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 TORONTO, 
 JAMES C A M P B E L jj «? ' • ? C/ "^? 
 
THE LIFE AND TIMES 
 
 REV. ROBERT BURNS, D.D. 
 
 F.A.S., F.R.S.E. 
 
 TORONTO. 
 
 INCLUDING AN UNFINISHED AUTOBIOGRAPHY, 
 
 The Rey. R. j^. ^ui\ns, d.d., 
 
 MONTREAL. 
 
 TORONTO : 
 
 JAMES CAMPBELL & SON, 
 
 1872. 
 

 Entered according to the Act of the Parliament of Canada, in the year one thousand 
 eight hundred and seventy-two, hy James Campbell & Son, in the offiec of the 
 Minister of Agriculture. 
 
 HUNGER, HXtST^', a Cd.> 
 
 PRliiTkilS, TOROMTO. 
 
List of Tllustf^ations, 
 
 Steel Engravings. 
 
 Portrait from Photograph by Notman. 
 
 Knox College Toronto. 
 
 Wood Engravings. 
 
 St. George's Church Paisley. 
 
 Knox's Church Toronto. 
 
 M223057 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 The " Unfinished Autobiography," which forms so promi- 
 nent a feature in the first part of this volume seems to 
 have been written principally in 1867, — the year previous 
 to its author's last visit to Fatherland. 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 which 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. 
 K 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 PREFACE. 
 
 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 diflferent 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 difiiculty connected 
 with our distance from the place of publication, by the 
 iaboriousness and fidelity wherewith they have revised 
 the manuscripts and proofs, and superintended their pas- 
 sage through the press. 
 
 We are 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 Presbyteiianism in Canada, our labour will not 
 have been in vain. 
 
 MONTEBAL, 1st AugUflt, 1872. 
 
TABLE OF CONTENTS 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 EARLY DAYS. 
 
 Birth — First Remembrance — Lord Howe's Victory — Greenwicli 
 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 IL 
 
 LITERARY EDUCATIOIT. 
 
 School and College Days — Parish School — Boyhood Teachers — Un- 
 iversity of Edinburgh — Professors Hill, Dalzell, Finlayson — Robi- 
 Bon, McKnight — Laidlaw, the Tutor — Logarithms on Portobello 
 Sands — College Companions — Saturday Strolls — Courts of Session 
 — Harry Erskine — Ponderous Judge and *' Screeching" Lawyer — 
 Book Auctions — Peter Cairns and Hammer Oratory — The " Sacra 
 Lectio" — Lady Testers — 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 his Youth — The Old Pit — Name notched on the 
 Tree — Retrospect page 12. 
 
 CHAPTER in. 
 
 THEOLOGICAL EDUCATIOK. 
 
 Divinity Hall — Dr. Andrew Hunter — Pictet's Theology — Dr. Mei- 
 klejohn — Dr. Moodie — Elocution — Defects — Few " Serious" Stu- 
 dents — Theological Society — Broad Church — Wright, of 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 
 Peebles— Oak-tree in the "Meadows" — Geo. Whitefield — Silliman 
 
viii CONTENTS. 
 
 — Dr. Codman, of Boston — The Race of Reconciliation — Prevalent 
 Arminianism — Harvard — Cooper on Predestination — Lights of 
 the Edinburgh Pulpit, Black, Fleming, Campbell, Jones, Peddie, 
 Struthers— Colquhoun, of Leith— The two Dicksons— Dr. David- 
 son — Dr. Walter Buchanan — "The Apostle of the North"— Dr. 
 McAll, of Manchester— Singular Meeting with Dr. Mc All— The 
 Illustrious Triumvirate, McCrie, Thomson and Chalmers — Tutor- 
 ship 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. 
 
 Paisley 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. Burns' 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 — Moral 
 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 Modern Missions — Any Word from the 
 Duff? — A Thousand Pounds from Paisley — Haldane, Bogue, Ew 
 
I 
 
 CONTENTS. ix 
 
 ing, Innes, Simeon, Fuller, Rowland Hill, J. Haldane, John Aik- 
 man — Sabbath Schools— Tract Societies — Scotch Congregational- 
 ism — London Missionary Society — Movements in Old World and 
 New — Dr. Diiflf — First Mission and Return — Letter from Colin 
 Campbell — Secretary of Bible Society — Sabbath School Report — 
 Labours for the Poor— Working Classes aloof from Church — Ef- 
 crts in behalf of — Henry Dundas and Sir Harry Moncreiff — Pub- 
 lication of Work on Poor — Favourable Criticisms — Alexander 
 Dunlop, in 1825 — Westminster Review in 1870 — Interest in 
 Charitable Institutions — Emigration Societies— Visits to London 
 — Bonfires of Papers — Provost Murray — Philosophical Institution 
 — Water W^orks — Savings Banks — Reform Bill — Free Trade — 
 Lectures — Principal Willis page 81. 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 VISITS TO OXFORD ATSTD 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 Dead — Heard John 
 Angell 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 Cas'e.... .....page 99. 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 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. — Narratives 
 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- 
 structor" — Dr. Burns' Contributions for Twenty-Seven years — 
 Three years' Editorship - Dr. Grierson of Errol — First Literary 
 EflFort — List of Literary Contributions page 108. 
 
X CONTENTS, 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 CONTROVEESIES. 
 
 Popery Controversy — Dr. Chalmers' Sermon before Hibernian So- 
 ciety — Dr. Bums' Letter — Germ of McGavin's " Protestant" — 
 Plea for Thanksgiving Day in 1817 — Wightman's Joke — Hamilto- 
 nian Lecture — Popery a Specialty — Combats CahiU — Vicar- 
 General Hay — Apocrypha Controversy — Haldane's Umbrella — 
 Dr. Thomson — Bible Purity — Keen feeling — Part taken by Dr. 
 Burns — Pluralities — Case of Dr. Ferrie — Case of Principal Mc- 
 Farlane — Work by Dr. Burns on Pluralities — Gareloch Heresy — 
 Campbell of Row — His Errors — Trial and Deposition — Dr. Burns* 
 " Gareloch Heresy Tried" and " Reply to Layman" — Curious Mis- 
 take — Voluntary Controversy — Marshall and Balantyne — Dr. 
 Burns' Synod Sermon — Other writings on subject — Contests with 
 Mr. Smart and Dr. Baird — Private Friendships unbroken — 
 Charles Leckie pag© 122. 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 THE TEN years' CONFLICT. 
 
 Somerville*8 Autobiography — Secession Churches Lights in Dark- 
 ness — Historical Illustrations-^Root and Branch Petition — Two 
 Errors of the Church — Sir Daniel Sandford — Dr. Bums on two 
 Deputations to Prime Minister — Meeting with Lord Brougham — 
 Conference at Lord Moncrieff's — Veto carried — Anti -Patronage 
 Resolutions — Sir George Sinclair — Drs. McCrie and Burns and 
 Laudian Librarian of House of Commons — Precious MSS. burned 
 — Dr. Bums a witness before Committee of House of Commons — 
 Dr. Bums and Dr. Cunningham — Procurator's Speech — Leader's 
 League — Great Meeting in West Kirk, Edinburgh — Dr. Cunning- 
 ham in Assembly of 1842 — The Forty — Dr. Bums' Anti-Patron- 
 age standpoint — The Disruption — Great Activity — New Church 
 — United Communion — Happy days page 138. 
 
 CHAPTER XL 
 
 GLASGOW COLONIAL SOCIETY. 
 
 The Emigrani's Cry — The Society Organized — His Secretaryship — 
 Associates — Dr. Candlish offered Ancaster — Letters from Dr. 
 Candlish — Rdv. 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 College — Dalhousie College, Halifax — Marcus Dods, of Bel- 
 
CONTENTS. XI 
 
 ford — Colonial Correspondents Drs. Mathieson, Machar and 
 
 McGill — Clugston, Kintoul, Romanes — Principal Campbell — Hon. 
 W. Morris — 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. Oodman — 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 — Richmond — Field slaves — Governor Macdon- 
 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 — Nevf 
 York — Yale College — Sillimah absent — Boston — The Beechers — 
 Harvard again — Lowell, the "Paisley of America" — Heard Daniel 
 Webster — Journey to Buffalo — First Sight of Canada — Jottings 
 on places visited in Canada and Nova Scotia — Leave Halifax third 
 of June by "Britannia" — Dr. Chalmers' Letter of Thanks — Report 
 to Colonial Committee — Visit to the Marquis of Breadalbane— 
 Letter from Taymouth Castle — Queen's touching references — 
 Visits Synod of Dumfries — Janet Fraser — Marriage . . . page 175. 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 TRANSLATION FROM PAISLEY AND SETTLEMENT IN CANADA. 
 
 Overtures from Canada — Montreal and Toronto — Letters from Mr. 
 Redpath — Call from Knox Church — Colonial Com. Reasons — Ap- 
 peals from Mr. Isaac 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 Erromanga — Greenock gathering — Dr. Keith — Voyage 
 out — Note from the Gulph — Life on the Ocean — W. C. Burns — 
 Communion at Quebec — Tabernacle at Montreal — Dr. John Bo- 
 
Xll CO^'TEMTS. 
 
 nar — Sabbath at Kingstdn — Induction at Toronto — Temperance 
 Advocate — Paisley Remembrances — Session Clerk — Dr. McKecb- 
 nie, Sheriff Campbell — Dr. James Buchanan page 201. 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 PASTORATE Ilf TORONTO. 
 
 Union of Pastorate and Professorship, temporary — Pastoral duty- 
 Young Men — Mutual Improvement Circles — Moderatorships — 
 Visits to the Churches — Rev. J. V/. Smith — Rev. T. Wardrope — 
 First Ordination — Crowding Work — Wayside moralizing — Selec- 
 tion of Texts — Work in Western and Central Canada — Letter ta 
 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 Opening — 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 — Weepa 
 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 — Ottawa 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 — ResultFi of 
 Ministry page 215. 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 PROFESSORSHIP. 
 
 Rise of Knox College — Address to the Students — Mr. Gale — Toronto 
 Academy — Higher Education of Women — Occasional Prelections 
 — ** Grinding" — Preparatory Training — Permanent Professor — 
 Collecting for College — Varied Work — 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 V isitation — Catechizing — Family Worship— Education 
 of Cliildren — Standard of Discipline — Cases of Scandal — Causes of 
 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. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 XIU 
 
 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. Brooking — Kincardine — 
 Highland Sacrament — Speaking to the Question — Artemesia — 
 Ottawa — Nepean — Glengarry in 1848 — Rev. D. Clark — Rev. D. 
 Gordon — Glengarry in 1854, 1858, and 1865 — Immense Audiences 
 — Elims in the Wilderness — " The days of Cambuslang are back 
 again" — Owen Sound District — Rev. James Cameron — Triumphal 
 Marches and Episcopal Visitatitms — 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. Burns 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 Alleghany 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 — Letters of Lady Bannerman — Visits to Chicago, 
 Elmira, and Monmouth page 259. 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 MISSIONARY SKETCHES. 
 
 Day-book Jottings — A Canadian Paisley — Dundas — Gait — Debate 
 between Dr. Liddell and Dr. Bayne — Flamborough — Rev. Thomas 
 Christie — Hon. Adam Ferguson — London — Communion in 1845 — 
 Mr. John Eraser — Kingston — Rideau Canal — Mr. John Redpath 
 — Bytown — 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. Ther^se - Jesuit College — From Montreal to Boston with Mr. 
 Court — Intercourse with the Hon. Abbot Lawrence — Prince Ed- 
 ward Island — Bermuda — Morrison and Struthers — Cape Breton 
 — Earlton — Truro — Opening of Chalmers' Church, Halifax — Col- 
 lege at Halifax — Dr. Wilkes — St. John, New Brunswick — Port- 
 land — Dr. Payson — Boston — Quebec — Origin of our church there 
 
XIV CONTENTS. 
 
 — Merle D'Aubigne — Metis — Portneuf — Rev. Alex. Young — St, 
 Sylvester — Leeds — Student Missionaries — Kennebec — Inverness 
 — Eastern Townships — Libraries — Danville — Richmond — Mel- 
 bourne — American Land Company — Nova Scotia and New Bruns- 
 wick in 1858 — Knox Church, Toronto — Dr. Topp — Newfoundland 
 — History — Rise of Presbyterianism — Rev. M. Harvey — Literary 
 Successes — St. John's described — Harbor Grace — Visit to Lower 
 Provinces in 1849 — Lady Bannerman — Cape Breton — Fortress of 
 Louisbnrg Thermopylae of the West — Mrs. Mackay in 1827 and 
 "her little island" — Farquharson, the Pioneer — Dr. Hugh Mc- 
 Leod's manifold labours — Stewart, of New Glasgow — Truro — 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 — Meaf ord 
 — Collingwood — Supplying for Mr. McTavish when at Red River 
 — Perth — Rev. J. B. Duncan — Ramsay — Beckwith — Smith's Falls 
 — Brockville — Sheriff Sherwood — Mr. Smith — Spencerville — Ot- 
 tawa in 1859 — Quebec in 18G3 — 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 — Elmira — 
 Highland Settlement — Monmouth — Dr. Wallace — Aurora — Rev. 
 Ed. Ebbs— Evanston page 289. 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 PIONEERS OF PRESBYTERIANISM IN CANAPA. 
 
 Henry — Spark — Harkness — Bethune — Young — First Presbyterian 
 Communion in Roman Catholic Church — Gabriel Street Church — 
 First Presbytery — Forrest — Easton — Esson — Black — Robert Mc- 
 Dowall, of Fredericksburg — The suspected Rebel — Niagara — 
 Young, Burns, Creen, Eraser, McGill — Father Eastman and hia 
 "Seven Churches"— William Smart in 1811— The Stray Twelve 
 Pounder— Incidents— Robert Boyd in 182]— William Bell in 1817 
 — Anecdotes — James Harris — Father Jenkins — Arch. Henderson 
 — Father of our church — The First >iynod — 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 — 
 
I 
 
 CONTENTS. XV 
 
 Dr. Kalley — His Jubilee — Letters to Mrs. Bums from Mission 
 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 to the 
 College Committee — Vidimus of Views — Offers of Aid — More 
 " Grinding" Needed — University Reform — Great King's College 
 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, Symington — Parish 
 of Dun — McCrie — Kilsyth — Revival Disruption — Temperance — 
 Letter from Pastor of Kilsyth — Triumph in Death — Dr. Sprague, 
 of Albany, and Annals of American Pulpit — Dr. Steven, of Rot- 
 terdam — Rev. James ^Mackenzie and Dr. Cunningham's Life — 
 Sketch of Mary P , Grace abounding to the Chief of Sin- 
 ners page 360 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 VISIT TO SCOTLAND AND LAST DATS. 
 
 Montreal — Mr. Dougall's notice — Free Church General Assembly 
 of 1868— Delegate with Mr. King — Rev. Mr. Nixon's (Modera- 
 tor) Address — Varied Work — General Assembly of 1869 — Dele- 
 gate with Mr. Cochrane — Dr. Candlish — Sir Henry Moncrieff 
 (Moderator) — Kindly utterances — Remarkable Gathering at Pais- 
 ley — Professor Murray — Rev. W. Cochrane, M. A. — Presentation 
 — Mr. Cochran e'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. Duff— Dr. Guthrie— Parting— 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. Coustantinides and Bethune — 
 Last Exercises— Death page 402. 
 
 CHAPTER XXL 
 
 MEMORIAL TESTIMONIES. 
 
 Funeral — Funeral Sermons — Monument — Dr. Eraser, Middle 
 Church, Paisley— Dr. Guthrie— Dr. C. J. Brown— Rev. Alexan- 
 der Cameron — Rev. R. Wallace — Former Students — Rev. A. 
 
XVJ CONTENTS. 
 
 Sanson — Episcopalian Testimony— Dr. Hugh McLeod— Reminis- 
 cences — " The Apostle of Canada" — Visits to Newfoundland and 
 Cape 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 page 423. 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 I. Early History of Knox Church, Toronto, by the Rev. James 
 
 Harris. 
 
 II. 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 186^ and 
 18C9 page 447. 
 
LIFE AND TIMES 
 
 OF THE 
 
 REV. EOBEET BURNS, D.D., 
 
 F.A.S., F.R.S.E. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 EARLY DAYS. 
 
 HE day of my birth is entered in the 
 public record as on the 13th of February, 
 1789. 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 I^aval Asylum of 
 Greenwich Hospital. I was accompanied on that 
 occasion by a kind friend, who had suffered the 
 chopping away of the better half of the great 
 toe of his right foot, the effect of which was a slight 
 palpitation of limb, as he walked. On coming home from 
 
sea, he became a manufacturer in Paisley, then at its 
 prime ; made money, lived a useful and religious 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 shipn)ates 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 1643 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.-|- 
 
 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 
 bis maternal uncle, Sir W. Hamilton, Bart., of Westport, standing on a jutting kdge of 
 rock at (Quebec, and directing his brave men as they dragged the guns up the heights of 
 Abraham, in the };rey 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. Majur-General 
 Ferrier, once Uovemor 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 Statiatical Account of Scotland, vol. II., p. 65. 
 
EAELY DAYS. 3 
 
 shire, and till 1779 he was engaged in Scotland's "staple," 
 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 years the factorship on the oldest, and not 
 the least valuable, of the estates of the 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 stirring period. 
 
 He was one of many in Scotland whose religious char- 
 acter was formed in connexion with the visits and preach- 
 ing of the celebrated Whitefield, who occasionallj^ 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 (though 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 
 Borrowstounness, many of them small, and of somewhat 
 doubtful ownership, while many thousands of pounds of 
 land-rents passed through his hands, and were trans- 
 mitted 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 father died, after a short 
 illness, full of years. He was born 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 REV. DR. BURNS. 
 
 US ministers of the Established Church, and the other 
 four occupying civil stations of respectability and useful- 
 ness. 
 
 The mortal 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, 
 1746* 
 
 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. 
 
 , It may not be 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, — I 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. Though with great 
 weakness of intellectual powers, yet I bless the Lord I am not worse 
 in that respect than for 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 long, 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 as 
 " distinguished for his holiness, benevolence and integrity. In life, he was favoured 
 with the love of his family and friends, and in death his memory is blessed." His 
 father, who was a writer, in Falkirk, is described on the tombstone (in Latm too) as an 
 " ui)right and truly Christian man, who died on the 18th of July, 1774 in the 80th year 
 of his age." 
 
I 
 
 EAULY BAYS. 
 
 fore becomes me daily to watch, and so much the more as I see the 
 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. He 
 preached both on Sabbath night and Monday. He left us on 
 Thursilay, 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 Bunifs." 
 
 The reference to Kmneil, with which early associations 
 were linked, sets memory at work, and, after a fashion 
 peculiarly his own, he groups diverse historical con- 
 nexions. The 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 
 fa^mil}?- of Hamilton, has been associated almost within my 
 own remembrance, with the progress of science and of 
 mechanical art, for there dwelt Dr. Roebuck, the origina- 
 tor of the famed Carron iron works, and the patron of 
 James Watt, in his first efforts in the improvement of the 
 steam engine. Soon 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 
 processes of the ingenious inventor, in this the humble 
 
6 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. 
 
 scene of his 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 otium cum dignitate which permitted 
 him to prepare maturely, Works which posterity, we 
 firmly believe, amid all the delusive witchery of later 
 forms of thought, will 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 his 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, 
 heated 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. Ii? 
 
I 
 
 EARLY DAYS. 
 
 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 more 
 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. 
 Bobert 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 Both well 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, fines, 
 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 Thomsis Dalyell, the noted persecutor, who bad been for some years in the Mus- 
 covite service. 
 
8 LIFE OF REV. BR. BURNS. 
 
 family, and from the Reformation downwards it seems to 
 have enjoyed the pastoral services of a succession of pions 
 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 1793, the united parish was 
 presided over by the Eeverend 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 faithful 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 {jhost of Lady Lilburn, wife of one of Cromwell's Generals, said to have 
 been murdered here. In the interesting work of Mr. Smiles, on "Industrial Biography," 
 we have the following curious 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 th6 unearthly wailings which 
 he himself had heard proceeding from the old apartments, but to him, at least, they 
 had been explained by an old door opening out upon the r<jof being blown in on gusty 
 nights, when a jarring and creaking noise was heard all over the house. 
 
EARLY DAYS. ^ 
 
 ^"^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 myself 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 
 shaU have occasion to notice again, and in the meantime 
 
10 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. 
 
 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, 
 
 *• God mores in a mysteriom way, 
 Hi4 wonders to perform." 
 
 It is not easy always to account for the inclinations and 
 tendencies that run in families, and determine the future 
 of its several members. None of my forefathers, on either 
 side, occupied the office of the ministry. And yet among 
 the male members of our family there did appear at early 
 periods, and in pretty regular succession, a somewhat 
 uncommonly strong leaning towards the ministerial pro- 
 fession, showing itself in a singular love of pulpit oc- 
 cupancy, and somewhat premature pulpit oratory. My 
 eldest brother, James, who was minister of the first charge 
 in the parish of Brechin for nearly forty years, took a 
 fancy, when about thirteen years of age, to devote all the 
 little pocket money he had picked up, to the purchase of 
 a wooden pulpit, in the ordinary sense of the word ; and 
 my second brother, William, afterwards well-known as 
 " the pastor of Kilsyth," a short time thereafter completed 
 the ecclesiastical erection by the addition of a precentor's 
 desk. A small room in the house was allotted to its 
 reception, and it henceforth had affixed to it the name of 
 " Tke Kirk." The domestic worship was pretty regularly 
 performed, and occasionally more full religious services en- 
 gaged in. At a somewhat later period, a summer-house 
 in the garden was set apart for the same purpose, and in 
 it the more juvenile attempts at preaching were carried 
 on. These attempts were indeed juvenile, but they were 
 always serious. We were not " playing at preacher." We 
 were really in earnest, and much precious truth from the 
 pages of approved authors was exhibited ; and it is inte- 
 resting to state that sometimes the humblest efforts in the 
 service of God, may be honoured with a measure of suc- 
 cess. 
 
 I have just had put into my hands an interesting little 
 memoir of a departed female member of his congregation, 
 
I 
 
 EAELY DAYS. 11 
 
 by the excellent minister of the Free Church at Craig, 
 near Montrose.* The person who forms the subject of 
 the narjative had in early life resided near our family 
 residence in the town of Boness, and had occasionally at- 
 tended the meetings referred to. " Many a solemn word," 
 said she to her pastor, " many a warm prayer have I heard 
 in that place, at times some words sunk deep into mj 
 soul, but going away to another town, and falling into 
 different company, 1 fear I sinned these all away. You 
 know the character of my life for years, but I can assure 
 you I never was altogether without upbraidings of heart, 
 and I knew in my conscience what was right and what 
 was wrong. ! I wonder greatly how God did not give 
 me up, and now, in my old age, those words and prayers 
 of the young men come back upon me." The particulars 
 of the case are to me very touching, and they present 
 not an inapt illustration of the manner in which the 
 sovereign mercy and grace of God may, by small and 
 seemingly unlikely instruments, carry on to completion 
 the great scheme of infinite wisdom and love in bringing 
 many sons and daughters to him. 
 
 The pulpit first reared in 1787 found its last resting 
 place at Kilsyth, where, in 1839-40, it stood as a silent 
 witness of the great awakening. 
 
 * Sketch of the life of Mary P , by the Rer. Hugh Mitchell, Ferryden, 18(5». 
 
 The woman was fifty years a, confirmed drunkard, but became a wonderful instance of 
 grace abounding to the chief of sinners. See last three pages of " Miscellaneous "* 
 chapter— pp. 399-401. 
 
CHAPTER n. 
 
 LITERARY EDUCATION. 
 
 HE parochial school which I attended was 
 open six days in the week, with one ex- 
 — ception of a half-day's play on Saturday. 
 It was opened and closed daily with prayer, 
 not read, but free, and suitable and short. 
 Three hours on Saturday found us occupied 
 with class readings in the Holy Scriptures ; repe- 
 titions of the Shorter Catechism, miscellaneous 
 historical questions and appropriate advices by 
 the master, closed with devotional exercises some- 
 what enlarged. Six hours each day, Saturdays 
 excepted, were devoted to the ordinary lessons 
 belonging to the usual arrangements of such seminaries 
 in Scotland — English reading, orthography and recita- 
 tion, arithmetic as far as the cube root, book-keeping, 
 navigation, Latin, Greek, and, to a limited extent and on 
 occasions only, French. In the system of those days, 
 the chief error lay in the department of classics, where 
 the whole of the six hours were rigidly devoted to elemen- 
 
SCHOOL DAYS. 13 
 
 tary branches, and to the simple translation and construing 
 of the originals. An intermingling with this of historical 
 and geographical information, and illustrations of antiqui- 
 ties, and biographical references and notes, would have 
 been a valuable addition. Still, the seminary was well 
 taught, and the annual examinations, by the Presbytery 
 of the bounds, were duly attended to. 
 
 About this time, when running to school, he fell. A 
 sharp stone pierced his forehead, and left a mark which 
 he bore through life. He was carried home insensible. 
 The kind school-boy who carried him home was Mr. 
 Archibald Petrie (or " big Baldie Petrie," as he was called), 
 who was for many years a respected citizen of Belleville, 
 Canada, recently deceased. The two sons of Boness used 
 often to meet and talk with amazing interest over the 
 " old times." When my father died, it was with difficulty 
 that his ancient friend, who outlived him, though weighed 
 down with manifold infirmities, could be prevented making 
 the long pilgrimage to his funeral. 
 
 From 1795 to 1799, 1 was under the Rev. John Duguid, 
 afterwards minister of Eva and Rendal, in Orkney ; and 
 from 1799 to 1801, under Mr. J ohn Stevens, who continued 
 in charge until twenty-five years ago, when he was suc- 
 ceeded by his son, the present efficient teacher. Both of 
 my preceptors were superior men. With the second, my 
 intercourse in after life was tolerably frequent ; but the 
 first I never saw after April, 1799, when he sailed from 
 Peterhead with his family for the (then) remote and 
 scarcely known islands of the north. It is rather interest- 
 ing to record that two generations after, his grand-daugh- 
 ter, the amiable spouse of a young banker in Toronto, 
 became one of the members of my fiock. Her father. Dr. 
 Alexander Duguid, was a companion of mine at school for 
 four years, at the close of the last century, and he has 
 
14. LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. 
 
 been long an eminent medical practitioner in Kirkwall. 
 His son-in-law, Mr. Baikie, went back to his native island 
 in bad health, and a fatal affection of the lungs soon cut 
 him off ; but he departed in peace, and his affectionate 
 widow and fatherless children have been spared and blest 
 by their common Father in Heaven. 
 
