Niagara, and Ross, of Aldbonnigli, who, however, was not present. I was tent on to take possession of the congregation at Amherstburg, as there was no inductions in those days, at least, in remote parts. Amherstburg had been organized into a congregation by Mr. Gale, who had gone there as a teacher without any intervention of Presbytery. The congregation con- sisted of about twelve members and thirty hearers ; but a grant had been given by Government to the church. Accordingly I went and took possession, and laboured with &ome measure of success, for nearly twelve years. "An incident, worthy of note, might be mentioned. In the autumn of 1832 1 went to assist the nearest minister, Mr. Ross, of Aldborough, about one hundred miles, in administering the commu- nion — the first communion. As it was a Gaelic congregation as well as English, it was arranged that I should preach the action sermon, fence the tables, and serve the first table. All went on in the usual way until after the first part of the table service. After the pause, and I had just begun to speak, a female at the table, in a very excited state, clapped her hands, and exclaimed loudly, * O LordJesus,' again and again. I stood amazed. At a glance round the table I saw that the communicants were all in a very excited state. I was not then cognizant of the scenes of excitement, noise and confusion that were prevalent in the country at that time. A word from me would have readily put them all into confusion and noise, but I stood in silence, until Mr. Ross, who was at the table, whis- pered to one of the elders that I had better proceed. Instead of doing so, I remarked ; in the house of God, and especially at his table, all should be reverence and solemnity, that I was surprised at what had taken place, &c. , and I paused again. When I saw that the excitement had subsided I went on, and nothing further than usual occurred. It was the first and last scene of tlie kind that occurred in the place. But I was spoken of by Methodists and Baptists, for the church was crowded to excess, as a bad man, who had quenched the spirit. There was at that time no Presbyte- rian minister at Hamilton, and only one in all the country west from Ancaster to Amherstburg, "In the summer of 1834 I visited Sarnia, which had scarcely been commenced ; made arrangements to preach in the township of Moore on the Sabbath. Settlers had just begun to settle in it, but it appeared to the eye an unbroken forest. A Mr. Sutherland, from Edinburgh, had just come, and bought out a Frenchman, whose farm lay on the banks of the St. Clair. Seats were erected in his orchard, made of boards, resting on blocks of wood. By- the-by, Mr, Sutherland and family were Scotch Episcopalians, but they were kind and hospitable. I always, in visiting the locality, made my arrangements to spend a night with them, as 456 LIFE OF REV. Dll. BURNS. Bl" ■ i' there vas the place for one or more services. On the S^ Noath there was a good congregation, but whore they came from I could not see. Being the only Presbyterian minister in that region, I would sometimes go out on a missionary excursion, and spend per- haps six weeks — making appointments as I went, to be fulfilled on my return. " In 1836 I set out in the beginning of January, preached on Sabbath, irr the township of Mersia, and in the course of the week proceeded to Tilbury East, on my way to Chatham, where I had arranged to preach on Sabbath. I arrived at Mr. Graham's about sunset, and announced that I would preach to them next day at ten o'clock a.m., if they could get a congregation. By next day at the hour appointed the house was filled — some from six miles with* children to baptize. They had no way of travelling but on ox- sleighs or f(iot. *' On another occasion, in the autumn, having preached at the front in Moore, I was proceeding back ten miles to Bear Creek, to preach next day at ten o'clock. It commenced to rain when I had gone about three miles — it rained harder and harder as I went on, when I came to a small log-house and clearing ; the road was just opened up, but there it terminated. On enquiring how far it was to a certain house at Bear Creek, I was told four miles, and on asking if I could get any one to show me the way, was told no, as it was drawing near night, and they could not find it. I re- plied, if they could not I was sure I could not, and would have to stay. They very kindlj' remarked I should bo very welcome if I would put up with such accommodation as they had. I alighted from my horse, gave him in charge to the man, and walked into the house. It was about twelve feet square, two men, two women and some children, beside myself. There was a good blazing fire — they were very kind, and made me comfortable. The family was from the North of Ireland — the husband an Episcopalian, the wife and her mother Presbyterians. The brother went with me to church next day, and served as a guide. The houses were, for the most part, in one room, and undivided, but one had just to put up with it as best he could. I enjoyed these missionary tours very much — I was never offered the least thing for my services. I suppose as they were new settlers they had nothing to give, nor did I expect anything. They were delighted to see me and hear the word, and if I was instrumental in fanning the decaying flame of religion I was abiindantly rewarded. In most of these places there have been for years flourishing congregations. Tilbury, Wallaceburg, Moore, Bear Creek, Plympton, Samia, and in Chatham three large Pres- byterian congregations. At an early period, on visiting Chat- ham, I drew out a petition, and got the people to sign it, praying Government for ten acres of land for church purposes, which was granted. A good portion of the town of Chatham is built upon it, and the Church, in connection with the Establishment of SPEECH BEFORE F. 0. GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF 1sr,8. 