 In the end of October, 1801, I left the Grammar School 
 for Edinburgh College, being twelve years and a-half old, 
 certainly too young, and yet I was reading Juvenal and 
 Livy, and was able to read and construe through the Greek 
 New Testament, at least the Gospels. Our Humanity 
 Professor was Dr. John Hill, author of the quarto volume 
 of " Synonymes of the Latin Language," and the life of 
 Dr. Hugh Blair. He was a man of eccentric character, 
 and withal very narrow in his habits, but of great acute- 
 ness, ready wit, and admirable skill in clothing concep- 
 tions, often original, in English words, always pure and 
 racy. To the young men of the second year, he gave 
 weekly lectures on three subjects — Roman Antiquities, 
 Universal Grammar, and the principles of Natural and 
 Commercial Policy. Of these he put a scanty synopsis 
 into our hands, but what would I not give, even yet, for 
 the originals themselves, as they came from his lips ! Our 
 class-room in the old college was dark and glum, and he 
 had a slender and cheaply-constructed lamp to assist his 
 vision, even at broad day, and it was a great amusement 
 to the boys to see it occasionally blinking. 
 
 Our Greek Professor was Andrew Dalzel, A.M., who had 
 studied for the church, but who, being an apt and elegant 
 scholar, and having interest with the patrons of the Edin- 
 burgh chairs, turned aside — in the professional sense I 
 mean — from the pathways of Zion, to the heights of Par- 
 nassus and of Helicon. He was a most amiable and 
 worthy man, and he kept his class always in good order, 
 which Dr. Hill never did nor could do. 
 
 But of all the Professors in the Arts Department in 
 those days, Dr. James Finlayson, the occupant of the chair 
 of Logic and Metaphysics, was by far the best. He was 
 comparatively young when called to succeed John Bruce, 
 
I 
 
 SCHOOL DAYS. 15 
 
 I 
 
 who was removed to a more lucrative post, which he was 
 thought more competent to fill, namely, that of King's 
 Printer for Scotland. I attended Dr. Finlayson two ses- 
 sions, embracing the ordinary branches, Pneumatology in 
 the first year, and Metaphysics, or the higher philosophy 
 of mind, in the second. Our teacher aimed at being use- 
 ful rather than at being brilliant. He did not perplex 
 young minds with any such strange " conceits " as are 
 now ordinarily submitted to them ; but he gave us a plain 
 and intelligible account of the powers and capabilities of 
 the human mind, with most suitable rules and suggestions 
 for their right improvement and guidance. He gave us 
 quite enough, and perhaps more than enough, on syllogism, 
 perhaps too little on Lord Bacon's method of induction, 
 and next to nothing at all on Rhetoric and Belles Lettres. 
 I look back on these lectures, however, with deep grati- 
 tude and interest. They were well fitted to form the 
 mind to think, and they were read so slowly, and with so 
 many repetitions (all for the sake of the pupils) as to ren- 
 der it easy for us to take down full notes. We had regu- 
 lar viva voce examinations, and six essays were prescribed 
 during the course ; and every student who wrote th7'ee, 
 had the honour of reading one in the class at the close of 
 the session. 
 
 The Teachers of Mathematics in the College of Edin- 
 burgh in my days were. Professors Playfair and Leslie, 
 but they were both by far too scientific for boys ; very 
 few attended them, and we found a most excellent sub- 
 stitute in a private teacher, Mr. William Laidlaw, a Dum- 
 frieshire man, of mild, gentlemanly manners, and competent 
 abilities for his work. We were taught by him also the 
 elements of Logarithms, of the use of which I now retain 
 little more than the recollection that on a bright April 
 morning, at five o'clock, we found ourselves along with 
 our much respected teacher, posted on the soft sands of 
 the Firth of Forth, at Portobello, and busily engaged with 
 our varied apparatus, measuring the height of " Largo 
 Law," and the most prominent of those " Hills in Fife," 
 about the "prospects" from which I may tell, by and 
 
16 LIFE OF EEV. DR. BUKNS. 
 
 by, a little legend. I had no taste for either Geometry 
 oi Logarithms, but my friend, Andrew Irvine, was ex- 
 cellent at both ; and it commonly happened, yea seems 
 to have been understood in those days, that the skill 
 and attainments of one, became the " common good of 
 all." 
 
 Irvine and I were intimate, but he did not go with me 
 to the Divinity Hall. He went to the Church of England, 
 as did John Wightman, our Hall Librarian, and Thomas 
 Sword, one of our cleverest lads. Of all these I have 
 long lost sight. If they are still within the land of the 
 living, little doubt exists in my mind that they will be 
 found in the ranks of the " broad church" brigade. Never- 
 theless, I would give much for a sight of any one of them 
 now, and I can assure them that I would waive contro- 
 versy for "the time being." Mr. Irvine has, I think 
 published a volume of sermons, which I am sure will be 
 able and logical. May I hope that the sal evangelicum 
 is diffused through their pages as largely as it is in the 
 volume of my loved and lamented Episcopal friend Thomas 
 Bissland. 
 
 Saturday was always a play day in College, and we 
 enjoyed it in excursions to Arthur's Seat, to Craig-Millar 
 Castle, or to the Hermitage of Braid ; but to those who 
 preferred scenes in the interior of the city, the Parlia- 
 ment House offered an aoreeable louns^e, for besides the 
 "living throng" of barristers and officials moving to and 
 fro in the " Outer House," we were privileged occasionally 
 with an ascent to the gallery of the " Inner," where the 
 whole "fifteen" were seated together in solemn conclave 
 on knotty points. The President, Sir Hay Campbell, 
 of Succoth, was a profound but common sense lawyer, 
 always dignified, and universally respected ; but in those 
 daj's of Tory ascendancy, his associates w'ere sometimes 
 men who owed their places more to political and family 
 interest than to legal talent. The Hon. Henry Eiskine, 
 brother of the Earl of Buchan, and of the Lord Chan- 
 cellor of England, was never elevated to the bench, but 
 he was a very successful pleader, and a wag of the high- 
 
SCHOOL DAYS. 17 
 
 est class. His puns were endless, and often extremely 
 happy. I shall give one as a specimen : on occasion of 
 the first appearance in his robes of a newly appointed 
 judge, a plain country gentleman of fair abilities, and of 
 more than ordinary material bulk, Mr. Erskine took occa- 
 sion " to congratulate their lordships on the large acces- 
 sion which had been recently made to the weight of the 
 bench, without diminishing the respectability of the bar." 
 " That's too bad in you, Harry," said the worthy neo- 
 phyte ; to which " Harry " replied, in one of his most 
 aristocratic bows, and the pleadings went on. In com- 
 mon with most of the Lords of Session, the Doric-Scotch 
 was the familiar vernacular of this good-natured senator; 
 and he one day sought to check the vociferating energies 
 of an over-excited advocate, and with most convulsive 
 success, by an interlude perfectly irresistible. ^^ Mr. 
 
 F , dinna skriech sae heigh, Ttiun ; you perfectly 
 
 dumfounder me." I rather think that the amusing era 
 of " Parliament House fun" ended at or soon after the 
 multiplication of " Lords Ordinary," and the division of 
 the chambers. Another "Harry" took away from the 
 bar much of the " wit," when he mounted the bench as 
 Lord Cock burn. 
 
 Dr. Davidson often warned the students who visited 
 him, against frequenting auctions, buying useless books, 
 and spending both time and money in something like 
 useless play rather than pleasant recreation. There was 
 need of such cautions, for we did often leave our lessons 
 for the morrow, unfinished, and go down to " get fun," as 
 we counted it, at one or more of the auctions of books, 
 which were of nightly recurrence. On such occasions 
 there was something like oratory of an inferior stamp 
 indulged in by the main actors. I am not sure whether 
 Mr. William Blackwood figured ever on this arena, before 
 the days of Christopher North, but this I know, that his 
 partner, Mr. Robert Ross, opposite the College, figured 
 away from his elevated platform, and dealt out many en- 
 comiums on favourite authors, successively falling under 
 his merciless hammer. By far the most popular of all 
 
18 LIFE OF EEV. DR. BUllNS. 
 
 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. " Here," 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 many ; 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 I r 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 we 
 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 humour. Indeed the interludes that 
 went on in the way of dialogue, or otherwise, during the 
 eventful period from the lifting of the volume to its being 
 knocked down, were often vastly amusing. Many vol- 
 umes we bought, good, bad and indifferent. Sometimes 
 a book was valuable, and yet cheap ; for instance, the 
 lovely "Flores," of Erasmus cost me justoTie half-penny! 
 and I made a present of it to our College Library, where 
 its sweet savour remains. For that fine specimen of 
 Tnultum in parvo, the Selectee Historicce, I paid just two 
 pence ! but this is not all, for on the back of the cover 
 
I 
 
 SCHOOL DAYS. 19 
 
 stands the interesting autograph of the dearly loved 
 young friend of the poet Cowper, William Caw thorn 
 Unwin, 1756. 
 
 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 enquirers, the theological lectures of Leighton, 
 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 Easter High 
 Church, and when Lady Yester's Church was erected, 
 about that period, the main gallery in it was appropri- 
 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. 
 Madoes, 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 talented young ministers, the deeply lamented 
 Mr, Eennet, of Duddingston — of the series of lectures on 
 the " History of Joseph," and of a remarkably impressive 
 discourse on the history of Naaman the Syrian — of these 
 and other specimens of Mr. Black's pulpit 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, 
 
20 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. 
 
 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 1806, 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 force 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. Thomas Fleming, an 
 admirable expositor, and an affectionate and judicious 
 pastor. Dr. F. was 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 Stewart 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 interesting occasion of his taking 
 leave, the students drew up and presented to him an address, 
 to which the Professor made a short but not unsuitable 
 reply. The chairman of " the students' committee" was 
 the present Earl Russell, then Lord John, whose image is 
 now most distinctly before me, when, at the close of the 
 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 
 
SCHOOL DAYS. 21 
 
 ^■fc, had been published so soon, and that it embraced so 
 ^Bbnany 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 Play fair 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 >ld 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 
 
22 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. 
 
 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 of 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 academical attainments, however respectable, 
 necessarily presuppose accuracy of elementary religious 
 knowledge, far 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 with 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 
 
 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. 
 
 Jt is not at all unlikely that this woi'thy man belonged 
 to that class of whom the celebrated author of " Robinson 
 Crusoe " makes honourable mention in his " Tour through 
 Britain," when he says that they {i.e. " the Borrowstoun- 
 ness men," as he calls them) are the best seamen in the 
 Firth, and are very good pilots for the coast of Holland, 
 the Baltic, and the coast of Norway. Defoe farther says 
 that Borrowstounness " was a town of the greatest trade 
 to Holland and France, except Leith." I have not ascer- 
 tained whether there may have been any family relation- 
 ship between the pious sea captain of whom I am speaking, 
 and the late wealthy and philanthropic 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 (1867), 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 
 
24j life of rev. dr. burns. 
 
 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 : — 
 
 ''Pakk, 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 will 
 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 Kerr 
 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 Annual 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 reduolug une church debt."] 
 
 My last visit to the haunts of my youth was in June, 
 18G8, ancient associations crowded around me, and Ark- 
 ley's nice crimped biscuits were still to be had, as in 
 1794, but, alas ! Pennant's dehcri]-ion of the "smoke" of 
 
I 
 
 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 reflections rush forth, revealing at once the 
 darker scenes of the past, and brightening with a higher 
 tint the lights of the future. 
 
CHAPTER IIL 
 
 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 
 1 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 
 
 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 
 and Ecclesiastical History. He sometimes told us that 
 the Royal Charter which endowed the chair, entitled him 
 to lecture on these systematically or theologically, hut 
 he limited himself to the second of these bi anches, to- 
 gether with lectures on the contents of the sacred books, 
 and a few miscellaneous but very valuable prelections on 
 preaching, lecturing, and the duties of the pastoral care. 
 His Church History lectures never reached beyond the time 
 of Julian the Apostate. JNevertheless, he was a man of 
 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 written 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 lectures on the eloquence of the pulpit, by the 
 Professor of Rhetoric, we were invited to hear ; and for 
 practical lessons on elocution 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. 
 
 designation of " serious " students, or of pious young men, 
 did not amount to above a tenth of that number. Nearly 
 all were 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 16 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 controling agency 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 fav(3urite 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 proper- 
 
THEOLOGICAL EDUCATION. 29 
 
 don he thought might be applied to square everything, 
 (eaving 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 
 Morning and the Evening Sacrifice," a book which took 
 by its title, and by its splendid and somewhat gorgeous 
 style. He afterwards came out with his " Living Temple," 
 in which he evolved his pantheistic views, and thus ex- 
 posed himself to righteous censure from the church, whose 
 bread he was eating, while he aimed a blow at her vitals. 
 Dr. 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 
 appearance at the bar of the assembly in that case. I 
 heard it all. The pleadings for truth were masterly ; the 
 cobwebs of plausible error were swept away, and the 
 unhappily misled author was, in consequence, deposed 
 from the ministry. He went to England, and, for any- 
 thing I have heard, may be there still, climbing the 
 heights of Parnassus rather than reclining in the peaceful 
 vales of Mount Zion. And yet well do I remember the 
 evening when, at the " Philalethic," William Hamilton, 
 afterwards of Strathblane, was declared an honorary 
 member; and when the ribbon with its medal were placed 
 round 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 
 have been a befitting tilter in combat with Wright. But 
 he left us for the work of God at Broughton, thereafter 
 laboured at Dundee, then made the " land of the Blane, 
 to flourish by the preaching of the Word," and from thence 
 passed into glory.* 
 
 *Dr. William Hamilton, of Strathblane, was one of his dearest friends. Among 
 father's most cherished Manuscripts is one dated 1835, by Dr. James Hamilton, contain- 
 ing- full particulars of his father, which we reluctantly omit. In the deeply interesting 
 Memoir of the son, is the following : — " Dr. Robert Burns, of Paisley, presided at the 
 marriage ceremony, and survives in bodily health and mental vigour to the present day. 
 Such was the fact when this sheet was sent to the printer, but ere it returned the race 
 of the venerable Patriarch was run." Dr. Wm. Hamilton married a Paisley lady on the 
 19th January, 1813, and his distinguished son was born there, on the 27th Noyember 
 IHU.— Editor's Note. 
 
30 LIFE OF KEV. DR. BURNS. 
 
 In the Philo-theological Society I was mucli the 
 youngest and the smallest member. Among the seniors 
 we had Mr., afterwards Sir, Robert Sparkle, Sergeant-at- 
 Law, 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, 
 from 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 
 morning of his fame; and many other "gems of purest ray 
 serene," but of which " the deponent sayeth nothing." 
 
 At my entry as a member, I was asked to choose my 
 subject for essay. Being sheepish and raw, I looked 
 blank. 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, West, Hopkins, and others 
 that came in my way. The production survives with 
 all the vital energy 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- 
 
I 
 
 THEOLOGICAL EDUCATION. 81 
 
 mains in existence, its range of operations is limited to 
 the peculiar business of a preaching society. 
 
 The "Adelphi" behoved all to be members of a "society 
 for prayer and religious conference," and many delightful 
 recollections I have of our meetings in the " Orphan 
 Hospital," and in the private parlour of the " Master,'* 
 the eminently pious and richly experienced William 
 Peebles. This fellowship society is of venerated and 
 holy descent. Its history allies itself with the days of 
 Erskine and Walker and Macqueen, a century past, and 
 its meetings were held at first, not literally suh tegmine 
 fagi, 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 yonder, and 
 whose extensive park had been the favourite scene of 
 the out-door addresses of the "eloquent Englishman,"* on 
 whose lips many thousands waited in breathless sus- 
 pense, whom the nobles of the land delighted 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 
 far away, the " Orphan House" in Georgia shared also in 
 the pecuniary results, while the friends of Christ on both 
 sides of the Atlantic, by a species of spiritual 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, 
 and of Rowland Hill, and of Fuller, by whose appeals 
 not a few of Scotland's sons have been brought to sit 
 under the " Plant of renown," and to eat the pleasant 
 fruit. 
 
 Among fellow-students at the Hall with whom I had 
 
 *Rev. George Whitefleld. 
 
32 LIFE OF EEV. DR. IIURNS. 
 
 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-renowned Professor Silli- 
 man, 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 was rather " ripe " than other- 
 wise on the colleges, churches and ministers of America. 
 My questionings about Dr. Ezra Stiles, Dr Eliphalet 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 tuition 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 taken his place among the leaders 
 of the disruption of 1848. 
 
 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 remarlis which had been made partook of rather 
 an acrimonious character, and my American friend had felt 
 «ome of them rather keenly, and repelled them in the way 
 of sharp repartee. It so happened that another student 
 and I had taken a walk after the meeting with Mr. Cod- 
 
THEOLOGICAL EDUCATION. 33 
 
 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, after- 
 noon in March, when our companion (Mr. Denoon, after- 
 wards of Kothsay), turning round, pointed to the glorious 
 orb of day just going down over the Corstorphine Hills, 
 solemnly pronouncing the blessed Saviour's words, " Let 
 not the sun go down upon your wrath." "I was not 
 thinking of that," said Mr. Codman, 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, that 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 and 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 Arminianism. 
 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 
 fesjBor they never denied, was by taking care never to 
 
34 ' LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. 
 
 read the Confession of Faith prior to signing it. There 
 were, in my day, very few symptoms of hard study either 
 of Calvinism or Arminianism, and I have a strong impres- 
 sion that the real cause of the dislike to evangelical truth 
 ■was a practical 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 spotless 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 " wor- 
 thy patron," and to pass the ordeal of a Presbytery. My 
 student days were brought forcibly to my mind on read- 
 ing Dr. James Buchanan's admirable " Cunningham Lec- 
 tures," in marking his quotation from the pious Robert 
 Trail, of London, to the effect that " there is not a min- 
 ister that dealeth seriously with the souls of men, but he 
 finds an Arminian scheme of justification in every unre- 
 newed heart." 
 
 A circumstance connected with the mental and spiritual 
 history of Dr. Codman 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 difficult performance. It 
 was a piece on the subject of " predestination," written 
 by an evangelical minister of New England, of the name 
 of Cooper. My friend undertook the task, and went 
 manfully forward, his own mind not being at all fixed on 
 the more recondite points in theology. Soon did he find 
 that instead of his " mastering Calvanism," Calvanism fair- 
 ly mastered him. His candid and serious spirit was open 
 to the impressions of truth, and he finished the perusal 
 of Cooper -with a full persuasion of the scriptural correct- 
 ness of his leading views. He brought 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 published, and extensively circulated 
 among 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. S5 
 
 of my friend, I can still look on with many pleasing re- 
 membrances. 
 
 The clerical annals of my student days are bestudded 
 with a number of bright stars. In the Establishment, 
 and among the Dissenters, there were not a few able and 
 successful ministers. Our College pastor was Mr. David 
 Black, of St. Madoes, afterwards of Lady Tester's Church, 
 Edinburgh, cut off, alas ! prematurely (sicut flos succisus 
 aratro) in 1806, but not before he had made full proof 
 of a ministry of great power, much like that of Mc- 
 Cheyne at a later period, though, like his, too limited in 
 duration. There was his successor, Dr. Fleming, formerly 
 of Kirkmichael, Perthshire, and latterly of Kirkaldy, a 
 most correct and admirable lecturer, and a preacher ever 
 in earnest, though he raised one of his hands only on an 
 occasion, and ever appeared collected and calm, but cer- 
 tainly not cold. There was Sir Henry Moncrieff Well- 
 wood, of fine baronial appearance, rather bold in prayer, 
 perhaps, but in his preaching a perfectly heroic " exhi- 
 iDitioner " of solidity, of soundness and of good sense. 
 There was Dr. Davidson, not profound perhaps, but 
 savoury, scriptural, and, to a certainty, captivating and 
 impressive. There was his colleague. Dr. Campbell, a 
 prince among theologians, grandly solemn, the Owen and 
 the Baxter in one. There was Jones, of Lady Glenorchy's, 
 original, acute, richly experimental, and, while eternity 
 was ever uppermost, never failing in "a word to the 
 times." Among the Dissenters there was Peddie, the 
 fiinest lecturer on the Old Testament I ever heard ; and 
 Struthers, very passably orthodox, and splendidly elo- 
 quent. 
 
 Among the ministers of the time, who took special 
 interest in the students, and did them much good, I note 
 worthy Dr. Colquhoun, of Leith, the very Herman Witsius 
 of his day, rich in his theology, and sweet and aflfectionate, 
 and truly paternal in his addresses; the two Dicksons, 
 father and son, models of excellent preaching, the latter 
 with rather a husky voice, but clear-headed, and one of 
 the first Hebrew scholars of his day Dr. Davidson, who 
 
S6 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. 
 
 kindly welcomed us in his study at an evening hour, and 
 at once disarmed us with " Now lads ! tell me what you 
 are doing ; say away," and from whom we got many 
 fine hints about books, and the way of using them, with 
 anecdotes of his early days, when he studied at Ley den, 
 and could tell of the Cocceians and the Wolfians of those 
 times. Dr. Buchanan and his lady, of all our patrons 
 and patronesses the chief, kindly affectionate, easy, and 
 ever abounding in anecdotes of the pious Simeon of 
 Cambridge, Newton of London, and the worthy mission- 
 aries at Serampore; and, though last, not least, John Mac- 
 donald, the " Apostle of the North," with whom we could 
 use greater freedom than with any of the others, from 
 his being nearer our own age and standing. 
 
 Dr. Macdonald was a ripe scholar, an adept in the exact 
 sciences, and an acute, though by no means ill-natured, dis- 
 putant. The sharp doctors of Aberdeen had been his 
 instructors, and a Brown and a Kidd, a Gerard and a 
 Beattie, he held in high esteem ; not- indeed as Calvinistic 
 divines, for while the one had rather too much of what 
 the wags of the new school termed " Cayenne pepper," the 
 rest had by far too little of that exciting commodity. Dr. 
 Macdonald's social qualities and accessible learning fitted 
 him for being useful to students, and our occasional con- 
 versational evening parties, at his house, were at once 
 agreeable and instructive. While he remained in Edin- 
 burgh he had occasionally a congregational student or 
 two, from Hoxton or Homerton, boarding in his house. 
 One of the most marked of these was a young man of 
 ap[)arently 18 or 19 years of age, of great acuteness, a 
 most ready speaker, instinct with mental life, and not 
 over-loaded with Dutch, or even German, theology. The 
 young Englishman was well read, an acute and some- 
 what daring controversialist, not over fond either of the 
 Highlands or of the Lowlands of Scotland, and we looked 
 on him, taken as a whole, in the light of a " semi-Armi- 
 nian brother." It was, I think, in September, 1833, 1 
 went to England to collect money for missions to Canada. 
 Among other large towns and cities visited was Manches- 
 
DR. R. S. M'ALL. 37 
 
 ter, where a Presbyterian Church had been erected, in 
 Mosely Street, by a wealthy and pious Scottish merchant, 
 whom I once met at Dr. Buchanan's, of the Canongate, 
 Mr, "Robert Spear. The place had got into the hands of 
 nonconformists of the congregational body (a thing not 
 at all uncommon,) and was, at that time, filled by Dr. 
 Robert S. McAll, perhaps the best preacher of his day 
 among the English Independents. Not having an oppor- 
 tunity of hearing the eloquent preacher on the Sabbath, 
 I went to his week-evening lecture. The evening was 
 wet, but the attendance in the lecture-room below the 
 the chapel might amount to 300. He preached off-hand, 
 with pathos, clearness of doctrinal statement, and trans- 
 parent perspicuity of style. The raw Arminianism of 
 early days was all away ; the smart and seemingly com- 
 placent critic of other times was absorbed in the " Apol- 
 los " of his day, the warm and lively preacher of that 
 Gospel, which, when I first knew him, he certainly neither 
 understood nor felt.' After the blessing there was a 
 pause, and deep feeling seemed to rest on many counte- 
 nances. The preacher occupied a desk of no lofty eleva- 
 tion, so I came from the remote end of the apartment, 
 where I had, on purpose, taken my seat, and stood before 
 the preacher, who rose and bowed. " May I ask, sir, did 
 you, when a student of theology, pass a winter in Edin- 
 burgh, and board with Mr. John Macdonald, of the Gaelic 
 Chapel?" "I did, sir," was his immediate answer. 
 " Then," said I,- " let me claim you as an old companion 
 and fellow-student." He looked at me, and I looked at 
 him, but the shadows of a quarter of a century which 
 separate a man of eighteen from the maturity of a man 
 of forty, had stamped us both. On mentioning my name, 
 however, he needed no more. Our memories of the past 
 were " sweet and mournful to the soul." Circumstances 
 rendered a prolonged interview impracticable, and, though 
 I might cherish the hope of our meeting again, I saw him 
 no more. Death did not very long withhold its seal from 
 the matured attainments of one who seemed to ripen 
 with a holy rapidity for the Heaven of the faithful. The 
 
S8 LIFE OF EEV. DE. BURNS. 
 
 interview, though short, was enlivening, sweet and richly 
 suggestive, the remembrance of it is fresh as the morning; 
 but, like the waves of the ocean, time rolls on, eternity is 
 near, and the Macdonalds and the McAlls, the Spencers 
 and the McCheynes, of kindred, though for the time sepa- 
 rated, religious connections, are now blended together in 
 one bright constellation. 
 
 The advantage of studying theology in a large city, 
 rather than at such small places as Haddington or Sel- 
 kirk, is the opportunity of marking the " varied gifts " 
 of the ministry, and of thus, with the modesty ever, we 
 shall presume, characteristic of young aspirants, " trying 
 the spirits." 
 
 In the process of seeking out churches and ministers, 
 I descried, one Sabbath morning, a spacious and lately 
 erected place of worship in the Potter-row, where I had 
 heard that a Mr. McCrie was the pastor. The congrega- 
 tion was pretty large, attentive, serious-looking, and, from 
 the aspect with which they listened, by no means unin- 
 telligent. It was in 1806, and keen disputes were going 
 on, as they had been for years, on points said to be im- 
 portant, but of which we, in the very midst of it all, 
 knew as little as the inhabitants of the New Hebrides. 
 But the minister of that church came forth on the day of 
 the Lord, fresh, calm, well prepared, and apparently just 
 from a region where the din of controversy had no place. 
 From a passage in the first Epistle of John, he illustrated, 
 in ten particulars, " the truth " to be sought, and the best 
 means of finding it. I was more than surprised, but the 
 surprise deepened into profit, and I entered all the par- 
 ticulars in my note book, where they still remain. I have 
 no recollection, of hearing the preacher again for years, 
 and then, while the edification was heightened, the sur- 
 prise was less, for the author of the " Life of Knox " was 
 then bearing the stamped insignia of a Dugald Stewart 
 and a Francis Jefirey, and the star of his glory was 
 shining with surpassing brightness. 
 
 In the spring of 1812, not long after my settlement in 
 Paisley, my fellow-traveller, in what was then felt as a 
 
DR. M'CRIE AND DR. CHALMERS. 39 
 
 sort of pilgrimage, to Greenock, was the Rev. James 
 Thomson, afterwards Professor of Theology to the Relief 
 Synod, and for fifteen years my esteemed fellow-labourer 
 in the secretaryship of the Paisley and East Renfrew- 
 shire Bible Society. During our ride in the mail coach, 
 besides the ordinary topics of the day, and of the road, 
 two themes of higher claim engaged our thoughts. One 
 was Henry Bell's " Comet" on the Clyde, in her earliest 
 and best days; " See how she ploughs !" " Well, Hemy 
 will succeed after all." The other was the recent public- 
 ation of the " Life of Knox," by McCrie. My friend 
 knew at that time, far more than I did about " those sort 
 of things," and yet to him, as well as to me, the book 
 was something quite new. He had read it, I had not. 
 Soon, however, 1 procured it, and devoured it greedily ; a 
 new mine had been opened, stereotyped errors were at 
 once brushed away. David Hume himself, had he been 
 alive, would no longer have dared to speak of the " rustic 
 apostle ;" and the " apes of Epictetus," in the Church of 
 Scotland, then began to fear, lest, on the shoulders of 
 John Knox, the evangelical or '' wild party," would gain 
 a vantage ground, from which they would not easily be 
 dislodged; and so it was. The labours of Dr. McCrie, 
 from 1810 down to the period of his lamented death, in 
 1835, formed a lever, which, for a quarter of a century, 
 kept moving ; and an agency derived from one of the 
 smallest sections of the churches of the Reformation 
 produced effects in regard to the revival of sound theology 
 and true godliness in Scotland, second only to those of 
 Luther and of Calvin and of Knox himself. Dr. McCrie 
 was a real independent thinker, and withal a man of 
 enlarged and liberal mind; and the careful study of the 
 writings of such a man could not but form, even now, a 
 most effective panacea against a host of evils, at present 
 looming in Britain's horizon with ominous portent. 
 
 Second in the order of chronology (but only so) among 
 the main revival agencies at this time in Scotland, is the 
 accession of Thomas Chalmers to the great cause of evan- 
 gelical truth. When Sir David Brewster arranged his 
 
40 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. 
 
 subjects, and his contributors for his " Encyclopedia," he 
 allotted the article " Christianity " to his talented friend 
 Andrew Thomson, then at Sprouston, and soon after at 
 Perth. On the prospect of his settling in Edinburgh, 
 Dr. Thomson found that he could not overtake all his 
 literary engagements, and recommended that the singular 
 but noble genius of Chalmers should be called to grapple 
 with the grand theme. Said the Pastor of Kilmany, 
 yet far more alive to the claims of chemistry than to those 
 of Christianity, " You ask me to write on a subject of 
 which I know absolutely nothing." " Oh," said his cor- 
 respondent, " You'll soon learn ; we shall send you books, 
 just begin." He did " begin," not so much to read as to 
 think ; for hitherto, as he said long afterwards on a retro- 
 spect of years, he had been " measuring all magnitudes, 
 save only the mighty magnitude of eternity." Various 
 influences were, in the course of the divine dealings with 
 this distinguished man, brought to bear upon a mind of 
 vast expansion and power, and on a heart warmed with 
 strong impressions of benevolence and zeal, but hitherto 
 alienated from the source of all that is excellent. 
 
 The rest is well known. The man was made over 
 again ; his noble mind was cast in a new mould, and, 
 from 1812 to 1847, when he died, Chalmers may be said 
 to have been the great centre pillar, around which all 
 efiective movements, in the way of reform and extension 
 on the part of the church, were seen to move. At the 
 ereat missionary May meetings, in London, in 1812, I 
 heard, incessantly, of the wonders effected by his little 
 tract, price one penny, " The two great instruments ;" 
 and the question was constantly put to every one from 
 Scotland, " Who is this ? Tell us about him." What 
 with his pastorship at Glasgow, and its exemplified re- 
 forms in the style of the existing ministry ; what with 
 his sound and truly Christian teachings at St. Andrew's ; 
 what with his labours in the theological chair at Edin- 
 burgh, in the extension and non-intrusion cause, and in 
 all fields of enlightened benevolence ; there can be no 
 doubt that the giant mind of Chalmers, associated as it 
 
I 
 
 DR. ANDREW THOMSON. 41 
 
 was with a genial heart and a sound practical judgment, 
 became under God one great means of producing and 
 consolidating that propitious moral change in which 
 Scotia's sons, of all shades of opinion and worship, have 
 so cordially rejoiced. 
 
 Though last, not least, in this illustrious triumvirate, 
 and, in some respects, taking precedence of the other two, 
 Andrew Thomson comes full to view as a leading power 
 in the forward movement. With less of the lustre of 
 genius than the one, and far more limited in historical in- 
 formation than the other, he had a clearness of perception, 
 a power of logical argument, and a native force of thought 
 and expression that placed him in the first rank of de- 
 baters, while his sound judgment and his business talents 
 gave him a mighty ascendancy among all his compeers. 
 A series of letters generally ascribed to him, and with 
 almost certainty, shook the Oronstadt of moderatism to 
 its centre ; and the monthly issues of the " Christian 
 Instructor," kept up for twenty years a running fire on 
 the hosts of the foe. Beyond all question the power of 
 Balfour and Macgill in the pulpit and in the Hall at 
 Glasgow, the telling itinerancies of "the Apostle of the 
 North," and the indirect but powerful contributing forces 
 from various but friendly hands of the Secession, all 
 blended together under the plastic influence of truth and 
 grace in speeding the progress of Scotland's third Re- 
 formation. But in what I have now specially in my eye, 
 assuredly Thomson stands full to view, the slayer of the 
 hydra of stern moderatism, and the hero in the victory 
 of evangelical truth, although, alas ! he was not spared 
 to enjoy the victory he had won. 
 
 In close connection with the causes of spiritual revival 
 already noticed, an important event took place in Glas- 
 gow in 1814, that powerfully affected the state of the 
 Church, particularly in the west. I allude to the very 
 unexpected issue of a keen contest for the Chair of The- 
 ology, vacated by the death of the learned and justly 
 venerated Dr. Robert Findlay. That very accomplished 
 divine had grasped the standard of scriptural orthodoxy 
 
42 LIFE OF EEV. DE. BURNS. 
 
 -with less vigour than might have been wished, owing 
 partly to growing infirmities, and partly to constitutional 
 tendencies. I once heard Dr. Balfour, of the Outer High 
 Church, the most eloquent minister then in the Establish- 
 ment, ascribe the election of Dr. Macgill to the chair, as 
 Sb remarkable interposition of Providence in relation to 
 the tide that had set in in favour of evangelical truth. 
 It might perhaps have been possible to find a man of 
 profounder attainments and bolder theology, but it would 
 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 ver}^ fuUy 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 Yolume, embrac- 
 ing various references to public questions affecting the progress of the Church. 
 
LICENSED. 43 
 
 himself the uncle 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 I preached my first 
 sermon on the following Sabbath, in the parish church 
 of Cramond, my text being Romans i. 16. In the begin- 
 ning of June thereafter I was requested to supply, for 
 the summer, the pulpit of the East Church, in the city 
 of Perth, then vacant by the translation of Dr. Andrew 
 Thomson to New Grayfriars Church, Edinburgh. Id 
 that ancient ecclesiastical capital of Scotland I spent four 
 months very happily, having got into intimate acquaint- 
 anceship with the clergymen of the place, and with not a 
 few esteemed citizens. Among the ministers there were 
 especially two of whom I cherish a fond remembrance. 
 One of these was the Rev. James Scott, then the sen- 
 ior and emeritus clergyman in the city, whose inti- 
 mate knowledge of the ecclesiastical antiquities of Scot- 
 land was made greatly available to me in the way of 
 interesting conversation, and reference to ancient books 
 and records. The other was the Rev. William Taylor, 
 minister of the Old-Light Burgher Congregation, and 
 Professor of Divinity to the body of which he was a 
 member. From him I received much information regard- 
 ing the controversy which had been going on for years, 
 on the subject of the relations of the church and the 
 civil magistracy. The matter was at that time under 
 litigation in the highest courts, and it was not decided 
 
 * My first partner in life was the daughter of Mr. John Orr, first Provost of Paisley, and 
 *ny second the daughter of Thomson Bonar, Ksq., of the Grove, near Edinburgh, hrother 
 of Mr. Bonar, of Cramond. By my first wife 1 had seven children, of whom four died in 
 «liildhood, the rest 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 much interest amongst us of the Establishment, 
 although, at a later period, and up to the present hour, 
 covers questions of great practical value connected with 
 the interests of social religion among men.* 
 
 ♦The Rev. Mr. Taylor, Free Church Minister at Flisk, in Fifeshire, has published a 
 Memoir of his father. Professor Taylor, containing, within small bounds, the cream of 
 a controversy which is, at this Tery time, a£fec'.lug powerfully the uuiou luoTCUwnts of 
 the Prcabyterian Churches, 
 
CHAPTER IV. 
 
 c^ 
 
 PAISLEY MINISTRY. 
 
 HOULD any one enquire the reason why it is 
 that Mr. McNaughton, of Belfast, is a front 
 — rank man in theological polemics, civil, 
 literary, theology, an enlightened landed 
 proprietor, and a most skilful exponent 
 ^ of the crafty rules of the " man of sin ;" and how 
 it is that Dr. Begg, of Newington, 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 resided more or less in Paisley, de- 
 fined by Kowland Hill in his "Journal," as " the paradise of 
 Scotland , or at any rate, if they were not so signally priv- 
 ileged, 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 from his 
 
46 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. 
 
 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 Archbishop of St. Andrews, Thomas Smeton, after- 
 wards Principal of Glasgow College, Robert Boyd, who 
 had been successively Principal of the Universities 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 Christianity," John Witherspoon, afterwards President 
 of the College of New Jersey, and Robert Findlay, Pro- 
 fessor of Theology in Glasgow University, one of the best 
 divines of the Scottish Church. He would not have omit- 
 ted sons of Paisley so eminent in the literary world as 
 John Herring, the modellist, Alexander Wilson, the orni- 
 thologist. Dr. Robert Watt, author of the " Bibliotheca 
 Britannica," the poets Tannahill and Motherwell, John 
 Wilson, the renowned Christopher North, and such recent 
 ornaments of the pulpit 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 morahty and intelligence 
 of its inhabitants, and their avowed attachment to the 
 institutions of the gospel. The silver communion cups o£ 
 his future charge, bearing date 1758, had engraven on 
 them the old motto of the municipality — " Let Paisley 
 flourish by the preaching of thy Word." 
 
 * For the "New Statistical Account of Scotland" he wrote (along with Dr. Macnair 
 of the Abbey) the article on Paisley, filling 171 octavo pages, and containing a vast 
 amount of important, in some instances of curious and rare, information. — £d. 
 
I 
 
 CALL TO PAISLEY. 47 
 
 In the view of an election at Paisley, I was required to 
 preach to the congregation on two Sabbaths, at the dis- 
 tance of three months from each other. Paisley wanted 
 not its critics variously accomplished, and each of the can- 
 didates was favoured with remarks, partly written and 
 partly oral. To the former of these classes belonged a 
 letter of some length, addressed to me after my second 
 appearance, and signed " A Paisley Weaver." Neither in 
 thought nor in expression did it throw discredit on the class, 
 its spirit and language were respectful, its argument very 
 fair, and its theology sounder than mine. From the text 
 in Romans iii., " There is no fear of God before their eyes," 
 I had preached a carefully prepared sermon on " practical 
 atheism." My correspondent, who was unknown to me, 
 had no objection to anything that was said either in sen- 
 timent or illustration, but viewing the words as a quota- 
 tion from the Old Testament, and as one of the links in a 
 chain of reasoning, he suggested to me the idea of my ex- 
 hibiting their connexion with the apostle's argument, and 
 their bearing on the two cardinal points enlarged on by 
 the apostle. 
 
 Of the result, " deponent saith not." From othej 
 sources we learn that, notwithstanding the objection ■'^ 
 of the worthy weaver, he who seemed as " the lad witj/'''' 
 five barley loaves and the two small fishes," was''^ * 
 all, the people's favourite. He had no mean riy^^, 
 James Carlisle, afterwards so useful in Ireland, ■J^-^ 
 them. Carlisle's local influence was great, for 
 was one of the baiUies of the town. But the B -^^j, 
 carried it. '^e^^^ 
 
 John Neilson, the philanthropic founder onj, j 
 known institution on the old Bowling Grp^ ^een 
 his name, writing to a relative, absent o' ^^oiqq ^ _ 
 London, on the 4th May, 1811, sap- 
 little domestic news since you left 
 
48 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. 
 
 a minister to the Low Church, and I am happy to say- 
 that, Mr. Burns has got it by a great majority. The Town 
 Council put four candidates in the list, viz., Messrs. Kay, 
 Small, Burns and Carlisle. Mr. Burns had 121 votes, and 
 the other three, put all together, came only to 109 votes." 
 A nephew of this faithful chronicler*, 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 }iis sainted mother to the youth- 
 ful pastor, when Dr. Rennie, of Borrowstouness (the 
 old family minister) who stood at the church door, by the 
 young pastor's side, famiKarly said, " Come awa', my wee 
 manny, and shake ban's wi' your minister." 
 
 Thus was he installed in the pulpit of the illustrious 
 Witherspoon. 
 
 The Professor of Church History in Edinburgh was in 
 o: he habit of giving a short series of lectures on pulpit 
 -D.^uty, including the preparation and delivery of sermons, 
 id other discourses of a like kind, and these were among 
 ^ most useful prelections. He was anything but an 
 and 'uent preacher himself, and he was an accomplished 
 fall * ^^^^®- ^^^ I often call to mind one of his favourite 
 
 ' sayings in connection with these discourses, " Gen- 
 01 its ^ » Yie would say, " the lecture is the glory of the 
 institurh of Scotland." He held it as a matter of fact, (and 
 his fut^"w-as,) that above all other reformed Protestant 
 them + ^^s> Scotland's Church encouraged, and practised in 
 . Ipits, the wholesome method of instruction by fa- 
 nounshan(j sound exposition of the Word of God, and he 
 
 wn rules both for preaching and lecturing profitably. 
 
 of*th^^ Abbe --^^^^ were not unlike those which Dr. Hill, in hig 
 
 amount of i«ivG„dner, Eaq., of N.ther Common. 
 
THE LECTURE. READING. 49 
 
 "Institutes," has so sagaciously drawn out, and it were to 
 be wished that they had been more attended to. For a 
 whole session I heard, every Sabbath morning, the lec- 
 tures of Dr. Peddie, on the Old and New Testaments al- 
 ternately, and I considered him an admirable model. My 
 resolution was taken, and immediately after I was or- 
 dained, I began a course of lectures in the morning ser- 
 vice. First, on select portions of the Psalms, then on two 
 or three of the smaller Epistles of Paul, and then on the 
 harmony of the Gospels. This last should perhaps have 
 come first, but I was afraid to try it without some prac- 
 tice in lecturing, and after all I wouLl not advise exposi- 
 tion in the way of a harmony, for it requires far more 
 piercing and critical adjustment than is consistent with 
 popular effect. In the course of my ministry of thirty- 
 four years in Paisley, I went over the whole New Testa- 
 ment, and the leading historical and prophetic parts of the 
 Old. My plan was to study the passage well, comparing 
 the parallel places and illustrating them by references and 
 suitable quotations, putting down on paper full notes to 
 the extent of six or eight octavo pages, and inserting dis- 
 tinctly the practical inferences or lessons to be drawn. 
 Many sermons have I read when the occasion was pecu- 
 liar, and the subject difficult ; but never once did I read a 
 lecture. I defy you to do it with any effect ; only let a 
 preacher grasp his theme with point and nerve, throw him- 
 self into the trenches with all his capabilities about him, 
 and he need fear nothing. 
 
 In my early days, the main distinction of a moderate 
 man from a popular or evangelical one, was the habitual 
 use of paper or no paper. But the distinction carried 
 reality with it. The "paper man" was almost always stifi, 
 dry, scrimply orthodox, cold and formal. In our "book of 
 common order," the people were told that " a reader " 
 meant an inferior " kind of minister." That, indeed, is 
 not the meaning of the thing as defined, but it took well, 
 for the slavish readers of sermons were, in nine cases out 
 of ten, " inferior " preachers. The time no doubt came 
 round when a Moncreiff, a Chalmers and a Thomson read 
 
50 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. 
 
 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 
 spiritual benefit of the hearers were the close and pointed 
 applications, which were never read. Yea, moreover, he 
 added, that if he had his ministry to begin again, he 
 would throw aside his papers. The English (Established) 
 Pulpit 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 vivcB voces ah imo pectore (living voices from 
 the heart's depths). All the writers on the pastoral care, 
 the Burnets, the Blairs, the Hills, the Gerards, and the 
 Vinets and Spencers, of Europe and America, have been 
 advocates of the unfettered style of delivery in the pulpit. 
 Dr. Blair has wisely and correctly said that the dislike to 
 papers in the pulpit, so strong among the people 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 "Proportion," 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 parish had seven thousand 
 inhabitants, and of all denominations. Vast varieties of 
 character behoved 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 
 gay or do, and withal, not over well furnished with the 
 skill required 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 desultory in the 
 work, a most fatal mistake. Visiting is the very life's 
 blood of a successful ministry. If we don't go to the 
 people they won't come to us. Difficulties in the work 
 there undoubtedly will be, but they may be 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 
 
 found the advantages of combining congregational with 
 parochial visitation, and I never was charged with being 
 a proselytizing intruder. 
 
 With regard to catechising, I generally attended to it 
 in my pastoral visits, in so far as the young people and 
 domestics were concerned, for I did not approve of expos- 
 ing the ignorance of parents and seniors in the presence 
 of juniors 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 
 "Whitecross's best anecdotes told. One of my elders, who 
 generally attended on these occasions, once gave it as his 
 opinion. " that one of those anecdotes was as good as a 
 pinch of snuff." My " Bible classes " were always held 
 weekly, and on week nights. They were well attended, 
 and proved fine nurseries for the church. The Sabbath 
 Schools in connection with our congregation, and under 
 my immediate inspection, embraced upwards of a thous- 
 and young immortals, and when in Paisley, in 1857 and 
 1860, I witnessed the goodly gatherings of such under 
 the faithful ministry which that much loved scene of my 
 first labours still so largely enjoys. 
 
 A few extracts from Dr. Burns' letters of these years 
 
 may be introduced. They touch on passing events, as 
 
 well as reflect the " lights and shadows" of home life. 
 
 Paisley, Feb. 16, 1820. — We have our spring sacrament 
 towards the end of April, immediately after which it will 
 fall to me to open our own church, when my presence 
 will be required for a few weeks at least. We have had 
 a visit from Mr. Thomson, of St. George's, Edinburgh, last 
 week, when he preached for me on Sabbath, and for the 
 Sabbath Schools on Monday evening last. Collection £45 
 . — very handsome, considering the state of our town, 
 which, I regret to say, does not seem to be improving, 
 either in a mercantile or moral view. His sermon was well 
 fitted to rouse, and I trust it will have thisefiect. I have 
 been attempting some improvements in the Sabbath 
 
52 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. 
 
 Schools of my own parish, somewhat on Dr. Clialmers' 
 plan, and I anticipate good effects. We are also trying 
 the plan of Female Bible Associations, with the immediate 
 view of enabling the poor to supply themselves with the 
 "Word of God. More than this 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 hear that some efforts have been making 
 with you for behoof of the ignorant and pDor. When ini- 
 quity Cometh in like a flood, then is the time for us to 
 be lifting up a standard against it. We have too long 
 neglected the mass of our people, who, in all our large 
 towns, are not much 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 expected. The Dr. 
 should try and keep his friend, the new Principal, right. I 
 wish he may make as good a professor of divinity as of math- 
 -ematics. I do not approve cf the new plan adopted at Edin- 
 burgh, of ladies (especially young ladies) coming so promi- 
 nently forward in the way of religious profession. As to 
 the musical festivals, I am not a disinterested judge, as 
 (in common 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, appeared to me to have a good tendency, and we 
 were glad to find at least one species of relaxation or 
 amusement which we could approve. 
 
 Paisley, June 29, 1820. — I was at Irvine last Sab- 
 bath, introducing Mr. J. Wilson to his charge of that large 
 and important 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, 
 <* Glory to God," &c., and my text in the forenoon was 
 
SABBATH SCHOOLS, FEMALE TEACHERS. 5S 
 
 Col. xxxi. 23, "Whatsoever ye do," &;c., considered as the 
 great principle of Christian and ministerial conduct. The 
 church, which is large and elegant, was crowded with, it 
 is thought, 2,500 people. It is pleasing to hear of the 
 settlement of good men in important places. 
 
 It is a pity that political considerations should interfere 
 in such matters. If James Brewster, who is truly a 
 moderate man in politics, is to be objected to on this 
 ground, I see not who could stand the test! I would ob- 
 ject to G — n now on the ground of his low and satirical 
 vein of writing, which does not recommend him, and must 
 procure him many enemies. 
 
 There is likely to be a keen competition for the Moral 
 Philosophy Chair in Edinburgh. Everyone who regards 
 the interests of religion in the case, should support Mr. 
 Esdaile, of Perth, who is well qualified, and very decided 
 in his religious attachments. The other candidates are all 
 hostile to religion, and not one of them at all equal to Mr, 
 Esdaile in point of acquirements. 
 
 Our town is likely to be in a bustle for some time by 
 the trials of the Radicals. The Lords arrive to-morrow, 
 and the Grand Jury sit on Saturday. The place fixed on 
 has been our new church. This, however, does not prevent 
 our ordinary labours. 
 
 Our Sabbath Schools, we hope, are doing good, though 
 not to the extent that might be expected. How are yours 
 getting on.? You ask me a question regarding female 
 teachers. Lady Hope and her daughters regularly attend 
 the Sabbath School at Carriden, and take part in the 
 exercises, and here we have young ladies of high respect- 
 ability who think it not beneath them. I never ques- 
 tioned the propriety of it, when conducted with prudence. 
 As to the place, whether your own house or another, is of 
 no great consequence. We were stirring up Anne and some 
 other of the Boness ladies to it, and they are trying some- 
 thing. But my paper warns me to stop, and I must away 
 to the examination of our public schools, which takes 
 place to-day. 
 
54 LIFE OF KEV. DR. BURNS. 
 
 Paisley, March 17th, 1825. — ^Your Sabbath School 
 Library is likely to do good. It is an agreeable ex- 
 ercise occasionally to catechise the children on what 
 they have been reading, so as to see that they do read, 
 and that they understand what they read. You say 
 nothing about the settlement at Cupar. I fear it will 
 not be popular, but I know nothing of the man. He is 
 from a cold region, and recommended by those who will 
 not put in a " wild man" if they can help it. They have 
 got Campsie 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. We 
 are forming a society in Glasgow for sending good minis- 
 ters to the North American colonies. Lord Dalhousie has 
 embarked in it warmly, and has written me twice. Our 
 general meeting is on the 81st, when he is to preside. 
 
 Miss A. recovered, to the surprise of all. Miss B. greatly 
 worse, and no hope of her. She is in a most pleasing 
 frame of mind, and her hopes are 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 public meetings, to say nothing of private calls, etc., 
 my time was for eight days whoJly occupied. One of 
 my speeches (that on the Catholic claims) w^ill probably 
 reach your quarter soon in the shape of a small pamphlet. 
 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 effusion, and that in the shape 
 of a reply 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 prosperous state. The spirit of zeal, and 
 piety, and harmony which pervades the members, is 
 
GLASGOW COLONIAL SOCIETY. 55 
 
 one of the most pleasing symptoms of the state of relig- 
 ion at present, and the good done directly and indirectly 
 is great. It gives us great pleasure to hear that Dr. 
 Chalmers is exerting himself to promote a missionary 
 spirit in St. Andrew's. My old friend, Dr. Codman, from 
 Boston, U. S., told me that he had been at one of your 
 monthly meetings, and was highly delighted. These are 
 more pleasing scenes than the college squabbles, which I 
 fear 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. 
 
 You may let Dr. C. know that his favourite overture 
 on Theological education was carried by us — 17 to 3 — and 
 the one on pluralities unanimously. Our Synod vote 
 was 45 to 10 — a most signal victory, considering the 
 force that was brought in array against us. The party 
 had corresponding members from Argyle, 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. 
 They 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 
 completely at one. By the way, one of his deacons, Mr. 
 Wm. 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 
 a jaunt by St. Andrews. The Dr. has invited them to 
 spend a day or two with him, and they expect to be 
 there 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 the 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 
 still to look towards the Fife-side, where some changes are 
 contemplated. 
 
 A letter from George lately — Lord Dalhousie seems 
 very friendly to him. I had a good deal of intercourse 
 
56 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. 
 
 with his lordship when at the Canadian meeting last 
 week, which was a very interesting one. He was in the 
 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 write Mrs. Coutts to-day or 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 afiecting the changes!* 
 
 Though much in public life, my father was thoroughly 
 domestic in his tastes. 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 of my children, I am bereaved." The last 
 month of 1819 found him "in bitterness for a first-bom," 
 Agnes, an interesting girl of four; and within a month, 
 on New Year's day of 1820, there was " another lily 
 gathered." Soon after, another flower was " offered in 
 the bud ; " and in 1831, John, a most promising boy of 
 ten was ta.ken away. 
 
 He learned obedience by the things which he suffered 
 and with the Master was able to succour, in that he himself 
 
 * His writings in most of the letters wo have quoted, is remarkably good ; though he 
 had generally the reputation of being a very bad w riter,he could, when he chose to take 
 pa'ns, write well. He wrote much and with exceeding haste. In a hurry one day he 
 grasped a quill in its natural state, on which no knife had been exercised, and ha(^ 
 scribbled off half a letter ere the mistake was discovered. Mr. David Wylie, of the 
 Brockville Recorder, one of the fathers of the Canadian press, mentioned to me, that 
 when a boy, serving his apprenticeship with Neilson & Hay, a well-known Paisley print- 
 ing firm, 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 the MS. which the boy averred 
 "nane o' them could mak' oot." Father was not at home. My mother (who blended 
 with remarkable dignity a kindliness and homeliness which set every one at case), 
 meeting him with the pleasant Fmile which was her wont, and using the dialect he 
 could best understand, replied : " Deed, laddie, I dinna wonner, for sometimes 
 he canna' mak' it oot himsel* ! "- Ed. 
 
i?EREAVEMENTS. 57 
 
 had suffered. He was thus prepared, too, for our heaviest 
 domestic trial, which was yet to come. 
 