457 Scotland, is reaping the benefit of it. But * wliat a friend gets is not lost' you know. "Geo. Cheynk." P.S. — From the great distance I was never able, wliilo at Am- herstburg, to attend meetings of Presbytery, except at the nieebing of Synod. III. Dr. Burns' Addresses before the General As- sembly OF the Free Church of Scotland in 1868 and 18G9. We have made reference to Dr. Burns' last appear- ance before the Free Church General Assembly in 180 9, when he was greeted with what the Edlnhnn/h Daily Review describes as "loud and long continued applause ;" and received what Dr. Guthrie styles a complete " ovation." The Rev. W. Cochrane, of Brantford, then accompanied him. His reception the year previous was not the less cordial, when he appeared in company with the Rev. J. M. King, As a specimen of his addresses on such occa- sions, we give here almost the whole of the report as it appeared in the Review : ' Dr. Burns, said : — The field to which I am to allude embraces what is called the British American Possessions, comprehends what is known under the name of the Dominic, i cf Canada, together with some colonies not embraced in that Doninion, Ontario, Qviebec, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland, and Prince Edward Island. All these colonies have been visited by myself more or less fully, and I am able to tell something of their present condi- tion. And I hesitate not to say that whatever communications be made to you on this subject, will not fail to cheer and encourage ; for I am decidedly of opinion that there are difficulties everywhere in regard to the great duty of sending the gospel to those afar otf and placed in circumstances unfavourable to its progress, still we have had every cause of gratitude to Goci for the encouragement given in respect to the planting of churches and settlement of minis- ters, and the diflfusion of the gospel generally through these colo- mmm 45» LIFE OF REV. Dll. BURNS. ■J nics. Twenty-two years ago the numher of Presbyte' ians in Can- ada was small. The number of ministers that adhered to the principles of the Free Churcli in 1844, was uld have has been my, and of all de- i^stablish- 'rotestant [ even in have not to live in !8 to the hat Pres- jple, and he desig- nk, if our •th, from le chur^ih we may mrselves, immedia- le Indian we think X stations ill be one lilding up ,es, which )r having :8, and to le same address before the Free Church General Assemby in 18G9, which excited a very deep interest : ' ' Dr. Bums, who was received with loiid and prolonged applaii.se, said he rejoiced to hcve another opportunity given him to say a few words in regard to the great mtei'tsts of the land of his adoption. He had not been in Canada since he last addressed the Cieneral Assembly, though if God sjiared him, he hoped to return thither soon, considerably restored by his residence in Scotland, and great- ly refreshed by what he had seen and heard since he came here. He looked forward to returning to the scene of Ids labours for the past twenty-four years with something of renewed relish, springing from what he had seen and heard in that As8enil)ly, and also in friendly private intercourse with brethren. But though lie had not been in Canada since he last addressed them, he had been in regular cor- respondence with the ofticial brethren who had charge of matters connected with their church ; and he had been instructed by them to call the attention of the General Assembly of the Free Church to some particulars in regard to the rresbyterian Church in Canada, and the relations in which they had hitherto stood to the mother church. The first point was in regard to the Red River Settlement and the mission of the aborigines connected therewith. The set- tlement of the Red'River now dates bick somcAvhat more than sixty years. Some time after the settlement began, appeals were made to the Established Church for ministers, particularly ministers hav- ing Gaelic. No attention was paid to these ajjpeals in any quarter. At the Disruption, instant application was made from the Selkirk settleriient in the Hudson's Bay region to be furnished with minis- ters. The Colonial Conmiittee were unable to meet the call, and transmitted the papers to the Canadian church ; and in three months that church designated and ordained a minister, whom they sent up the Red River colony, a distance of nearly 2,000 miles, and after an absence of eighteen years that brother continues there a faithful servant of Christ in that interesting colony. He has since been followed by two other ministers — forming the legal