 On Sabbath morning, the 14th December, 1841, after 
 an illness of thirty hours, the desire of his eyes was taken 
 away with a stroke. For twenty-eight years she had 
 been his counsellor and comforter. She had always been 
 in labours more abundant throughout the parish, and 
 1841 being one of Paisley's years of destitution, there 
 came upon her daily the care of many poor women and 
 children. She died on the field, almost a martyr to 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 persuasive 
 influence, which all who came within the circle of her 
 acquaintance felt and acknowledged, — 
 
 " She led me first to God ; 
 
 Her prayers and tears were my young spiriVs dew ; 
 For when she used to leave the fireside 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 sore 
 sorrow, notwithstanding the pressure of professorial duty, 
 just after the session had commenced, found time to 
 write thus : — 
 
 "Edinburgh, November 16th. 1841. 
 
 "My Dear Sir, — It is with real concern and heartfelt sjrmpathy 
 that I have been apprized of your heavy loss, and can enter into 
 all that you must sufier under this afiecting breach of the nearest 
 
58 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. 
 
 and dearest of all earthly relationships. May the giver of all con- 
 solation bear you up under this sore bereavement, and grant that 
 on you may be fulfilled the saying of the Saviour (John xv. 2), 
 that if any branch bear fruit, the Father, our great Spiritual Hus- 
 bandman, purgeth (pruneth) it, that it may bring forth more fruit. 
 It is truly marvellous, that with all the experimental demonstrations 
 we have of our mortality, a new death comes upon us with the 
 force and surprise of a new lesson, as if we had it yet to leam. 
 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 you should 
 have sent an intimation, which makes me a partaker of the sorrows 
 of your heart. It domesticates me with you and yours ; and it is 
 my earnest prayer in behalf of your afflicted 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 CHALMERa." 
 
 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 Saturday and will not be down again before Tuesday or Wednes- 
 day next, as the Lord's Supper is to be 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. 
 
MES. burns' lettees. 59 
 
 " Your brother preached all the fast day here, and I may say I 
 never saw a more attentive congregation. They appeared afraid to 
 lose one word. They are all enquiring when he is to preach again, 
 for they never were better pleased with any minister. God willing, 
 he is to preach here again Sabbath fortnight. Pray for the blessing 
 of God on his labours, and Oh may there be a stirring among the 
 dry bones." 
 
 " Paisley, April 17th, 1818. 
 
 " By this time you will have read Robert's letter to Dr. Chal- 
 mers. You must write me soon, and give me your 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 be in the press again in answer to it. We have 
 jusb 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 March, 1839. 
 
 " 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 first of May. 
 According to your order, he will send you four (4) copies of it. 
 What think you of George in the press ? — with both a volume of 
 sermons and one of lectures ? He seems well and happy, and I 
 hope useful." 
 
 " Paisley, 13th December, 1820. 
 
 " It gave me great pleasure to hear the professorship was at 
 an end. I hope there shall be no more of it. I would assuredly 
 rather live on three hundred a year in this quarter than on three 
 hundred and fifty at St. Andrews. Robert, 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 much obliged to 
 your 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 little ones, 
 which were suffering so much this time last year, are now where 
 suffering 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, we 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. 
 
GO LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. 
 
 '* We have just been reading Dr. Chalmers' volume of Commer- 
 cial Sermons, and are truly delighted with them. All may derive 
 benefit from them, but they are calculated to be very useful among 
 a particular class. It is astonishing the knowledge of human 
 nature he shows — he is surely raised up for some great purpose. 
 May the blessing of God attend the reading of them to thousands, 
 for it is only that which can bring them home to the consciences of 
 men. We have not seen No Fiction — from what you say of it we 
 are anxious to read it. We have been reading a life of Dr Owen, 
 by Mr. Orme, of Perth, which is really interesting, and introduces 
 you to many great and good men before little known. But it is 
 evident throughout that his great design is to exalt the Independ- 
 ents. It is a pity he shows himself so sectarian. Nevertheless, 
 we were much pleased with the perusal of it. We shall be looking 
 for William some day soon. I hope he will have pleasure in his 
 visit to his intended flock. '^ 
 
 "Paisley, 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 often sensible during that time. Her faith was strong and 
 lively whenever the stupor left her for a little. Robert saw her 
 every day — he experienced much pleasure in his visits. Her affec- 
 tion to him was very sincere, for she always said that his preach- 
 ing and conversation had been made very useful to her soul. Her 
 conduct had been so consistent ever since she professed Chris- 
 tianity." 
 
 "1st March, 1830. 
 
 " Robert left me on Friday for Kilsyth (yesterday being their 
 Communion 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 his course of lectures on that interesting but difficult por- 
 tion of the Word of God, has been particularly interesting and I 
 hope profitable. He has reached the length of the 19th chapter. 
 T am astonished how he gets on, for what with the business of the 
 parish societies of various kinds, supplj-ing and correcting the 
 press, etc., etc., he is constantly busy, but he would not be happy 
 otherwise. 
 
 " The Lord's Supper (God willing) is to be dispensed here on 
 Sabbath eight-days. Let us have your prayers that there may be 
 an outpouring of the Spirit, so that it may be a time of great re- 
 freshing from the presence of the Lord. Your brother's help are 
 Mr. Smith, of St. George's; Mr. Welsh, of St. David's, on the 
 Fast-day; Mr, Henderson, of Carmunnock, on Saturday; and Dr. 
 Barr, of Port Glasgow, on Sabbath evening. They are aU excellent 
 preachers. 
 
I 
 
 MRS. BURNS LETTERS. 61 
 
 '' 5th February, 1835. 
 " Your brother has been absent since last Monday eight-days, 
 on the North American Colonial Society's business. He was to 
 preach at Perth last Sabbath. I do not know when at Dundee, 
 whether he would have time to take a run your length ; he was to 
 be at Brechin on Tuesday, and in the course of this week he was 
 to visit Montrose^ Arbroath, and Aberdeen, I feel a little anxious 
 about him after such a severe illness as that which he had so lately 
 in Glasgow. I expect him home on Saturday. 1 have just received 
 a letter this moment from him dated Brechin. He says he is in 
 excellent health, and found Anne and the Manse folk all very well. 
 Part of the letter is dated Montrose, where Mr. James and he had 
 gone to dine yesterday, and to have a meeting in the evening. 
 They were to return the same night to Brechin. He meets our 
 friend Mr, McNaughton at Perth, where they are to have a public 
 meeting this evening. You would observe by the newspapers that 
 Mr. McN. is out on the same labour of love. Our dear boys are 
 very well and busy with the schools." 
 
 " 12th August, 1837. 
 *' Your brother was called to London very unexpectedly, 
 to plead the cause of our poor operatives. I hope they will 
 be successful. Our worthy females are suffering very much. The 
 Fund only extends to those who work at the deepening of the river, 
 or breaking of stones, &c. I have distributed from £50 to £60 in 
 a quiet way among our respectable females, who, I believe, would 
 almost starve before they would apply for help." 
 
 Dr. Burns' sympathy with missionary enterprise was 
 intense. His large parish furnished ample scope for 
 schemes of moral excavation ; such as of late years have 
 become increasingly common in the cities and towns of 
 Scotland. A faithful visitor himself, he had the faculty 
 of systematizing the work, and of infecting others with 
 somewhat of his own enthusiasm, so that when, in 
 many a Black Sea of sin, as a fisher of men, he said, " I 
 go a fishing," they were induced by his energetic will and 
 active example to say, " We also go with thee." 
 
 The South Church was the fruit of earnest toil in a 
 destitute section of the parish. From it again sprang 
 the Free South, which, under the indefatigable pastorate 
 
62 LIFE 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. 
 George's were seasons to be remembered. The Sabbath 
 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 Visito7\ and other kindred tract serials, were 
 as " leaven which a woman hid." Not a few such women 
 were furnished by him for the work. 
 
 For some twenty years he was Secretary of the Paisley 
 and East Renfrewshire 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 movement started in March, 1796, the 
 very year when the General Assembly of the Scottish 
 Church threw the weight of its influence into the anti- 
 missionary scale. 
 
 The original records of this fruitful Branch are before 
 us, and reveal the pains and the prayers with which it 
 was conducted. Large sums were raised : — in one year, 
 about £1,000 sterling. Four months after his settlement, 
 on the 4th November, 1811, Dr. Burns became Secretary 
 of this Society, and continued so for many years. He 
 preached one of the annual sermons of the parent insti- 
 tution in London; and those missionary marvels, which 
 
MISSIONARY ZEAL. 63 
 
 have emblazoned its history, and re-produced in Asia and 
 Africa, in the South Seas and Madagascar, the triumphs oi 
 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 the 
 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 he received to the 
 missionary work. He was one of many whom my Father 
 was instrumental in influencing in a kindred way. 
 
 With reference to the success of his Paisley ministry, 
 many testimonies might be given. A thoroughly com- 
 petent witness says : — 
 
 •' He owed a deep debt of gratitude to his venerable friend, Dr. 
 Burns, for his valuable instructions to him as a youth, and also in 
 after life, and he regarded him as his spiritual father. He looked 
 back with grateful remembrance to his attendance for a period of 
 twelve years, at the Doctor's Thursday evening class, and to the great 
 interest he felt, when a youth, in his minister's expositions of Scrip- 
 ture, in what was called his forenoon lectures. Dr. Burns, as a lec- 
 turer, stood unrivalled in the West of Scotland, his success arising. 
 
64 LIFE OF KEY. DR. BURNS. 
 
 lie believed, from his extensive reading, his wonderful memory, and 
 his great readiness in recalling on all occasions whatever he had seen, 
 read, or heard. The Doctor's language was clear, plain, pointed, 
 vigorous, and terse, and pregnant with meaning. He never knew 
 any man possessing such a wonderful memory, not for great matters 
 only, but for the most trivial, as Dr. Burns. He remembered of 
 taking supper in the house of Mrs. White, with him and the late 
 Dr. Fletcher, of London — Mrs. White's brother — who had that 
 evening, some thirty-six years ago, preached in the High Church. 
 During supper they had a pleasant conversation (the doctor posses- 
 sing at all times great conversational powers), and, looking around 
 him, he (the doctor) said to Mrs. White, 'Did not the Rev. Mr. 
 Smart live in this house ? ' ' O 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 I remember it 
 from the walls being painted green.' " 
 
 The following is from the Free Church Record for 
 December, 1869 :— 
 
 " His ministry in Paisley, from the first, was extremely accept- 
 able ; so much so, that a new church had soon to be provided of 
 larger dimensions, and of a more modern style of architecture, for 
 his over-crowded congregation, to which, accordingly, under the 
 name of 'St. George's,' he and they, a few years afterwards, re- 
 moved. His early popularity, doubtless, was due, in some mea- 
 sure, to his youth and youthful appearance, associated, as these 
 were, with an almost premature ripeness and mellowness of the- 
 ology — with an ' unction' which in those days was rare, and with a 
 fluency which was never known to fail him ; but the position which 
 he took as a preacher from the beginning he maintained ever after. 
 There were solid qualities in his discourses which made them always 
 instructive, often telling in a high degree. They were solid, with- 
 out being heavy ; they were copious, and yet clear ; they were level 
 to the humblest, yet such as to command the ear of the most culti- 
 vated among his hearers ; while, as a lecturer and expositor 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 parish, once a year, most regu- 
 larly attending on the sick, and taking a special oversight of the 
 godly upbringing of the young. He was a most valuable citizen, and 
 there was not a religious, benevolent, or philanthropic movement 
 in town, but he was to be found at the beginning, middle, or end 
 of it. He was one of the original promoters of the scheme for sup- 
 plying the town with water ; and by successive visits to London 
 and otherwise, did great service in bringing in large sums of money 
 during the periods of the depression of trade, when weaving was 
 
I 
 
 BONAR OF CRAMOND. 66 
 
 the staple branch of manufacture in town.' His capacity for work of 
 all sorts was indeed something marvellous. 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 haste or slovenliness when delivered, 
 without the assistance of a note, on the Sabbath following. Nor 
 less active was he with the pen than with his tongue, taking part 
 more or less prominently in every question of interest which stirred 
 the public mind." 
 
 Soon after his settlement in Paisley there came to 
 him from the quiet manse, where he had spent a year and a 
 half so happily, 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 speci- 
 men 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. 
 
 "26th November, 1811. 
 
 " My Very Dear Brother, — I was much gratified and rejoiced 
 at receiving some time ago, your affectionate and comfortable letter, 
 and would have answered it before now, had not severe distress 
 prevented me. But oh, my dear brother, I rejoice to inform you 
 that my mind was most comfortable amidst all the gloomy prospect 
 of leaving my flock and dear family and friends. The everlasting 
 Gospel, the all fulness of Jesus and the hope of glory, were brought 
 delightfully to view, and yielded both peace and joy in believing. I 
 am truly happy that you like Paisley so much. I have all along 
 thought it was a situation quite suited to your sentiments, talents, 
 activity and Christian habits, and I trust you will be long spared 
 to a people who prize the pure Gospel, at least as much as any town 
 in Scotland. I really admire your plan of discourses on the leading 
 parts of our glorious Lord's history ; you will find these discourses 
 of great use to you afterwards, on many subjects ; you do not 
 mention if you have yet begun a regular course of lecturing. It is 
 difficult to determine where to begin ; worthy Dr. Gillies used to 
 tell me that he was called to Glasgow when a young man and soon 
 after being licensed, and he had very few lectures ; that very soon 
 after his settlement he began to lecture through the New Testa- 
 ment, and when I knew him he had lectured over the whole Scrip- 
 tures and was going a second time through the New Testament. 
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68 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. 
 
 the "havocs of war" against the other son of Mars, who 
 was "tory" to the bone. Many disreputable scenes of 
 clerical antagonism would meet the eyes of " calm observ- 
 ers ;" and yet, after all, we had no heretics, in the ordinary 
 sense, amongst us. All professed strict adherence to the 
 standards, though some were suspected of being " broad 
 churchmen;" thus proving the truth of an important matter 
 of fact, that personal godliness may be at a- low ebb when 
 speculative orthodoxy shews no change. I think that 
 during all my time we kept a majority of "right men," 
 for the town of Paisley has, ever since its separation eccle- 
 siastically from the Abbey, in 1720, been a stronghold of 
 evangelical truth. 
 
 It may not be generally known that to our Paisley 
 Presbytery the Free Church was indebted for its father, 
 both in years and in ecclesiastical position. The Rev. 
 George Logan, a native of Glasgow, and born in 1760, was 
 a licentiate of our presbytery, and though ordained by 
 the Presbytery of Perth to a Scotch church in Newcastle, 
 where he also superintended a private classical academy, 
 he was brought back to our bounds, in 1802, as minister 
 of the Parish of Eastwood, where he laboured successfully 
 for forty-one years. On the second Sabbath of July, 1843, 
 he was gathered to his fathers, in the eighty-fourth year 
 of his age, and the fifty-eighth of his ministry, the vener- 
 able patriarch of that church which he had so long adorned, 
 and the achievement of whose freedom he had just lived to 
 witness. A first-rate classical scholar, one of his favourite 
 recreations was the perusal of the standard writers of 
 Greece and Rome ; and, unlike the generality of parochial 
 ministers, he not only preserved but augmented his literary 
 stores. His mind was also characterized by a native 
 quickness of perception, and he had always at command 
 a fund of amusing anecdotes, with which he entertained 
 the circles of his friends. On the settlement in Glasgow 
 of that very eminent and distinguished minister, the late 
 Dr. Balfour, of the Outer High Church, Mr. Logan was 
 introduced to his favourable notice, and this introduction 
 was always cited by him as one of the happiest events of 
 
■ 
 
 EEV. GEORGE LOGAN. 69 
 
 his life. Dr. Balfour discerned his worth, encouraged him 
 in his professional pursuits, and, till the period of his 
 lamented death in 1818, acted to him the part of a faith- 
 ful councillor and a most valuable friend. With other 
 two venerable ministers of that city he was also associated 
 in the bonds of affectionate endearment — the late Dr. 
 Burns, of the Barony, and Dr. Love, of Anderston. These 
 were all men of kindred minds, though marked by charac- 
 teristic varieties. Mr. Logan knew the value of such 
 acquaintanceship, and in the vale of years his heart was 
 often cheered and refreshed by the recollections of other 
 times ; while his younger friends recognized in him one 
 of the few remaining links which connect the present 
 generation of pastors with those venerable men who have 
 gone before. In a theological and literary society which 
 was instituted by the evangelical ministers of the bounds, 
 Mr. Logan was always at home on the Epistles to the 
 Romans and the Hebrews, and his ready humour was 
 always at command to lighten the sober gravity of length- 
 ened argument. It need not excite any surprise that such 
 a man joined heartily in the crusade against intrusion, 
 and readily cast in his lot with the men who resolved 
 to sacrifice their all for the sake of a conscience void of 
 offence. In the beginning of April, 1843, and thereafter 
 early in June, I paid him a visit when he lay on that bed 
 of sickness which was soon to be the bed of death. On 
 both occasions we touched considerably on the points in 
 debate, and I found him on both occasions alike clear and 
 decided. The only thing that vexed him on the second 
 occasion was that the "Deed of Separation" had, by some 
 oversight, not been sent to him, that on his couch, and 
 within sight of glory, he might have affixed to it his sig- 
 nature. His removal so soon, was not anticipated by any 
 one. But there was a marked grandeur in the scene 
 which the chamber of the dying pastor did exhibit a very 
 few weeks before his death. With perfect collectedness 
 on his part, we joined in devotional exercises, surrounded 
 by the family circle. Thereafter I witnessed the dying 
 patriarch settling the time and the manner of his " leaving 
 
70 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. 
 
 the manse " endeared by so many tender associations. I 
 wish Sir James Graham and the other cabinet ministers 
 of an earthly monarch had beheld the solemn scene. But 
 the ministering angels of a heaven 1}^ Kin<r were hovering 
 near, and sooner than any of us had anticipated did they 
 receive their commission to translate his disembodied 
 spirit to " an house not made with hands, eternal in the 
 heavens." 
 
 The brother who went with me to the dying bed of our 
 aged friend was the Rev. Duncan Macfarlane, D.D., of 
 Renfrew, another of our co-presbyters, whose name deserves 
 respectful record. We met by appointment of the lately 
 constituted Free Presbytery of the bounds, with a special 
 commission to convey the best wishes and sympathies 
 of the brethren, long ''one'' but now joined in a still more 
 emphatic oneness of principle and of trial. Of that noble- 
 minded minister,who ministered where Mr. Patrick Simson 
 in other days lived and laboured and died, a faithful 
 record has been published by another co-presbyter, Dr. 
 Robert Smith, of Lochwinnoch, at whose ordination I pre- 
 sided in 1815, and who lately finished his course after a 
 ministry which stretched through the chequered scenes 
 of upwards of half a century. Dr. Macfarlane was much 
 younger than either Dr. Smith or I, but he was ripe in 
 learning and in rich spiritual experience, a divine of the 
 best school, and a Hebrew scholar whom Thomas Boston 
 would have hailed with eagerness as a " fit and proper 
 man" to help him in his perplexing warfare 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 considerable number of eminently excellent and success- 
 ful ministers lived and died, and I cherish the clear remem- 
 brance of them with fond respect. Dr. John Findlay, of 
 the High Church of Paisley for nearly forty years, was 
 characterized by perspicuity of thought and language ; 
 placid but earnest appeals to all shades of hearers ; 
 pointedness of preceptive announcement: faithfulness in 
 
CONTEMPORARIES. 71 
 
 the pastoral care ; and upright and unswerving sincerity 
 of daily walk. Mr. Rankin, of the Middle Church, who 
 succeeded in 1797, Dr. John Snodgrass, a man who ranks 
 well with the " First Three" in the camp of Israel, laboured 
 among his people with great meekness and unassuming 
 faithfulness for upwards of forty years, leaving a character 
 without reproach, and not a few, both old and young, 
 ready to garnish his resting place with flowers. Dr. 
 Andrew Stewart, of Erskine, allied to the peerage by 
 marria,ge, was in every way a noble man in acuteness of 
 mind and breadth of intellectual vision ; and Dr. Robert 
 Stewart, of Leghorn, is the worthy son of such a father. 
 Prior to the disjunction of Greenock from Paisley we had 
 amongst us Dr. Scott, of the Mid Church there, " a master 
 in Israel" for rare accomplishments, for an admirably fur- 
 nished and arranged mind, and a practical zeal in the 
 pastor3hip truly primitive and apostolic. And let us not 
 forget the man who with noble Christian heroism dashed 
 from his lips the fullest cup that Scotland's church could 
 show, when the tasting of it would have involved a sacri- 
 fice of conscience more precious than all the gold of India. 
 I mean Dr. P. Macfarlane, of the West Kirk, Greenock. 
 I can only name Dr. Boog, of the Abbey; Dr. Monteith, of 
 Houston; Mr. Douglas, of Kilbarchan ; Mr. Telfer, of Johns- 
 town; Dr. McNair, of the Abbey ; and others of my earlier 
 or later acquaintanceship whose memory is fragrant, and 
 with whom, in times long gone by, I have had intercourse 
 more or less close, but ever friendly and free. And can I 
 forget in this connexion the pleasure I felt in committing 
 the care of my flock in Paisley to the ability, the piety, 
 and the pastoral diligence of my excellent successor, Mr. 
 Thomson, whom, may the Great Shepherd long spare ! 
 
 The first General Assembly where I was present as a 
 member was in 1813, when the plurality question came 
 on in the case of Kilconquhar and Dr. Ferrie, and I doubi 
 not that had either Thomson or Chalmers been present 
 on that occasion, in place of our losing it by the small 
 majority of five, we would have decidedly carried the day. 
 But still a blow was struck on that occasion which proved, 
 
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 others like- 
 minded told with tremendous efiect 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 (said Andrew Thomson) is the mouth of the Highlands, and ought 
 oertainly to have a Gaelic tongue in it.— £d. 
 
THE MODERATORSHIP CONTROVERSY. 7'^ 
 
 " 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 
 voluntar}^ associations. 
 
 In the course of the year 1836 circumstances of a very 
 painful nature occurred which had the effect of introduc- 
 ing elements of 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 plan 
 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 firmlj'' 
 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 foi 
 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 
 
74i LIFE OF KEV. DR. BURNS. 
 
 gained the ascendancy, it would be absolute folly in them 
 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 
 partly 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 attached 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 difference 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, and 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 
 anti-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 
 so ; and we wanted effectually to break the chain of caste 
 which had so long bound us all ; and it did not appear 
 to 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 frieads 
 succeeded in applying a healing restorative. 
 
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 the 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 to keep abreast 
 of the age as regards the departments of literature and 
 science. The idea was soon taken up by a respectable 
 number of the brethren in the city and neiglibourhood, 
 and it was efficiently acted on for many years, and while 
 subjects of a theological character were 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, ard 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 always 
 an agreeable minority of respectable moderates. At the 
 
76 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. 
 
 time of my joining it, in the end of 1811, I found among 
 the membership such men as Dr. Cooper, Professor of 
 Astronomy in the University ; Dr. Maclatchie, of Mearns, 
 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 wag 
 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 friendly 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 hy 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 the 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 
 
I 
 
 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 highest, if not my exclusive, wish was — and all my 
 best friends participated with me in it — that a larger 
 measure of the " sal evangelicum" 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 
 
78 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. 
 
 and 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 effect 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 my 
 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 hack through the 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 strongholds. 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 political aspect of the 
 times brought to my side some " men in DOwer," whose 
 
APPOINTMENT OF DR. CHALMERS. 7t) 
 
 I^F good opinion was not to be despised ; and a few of the 
 least " fierce" moderates befriended me. But " our men," 
 j e. those of the more marked and decided character, pru- 
 dently lay by, and quietly watched their opportunity of 
 service. Andrew Thomson, indeed, said that we had " tied 
 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 Mon- 
 erietf, whose 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- 
 date. 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. 
 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 Doctor's 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- 
 sponse came to an application from the Paisley pastor. 
 
 " Glasgow, Sept. 26th, 1815. 
 " Kev. Mr. Burns, 
 
 " My dear Sir,— I trust the time is coming when 1 shall be able 
 to satisfy my friends with such assistance as they may demand, but 
 that time has not yet arrived. 1 feel that ever since my arrival at 
 Glasgow, 1 have been pressing so hard upon the limits of my strength, 
 that I cannot go beyond the regular line of my exertions without 
 doing a positive and serious inj .iry to my constitution. In these cir- 
 cumstances, I have been under the necessity of refusing a number 
 
so LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. 
 
 of home applications for sermons ; and, feeling as I do, that any 
 spare strength I have should be directed in the Hrst 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. 
 T 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 Chalmers." 
 
CHAPTER VI. 
 
 INTEREST IN FOREIGN MISSIONS AND 
 THE HOME POOR. 
 
 HAT the state of religion in Scotland during 
 the last 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 great revival may be 
 mentioned the rise of the missionary movement in 
 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 Duff?" still lingers in my ears as associated 
 
82 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. 
 
 with the arrival of the weekly post or carrier from 
 the metropolis. Regularly on such occasions did I go 
 with or without my companions, to the humble sources 
 of information in our little town, with the significant 
 question " Any word ?" When, on the second voyage 
 of the Duff, word came that she had been taken by the 
 French frigate Buona'parte, the announcement thrilled 
 through the awakening heart of Scotland as the signal of 
 a great national calamity. The General Assembly of 
 1796 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 thousand 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 1796, helped wondrously the 
 *' move ;" and four such men as Haldane, Bogue, Ewing, 
 and Junes (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 ^lemories 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 MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 83 
 
 of Sabbath schools, and the circulation of religious tracts 
 also did much good ; and the names of John Campbell, 
 John Ritchie, 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 deadness 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, 
 and 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 (1796) as the 
 return of the days of Whitefield and the scenes of Cam- 
 bus lang. 
 
 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, 1790, till November, 1815) 
 lie before us. We have also on our table the first mis- 
 sionary magazine ever published on this continent. The 
 two beautifully s3mchronize. 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 
 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 
 
84f 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 crowded 
 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- 
 heifce : the exploits of the good ship Buff 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-like 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, 1796, the New York Mission 
 ary Society was organized, with " John M. Mason, of the 
 Scots Presbyterian Church, Cedar Street," as secretary. 
 
 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 '^^l.er 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." 
 
 In the rise and progress of the Foreign Missionary en- 
 terprise in the Church of Scotland Dr. Burns felt a pecu- 
 Lar interest. None mourned more deeply than he over 
 
DR. DUFF — COLIN CAMPBELL. 85 
 
 the sad defections of the past, when the church of his 
 fathers had forgotten her first love ; and none more 
 ardently longed for her 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 1 
 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 perse veringly at home work j 
 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 many 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 : — 
 
86 LIFE OF KEV. 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 
 good likeness of you which hangs in my study, and which has been 
 long 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 should 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, aflfection, and grati- 
 tude. I am now stirred up to write to you by hearing from my 
 Bister-in-law that you have been paying a visit to Paisley, and that 
 she has had the very great 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 
 Sabbath 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 father-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 for 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 creditable to the society 
 whose proceedings it details, and so much calculated to 
 be useful in the way of information and encouragement, 
 •that we shall give it without abridgment." 
 
 In behalf of Bible, missionary, and kindred societies he 
 
TEMPORAL WELL-BEING OF THE POOR. 8? 
 
 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 
 within 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 
 
88 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. 
 
 down. The feeling, if not expressed, was nevertheless 
 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 sj^m- 
 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. 89 
 
 absence from our ordinary fields of labour as at variance 
 with conscience, or as morally deleterious to the cause of 
 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 people 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 lier communion, Scotland 
 would have presented a far more pleasing aspect than it 
 has done. Old aflfection would have risen from its tor- 
 pidity, and associations happy 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 aflTecting appeal to 
 Sir Henry Moncrieff*, as the representative of the Evan- 
 gelical party, for help in the sad emergency. Kay, in one 
 of the very best of his caricatures, giving utterance to a 
 deeply-felt, wide-spread conviction, has shown how little 
 the Carlyles and the Grieves of the moderate clergy could 
 do to meet the swelling tide. The noble Baronet, with 
 commendable highmindedness. said in reply, " Mr. Dundas^ 
 
90 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. 
 
 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 parish 
 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 philanthropic movement in town but 
 he was to be found either at the beginning, middle, or end of it. 
 The work which specially connects the Doctor with Paisley is his 
 ' Historical Dissertations on the Law and Practice of Great Britain, 
 and particularly of Scotland, with regard to the Poor : On the 
 Modes of Charity, and on the Means of Promoting the Improvement 
 of the People,' and known as 'Burns on the Poor Law.' This 
 work is full of valuable local information, containing an epitome of 
 the Ecclesiastical History of Paisley, from 1739 to 1818 ; the Cen- 
 sus of the Population, from 1695 to 1811 ; the Ecclesiastical Pro- 
 vision for the Poor by the Established and Dissenting Churches ; a 
 History of the various Charitable and Benevolent Institutions, 
 Schools, &c., &c. ; and containing an account of the * Town Guard' 
 prior to the obtaining of the Police Act in 1806. The information 
 is most varied and interesting." 
 
 This work met with general acceptance, and received 
 the warmest commendations of the critics.* The first edi- 
 tion was rapidly exhausted, and a new edition was brought 
 out. It was quoted as the great authority on the subject. 
 Six years after its appearance, one just then rising into 
 notice, but who was afterwards destined to occupy a front 
 
 * "A mass of evidence and information, of which the rolume before us presents us 
 with a distinct and valuable abstract." 
 
 " One cannot do better than quote the excellent and judicious observations of Mr. 
 Bums in his own words." 
 
 " Our author's observations upon the manag^ement and application of the poor funds 
 are equally just and practical." 
 
 " On this as on every other view and bearing of this subject, Mr. Bums writes with 
 great information and good sense." 
 
 " The work itself, which is at once full and clear, and comprehensive in its statements 
 •nd details, can alone speak for itself." 
 
 " Were we called upon to point out any single book which contained the greatest pro- 
 portion of useful and accurate information; of just, honest, and impartial reasoning 
 upon the subject of the Poor Laws, in its broadest and most extended bearing, we would 
 not hesitate an instant in fixing upon the volume before us." 
 
 In 1841 Dr. Burns i)ubliHhed " An Enquiry into the State of the Poor, and a Plea for 
 n Government Investigation" (which soon followed), being the substance of two lectures 
 delivered before the Paisley Philosophical Institution.— Ed. 
 
WESTMINSTER EEVIEW. 91 
 
 rank in the coming struggle — Alexander Murray Dunlop, 
 the future trusty counsellor of the church — thus wrote : — 
 
 " Edinburgh, Feb. 1825. 
 
 ** Sir, — May I beg of you to do me the favour to accept of the 
 accompanying little volume, in testimony of the respect I entertain 
 for the learned author of the admirable dissertations relative to the 
 poor, to which I venture to hope my imperfect treatise may perhaps 
 serve as a sort of supplement. 
 
 " I have the honour to be, with much esteem, 
 
 " Your very obedient servant, 
 
 " Alexr. Dunlop, Je." 
 
 Though half a century has rolled away since its pub- 
 lication, this work is quoted as an authority still. The 
 Westminster Review of October, 1870, has an able article 
 " On the Scottish Poor Law," in which repeated quotations 
 are made from H and references to it. In a foot-note at the 
 beginning, the reviewer states " the principal works con- 
 sulted in this part of our enquiry are * The Scottish Poor 
 Laws,' by Scotus, Edinburgh, 1870, and a work by the 
 Rev. Robert Burns, ' Historical Dissertations on the Law 
 and Practice of Great Britain, and particularly of Scot- 
 land, with regard to the Poor/ Glasgow, 1819. 8vo. pp. 
 897." 
 
 Dr. Burns' interest in the poor was no mere thing of 
 theory. It was intensely practical. He was all the time 
 in the streets and lanes of the town on missions of be- 
 nevolence. He exhibited to the full, pure religion and 
 undefiled, by " visiting the fatherless and widows in their 
 affliction." All the local charitable institutions enjoyed 
 his advocacy and felt his care. Connexion with their 
 boards to him was no mere sinecure. He was chairman 
 of emiojration societies to facilitate the exodus of the de- 
 
92 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. 
 
 serving poor to those lands of promise which Britain's 
 colonies supplied. 
 
 In those periodical seasons of commercial stagnation to 
 which a town like Paisley, so long dependent on one great 
 staple, was subject, he was prominent among his fellow- 
 citizens in the proposing and carrying out of measures to 
 meet the prevalent distress. Without making himself a 
 fool in glorying, he might perhaps have said, " Howbeit 
 I laboured more abundantly than they all ;" nor would 
 the patient Uzzite's self-appropriated eulogium have been 
 out of place — " When the ear heard me, then it blessed me ; 
 and when the eye saw me it bore witness to me, because 
 I delivered the poor that cried, and the fatherless, and 
 him that had no helper; the blessing of him that was 
 ready to perish came upon me, and I caused the widow's 
 heart to sing for joy. I was eyes to the blind, and feet 
 was I to the lame. I was a father to the poor ; and the 
 cause which I knew not, I searched out." 
 
 The remembrance comes up to us of long rows of 
 poverty-stricken people reaching from his study desk out 
 into the street, eager to pour into his ready ear the story 
 of their woes. 
 
 Four times he visited London and leading cities of 
 England on missions for the poor. Frequently did he act 
 as a member of deputations to confer with the Ministry 
 of the day, and with prominent statesmen, with reference 
 to the condition of the suffering operatives. 
 
 We remember how proud we were to handle and to 
 read a letter he received from the Duke of Wellington on 
 the subject, which has perished with a host of others 
 
PUBLIC CHARITIES OF PAISLEY. 93 
 
 which reached him, alike from the lofty and the lowly. 
 He had a fashion of making periodical bonfires of letters 
 and of sermons, — often when we were not aware of it. 
 Thus, of the immense accumulations of nigh sixty years, 
 not over a dozen of fully written out discourses have 
 escaped the fury of the flames ; and in the general burn- 
 ings, letters whose preservation we would have coveted, 
 slipped in, sometimes by mistake, oftener intentionally. 
 Of these periods of commercial stagnation in Paisley, 
 and of Dr. Burns' connexion with her public charities, one 
 of her most public-spirited citizens, and closely identified 
 with his Paisley life, testifies :* 
 
 " I shall not say much regarding him personally, but I must ask 
 your indulgence while I state a few words regarding his labours 
 during his residence in this place, which show that there is good 
 reason for the esteem in which he is still held by us. To say 
 that Dr. Burns was an eloquent preacher of the gospel — that he was 
 the faithful and devoted pastor of a large congregation, and that 
 he was an assiduous and hard working parish minister, is only to 
 express the one half, and that probably the lesser half, of his 
 labours. Dr. Burns was something more than an eminent clergy- 
 man — he was, in the truest and best sense of the word, a citizen of 
 the town. He shrank from no labour, but threw himself with the 
 whole force of his character into every good work. During his long 
 residence among us there was no public question, no movement or 
 organization having for its object the social and political ameliora- 
 tion of the people, or the material, moral, or spiritual wellbeing of 
 the community, which did not command and receive his eloquent 
 advocacy and indefatigable working. Although I am old enough 
 to recollect Dr. Burns' settlement in Paisley, I was then too young 
 to remember many of his earlier labours, but I had ample opportu- 
 nities as I grew up, however, to witness his labours on behalf of all 
 our educational and benevolent institutions. I was early associated 
 with him in the management of Hutcheson's Charity School, and 
 for many years he was the moving spirit of the direction. He was 
 for many years chairman of the directors of our Infirmary, and de- 
 voted all his characteristic energy of character to the interests of 
 that important institution. We also know the interest he manifested 
 
 * Provost Murray, father of Professor Murray, of Queen's College, Kingston, Canada, 
 and uncle of Alexander Smith, the poet. Provost Murray's sister was married, and her 
 distinguished son baptized, by Dr. Burns.— Ed. 
 
94 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. 
 
 on behalf of the Philosophical Society, by lecturing to the membcirs 
 and by acting as its president for many years,* There is one sphere 
 of his labours on behalf of this community in connection with which 
 I was perhaps more than any other brought into contact with him. 
 Happily for our present magistracy and principal inhabitants, they 
 know little of the care and anxiety and labour which devolved on 
 former magistrates, when the town suffered so much from frequently 
 recurring periods of depression of trade, which, by throwing our arti- 
 zans idle, subjected them to the severest privations and distresses . I 
 have no recollection of the first of these seasons, which occurred in 
 181 2 ; but 1 recollect well that of 1825 and 1826. My first connection 
 with efforts for the relief of unemployed operatives was in 1837, and I 
 well recollect the active labours of Dr. Burns on that occasion ; and 
 on a similar state of matters in 1841, 1842, it was my fortune to be 
 associated with the Doctor as members of a deputation to London, 
 to press the state of matters on the attention of Government, and 
 to endeavour, by subscription, to raise money to relieve the starving 
 population of this town, and I can never forget the herculean exer- 
 tions which our friend put forth on that occasion." 
 
 As means of social improvement, Dr. Burns laid much 
 stress on "pure water and savings hanks. He bad much 
 to do with the introduction of water into the town, 
 though to the philanthropic Dr. Kerr (father of Dr. Wm. 
 Kerr, of Gait, Canada) belongs the honour of founding 
 the Water-works. 
 
 Those useful institutions for saving the earnings of the 
 poor, with which the name of Dr. Henry Duncan, of 
 Ruthwell (a special friend), is so intimately associated, he 
 strongly advocated. To encourage the movement and 
 teach his children habits of economy, he deposited in the 
 first Savings bank a sum of money to the credit of each 
 of them. We well remember how proud we were to re- 
 
 * For several years he acted as President of the Philosophical Institution, now con- 
 nected, we helieve, with the magnificent Free Library which Paisley owes, along with a 
 beautiful Public Garden, to her two public-spirited sons. Sir Peter Coats and Thomas 
 Coats, Esq. The question has been jocularly asked, " What could the 'Paisley bodies' 
 do without their Coats?" 
 
 In Dr. bums' Note Book, March 16, 1S69 (during his last visit to Paisley), occurs the 
 following:— Addressed Philosophical Institution. Retrospect. Institution began I6u8. 
 Addressed Dec. lol -', 1813, I8I0, and often afterwards, down to near tiie disruption in 
 1843, Suiijects- Schemen for the Improvement of Society, History of Astrouomy, Physi- 
 cal Scienco, Jkloral and MeuUl Pbiioiuvhy, ou Taste, Geology, 4c., &c.— Eb. 
 
INTEREST IN EMIGRATION. 
 
 95 
 
 ceive the bank book with our name in it, of what an ex- 
 haustless fortune we regarded ourselves as possessed, and 
 what an important part of our education it was for us 
 thus early to learn the lesson of saving for useful purposes 
 the money that else might have been squandered in sel- 
 fishness and sin. 
 
 His repeated presidency of emigration societies, and 
 unwearied efforts to further their objects, formed another 
 phase of his interest in the poor. Many, now useful and 
 honoured citizens in Canada, Australia, and New Zealand 
 received from him their first inspiration to emigrate, and 
 assistance in doing so. When, afterwards, he set the ex- 
 ample himself, and was "roughing it in the bush," on 
 many a weary pilgrimage, he would be saluted often 
 with the grateful greetings and hearty hand-shakings of 
 those he had befriended a score of years before. Often 
 when passing along some lonely road, little expecting it, 
 familiar forms, clad in comfortable home-spun, would issue 
 from snug shanties, and voices, whose tones called up 
 memories of the past, would ring cheerily out, " Hoo' are 
 ye Doctor ? we're sae glad to see ye 1" 
 
 There are districts of Canada mainly settled from Pais- 
 ley and neighbourhood, the hivings off at such seasons as 
 we have referred to, with whose settlement he had not a 
 little to do, and where his memory is embalmed. 
 
 His identification with the interests of the working 
 classes, and the presentation to him, during so large a 
 portion of his Paisley life, of what was a " present dis- 
 tress," pressing him on all sides, and constantly appealing 
 to his sympathies, made him alive to all measures, social 
 
96 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. 
 
 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 ^^olitics, though 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 oft 
 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. He hesitated not, even 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. Burns was always a strong advocate of Free Trade^ 
 and enemy of the Gorn 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 inscribed. 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 Principal 
 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 parishes 
 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 juiifl- 
 
98 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. 
 
 prudence, and with the laws of the Bible, than what prevailed for 
 a century before. Dr. Burns 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 off 
 with much eloquence views honourable enough to their warmth of 
 heart, but neither resting on a solid philosophy, nor sustained by 
 legitimate reas( nings from the Word of God. . . . Hence, in what 
 is now called the old system, 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 became 
 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. Burns 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. Burns 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, tends to shut up the 
 sources of private benehceuce." 
 
CHAPTER YIL 
 
 VISITS TO OXFORD AND CAMBRIDGE.* 
 
 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- 
 tion. In this I was not disappointed. Mr. John 
 Gibson Lockhart, afterwards the editor of the 
 Quarterly Review and the son-in-law of Sir Wal- 
 ter Scott, received me courteously and kindly in 
 his academical apartments, and gave me the in- 
 formation which strangers commonly seek for, in 
 regard to the varied halls of science and learning consti- 
 stituting 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 different times to Oxford and 
 Cambridge, and furnishes a specimen of a number of similar tours, made principally iu 
 connexion with public duty, — Ed. 
 
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 particular, 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, probabty 
 from the feeling 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 CAL"CUTT4. lOl 
 
 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 fidus achates^ pointing 
 to half a dozen sprightly " scholars," or "fellows" perhaps, 
 with something of the paraphernalia of college 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 (^ 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 five 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 chapters 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 
 
.1^2'; 
 
 LT^ OF REV. DR. BURNS. 
 
 and the ridiculus mus of the Koman 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 seems 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 
 filow 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 fast 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 
 
 e 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 
 f the other ! 
 
 And now was my voracious appetite fully satiated 1 
 Not quite ; for I learned that the son of my venerated old 
 friend Mr. Hinton, now in glory, was to hold his usual 
 vening service in his own chapel in the city, and as I 
 ad heard that "Young Hinton" had adopted some pecu- 
 ar opinions, I had a wish to hear him. The expositions 
 d the sermon were both evangelical and good. The 
 salms 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 struck 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 EEV. DR. BURNS. 
 
 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- 
 fessors 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 chance of hearing a professorial prelection was by 
 my going beyond the walls, and attending Professor Smyth, 
 at his lecture on " History," in the " Medical School." 
 Keadily 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 primary 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 — CHAELES SIMEON. 105 
 
 r 
 
 ^^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 
 far in advance. 
 
 The examination papers in these departments were 
 presented to me, and 1 examined them with some care ; 
 and certainly the very surface 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 aU 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 
 
106 IIFE 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 course 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 creed, 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, 
 " JNow, sir, though not permitted to sit down at any of 
 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 
 becomingf heed to the wants of the outer man; and I rather 
 
CASTE IN THE DINING HALL. 107 
 
 link not one Berkleyan among them. There appeared 
 be a regular hierarchy. The body of the large hall of 
 
 Mnity, or the " pit," was crammed with gentlemen com- 
 
 loners ; on a sort of elevated platform or dais, of perhaps 
 >ix feet above, sat the peers in solemn state ; and all 
 
 :ound us in the gallery appeared the grim forms of the 
 )oor " 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 exuviae 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 ineffable 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. 
 
CHAPTER \an. 
 
 AUTHORSHIP. 
 
 T was in the autumn of 1825, my residence 
 with my family 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 
 of Scotland. A large proportion of the manuscripts 
 collected by him had been 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. LANDSBOROUGH. 109 
 
 »er venerable grandfather. Out of the dust and the cob- 
 webs amid which these had been embedded for many years, 
 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 
 years thereafter, the "Wodrow Society" was formed, and 
 by 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 
 hght 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. 
 
 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 ancient books, Mr. Warner to!d us 
 that in the under flat of his 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, comprehending 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 Fraser, for- 
 merly of Aberdeen and afterwards of London, and one of Wodrow's regular correspon- 
 dents. It was graciously received, and in a shcirt time a ^\tt of £105 sterling bestowed 
 on the author. Says Wodrow, in a letter to his wife dated at Edinburgh during the 
 sitting of the Assembly, 1726, " I find a letter in this post from Mr. James Fraser, with 
 an order for £100 from theTreasury, and what I own the hand of Providence in, and hope 
 He will help me to improve a providence wedid not look for."— Wodrow Correspondence, 
 edited by Professor McCrie, Vol. 2, p. 5^7 ; of the new edition, 3, p. 191. The copy of 
 the order is given in the appendix to the fourth volume, and the original is among the 
 Wodrow manuscript letters. 
 
I 
 
 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 dedicate the new edition to him. A copy of the four 
 rolumes was got up in fine style, and presented by me 
 )ersonally 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 oflfioes 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 sketcli," which was characterized as " worthy of the 
 Vicar of Wakefield or the Annals of the Parish," «iay he inserted now, with- 
 out any breach of confidence or violation of the proprieties : — 
 
112 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. 
 
 In 1810, Dr. Andrew Thomson was translated from 
 Perth to Edinburgh. He soon became the chosen cham- 
 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 securing 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 the 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 been highly approved 
 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 copy, 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 a.U which he expressed himself well 
 pleased. 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 said- 
 ' 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 1660 till the revolution in 1688.'—' A 
 very valuable record it must be,' he added. After speaking a little more upon 
 the subject of the book, the King asked, * Pi'ay, sir, what situation do you 
 hold in Scotland ?' I told him, ' Please your Majesty, I 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 causes, 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 told 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 something 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 determined to do nothing rashly, 
 and they have had many things to occupy their thoughts of late. ' I remarked 
 that his Majesty's time must have been for some time past very painfully 
 engaged with these matters ; when he said, in reply, that he 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 system of paying the price 
 of labour out of the rates, and thus degrading the population of England 
 into paupers, and representing those moneys as given to the si^jjport of the 
 poor, which are, in fact, appropriated to far different objects. ' You manage 
 these things better in Scotland.' ' Please your Majesty, our poor do not 
 expect so much as the English poor. I observed a case in court, the other 
 day, where the dispute lay between 5s. 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 differ 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 
 inweaving?' I told his Majesty that weaving was our great staple— that 
 about a hundred years ago Paisley began its career as a manufacturing town 
 — that successively 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 us the wealth and 
 resources of the metropolis. I noticed, however, the great kindness of the 
 London committee in 1822 and 1826, in contributing to our fund to the 
 amount of £16,000 or £18,000. The King spoke of there being no predispo- 
 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 his time, his Majesty replied very 
 graciously, and I retired." * 
 
 * My father was, on another occasion, the bearer of a magnificent Paisley shawl to our 
 beloved Sovereign, and had an interview with her mother, the Duchess of Kent, in pre- 
 senting it. It was while visiting Ltmdon, on a mission for the poor. Of these visits, my 
 
114 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. 
 
 this powerful organ of the Evangelical party than the 
 effort made at the Assembly of 1 820 to secure its con- 
 demnation. Turn a torch on a frog-pond, and you will 
 hear the croaking. It was thus when the lamp 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, whom 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 in Paisley, 
 and when as yet personally a stranger to him, Dr. Thom- 
 
 esteemed cousin, the Rev. J. C. Burns, of Kirkliston (then of London Wall), has many 
 racy reminiscences, e.g. —My fatlier, entering the minister's seat with Ur. Baird, afte the 
 sermon had begun, whispered in the pastor's ear as he sat next him, " What Moderate 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 ytar ia20, war v>as declared between the Moderates in the church and the 
 Christian Instntctor. The managers in the Ueneri»l Assembly, tortured by the trenchant 
 periodical, passed a vote of censure upon it as ' highly injurious and calunmious." The 
 Instructor enjoyed the storm. If they wanted battle, they should have it. 
 
 " Month after mcjuth the Instructor lashed them. Assembly after assembly it kept 
 them in fear. The Evangelical party gathered courage as their champion dealt his tell- 
 lug blows. "—i>r. Cunningham'$ L\ft, pa^je 30. 
 
DR. ANDREW THOMSON'S LETTERS. 115 
 
 son opened up correspondence with him in the following 
 
 terms : — 
 
 " Edinburgh, Nov. 11th, 1811. 
 " Dear Sir, — Though personally unacquainted with you, I know 
 BO much of your character as to encourage me to address a few lines 
 to you on the subject of the Christian Listructor. 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 circulation suflSciently 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 and 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 enough 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 wishes 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 : — 
 
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 which 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, without 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 errors, 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 purpose of sup- 
 plying that defect shall be received with gratitude. Your critical 
 remarks on Reid's works may perhaps do better to stand among the 
 miscellaneous articles than among the reviews, as the book is not 
 sufficiently modern. 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- 
 deavour 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, K. A. SMIIH, DODS, BENNIE, GRIEKSON. 117 
 
 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 attainments 
 were well known, was closeted for several hours in our 
 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 adapted 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 securing 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 by 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) : — 
 
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,'! have 
 never till now had an opportunity of telling you that, though I was 
 brought up in Calvinistic principles, and was all alonjr attached to 
 them, yet, that two reviews written by you and published in the 
 Jnstfuctor, 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 interest, 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 
 Scofs Magazine. It was written by me when little more 
 than a boy, and a first 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 enabled to make out: — 
 
 1. An Essay on the Propagation of Christianity in the East, 1813. 
 
 2. Illustrations of Providence in Late Events ; a Sermon, 1834. 
 
 • Bishop Gleig and Principal Dewar. 
 
120 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. 
 
 3. A Letter to Dr. Chalmers, on the distinctive Characters of 
 
 Protestantism and Popery, 1817. — Price 23. 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. Active 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.— 7s. 6d. 
 
 10. Cecil's Address to Servants, with Introductory Essay, 1823. — Is. 
 
 11. Henry's Address to Parents on Baptism, with Life and Pre- 
 
 face. — 6d. 
 
 12. Brown of Wamphray on Prayer, with Life of the Author. — 23. 
 
 13. Brown on the Life of Faith, with Preface, 1825. — 5s. 
 
 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. 
 
 1 7. Sober Mindedness ; a Sermon to the Young, 1 828. — 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. — 33. 
 
 24. Bellamy's Letters, and Dialogues on the Nature of Love to God, 
 
 Faith in Christ, and Assurance of Salvation j with Introduc- 
 tory Essay. — 2s. 6d. 
 
 25. Religious Endowments. 
 
 26. Establishments Vindicated, pp. 60. 
 
 27. Hints on Ecclesiastical Reform, 8vo. pp. 41. 
 
 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. Fare-well Sermon, pp. 22, 1845. 
 
 38. Jewish Society, pp. 40, 1853. 
 
 39. The Eucharist, pp. 24, 1863. 
 
 40. Halyburton's Works. 
 
 41. Anti-Patronage Catechism. 
 
 A number of these works (written or edited by him) 
 went through several editions. 
 
 In consideration of his literary and philanthropic labours 
 he received from the University of Edinburgh, 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 institutions. 
 
CHAPTER IX. 
 
 CONTROVEESIES. 
 
 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 imposing 
 plausibility. It was in the spring of 1818 that 
 Dr. Chalmers was asked to plead for the Hibernian 
 Society, and he preached and published his sermon 
 on that occasion under the title of " The Doctrine of 
 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'GAVIN'S " PROTESTANT " 123 
 
 " Glasgow, 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 lor 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, and 
 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 tofijether ; so that here, 
 for once at least, the calm philosophical thinker may rest 
 assured that the odium theologicum had no place. 
 Whether the Doctor ever found time to redeem his pledge 
 to resume the discussion of the points at issue I 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 Glas- 
 gow, once told me that it was the attentive perusal of my 
 letter which led him to commence his weekly periodical 
 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 was 
 fully discussed in the Synod of Glasgow and Ayr, in con- 
 nection with the pending Emancipation 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 
 
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 same year, nearly on the same occasion, it 
 fell to me to plead at the bar of the Assembly in favour 
 of an overture from our Synod for a day of " special 
 thanksgiving," on account of the tri-centenary of the 
 Protestant Reformation. 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 ; not certainly from any disinclination to the 
 thing, or any want of gi'atitude for the blessings of the 
 Reformation, but from their dislike to the ecclesiastical 
 appointment of working-days for special thanksgiving. 
 They did not draw the distinction betwixt the fixing of 
 a Good Friday to be permanently 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 party in 
 that instance, I recollect only one specimen of argument 
 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: 
 
 " Moderator, — 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 
 
I 
 
 ANTI-POPERY CONTEOVEIISY. 125 
 
 particularly noted, and then it does not appear that Dr. 
 Erskine and his friends opposed the appointment. I am 
 inclined to think that evil is often done undesignedly by 
 pushing sound principles to an extreme, or making of 
 them an unsuitable application. 
 