number to constitute a Presbytery. ^\ ith these there have also been sent two missionaries to the aborigines, and ajiplication Ims been rect;ived for a six ch minister. Now, surely, it is very inter'.'sting to find that ouch a number of congi-egations, holding by Presbyterian order, and appearing by their representntives in tli^* f ynod of the Presi )y- terian Church in Canada, have been fixed in that colony — a tield never touched before. And this has been occupied by the Cana- dian chdrch without aid in men or money ivom any other source whatever. And now he was instructed to bring earnestly under t lie notice of the Free Church Colonial Committee the desire of the Canadian church to have some help in regai-d to the mission to the aborigines in the Red River Settlement. Thu second point to which he was instructed to ca'l attention was in regard to British Colum- 4G2 LIFJi OF ttEV. DR. BURNS. . <*-m bia, including Vancouver's Island and the great Saskatche^ran Valley, 1,000 miles long and 300 miles wide, now laid open to set- tlers from all parts of the British empire. It was gratifying to have been able to send out three missionaries to that colony. The obli- gation to do more was greatly increased by the opening up of the great region named, and he had been instructed to call attention to the desirableness of assistance to some extent from the Free Church in this department of mission work. In addition to these fields of mission work, the Canadian church has aided the Presbyterian church in Nova Scotia in sending a mission to the New Hebrides ; they have also in times past sent a missionary to India, and have been in corres- pondence, with the view of sending a missionary to China. Perhaps there was a tendency in new churches to go even beyond the line of duty in sending abroad foreign jnissionaries. There is a fascina- tion about foreign missions — particularly those connected with India and China — that interests the minds of young men, perhaps beyond labour in ordinary fields ; but he desired, in accordance with hia instructions, to call attention to the claims of I'ritish Columbia on the Free Church of Scotland. The third point to which he had to call attention was, the provision they were accustomed to make on behalf of their Gaelic young men, of whom they had a large num- ber. They had been sending missionaries to colonies of Highland- ers in different parts of the United States ; and recent intelligence from Illinois and other places showed clearly the duty of the Free church to look after the Celtic settlers in these regions, by aiding in sending them missionaries able to preach in the language of their hearts. The Canadian church had been endeavouring to do so to the best of its means. For some years past they had received no help from home, and he was instructed to plead for a renewal of the bursaries the Free Church was frequently wont to furnish, to the amount of £20, on behalf of Gaelic students, and if it were kept in view that the population in whose behalf the plea was made num- bered from 50,000 to 60,000, the validity of the plea would, he thought, he admitted. Dr. Burns, after referring to other matters of interest, conchuled his address, amid warm ap^ilause, by a touch ing and eloquent peroration." THE) JtND. lfatcheT7an en to set- ng to have The obli- )f the great ion to the Church in 3 fields of ■ian church thev have V 1 in correa- Perhapa the line of a fascina- with India aps beyond B with hia ilumbia on he had to make on large num- Highland- intelligence of the Free by aiding age of their to do so to •eceived no renewal of furnish, to t were kept made num- i would, he her mattera by a touch ^»>« %■ H To Authors. ^As. Campbell & Son, Publishers of the Canadian Prize Sunday School Books, the National Series of Readers, and other School and Misccl- laneojis Books, are prepared to FURNISH ESTIMATES TO AUTHORS for the publication of their MSS., and may be consulted personally or hy letter. They will engage to have proofs care- fully revised while passing through the press, if required. The facilities possessed by /as. Camp- bell e^' Son for the Publication of Books in the best Modern Styles, at the Lowest Prices, and their lengthened experience warrant them in undertaking the Publi- cation of any work submitted to them, and in offering their services to Authors who desire to publish on their own account. Toronto. \ , * i ! il 1 i y 1 I ' ! 1 i 1 i i ! Canada f t^^hgtmaw Clmt^b f wtpit* SECOND SERIES. Extract from the Preface. " It contains, not a collection of pulpit discourses, as in the First Series, but a number of treatises, dealing' at greater length and in a more complete manner than any sermon could with themes of the deepest religious interest. In regard to these, the leading doctrines and the practice of our Churcli are stated, illus- trated, and defended, yet in such a manner that the themes nevei fail of earnest personal application." look of f raj}^ (m ^amiljj ^tttovi^bip. Edited by the Rev. William Gregg, Professor of Apologetics, Knox College. Same size as the " Pulpit." PEICE ONE DOLLAR. Bt DAVID DICKSON, Esq. Ediiiburgli. Toronto : James Campbell & Son, sea, as in the ;reater length n could with to these, the 3 stated, illus- themes nevev J[f0Vi^Wjr» :gg, k