 Dr. Burns 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 progress a specialty in his 
 professorial lectures. 
 
 In the evening of his days he entered the arena of Papal 
 controversy in opposition to Dr. Cahill. The 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, 
 Dut the tractate on the Eucharist was deemed of suffici- 
 ent importance to draw forth a prominent Roman 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 Romanists. During his visits 
 to Glengarry they were very kind to him. A recent number of the Montreal Witness 
 (Feb. 8, 1872) contains the following anecdote, which it describes as a " perfectly true 
 one." " When the late Vicar-General Hay, of Toronto, was on his death-bed, he suc- 
 ceeded in sending a message to the late Dr. Bums, who at tlie time lived opposite the 
 
126 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 Church 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- 
 versation with parties in the office, who informed him 
 that it was the custom of the Society to incorporate the 
 Apocrypha with those copies of the Scriptures which 
 were circulated in Continental and Eastern lands, so as 
 to render them more palatable to the adherents of the 
 Greek and Roman churches. 
 
 This admixture of the " words of the Lord which are 
 pure 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 
 bbmed. 
 
 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 
 
 Roman Catholic Bishop's Palace, when he was dying, asking the latter to come and see 
 him, ' as a neighbour, as a tellow-couiu.jman, and as a dying man.' The Doctor was 
 not at home when the message came, but as soon as he was informed of it he went over 
 to the palace. He was, however, told there that Father Hay could not then see him, as 
 he was labouring under a fit of coughing. The second time the Doctor called he wa» 
 debarred from going into the presence of the dying man by the excuse that he was asleep. 
 Soon after he had to go on a missionary tour, but before he returned Father liay had 
 pa^ed into the eternal world." — Ei>. 
 
APOCilYPHA CONTROVERSY. 127 
 
 the conviction that the Bible must be purified from this 
 remaining taint. It ought to have been accomplished by 
 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. Burns would take, and that with him, on a 
 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 coi'respondent may be 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/ question came up. It was in 
 
128 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. 
 
 1813, in connexion with the Ferrie case.* Dr. Ferrie, ' 
 when Professor of Civil History at St. Andrews, had re- 
 ceived a presentation 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 small majority of 
 five, supported him in this refusal, and reversed the Pres- 
 bytery's decision. 
 
 In 1814, however, the General Assembly passed a 
 Declaratory Act against plurality of offices, as inexpedi- 
 ent in itself, and inconsistent with the genius of the Church 
 of Scotland. An issue was raised by the ultra-Moderates, 
 who 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 Act was not however rescinded by the 
 Assembly of 1815. The Moderates continued to com- 
 plain, and in 1816 a new Act similar to that of 1814 was 
 introduced by Dr. Hill, which passed the ordeal of the 
 Presbyteries, secured the approval of the Assembly 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 Dry men, 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 Ferrie, 
 formerly a Minister of the Canada Presbyterian Church.— Ed. 
 
I 
 
 PLUKALITY CONTKOVERSY. 129 
 
 qualified" to accept the latter appointment because of the 
 incompatibility of the two offices. The Synod, 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 copy of religi- 
 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 haa 
 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. McFarlane's plurality in particular, in such a manner as 
 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 such a union will see reason, abundant reason, to adopt very different 
 views on this topic from those which they have hitherto entertained. 
 
 " We really cannot express how much we feel indebted to Mr. Bums for 
 his able, temperate 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 information to the cause for which he contends. 
 And we are certain that it must prove highly useful to all who ^ take an in- 
 terest in the question of pluralities in our church, and whose minds are not 
 totally blinded by selfishness or ambition." — Christian Instructor, April, 
 1824. 
 
130 LIFE OF 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 instance, perfectly accurate." — 
 Speech of Robert Thomson, Esq., Advocate, p. 44. " I 
 bear testimony to its 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. 
 Burns." 
 
 The book and the speech alike were regarded as mas- 
 terly and exhaustive. 
 
 * Review of the Fleport of the Dehate in the General Assembly of the Church of Scot- 
 land, on the overtures anent the Union of Offices, May, 1825, £dinbururh, 8vo. pp. vi. 
 189. Price, 3s. bd. 
 
I 
 
 CAMPBELL OF ROW. 131 
 
 In our College days, as on Sabbath morning 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 
 to 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 four years — but which, at 
 last, led to his trial before the Presbytery of Dumbarton, 
 in June, 1830, and to his deposition by the 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 heresy 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) 
 
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- 
 etructor 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 that 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 : — 
 
 " When I thought of levelling my piece among the wild fowl on 
 * the Gareloch,' it never once occurred to me that the reverbera- 
 tion of the report would be heard to such a distance as the hills and 
 the glens of Ross-shire, and yet ' true it is and of verity' that the 
 peaceful flock of the Parish of Gairloch, Ross-shire, have been 
 sadly annoyed with it ; and their worthy pastor has resolved on 
 this day (23rd February), to commence an action against the poach- 
 er on the principle of the game 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 necessary 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 damage 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. John M. Campbell 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 Linlathan code of criticism ; but mean, literally — 
 
 * Helensburgh' and ' Port Glasgow. ' 
 
 " I apprehend that the whole mischief has been occasioned by a 
 misspelling of the name. The parish is uniformly spelled Gair- 
 loch. The lake is as uniformly spelt Gareloch. The proper ortho- 
 graphy has been adopted on the title-page of the present pamplilet, 
 and the publisher will attend to the correction in future. 
 
I 
 
 GARELOCH HERESY — VOLUNTARY CONTROVERSY. ISS 
 
 * ' The thing might perhaps have been designated as the * RoTf 
 Heresy/ but afraid that my old friend Mr. Story, of Roseneath, 
 might feel himself overlooked, I thought it best to adopt a desig- 
 nation which might comprehend both sides of that beautiful arm of 
 the Clyde, and therefore called it, very harmlessly at the momenfc 
 — ' The Gabeloch Heresy.' " 
 
 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 Church." 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 waa 
 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 righteousness of God, and of that envying and 
 strife which are the parents of confusion and every evil 
 work. * 
 
 The pulpit, 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 
 
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 ard powerful letter, demonstrates the truth of his 
 assertion. He prives Mr. Smart a thorough and merited castigation. Dr. Burns' 
 pamphlet is remarkably worthy of universal perusal. Like all the works of the same 
 author, it >;:ives proof of great acuteness and extensive reading. Mr. Smart will have 
 the good sense not to attempt a reply." This estimate, by reviewers on his »wai side, of 
 the last mentioned brochure, reflects that formed of the others.— Ed. 
 
DRS. BAIRD AND SMART — CHARLES LECKIE. 135 
 
 ^■errors and defects, and in the spirit of a true reformer, 
 ^^bent all his energies to the setting in order the things that 
 were wanting. His " Essay on the Duties of the Elder- 
 ship" and "Hints on Ecclesiastical Eeform/' furnish 
 ample evidence of this. 
 
 Nor were private friendships interfered with by the 
 keenness of public debate. Baird and Smart were " foe- 
 men worthy of his steel" — men of fine personal presence 
 and genial social qualities. When in the clash of intel- 
 lectual gladiatorship, they ran tilt against each other, it 
 was " Greek meeting Greek" — but they were always fast 
 friends, and lived in love. In works of common interest, 
 such as Bible, Tract and other Evangelistic and Reform- 
 atory movements, they cordially co-operated. 
 
 Mutual tokens were interchanged. One of the most 
 valued treasures in my library is a ponderous volume of 
 " Mastricht's Theology," — " presented to the Rev. Robert 
 Burns, D. D., as a small token of sincere friendship by 
 Archibald Baird." 
 
 The Voluntary Controversy gave rise to a number of 
 practised professional debaters who, not connected with 
 the regular army, did considerable execution. Prominent 
 amongst these was Charles Leckie, of Scoto-Irish parent- 
 age, a plai% working-man in a Barrhead cotton-mill. Of 
 quick natural parts, sharp as a needle, lithe and supple in 
 his physical and mental build ; amid the hum of the 
 factory, and the din and dust of the spindles, his had 
 been the " pursuit of knowledge under difficulties." Dr. 
 Bums was one of the first to discover and develop his 
 
136 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. 
 
 powers. Leckie was a Reformed Presbyterian, brought 
 up at the feet of that noble theologian, Andrew Syming- 
 ton. For six years, but a stone wall separated our house in 
 Oakshawhead from the Cameronian church and manse. 
 We often worshipped there. Our families were on the 
 most intimate footing. In that " School of the Prophets," 
 a very plain upper room, the pastor of St. George's was 
 often found. He counted Dr. Symington's six weeks 
 course better far than the six months of his day. Leckie 
 thus was thrown in his way, and Barrhead being so near, 
 he often came in to see us. My father aided him by 
 counsel and otherwise in the publication of his " Scrip- 
 ture References" — a larger and fuller work than Dr. 
 Chalmers' on the same theme — and encouraged his early 
 efforts. With a voracious appetite for books and a most 
 retentive memory, accompanied with great coolness and 
 keenness, he proved a formidable debater, and with that 
 chivalrous hero, Macgill Crichton, scoured the country in 
 many an ecclesiastical foray. We remember distinctly 
 his discussions with " citizen John" Kennedy, for nights 
 in succession, in the old High Church. 
 
 " His debating power was quite marvellous. His ready wit and 
 brilliant repartee came, perhaps, from his Irish blood ; but he 
 drove home the rivets of his arguments like a Scot of the Scots. 
 He was a slightly made man, of middle height. His features were 
 small and regular, his complexion dark, and his coal-black hair 
 stood straight up from his compact forehead. A working man him- 
 self, he could deal with meetings of the working classes as no other 
 man in Scotland could do. He encountered many a stormy scene, 
 battling with the fierce democracy, but his good humour was never 
 ruffled, and his cool self-possession never failed. He was a gentle, 
 happy, humble-hearted Christian. The Established Church found 
 one of its most effective defenders in this remarkable cotton-spin- 
 ner. Some of his public debates lasted for three, and some of them 
 
I 
 
 LECKIE'S debates — CHURCH CONTROVEBSY. IST 
 
 for ten, consecntive evenings. Sometimes the eager crowd sat on 
 till gray daylight streamed in upon them."* 
 
 The sixth great controversy in which Dr. Burns took 
 part, was that which rent the Church in twain. 
 
 From its magnitude and importance, we must devote 
 to it a distinct chapter, in which we shall again enjoy the 
 aid of his own pen, which has failed us during most of 
 this one. 
 
 *Life of William Cunidngham, D. D., pp. 91-2. 
 
CHAPTER X, 
 
 THE TEN YEAES' CONFLICT. 
 
 R SOMERVILLE, of Jedburgh, in his Auto- 
 biography (p. 86) thus speaks : " So far 
 from believing secession and schisms to be 
 evils, I am inclined to think that they have 
 been productive of beneficial effects with 
 respect to the Ecclesiastical Establishment, 
 as well as the more important interests of religion." 
 He goes on to adduce the usual illustrations, in 
 this relation, of the agency of Providence in over- 
 ruling rivalships for ultimate good. We should 
 be thankful that it is so, and especially that, 
 during the darkest period of Scotland's Church 
 History, the Secession Churches were the means of main- 
 taining the steady light of evangelical truth in many 
 parts of the land that would otherwise have been aban- 
 doned to all the horrors of spiritual despotism and spiritual 
 4eath. 
 
 I have not a doubt as to the truth of the averment that 
 iias been frequently made, and certainly it cannot be too 
 
I 
 
 GOLDEN OPPORTUNITIES LOST. 139 
 
 frequently remembered, that all the miseries which con- 
 firmed despotism on the one hand, and unbridled licentious- 
 ness on the other, have brought on nations may be traced 
 to the criminal neglect of those most deeply interested in 
 them to seize the proper opportunity of relief; to lay hold 
 of circumstances and events in the ordinary course of 
 things that might, had their voice been listened to in 
 proper time, have been the means of first alleviating and 
 then removing most grievous calamities. When the fa- 
 vourable moment is thus lost, it is seldom recovered. The 
 oppressing or offending party becomes stronger and strong- 
 er, the sufiering party becomes weaker and weaker, for 
 impartial men are ever ready to ask the question : Why 
 did you not seize your favourable opportunity when you 
 had it ? The lengthened controversies in Scotland about 
 reform in the State, and the unpleasant position of things 
 at present (1867) in England on subjects and issues pre- 
 cisely similar, may suggest suitable illustrations of my 
 meaning. Precisely the same view may be taken of the 
 state of things in the Established Church of Scotland 
 when " the ten years' conflict" began. A finer opportu- 
 nity never presented itself before of obtaining redress of 
 the grievance of Patronage, — either by actual removal, or 
 by a substantial bridling or muzzling (not by " muffling," 
 as was done) the troublesome monster, — than was presented 
 in 1833 and 1834, when a movement was successfully 
 made in the House of Commons to have the subject fairly 
 canvassed. No doubt there were various motives ac- 
 tuating different parties in the matter; and after all, 
 an effective and final remedy might not have been secured. 
 But certainly the Church should have seized the opportu- 
 nity, and lent all that influence to the " reform" movement 
 which she had been giving, and continued to give to the 
 plan of " extension." One great benefit incidentally 
 resulted from that movem.ent. I mean the setting aside 
 by Mr. Colquhoun's, or rather Mr. Alexander Dunlop's bill, 
 of the claims of parochial patrons to the nominations of 
 ministers to all new chui'ches, whether endowed or unen- 
 dowed, on assuming the rank of parochial charges. The 
 
140 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. 
 
 General Assembly had no difficulty in plying the civil 
 authorities for aid, by public grants, for new 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 
 those questions which I never could answer in any way 
 that did not affect seriously her moral bearings, in regard 
 to that political partizanship from which every church 
 that has succumbed to it has invariably suffered. 
 
 Dr. McCrie, in his admirable and well-timed appeal in 
 1833, 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 coming from such a quarter must have 
 had — makes this remark : " Time was, and it has not long 
 gone by, when such a proposal would not have been 
 listened to in our supreme court, when it would have 
 been difficult to find a person possessed of sufficient nerve 
 even to move such a proposal." The 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 1833. There was a fine lay movement in 
 Glasgow for the removal of the grievance of patronage, 
 headed by such excellent men as Mr. Henry Knox, Mr. 
 John Robertson, Mr. John Wright, and others ; and a 
 pretty voluminously signed appeal was got up and present- 
 ed to the General Assembly. The friends were certainly at 
 a loss to find at once a clerical member of the house who 
 would boldly, 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 
 Hamilton, of Strathblane, 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 
 
I 
 
 ROOT AND BKANCH PETITION — TWO MISTAKES. 141 
 
 anti-patronage man, I was not quite " clear' as to whether 
 the time was come for a movement of the kind ; and not 
 being 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, although . 
 both wise and calm, struggled so long with the hydra be- 
 fore he saw, as at length (and alas ! too late) he did, that 
 patronage was a power for evil not to be regulated, but 
 put down. 
 
 Since 1830 it has been my 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 egregiously in performing 
 her duty to her people. The one is, in that she overlooked 
 the great question of internal reform for the sake of simple 
 extension ; and the second is, that the Evangelical party, 
 after they gained the majority, did not sympathize with 
 the ascendancy of the advocates of political reform in the 
 State. Whatever may be said of the evil that arises from 
 clergymen taking part in politics, it is beyond all question, 
 that, whether they do so or not, a Church as established 
 by law is, of necessity, so linked with the Government of 
 the country, 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 immemorial 
 there has been an irreconcilable difference betwixt the 
 two parties in the State, the friends of civil and religious 
 liberty on the one hand, and the conservators of things 
 as they are, on the other. And who can now doubt of 
 the fact that the Evangelical party in the Church of 
 Scotland were never privileged to bask in the smiles of 
 dominant Toryism ? The Church should have been more 
 alive to the mighty vantage ground she had acquired by 
 the passing of the Reform Bill — should have rallied round 
 the warm and honest-hearted friends of that measure — 
 should have moved with unbroken ranks in the direction 
 of vital reform ; and, when the first gleam of hope for a 
 century had dawned on her, should have demanded, if 
 not the literal abolition of patronage, at least a practical 
 
142 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. 
 
 relaxation of its iron grasp. Well do I recollect the com- 
 munication made to the anti-patronage committee of 
 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, 1884, 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 petitions 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 was 
 merely the exjpretised 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 
 Johnston, 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 Paisley. 
 
 The sudden and unexpected event of Dr. Thomson's 
 death, on February the 9th, 1S31, was a sad blow to the 
 progress of enlightened reform, as the sequel soon shewed. 
 
 It was in the Assembly of 1832 that the question of 
 popular rights in the election of ministers was first tried, 
 on an overture for enquiry 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 broken, and the question came up in the follow- 
 ing year. Though not a member of that Assembly, I was 
 one of those who were invited to meet in the house of 
 Lord Moncriefi", for private consultation on the aubject, a 
 
I 
 
 LORD MONCRIEFF — THE VETO LAW. 143= 
 
 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 decisions, in its favour. Many were of the same 
 opinion ; but as it was resolved by a large majority of the 
 friends of popular 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 triumphantly carried by a 
 majority of forty-seven. 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 ownreforming friends was carried over a minority 
 of thirty-three, which was all that then openly rallied 
 around the anti-patronage standard. It was not till 1842 
 that an anti-patronage measure was moved for, and car- 
 ried by a large majority ; but alas ! it was too late. The 
 favourable moment had been lost, and never could be re- 
 gained. Dr. McCrie was sadly grieved at the issue of 
 the overture of 1833, so different from what he had ad- 
 vised in his very able pamphlet on the subject, and so 
 different from what in all probability Dr. Andrew Thomson 
 would have advocated. 
 
 While these things were going on in the supreme court 
 of the Church, Sir George Sinclair, and the other friends 
 in the House of Commons favourable to popular rights, 
 moved for a committee of enquiry into the working of the 
 
144 LIFE OF KEV. DR. BUBNS. 
 
 patronage system in Scotland since its re-enactment in 
 1712. There is no reason to question 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 do 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 
 overthrow 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 reason for thinking that Dr. Chalmers was 
 friendly to the proposal of a parliamentary 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 was induced to change his opinion, 
 solely in deference 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 discuss 
 a question more closely connected with Scotland's best 
 wishes and interests than all the "bones and sinews" of 
 the reform question in civil polity, it is not easy to con- 
 jecture. I am inclined to think that his mind was still 
 
 * One of the most effective speechea delivered by ray father in the General Assembly, 
 during ^he Church controversy, was in reply to Mr. Whig-ham, an eminent legal func- 
 tionary. It was published in pamphlet form, along with speeches of Dr. Candlish and 
 Earle Monteith, and forms a favourable specimen of a great variety of similar addresses 
 delivered by him in the various Church Courta and at public meetings on the absorbing 
 *jeme.— Ed. 
 
LORD MONCRIEFF ON PATRONAGE. 14*5 
 
 influenced more or less by the views thrown out by his 
 illustrious father in the appendix to his Life 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 search- 
 ing review of the whole subject; not indeed with a fore- 
 gone conclusion as to a "root 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 Moncrieff leaves us 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 spiritual independence in any shape so long as the 
 present patronage laws are in force. The patron is not 
 within the Church or in any way responsible to her. He 
 stands at the door of her every church and effectually 
 defies her 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 
 interpreted, as an invincible bar in the way of her accept- 
 ing the benefits of a civil establishment ; and yet, even so 
 placed, she pressed for its removal. We adopt a " muffling " 
 measure of our own to keep things as they are, in place 
 of asking at once a legislative enactment for our people, 
 and yet we resolve to stand by our spiritual independence. 
 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. 
 
146 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. 
 
 Going into the library of the House 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 fully examined. Nothing could have given me 
 more pleasure at the time than such a proposal. " Come 
 this way," said the Doctor, and he led me to a desk where 
 sat one of the clerks of the House, who had the sacred 
 deposit under lock and key. That gentleman had no 
 sympathy with us in our feelings at all, and while we 
 were gazing on and " gloating over" the venerable volumes, 
 he broke out into this objurgatory soliloquy : " May a fire 
 from heaven burn all you and your books and your Uni- 
 versal Kirks ! " We laughed heartily at the ebullition of 
 Puseyite venom on the part of this disciple of Laud, but 
 little did we then think that the quasi prediction would 
 be fulfilled in October following, by a conflagration which 
 soon reduced the committee rooms and all their contents 
 to ashes. Till 1860 I had a lingering hope that the vener- 
 able MS., so long kept back nefariously from its owners, 
 and at length placed almost in their grasp, might in some 
 way or other have escaped the flames. In 1860, a visit 
 with my worthy friend Professor Lorimer, of the Presby- 
 terian College of Theology, to the rooms of Zion College 
 library, dispelled for ever all my hopes. 
 
 I have always looked back on the part I took in the 
 Commons' Committee of 1834 on Patronage with perfect 
 complacence. There were three points in particular on 
 which I think that my labours in London at that time 
 were of some service 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 proceedings 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 
 haste. 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 period of the fVimous 
 "Schism Bill" of 1767, which Principal Robertson, by a 
 small majority, succeeded in consigning to a " committee 
 
MR. BELL AND NON-INTRUSION. 147 
 
 ef oblivion," in opposition to the motion of Dr. Wither- 
 spoon that the overture should be sent down to presby- 
 teries. In the third place, with the help of a clever young 
 English 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 con as regards the famous Veto Act, which had 
 not been passed, but which was carried triumphantly 
 several weeks after in the General Assembly. Some lead- 
 ing members of the anti-patronage committee felt that 
 the successful issue of the motion of Lord Moncrieff on 
 that occasion superseded farther action on their part, and 
 the committee, which certainly deserved better treatment 
 at our hands, forthwith dissolved. Tn addition, Principal 
 Cunningham repeatedly told me that he felt himself per- 
 fectly satisfied with the reason assigned by me for holding 
 that the Act of 1690 was in no sense a patronage act, but 
 rather a well-regulated method of popular election. 
 
 It was in the Ml of 1839 that the non-intrusion commit- 
 tee circulated an official account of the progress of the work 
 on which they were engaged. The title of the piece is, 
 " The State of the Case," and it has the authority of Dr. 
 Chalmers and of all the members of the committee at- 
 tached to it. Just about a year after, Mr. Bell, Procura- 
 tor of the Church, made his famous speech in the Commis- 
 sion of the Assembly, 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," before the public; for Dr. 
 Candlish, Dr. Cunningham, Mr. Maitland Makgill, and 
 hundreds of other men of mark in the Church, had now 
 come under a bond or engagement to see patronage torn 
 "up root and branch. In these varied movements great 
 ability was shewn, and most satisfactory defences of the 
 Church put forth. Such of us as had always been anti- 
 patronage men did of course go readily along with the 
 tide, now beginning to flow in the right direction ; but 
 we could not but feel that it was rather too late. The 
 
148 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, that patronage was not a 
 boon liable to abuse and requiring to be regulated, but an 
 evil to be put 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 Edinburgh, 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 the 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 fatally 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 ulterior 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 branch, but am clear that 
 
THE FORTY. 149 
 
 law, and patronage would have lost entirely its character 
 as a marketable commodity. Any approved measures for 
 Scotland would in all probability 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 principles far more in harmony with the theory 
 of internal jurisdiction and spiritual independence. Vol- 
 untaryism, as a system of national or of public procedure 
 and action, would have gone down, and Moderatism would 
 have " conclusively " obtained a mortal blow. Even the 
 Veto, with all its cumbrous habiliments, wrought well for 
 the ten years of its existence as a regulating law. During 
 its continuance, many of the men who became afterwards 
 leaders in the Disruption were brought into the ChurcL. 
 Much as I disliked the 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, " O 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- 
 
150 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. 
 
 lowed the Disruption. Nor was he ever happier in hia 
 work. The glorious liberty 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 felt 
 in these happy halcyon Disruption times, a lightsomeness, 
 B, buoyancy, an enthusiasm, before unknown. 
 
 By a singular coincidence, during 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 which 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 (in common w4th many) to receive a 
 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 Thanksgiving and a thousand auditors. 
 
 " Remember me affectionately to the ladies, and thank Miss Ann, 
 in name of Charles Leckie, for the valuable present." 
 
I 
 
 UNITED COMMUNION SERVICK 151 
 
 The above seems to have been a United Communion 
 Service — in which, at least, the Free High and Free 
 St. George's participated. The "Tent" was brought 
 into requisition; and seated on the green sod that roofed 
 the sepulchres of loved ones long departed, with moss- 
 covered monuments on every side, and the memories of 
 other days crowding thick 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. 
 
CHAPTER XI. 
 
 GLASGOW COLONIAL SOCIETY.* 
 
 HE society originated with Dr. Bums. Seve- 
 ral considerations contributed 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 Brunswick, where for 
 fifteen years he wielded a powerful influence for 
 good. 
 
 The dark days of 1816 and 1820 had sent forth 
 many worthy weavers from Paisley. Dire necessity drove 
 them from the mother-land to seek shelter and sustenance 
 in the wilds of Canada. Roughing it in the bush, they 
 
 • Chronologically, the " Colonial Society" should have come in earlier ; but as it is sr 
 intimately connected with my father's New World life, I thinlc it preferrable tliat il 
 should appear immediately before his first visit to America and his subsequent remova 
 thither.— Ed. 
 
APPEALS FOR CANADA. 153 
 
 found ample provision for the life that now is, but as 
 regards the higher provision for the life that is to come, 
 they " began to be in want." 
 
 Appeals, coming time and again from parties closely 
 connected with his own pastoral charge, wrought upon 
 one whose ear was ever acutely sensitive to the cry of 
 misery, and whose whole soul beat in sympathy with the 
 wants and the woes of the poor. The emigrant's cry was 
 to him like the beckoning Macedonian to the Apostle of 
 the Gentiles in his Troas chamber. 
 
 Although he did not, as yet feel, that the " come over' 
 and help us" was addressed to him personally, he felt 
 that necessity was laid upon him at least to do what in 
 him lay to send others. 
 
 In 1824 he conferred with a few friends, but the Plu- 
 rality Controversy came on for a season to monopolize his 
 regards, and the severe and protracted illness which fol- 
 lowed the publication of his Plurality volume — the result 
 of the intense mental strain which its rapid preparation 
 occasioned — delayed the immediate carrying out of his 
 cherished project. 
 
 The Eev. James Marshall, then settled in Glasgow, 
 afterwards of the Tolbooth, Edinburgh, son-in-law of 
 Legh Richmond, subsequently a minister of the Episcopal 
 Church, was one of the early friends of the Colonies with 
 whom he conferred. 
 
 On the 15th April, 1825, the Society was formed at a 
 large and influential meeting, held in the Trades' Hall, 
 Glasgow. The chair was occupied by the Right Honour- 
 able George, Earl of Dalhousie, G. C. B., "Captain-Gen- 
 
154 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. 
 
 €ral and Governor-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 propounded his plan, which 
 met with general acceptance. He was at once appointed 
 principal Secretary — a post which he filled with universal 
 a.pproval during the 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 he had 
 associated with him such men as Drs. Scott, of Greenock, 
 Beith, Stirling (then of Hope St. Gaelic Church, Glas- 
 gow), Welsh, Edinburgh (then of St. David's, Glasgow), 
 <jreddes, 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 respon- 
 sibility ; and the truth of the following kindly utterance 
 of one of them, (Dr. Henderson) in proposing the 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 Dv all : 
 
 •' I want particularly to draw attention here, to the fact, which 
 •many know as well as myself, but which in the course of time some 
 may not know, that we have had before us this evening, the father 
 of the w hole Colonial Missionary enterprise. 
 
 " In 1825, before the Church had contemplated any operation of 
 the kind, our venerable friend (Dr. Burns), borne on in the ex- 
 uberance of his zeal and interest on behalf of our expatriated 
 bretiiren, instituted what at that time was known by the name of 
 the North American Colonial Society, and the labours of that Society 
 lay upon his shoulders. I lent a little help to him, in a kind of 
 secondary capacity for several years after I went to Glasgow, but 
 had nothing else to do with it ; and this has made me fully aware 
 of the great debt of obligation under which the colonies of Britain, 
 «ast and west, have been laid by this venerable man. I cannot 
 
MINISTERS TO THE NORTH AMERICAN COLONIES. 155 
 
 (mt think this Assembly will feel that he is entitled to a warm re- 
 ception, when they see him coming here in his old age, with almost 
 unabated vigour, and certainly unabated zeal, prosecuting the 
 aame good work." 
 
 It was not loDg till the Society secured the confidence 
 of 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 
 its notice. 
 
 Many excellent ministers were, through means of the 
 Society, settled in all the Provinces. In one year eight 
 were settled over fixed charges and nine sent out as 
 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 'Hhe 
 rest. Dr. Candlish, who, at the- time of his application to 
 the Society, was acting as assistant to the Rev. Mr. 
 Gregor, of Bonhill, Dumbartonshire." * 
 
 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 been the quiet Canadian vil 
 lage, instead of the most prominent position in the Scot- 
 tish metropolis. 
 
 But " all this cometh forth from the Lord of Hosts," 
 
 * Some time previous to Dr. Caudlish's application, Dr. Cunnin<?ham had been settled 
 at Greenock, as assistant and successor to jJr. Scott of the Mid Parish. Old Kilpatrick 
 had become vacant. Meeting- a friend one day, Dr. Cunningham said. — "I mean to 
 try for Kilpatrick to keep out a Moderate, of the name of Candlish, who is assistant to 
 the minister of Boiihiil." — Dr. Cunningham's Life. 
 
156 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. 
 
 " who appointetli the bounds of our habitation," and who 
 
 is "wonderful in counsel and excellent in working." 
 
 We subjoin the main portions of the letters of Dr. 
 
 Candlish : — 
 
 " BoNHiLL, 30th March, 1833. 
 '* Rev. Dr. Bums, 
 
 " Rev. Sir. — Knowing the interest which you take in the settle- 
 ment of Christian churches in British North America, I take the 
 liberty, though a stranger, of addressing you on the subject. I am 
 disposed to regard that country as an interesting field of ministerial 
 labour, and as I understand that at present there seems to be a 
 call for additional labourers there, I beg to express my desire of serv- 
 ing the Great Head of the Church in any part of his vineyard where 
 a fair opening may appear, and my willingness accordingly, to 
 accept of any appointment which may hold out the reasonable pros- 
 pect of professional usefulness and respectability. I have been a 
 preacher of the Gospel now for about live years, during nearly four 
 of which T have been regularly engaged in the discharge of pulpit 
 duty, and latterly of parochial duty also, as an assistant in Glas- 
 gow, and in my present situation. I hope, therefore, that I maybe 
 in some measure warranted in my wish of forming a more inti- 
 mate and permanent connection with a congregation of my own. 
 
 " Should you deem this application worthy of notice and encour- 
 agement, you will not, I am persuaded, find any difficulty in mak- 
 ing the necessary inquiries, as to character and qualifications. 
 Meantime it may be sufficient to mention the name of Dr. Smyth, 
 of St. George's, Glasgow, as a person to whom I am well known. I 
 shall be glad to receive any information which you may have to 
 communicate, and to attend to any suggestions which you may 
 nake. 
 
 " I have the honour to be. Rev. Sir, 
 
 " Yours, very respectfully, 
 
 " Robert S. Candlish, 
 ** Assistant to the Minister of Bonhill." 
 
 "BoNHiLL, 13th April, 1833. 
 
 "Rev. Sir, — Since I saw you yesterday I have been consider- 
 ing what you said, relative to the appointment to Ancaster, and 1 
 think it may be proper before anytliing more is done in the matter, 
 to explain my views to you more fully than I was quite prepared 
 to do at the time. The appointment seems in many respects a suit- 
 able one, more especially, as I understand it to hold out a reason- 
 ably distinct promise and prospect of being fixed and permanent. 
 I confess, that at present, occupying a situation in the church at 
 
CORRESPONDENCE WITH DR. CANDLISH. 157 
 
 h\)me, which, however humble, yet affords me the opportunity of 
 regular professional employment in the duties of a parish, I should 
 not feel myself either called upon or indeed at liberty to go to Can- 
 ada in the character of a general missionary, and to wait when 
 there, for a call from a particular congregation ; though knowing 
 the want of ministers and the urgency of many congregations, I 
 should scarcely hesitate, if not professionally engaged already, on 
 the encouragement afforded by your Society to do so. I think, 
 however, it must be obvious, that being fully occupied in the care 
 of a parish and congregation here, I should be unjustifiable, as 
 well in point of duty as of prudence, were I to resign my present 
 employment without some security of being immediately employed 
 as a minister in the same way. 
 
 " This I contemplated in my former letter to you, when I ex- 
 pressed my willingness to accept of any appointment which held 
 out the prospect of professional usefulness and respectability. In 
 so far, therefore, as the appointment in question is not of a vague 
 nature, it better suits my views than any of those recently made. 
 1 will state to you, however, candidly, a probable difficulty which I 
 see in the way of my accepting the appointment, should it be offered 
 to me. The willingness which I have expressed to serve the Church 
 and the Head of the Church abroad, is not the result of a hastily 
 formed resolution on my part, (for I have previously and deliber- 
 ately looked on Canada as a very important and promising field of 
 ministerial labour, and one having peculiar claims on the attention 
 of our church,) but the announcement of it will be sudden as re- 
 spects my friends. Now 1 am not disposed to take so important a 
 step in life, in a hurried or seemingly precipitate manner ; and T 
 very much fear it will not be possible for me now to make the 
 necessary arrangements for leaving this couutry before the season 
 is too far advanced, or in sufficient time for occupying the situation 
 in view. Besides that, circumstances of a private nature would 
 make an abrupt departure very inconvenient, some regard is plain- 
 ly due to my engagement and situation as assistant here. Though 
 not bound to remain for any definite period, I am unwilling sud- 
 denly to desert my post ; and there are considerations which make 
 me feel, that by leaving this place immediately and without some 
 little preparation, I should not only put the minister to very seri- 
 ous inconvenience, but materially incommode and perhaps injure 
 the congregation. I have received great kindness from Mr. Gregor 
 and it would ill become me to do any thing in this affair without 
 consulting as far as possible his feelings. I know that he will be 
 averse to part with me, and I should wish that he had such previous 
 notice of my intention as might enable him better to dispense with 
 my services. I may mention too, that within these few months I 
 have, with Mr. Gregor's concurrence, begun to adopt measures for 
 the more effectual discharge than hitherto of parochial duty here, 
 and I feel myself in some degree bound to see these measures 
 
158 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. 
 
 carried into effect, at least so far as to prevent them falling to the 
 ground in the event of my going away. The works and plans 
 which I have begun I should like to leave in such a state that any 
 one coming in my place may, without difficulty, take them up. 
 These reasons may require my continuing here for some time lunger, 
 and may render it impossible for me, with propriety, to leave my 
 present charge, before the summer is pretty well over. At least, I 
 think it fair to state they will weigh with me considerably in de- 
 liberating upon my call to go abroad sooner. 
 
 ' * I wished to make known my disposition to forward by my per- 
 sonal exertions the aim of your excellent Society. That disposi- 
 tion I still retain, and I am prepared accordingly to give all serious 
 attention to any proposal that may be made to me. If, therefore, 
 after the explanation I have given, you should be disposed to re- 
 commend me as a fit person for the situation in question, I will 
 fairly estimate its advantages and recommendations, and will not, 
 without some sufficient reason of duty or necessity, hastily decline 
 it. But at the same time, it is for you to judge from the circum- 
 stances which I have stated, how far it may not be expedient to 
 suggest, for the present appointment, some other individual more 
 disengaged than I am, and better prepared for an immediate depar- 
 ture. Only I trust you will believe that my purpose, though, f om 
 necessity, it may be deferred for a while, is not on that account 
 abandoned, and that I am not the less inclined on any subsequent 
 occasion, if I shall be at liberty to look abroad for employment, to 
 consider the claims of our countrymen in the colonies. 
 
 " In the meantime, I have thought it right to send you this fuU 
 statement, in justice to you and to myself, as well as to the gentle- 
 man with whom the appointment rests, that he may not lose time 
 and opportunity by relying upon aid from a quarter where, per- 
 haps, he might be unavoidably disappointed. 
 
 ' ' I have to request your excuse for the trouble which I give you, 
 and your candid interpretation of what I have said and written. 
 You will give me credit I hope, for sincerity at least, and for an 
 honest desire not to be misunderstood. 
 
 " With gratitude to you for the kind and cordial reception which 
 you gave me. 
 
 ** I remain, Rev. Sir, 
 
 ** Very respectfully yours, 
 
 '•Robert S. Candlish." 
 
 The Bev. Henry Gordon, of Gananoque, narrates a visit 
 to Paisley " on occasion of his application to the Society." 
 " Having, along with Wm.Turnbull Leach (now a minister 
 of the Episcopal Church in Canada), been designated by 
 
I 
 
 REV. H. GORDON, OF GANANOQUE. 15^ 
 
 the ' Glasgow Colonial Society' as missionaries in Upper 
 Canada, and on the 15th July, 1833, been ordained by the 
 Presbytery of Haddington, we visited Dr. Burns at his 
 house in Paisley, and in his official capacity as Secretary 
 enjoyed close intercourse with him. I was impressed by 
 the affability of his manner, the vigour, vivacity and 
 freshness of his mental powers ; the graceful ease of his 
 conversation. But that which most deserved admiration 
 and which was most congenial to the objects of the visit,, 
 was the devotedness with which he had given himself to 
 the interest of the Kedeemer's Kingdom in the British 
 Colonies. The one thing into which your father threw 
 his remarkably active mind, was to have an active part 
 in the diffusing Christ's name, and His truths in their 
 purity, over Britain's Colonial territory. Even now that 
 I am writing, methinks I see the joy on his face, when, 
 from the large map of Canada, fixed on the walls of his 
 study, he pointed out to Mr. Leach and myself the topo- 
 graphy of Canada with such painstaking particularity 
 of description, as that we almost believed that we were 
 actually there, choosing our location. That Canada had 
 even then, i. e., in 1883, a large space and no mere corner 
 in his heart, was too manifest to admit of concealment. 
 But little did I then know to what this interest in Can- 
 ada's truest well-being would grow." 
 
 The Rev. Thomas Alexander has furnished me with a 
 copy of the commission he received from the Colonial 
 Society, on the 2nd June, 1834. It guarantees him £100 a 
 year — and closes with " and so, may his labours be bless- 
 ed, and his health preserved by the Head of the Church." 
 
160 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. 
 
 Mr. Alexander gives a graphic account of his journey, 
 in which the suffering of shipwreck at the mouth of the 
 Moira, near Belleville, comes in as a prominent incident. 
 He hastened forward to Cobourg to succeed the Rev. 
 Matthew Miller, a remarkable man sent out by the Soci- 
 ety in July, 1833, who was drowned in the Bay of 
 Quints, in February, 1834. 
 
 The Eighth Report of the Society, submitted by Dr. 
 Bums, on the 10th March, 1835, speaks of the "Directors 
 having designated the Rev. Messrs. Bayne and Anderson 
 as missionaries to the Upper Province, and these gentle- 
 men they cannot but consider as a valuable accession to 
 the roll of colonial labourers." 
 
 Had the Society done no more than donated to Canada 
 two such men as John Bayne and Matthew Miller, its 
 labours would not have been in vain. But others besides 
 those named — such as Rintoul, Roger, Reid, Stark, Mc- 
 Oill,and many like minded, hold honorable place on its roll 
 
 The secretaryship was no sinecure. The selection an( 
 :sending of missionaries ; the correspondence with them 
 the attendance at the meetings of committee ; the advo 
 cacy of the Society's claims in pulpit and on platform ; 
 the collecting tours in England, Scotland and Ireland — 
 and a multiplicity of nameless duties, devolved on Dr. 
 Burns a vast amount of labour. The following letters to 
 Dr. Welsh,* will give a glimpse of the kind of work he 
 had to do, and a specimen of many kindred communica- 
 tions ; — 
 
 Dr. David Welsh, then of St. David's, Glasgow, afterwards Professor of Ecclesiasti 
 ca History in the University of Edinburgh, who, as retiring Moderator tabled the 
 Protest on the memorable 18th May, 1843. li« was one of the earlier colleajfues of Dr. 
 Burns in the secretaryship.— Ed. 
 
HIGHLAND TRIP. MR. CLARK. 161 
 
 *' Aberdeen, Sept. 3, 1830. 
 
 *' My Dear Sir, — Your patience will be nearly exhausted by my 
 silence, if it has not given place to a sympathising concern, lest your 
 colleague Secretary should have been swallowed up in the Caledonian 
 Canal, or mayhap, in the more terrific whirlpools of Corrievrekin. 
 No ! I have been preserved amid my journeyings and voyagings 
 — minus only my voice — which left me in consequence of a bad 
 cold caught in or about Loch Lochy, by sleeping all night on the 
 sofa of the cabin, and without any covering. 
 
 *' It prevented me from preaching at Inverness, on the forenoon 
 of Sabbath, as designed. Our cause was ably and powerfully 
 pleaded by my friend, Mr. Clark, who is much respected in Inver- 
 ness, and from whom we received much attention. I tried to preach, 
 or something like it, in the evening, and collected well. We had 
 also a public meeting in the church on Monday evening, when I 
 entered more at large into details, and collected again. This will 
 issue in the appointment of a permanent committee of correspond- 
 ence, and I have not the smallest doubt that, from the interest 
 excited, and the spirit which I saw at work in our favour, Inverness 
 will be a most important auxiliary to us. I could have spent a 
 month at least, preaching every day, and if you had been with me 
 we could have done much more than we did, but a fair commence- 
 ment has been made, and nearly £40 realized. 
 
 '' I went on to Tain, and although I did not preach, I got from Dr. 
 Mcintosh, £40, as a donation from the Northern Missionary Society, 
 and the promise of permanent aid. A good deal of information 
 also from him, regarding candidates. He is a warm friend to our 
 Society, and a most judicious and valuable adviser. I saw also 
 Messrs. Carment, of Rosskeen, and Flyter, of Alness, who are very 
 friendly ; visited the garrison at Fort George, and arranged for a 
 sermon in the chapel, by Mr. Clark, when it is expected the 
 ofl&cers and men will give a day's pay. Many of them have been in 
 America, and almost all of them have friends there. We had a 
 sermon and collection at Forres, by Mr. Clark, as I had to come 
 on to Elgin, in the splendid church of which I preached on Wed- 
 nesday, and collected £5 — small — but large for that cold place. 
 The clergy very languid. The only person whom I found at all 
 anxious to serve us, was the editor of the Elgin Courier, who pro- 
 mised to advocate our cause by the insertion of intelligence at any 
 time. This may be of use. Here I hope to do some good, as also 
 at Peterhead and Fraserburgh. 
 
 *' Dundee and Perth will also be visited." 
 
 The notices in the foregoing letter of his trip to the 
 North of Scotland, suggests another at a subsequent date 
 to the South. It was one of the pleasantest of all his 
 
 L 
 
162 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. 
 
 journeys, and rendered memorable by his association, 
 during it, with Dr. Chalmers. 
 
 In June, 1838, he received from Sir Andrew Agnew, 
 the following : — 
 
 ** LocHNAW Castle, 
 ** Stranraer, 7th June, 1838. 
 
 " Rev. Dr. Burns. Dear Sir, — Your avowed attachment to 
 the best interests of the Colonies, prompts me to make a request of 
 you at this time . Doctor Chalmers has kindly promised to visit us 
 here immediately on his return from France (God willing). It is 
 an old engagement of many months standing, and which he has 
 repeatedly ratified. His object is to awaken from sleep our torpid 
 country, by giving repeated addresses on Church Extension and 
 the other schemes of the General Assembly. 
 
 ' ' In order to make as lively an impression as possible on the 
 minds of our people, I am very desirous of seeing at the same time, 
 all the several schemes personated by the living eminent divines of 
 the national church — and I 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 steamboat, (the Lochryan) arriving every Friday, (in 12 
 hours from Glasgow,) at Stranraer, would land you within six 
 miles, and there a carriage would be in readiness to bring you up. 
 Dr. C. expects to be here the end of July — but of this more particu- 
 larly I shall make it my business to let you 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 
 exists amongst us, for some such enlivening proceeding, I will not 
 attempt to describe. You are yourself, I doubt not, well aware of 
 the state of the case ; and I confidently look to your helping hand 
 for benevolent aid. 
 
 " Trusting that you will pardon the liberty which I have taken^ 
 '* I have the honour to be, 
 " My dear Sir, 
 
 ** Yours very faithfully, 
 
 * ' Andrew Agnew. " 
 
 This kind invitation Dr. Bums accepted, though he had 
 some hesitation about the "Combination" scheme. 
 Whereupon Sir Andrew wrote again : — 
 
I 
 
 SIR ANDREW AGNEW. VISIT TO LOCHNAW. 163 
 
 **LocHNAW Castle, 
 "Stranraer, 16th July, 1838. 
 
 " My Dear Sir, — ^You are very kind in so cordially expressing 
 your willingness to give us the pleasure of seeing you here. 
 
 '* There is much force in what you say regarding the difficulty of 
 pleading more than one of the four great schemes of the church at 
 the same time. But on the other hand, it has been found that 
 where an interest in any one scheme has been awakened, atten- 
 tion is the more easily called to all the others, A general awaken- 
 ing is what we desire. How that is to be done can be best told, 
 when we have felt our way a little more. The Church Extension 
 cause is, as yet, but partially understood, and would need all the 
 aid which it can receive from its Rev'd. champion and his friends. 
 
 *' As to the Colonies, we have largely contributed towards the 
 augmentation of their population, and there are few families 
 amongst us where a chord would not vibrate, if touched by the 
 Master's hand. Kor must this be your only visit ; having found 
 out your way, and discovered that steam-power has brought ua 
 to your very d )or, you will admit the responsibility which now 
 lies upon you to make our latent energies marketable, by making 
 Stranraer a suburb of Paisley. Let us have a spiritual as well as a 
 temporal benefit from the new facilities of intercourse. 
 
 " Hoping to be enabled very soon to have the pleasure of writing 
 more distinctly as to the day of Dr. Chalmers' coming, 
 
 "I have the honour to be, 
 " My dear Sir, 
 
 *' Yours very faithfully, 
 
 " Andrew Agnew," 
 
 On the 31st July, Sir Andrew writes a third time, inti- 
 mating that the week from the 19th to the 26th August 
 had been agreed upon, and urging Dr. Burns to take part 
 with Dr. Chalmers " in this awakening." Dr. Chalmers' 
 journal testifies what a week of unalloyed enjoyment it 
 was. Dr. Burns was accompanied by one of the members 
 of his family. He had a peculiar pleasure in meeting 
 with the Presbytery of Stranraer. In 1799, that Presby- 
 tery had licensed his brother William, " the Pastor of 
 Kilsyth," who had been tutor to Sir James Hay, of Park, 
 Glenluce. 
 
164 LIFE OF KEV. DR. BURNS. 
 
 In 1835, this presbytery published an address to the 
 congregations within its bounds, warmly eulogising the 
 efforts of the Colonial Society and commending it to their 
 confidence and support. The very name too of the pious 
 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 hearty 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 
 shelves of more than one Canadian college were richly 
 replenished. The correspondence of the old veteran with 
 Dr. Burns, was terminated only by his death. 
 
 Dr. Macintosh McKay, who subsequently evinced 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 founder of the Agnew family came over with William the Con- 
 queror. The Parliamentary Act of 1661, which confirms the family in the 
 possession of its rights and x^rivileges, quaintly describes them as having 
 been enjoyed " past allmemorie of man." But though, as descended from 
 the Agnews of Normandy and the de Courcys of Kingsale, (Premier Baron 
 of Ireland,) there flowed m his veins the blood of two of the most ancient 
 and honourable families in the Kingdom, no heart beat more truly than that 
 of the chivalrous Champion of the Sabbath, in sympathy with the senti- 
 ment ;— 
 
 ** Howe'er it be, it seems to me 
 'Tis only noble to be good : 
 Kind hearts are more than coronets, 
 And simple faith, than Norman blood." — Ed. 
 
I 
 
 DR. MACKAY. CANADIAN COLLEGE. I(j5 
 
 Dunoon, February, 1836, complaining of the indifference 
 of a leading town, which was destined, afterwards, to 
 witness special divine manifestations, and whose response 
 to the fine sermons of himself and colleague, reached the 
 magnificent aggregate of £13 5s. 5Jd. 
 
 " I am inclined to say : ' I'll gang nae mair to yon toon.' 
 
 " The Ladies' Society of Perth extends over the entire county. 
 Would it not be a grand matter if the ladies of every Highland 
 county would be stirred up to form a similar association. 
 
 " I trust some plan will be formed to draw together an Associa- 
 tion of Ladies in Glasgow, similar to Mrs. McKay's in Edinburgh* 
 
 " The church must put on a bolder attitude, and arouse itself to 
 energy in the missionary cause at home and abroad. Some united, 
 concentrated, powerful movement must be made all over the church. 
 The Colonies must not be neglected. I am quite certain that if minis- 
 ters will do their duty, the people will do theirs. Some plan musi 
 be matured at next General Assembly for the forming of every 
 parish into an Auxiliary and Missionary Society for Home and 
 Foreign purposes. 
 
 " At all events I am quite clear about one thing — that you ought 
 to get charge as convener of that committee of the Assembly on 
 Colonial Churches, at the head of which the venerable Princi- 
 pal has slept for some years back, I trust, my dear sir, 
 you will continue having your heart encouraged and your hands 
 strengthened of God, to plead and speed forward the cause of pre- 
 cious, perishing souls. Many, I doubt not, are the blessings on 
 your head 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 
 of love, and may these be 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, 1829, twelve years prior to 
 the passage of the Royal Charter which formally ushered 
 it into existence, and three years prior to the first move- 
 ment of the Canadian Church. In his Report of the fol- 
 
166 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. 
 
 lowing year, (27th April, 1880,) Dr. Burns returns to the 
 subject thus : — "The Colonies seem particularly to stand 
 in need of institutions sacred to the great 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 1839, a Bill was obtained from the Local Legislature 
 to establish a college in connexion with the Church ol 
 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 
 
 *'nie Abstract Minutes of 1831, covering four small pages, contrast strikingly with 
 the lb4 well filled pajjes of our "Acts and Proceedings" in 1871. These minutes aio x 
 mirror reflecting the relative progress of the church these forty years. 
 
queen's and dalhousie colleges. 167 
 
 Kingston," when on the 16th 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 
 ^ave 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 efficient 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 Dods, 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 days do you hope to find a man posses- 
 sed of all the qualifications that you require ? In some of the things 
 you mention I am much rusted. The rust, however, might by a 
 little scouring rub ofi. 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 hiatus valde dejiendus in my mental furniture 
 should not form an insuperable bar to any further negotiation, 1 
 certainly am not disposed to put the proposal lightly away. But 
 in the meanwhile, if the above defect be not fatal, I should like to 
 have some more particular information with regard to the College, 
 of the existence of which I had not previously heard. I do not feel 
 much 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 Providence, or to the prospect of greater usefulness. 
 With thanks for your ofi"er of recommendation and best -wishes." 
 
168 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. 
 
 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 Kev. William Rintoul are very 
 numerous, dating from his leaving Maryport onwards, and 
 reflect his earnest spirit. As pastor 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 the 
 
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 department of 
 the field, noticing the arrival of many missionaries who 
 always found counsel and comfort under his hospitable roof. 
 He has graphic 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 favour 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 offered 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 
 his many letters he remarks, "Our family left Paisley in 1801." He possessed many 
 most estimable qualities, and proved ever a true friend of the Presbyterian Church. 
 
170 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. 
 
 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 Royal Charter, the 
 importance of the preparatory education, and of securing 
 first-class men, his published letter to Principal Macfar- 
 lane and Dr. Burns, 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 
 spirit 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 may 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 colleague in Dublin for many j'ears was the late Dr. James Carlilc, 
 the former competitor of my father for the Low Church, Paisley, who was succeeded by 
 Dr. John Hall, now of New Yori<. 
 
DRS. SCOTT, WELSH, HENDERSON, ETC. 171 
 
 of 1824, that he might make the first move in connexion 
 v^ith the formation of the Society. 
 
 The venerable Dr. Scott, of Greenock, eulogised so 
 warmly by Dr. Cunningham, who acted for some time as 
 his colleague, was one of the early Secretaries of the Soci- 
 ety. He encloses letters from John Gait, the celebrated 
 author,* respecting preachers from Scotland — dwells on 
 the kind of men required — the difficulty in getting them, 
 and the importance of exceeding prudence in the selec- 
 tion. 
 
 Dr. Welsh, the leader on the Disruption day, when 
 Minister of St. David's, Glasgow, acted as a Secretary of 
 the Society for some time, and these volumes contain a 
 number of his letters, as also of Principal Lee, of Edin- 
 burgh, Principal Macfarlane, of Glasgow, Dr. Patrick 
 Macfarlane, of Greenock, Dr. Macdonald, of Ferintosh, 
 Fraser, of Kirkhill, Kennedy, of Killearnan and Red- 
 castle, and a host of others. Elect ladies also, who felt a 
 deep interest in the Colonies, such as the Lady Mary 
 Murray, and Mrs. Mackay, of Rockfield. 
 
 The estimate formed of the gratuitous services rendered 
 by Dr. Burns to the Colonies in connexion with this 
 Society, may be judged from two, out of many, testi- 
 monies. 
 
 In a letter received from Dr. Henderson (of date, 
 <jlasgow, 28th September, 1871,) Dr. Burns' quondam 
 associate in the Secretaryship, that accomplished veteran 
 in the service, says : — 
 
 "1 was never gifted as Dr. Burns was, with a strongly retentive 
 anemory, and now in my age much of what was committed to it has 
 
 * Father of Sir A. T. and of Judge Gait. 
 
172 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. 
 
 faded from it ;' T am glad however to have the opportunity to ex- 
 press my distinct conviction, strongly held and often expressed, 
 that among Scotsmen, Dr. Burns is entitled to be regarded as the 
 greatest benefactor ('spiritually) to the Presbyterian people of Can- 
 ada, and the founder of her Presbyterian Church. 
 
 '* Before the institution of the Colonial scheme by the Church at 
 home, or about 1833 or '34, there were 50 ministers or thereby in 
 Nova Scotia, and about 30 in Canada (of the Church of Scotland). 
 These were mainly the fruits of the operations of the North Ameri- 
 can Colonial Society, of which Dr. Bums was the life and soul. 
 At that time the missionary spirit had hardly began to awake in 
 the Established Church. 
 
 "The time and pains taken in this work by Dr. Bums cannot 
 be told. Besides his labours in this Glasgow Society, on behalf of 
 the American Colonies, he stirred up an interest in the good cause 
 in the church courts — moving overtures in the Synod of Glasgow 
 and Ayr, which, being carried there, Principal McFarlane intro- 
 duced to the Assembly ; and on his motion, the Colonial scheme was 
 adopted, and thereupon the Glasgow Colonial Society superseded. 
 
 " Most of us felt that on the ground of ability, zeal, and prepara- 
 tion of every kind for the oifice, Dr. Bums was entitled to the 
 honour of the convenership of the committee. Some of the best 
 friends of the Society looked upon the appointment of Principal 
 McFarlane to this office instead, as alike ungenerous and unwise. 
 Dr. Bums himself took no affront, but continued as a member of 
 the Assembly's Committee to take the same interest and to spend 
 the same energy in the service of the Assembly's scheme, as he had 
 done in the Glasgow Society. 
 
 " I have stated this, being aware that some time ago, the claim 
 was put forth by a minister of the Established Church, to the 
 origination of the Colonial as also of the Foreign Mission scheme. 
 
 '* The truth is precisely as I have here stated it. In regard to 
 both schemes, the case is precisely similar. Dr. Inglis moved the 
 Assembly to the instituticm of the Indian Mission. Principal Mc- 
 Farlane moved there, as I have said, the adoption of the Colonial 
 scheme, but a *' Scottish Missionary Society" and a " Glasgow 
 Colonial Society," stood outside the General Assembly, the results 
 of private Christian faith and zeal ; and if they did not knock 
 for admission, year after year, did not do so because they had 
 often been neglected or refused, and had been shown no sign of 
 willingness to open to them. This, I believe, is the simple truth." 
 
 The Rev. Dr. Beith, of Stirling, who, like Dr. Hender- 
 son, was one of the most honoured Moderators of the Free 
 Church of Scotland, and the immediate predecessor of Dt, 
 Cunningham in the office, was also for two years (1825-7,) 
 
-DR. BEfTH OF STIRLING. 173 
 
 associated with my father as Colonial Secretary of 
 the Society. 
 
 In a very interesting letter from Dr. Beith, (dated 
 Stirling, November 20th, 1871,) he says : — 
 
 " Your father was the very life and soul of the enterprise. 1 
 acted very much as his suh. If he did not himself write all the 
 letters (and they were very many,) which our work required, he 
 always indicated to me by jottings on letters, what required to be 
 answered, or by various hints, when any correspondence was not in 
 answer, the nature of the communications which, on such occasions, 
 were to be made to friends abroad and at home. The late Mr. 
 Richard Kidston was the practical man on our committee. 
 His intimate acquaintance with our American Colonies, and especi- 
 ally with those parts of the country which engaged our attention 
 and called forth our energies, eminently qualified him to be our 
 guide and adviser. He was at ttie time immersed in the cares and 
 the toils of an extensive business, but he never was absent from 
 our Council board when the business of the Society was to be done. 
 Your father's confidence in Mr, Kidston was unbounded. I am 
 not aware that we ever had reason to think, that we. on any occa- 
 sion erred, when we yielded our convictions to the views of Mr. 
 Kidston. 
 
 * •' The wonderful facility with which your father wrote often 
 amazed me. So did the quantity of matter which flowed from his 
 pen. I have no record of the amount of the correspondence which 
 occurred during the years I acted with him, but I know it was very 
 great. 
 
 "Dr. Welsh became my successor on my leaving Glasgow for a 
 parish in the Highlands. He used to compare notes with me. 
 His impressions of the incessant, irrepressible and productive activi- 
 ty of Dr. Burns, were qviite in accordance with mine. 
 
 " A few years ago your father paid me at Stirling a most gratify- 
 ing visit of two or three days. Among other subjects on which we 
 conversed, was our intercourse with each other in the Colonial 
 Society. 
 
 " All the world knows and has heard of the wonders of his mem- 
 ory — a memory, as Dr. Guthrie once said to me, approaching the 
 divine - but the experience I had of its power on this occasion far 
 surpassed all my previous conceptions. Numerous, almost innu- 
 merable as the letters had been which he wrote, or which I wrote 
 by his instructions, during the years of our colleagueship, he 
 seemed to remember them all ; the dates on which they wore 
 written — the persons to whom they were addressed — the subjects 
 they discussed — and the results which followed in the case of every 
 one of them. As for me, I could recall no more than simply that I 
 
174 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. 
 
 had been engaged with him, as I have narrated ; that generally, but 
 none of the details. 
 
 " A poor widow woman of my congregation had a son who, about 
 twenty years before this visit of your father to me, had emigrated 
 to Canada with his wife and one or two children . She had heard 
 from him once or twice after his arrival in Toronto or Montreal — 
 but he had ceased to write to her, and though she had repeatedly 
 addressed letters to him, she had had no reply. She heard of your 
 father's being with me. She came modestly to entreat me to speak 
 to Dr. Burns ; perhaps he knew something of her son and of his 
 family. I introduced her to him after asking his consent. He re- 
 ceived her with the greatest kindness and affability. She told her 
 story. He put some questions referring to the communications 
 she had had from her son — his personal appearance, handicraft, 
 &c. After a pause of a few minutes, he came out with a flood of 
 information to the poor woman. He knew her son for he had been 
 of his congregation for a time. He knew his wife, all their chil- 
 dren, their names. He told all about their present condition, and 
 the occupations of those who had gone out from their father's house 
 — everything. ' The poor woman's heart overflowed with thankful- 
 ness. She often afterwards spoke to me of the * comfort Dr. 
 Burns had given her. ' 
 
 " I saw less of Dr. Burns on the occasion of his last visit to 
 this country than on the occasion of his previous visit. On 
 one of the Sabbaths during the Assembly, 1857 (I think), 
 we preached as colleagues for Dr. Clason. We afterwards dined 
 together at his house. They were both my seniors by several 
 years. Their conversation led them back to the scenes and exploits 
 of the days of other times. Dr. Olason's memory was good, but it 
 was not to be compared with that of Dr. Burns. For him — he re- 
 membered every text of every sermon he had preached in his 
 earliest days — and all the way down. He remembered, moreover, 
 all that he had ever heard from our host, who seemed not a little 
 gratified, and not a little inclined to draw largely on the stores of 
 your father's marvellous recollections of the past. It was to me a 
 pleasant and a profitable evening. 
 
 " Of course you know how much your father was the friend of 
 Dr. Andrew Thomson, and how much he was his coadjutor in 
 public matters — how much he aided in the great Evangelical move- 
 ment which distinguished the beginning of this century. That 
 matter does not belong to me herj. 
 
 *' With much desire for your success in the work with which you 
 are engaged, and with expressions oi profound respect and regard 
 for the memory of your father, 
 
 " I am, very faithfully yours, 
 
 " Alex'r Beith.*' 
 
CHAPTER XII. 
 
 VISIT TO THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA IN 
 1844. 
 
 HE Churches in America were not slow in 
 sending fraternal greetings to their new- 
 born sister in Scotland, and kind offers of 
 substantial aid. It was therefore deemed 
 advisable, at an early day, to send a depu- 
 tation to the New World. Dr. Burns was asked 
 to join Dr. Cunningham, of Edinburgh, who 
 had preceded him, on this mission. His devoted 
 nephew, on being asked when he could start for 
 China, significantly pointed to his portmanteau^ 
 and said, " To-morrow." He, too, was " ready to depart 
 on the morrow." The first insertions in his " Journal of 
 my Visit to America" run thus : 
 
 " Thursday, Jan. 2, 1844.— Went from Kilsyth to Edinburgh, to 
 see friends, and to hear Dr. Chalmers lecture. Heard him twice. 
 
176 LIFE OF REV. Dll. BURNS. 
 
 Visited the College. Dr. C. carried the resolution of the committee 
 of that mornin<if. Dr. C. had hinted it before. 
 
 " 3rd. — Settled matters ; came west ; attended congregational 
 soiree in the evening, and made it known. 
 
 " 4th. — Arranged supplies ; made necessary calls ; to Glasgow ; 
 ticket in mail to Liverpool. 
 
 *' 5th. —Set off." 
 
 On the eve of his sailing we received the following : 
 
 *' Liverpool, Monday, 8th Jan., 1844. 
 " About to embark at 12, with good hopes. Sabbath spent agree- 
 ably here, preaching twice, &c. Let us often meet at the throne 
 of our gracious Father. I am well, thank God." 
 
 The voyage was long, but not unpleasant. Two old 
 residents of Montreal were his fellow-passengers; and 
 through one of them we have learned how useful and 
 pleasant he was on shipboard. She has shewn me a copj 
 of his Life of Dr. McGill with which he presented her as 
 they parted, bearing a kindly address. 
 
 Now, again, the autobiography comes to our aid. 
 
 Dr. Cunningham was appointed a deputy to the Ameri- 
 can Churches on behalf of the building fund of the Free 
 Church of Scotland in the end of 1843, the year of the 
 memorable " disruption." On my reaching New York on 
 the 7th of February, 1844, I found that he had spent two 
 weeks in that city, had preached in various churches, had 
 addressed different public meetings, and had organised an 
 effective committee for obtaining subscriptions from the 
 friends of the Free Church. With that committee I had 
 a most agreeable conference on the day after my arrival, 
 and advocated the cause in two of the largest churches on 
 the Sabbath following. In the meantime I received a 
 letter from Dr. Cunningham, then at Philadelphia, urging 
 me to come on immediately, so as to aid him at a great 
 public meeting in that city, fixed for the Tuesday follow- 
 ing. Leaving New York on Monday morning by train, I 
 spent the greater part of that day and the following at 
 Princeton, with our excellent friends Drs. Alexander, Mil- 
 
THE PRINCETON DIVINES. SOUTHERN VISIT. 177 
 
 ler, and Hodge. As I was the guest of the first of these 
 eminent men, we had much conversation together on the 
 subject of our visit to America. Dr. Cunningham had 
 been with the Princeton friends for several days, and they 
 had assisted him in his arrangements. My venerable host 
 told me that, in addition to the plan drawn out, he thought 
 that Dr. Cunningham had limi5ed himself rather too much 
 in his range of visits, and named a variety of large and 
 wealthy cities in the South which ought not to be over- 
 looked. It did not appear that Dr. Cunningham had 
 specially noted the slave element as a hindrance in the 
 case. Neither did I ; for besides trying to obtain contri- 
 butions to our cause, I felt a great desire to bear a testi- 
 mony in our own way against a great national sin, and iz 
 seemed to me verj^ necessary that we should see something 
 of the character of the system to which we were opposed ; 
 indeed my "testifying processes" began that very after- 
 noon, for in my note book of that date there stands the 
 question put by me to my venerable host, " What is the 
 reason, Dr. A., why the Old School Presbyterian Church 
 has relinquished its former testimony against slavery V* 
 And the answer follows : " Sir, slavery is a political insti- 
 tution, with which the Church has nothing to do." My 
 very decided answer on the opposite side led to a keen 
 but friendly discussion on several points at issue ; but in 
 was never hinted, either by my kind friends or myself, 
 that our views on slavery would interpose a bar in the 
 way of our paying a visit to the wealthy cities of the 
 South, that we might preach the gospel in the various 
 pulpits that might be put at our service, and let the 
 hearers throw their dollars into the plate without any 
 questions being asked by us or by any one else. The ques- 
 tion of casuistry involved in this view of the matter did 
 not present itself either to Dr. Cunningham or myself till 
 about ten days after, when a good part of our collecting 
 work was over in the cities of Philadelphia and Baltimore, 
 and the idea of a " raid" upon the South was again mooted. 
 Dr. Cunningham was much set against it, but I was sup- 
 ported in my views of the case by our friend the Bev. Geo. 
 
 M 
 
178 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. 
 
 Lewis, another deputy who had just arrived, and whose 
 admirable volume of " Impressions" ought to be carefully 
 studied by every one who takes an interest in these mat- 
 ters. The doctor uniformly held that we had just one 
 thing to aim at, and that was to obtain aid to our build- 
 ing fund. He was moreover of opinion that our zeal in 
 "testifying" would not be valued highly by our kind 
 cousins ; and moreover there was something hazardous in 
 the thing. I dare say he was right ; but my way of rea- 
 soning, be it right or wrong, lay here — that the advocacy 
 of the slave system was by no means confined to the South ; 
 that in the cities of New York and Philadelphia I had 
 found more keenness on the wrong side than we were likely 
 to meet with in the South ; that the links of connexion 
 between the middle states and the South on this questio 
 vexata were very strong ; that we were not entitled to ad- 
 vance indiscriminate charges against the very mixed 
 population of a whole country ; and that our friendly re- 
 monstrances and suggestions might be of some service in 
 strengthening and cheering many of the citizens both in 
 the North and in the South who sighed for a better 
 system. From jottings in my note-book I see that on my 
 return to New York two excellent anti-slavery men — 
 Messrs. Tappan and Jocelyn — called on me, and asked of 
 mean explanation of our proceedings in the premises; 
 and that such was the substance of my reply to them. 
 After all, we did not penetrate far into the South, and 
 our receipts from that quarter did not exceed a fifth of 
 the gross amount ; and much kindness did we experience 
 there. With many excellent men, both clerical and lay, did 
 we meet ; and our " Naphtalis," or " feats of quiet witness 
 bearing," did not at all interfere with a scathless retreat. 
 Dr. Cunningham and I were together as deputies from 
 the beginning of February till the beginning of April. 
 Our proceedings were of course marked by considerable 
 uniformity, but great was the variety of character, both 
 national and Christian, that met our eyes. Dr. Cunningham 
 has furnished a fine vidimus of the results of his visit to 
 the States in the admirable article from his pen in the 
 
DR. RAINY IN CUNNINGHAM'S LIFE. 179 
 
 January number of the North British Review for 1845. 
 I may just add, that in all our arrangements for public 
 meetings and addresses, we always placed the Principal 
 in the foreground as the vigorous and successful ex- 
 pounder of " Acts of Parliament " and " claims of right." 
 But he generally unbended when he paid a tribute to 
 worthy " Janet Frazer," and the " Crook in the Wa'". On 
 such occasion the starched features of our dear American 
 friends were pleasantly relaxed into something not unlike 
 a laugh by the exciting contrast betwixt the out{]^oings of 
 a massive intellect and the playings of fancy around the 
 circle of a " good story." 
 
 Dr. Rainy touches thus on these " testifying processes," 
 in the deeply interesting Life of Principal Cunningham : 
 
 " Dr. Bums was associated with Dr. Cunningham during a large 
 part of their operations. - 
 
 '* Any one who knew the Doctor, so full of knowledge, so pro- 
 nounced in judgment, so instantaneous, copious, and unintermit- 
 tent in utterance, so prompt to give voice to the precise reactions 
 which the impressions of the moment caused. Any one who knew 
 how little he dreamt of giving offence, and how much he enjoyed a 
 tut with any apparently objectionable person or idea, may conceive 
 the situation. Such a man — his mind full of the animation of those 
 days and of the excitement of travel — coming into the midst of a 
 society new to him, where many things were unexpected, and al) 
 more or less strange, was sure to have plenty of thoughts. As at 
 home, so in America, he was always ready, in public and private, 
 to tell his auditors all he thought of their ways and their institu- 
 tions, great and small ; and this in a flow of rounded sentences so 
 finished, plentiful, and epigrammatic, that his hearers must have 
 thought he had spent his whole voyage across the Atlantic in con- 
 cocting them. I have seen a letter from Dr. Bums, in which he 
 notes that his * testifying processes ' began on the very day he ar- 
 rived at Princeton. He reports also that Dr. Cunningham did not 
 consider ' testifying ' to be any part of their appointed work, nor 
 likely to be highly valued by our American cousins. It turned out, 
 however, as he intimates, that his efforts in this line did not prove 
 to have any tendency to produce serious embarrassment. 
 
 *' The source of this was simply that immense constitutional 
 eagerness which was closely connected with some of Dr. Bums' best 
 gifts and aptitudes for service. As age tamed it down, not quench- 
 ing what it chastened, it left that venerable old man, whose ap- 
 pearances in extreme old age in recent General Assemblies were 
 
180 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. 
 
 surpassed only by his appearances in the pulpit : the zeal for his 
 Master's cause and gospel absorbing and ennobling all the man, and 
 the wonderful stream of utterance coming more manifestly than ever 
 from a pure heart, and a good conscience, and faith unfeigned."* 
 
 One of Dr. Burns' pastoral letters will serve to show 
 how faithfully, during his absence, he kept his attached 
 flock apprised of his doings. 
 
 "Philadelphia, 14th Feby., 1844. 
 
 " Dear Christian Friends, — 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 squally 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 at home ; but the weather on the 
 whole has been dry and healthy, and I never felt more vigorous. 
 Since I 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 principal Presbyterian churches 
 of that city, and of addressing in the evening a very large congre- 
 gation in another of the churches, belonging to the Dutch Reformed 
 Church ; and of preaching the same truths which my predeces- 
 sor Witherspoon proclaimed on the spot, at Princeton 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 people at large, were brought together. It was easy to 
 gather them on the shortest notice, for there had been there for 
 some time past a deep religious impression, a revival 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. Cimningham, and collected 500 dollars), but on Romans 
 XV. 29 : " When I come to you, I wiU come in the fulness of the 
 blessing of the gospel of Christ. " 
 
 '* The College is a noble institution, and so is the Seminary for 
 theology adjoining. I heard my friend and correspondent, Dr. 
 Charles Hodge, Professor of Divinity there, author of the Exposition 
 of the Epistle to the Romans, examine one of the finest classes of stu- 
 dents I ever saw, on the all-important doctrine of justification ; and 
 raj intercourse with the President and Drs. Millar, Alexander, &c., 
 was most agreeable. '' Are they not a noble class of men ?" said 
 Dr. Cunningham. And yesterday, when we met for the first time 
 on this side the great waters, my impression was, and is, that they 
 were so ; and that the educational institutions of Princeton, with 
 
 * Dr. Cxmningham's Life, pp. 210-12. 
 
PRINCETON. WITHERSPOON. 181 
 
 their seventeen professors and tutors, most of them eminent in 
 literature and theology, form one of the finest nurseries for the 
 American churches. I stood by the grave of Witherspoon, 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 hia 
 house at the head of Lady Lane, Paisley. I saw the original draw- 
 ing of his picture, which is quite diflferent from the engraving I 
 have in Paisley ; and old Dr. Green, his venerable pupil, and his 
 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 about Paisley did they put to me, and I promised 
 to see them again, 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 know, is pastor. It is midnight. To-morrow 
 we go to Baltimore, where two Sabbaths must be 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 found, as under- 
 superintendents, 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 think 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 hear 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 aflfectionate Pastor, 
 
 "RoBT. Burns, 
 
 "P.S. Please read this to the congregation, and to any of the 
 parishioners, and to Mr. Crichton."* 
 
 * Mr. Tliomas Crichton, bom in 1761, died in November, 1844 ; father of the General 
 Kirk Session in Paisley, and friend of Dr. Witherspoon, whose life he wrote in the Chris- 
 tian Instructor. He was 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 
 
182 LIFE OF KEV. DR. BURNS. 
 
 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, — ^You 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 whi3h is equally accessible from all 
 points and from all distances. I have heard repeatedly of you and 
 William, and I write you both by this mail. It will cost you the 
 postage, for I canixot pay it here, — all the postage taken on this side 
 IS a cent ; in other words, a halfpenny ! 
 
 " 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 you 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 of the Bible in the Indian language, translated by John 
 Eliot, the celebrated apostle of the American Indians, whose place 
 of labour 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 living lion of this country, 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." 
 
 BOD in Paisley favovired us, aided the Colonial Society at its start. With another son, 
 Jobii. who settled in Caniula in 1820, my father used of ten to sojourn when "roughing it 
 la the bush." 
 
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 af-terwards per- 
 fectly to understand the distinction of President Edwards between 
 moral and physical inability." * 
 
 In August, 1868, 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 \dsit 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. S88. 
 
184 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. 
 
 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 us : we have had Rev. Dr. 
 Burns, and Elder 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 thirty-three years. He 
 is one of the most learned men in Scotland : has edited Haly bur- 
 ton's works, Wodrow's History, and is author of Memoirs of Pro- 
 fessor McGill. Burns' manner in the pulpit (gesture excepted) is 
 more outre 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. Bums has been here, and in spite of my prejudices I must 
 say he preached 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. Bums, 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 outpouring of it in vehement and often aflfec- 
 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 Eev. Dr. McCosh, President of the College of New 
 Jersey, writing from Princeton (6th Jan., 1872), adverts 
 
PRESIDENT M'COSH. CANADA. 18^ 
 
 to the impression produced by his visit there, of the tra- 
 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, where 
 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 1868, 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 Mr. D. Fraser (now Rev. D. Fraser,D.D., London), 
 as secretary of a committee in Montreal, as well as by a 
 number of well-known ofiice-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 
 
186 LIFE OF REV. DR. 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 as 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. Bums 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 Evangelioal 
 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 out 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 
 
I 
 
 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 Free Church at home. He told us 
 that if we were unanimous all our privileges would be confirmed ; 
 but if any remained they could claim them. We told this to 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 actions of the mother church, 
 and besides, we had passed resolutions approving of the step the 
 Free Church had taken. But the majority would not venture, and 
 so about twenty-three of us broke off, 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." 
 
 Mr. Gordon, of Gananoque, gives similar testimony, 
 and adds : 
 
 " I may here introduce a pleasant little episode illustrative of the 
 happy effects of the social and genial nature of a pastor on his flock, 
 among many proofs of the affectionate 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 sufficient to sweeten the tea of 
 a log-house family for a month perhaps. The doctor was too well 
 acquainted 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 was held by us respecting the disposal of the sugar. Your 
 father's desire was to take it with him to Scotland, as a large and 
 fine specimen of Canadian life in the woods. But a difficult 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 stuffed that it almost baffled 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 ? Upon a careful calculation of the time 
 that ha-d 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 
 
188 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. 
 
 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, I 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 in bulk, by my 
 also sitting on the parts of the clothes most unmanageably projecting 
 and hindering the locking of the trunk, as the only make-weight he 
 could get the use of, this most troublesome 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 some of the social 
 gatherings at Paisley, brought God's kind bounties to Canada before 
 the eye, and your father's kind, loving consideration in bringing it 
 so 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 Glasgow Colonial Society, for coming hither, and 
 his visit was hailed by the Scottish settlers with unfeigned pleasure. 
 
 " In reply to the appeal of Dr. Burns, the Canadas contributed 
 above £2,000 to the Free Church, — plain indication that the heart 
 of the people is toward us."* 
 
 A few 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 his companions that he 
 thought he could fire through it ; he did so. Splendid view of the 
 city ; at least three places where slaves are or were kept for sale. 
 Medical school or college. Healthy town ; police poor, as in all 
 the towns ; bad streets ; well supplied with water. Labourers a 
 dollar and quarter per day ; live well ; no squalid 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. 366-7. 
 
BALTIMORE. PETERSBURG. 189 
 
 German Reformed, and of the Free Church, very interesting men. 
 Bishop Waugh, Kurtz, &c. Had exposition of chapter, and prayer. 
 This the plan among the Methodists. 
 
 26th. — Met in the morning with twenty Methodist preachers and 
 ministers, Dr. Cunningham present ; questions put ; arranged to 
 hear a black preacher ; prejudice among the Methodists against 
 them. Mr. Cullman, the 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. Gen. Ross slain at East Point; 
 his body sent to Halifax, and interred in St. Paul's Churchyard. 
 
 " 27th. — 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 Petersburgh. Mr. Foote, agent for the 
 Foreign Missions. Crossed the James river, saw the seat, or part 
 of it, of old Powhatan, the father of Pocahontas, whose blood 
 flows in the veins of many of the best families in Virginia. John 
 Randolph, of Roanoke. Most of the old Glasgow and English 
 families before the Revolution gone. " Our old kingdom of Vir- 
 ginia" most Tory. Barren land ; lumberers ; swamp. Chatted 
 with one who told me that he was a member of the Legislature of 
 North Carolina ; like a dog-breaker, or a second to Pratt in Dickens' 
 Chuzzlewitt ; dirty shirt, red necktie, poor drover ; conversed ; 
 ' You represent the district or county V ' Yes, 1 expect so.' ' Are 
 there divisions V ' Great ; two parties, but Whigs carry. Governor 
 is Hon. T. W. Morehead. Poor land, poor settlers ; rear a little 
 wheat or corn, but chiefly slaves ; slaveholder myself, and have 
 just been at P., with five men and two women, my own ; put them 
 in the waggon, with goods, eighty-five miles from Halifax, on the 
 R . Roanoke ; highest, a boy of 20, for £130 ; lowest, an old negro, 
 for £40. In all, made £720 ; pretty fair : bought them for two- 
 thirds six months ago ; labour and tolerably fed — good trade ! In 
 the market early this morning, no food, fifteen minutes' job ; twenty- 
 eight present, but one of them goes to the corporation of the city. 
 Every day, from 10 till 4, at the Bell Tavern, two places open to 
 anyone to look at. Separate man and wife and children ; but he 
 does not do this.' Favourite argument. 
 
 " March 3rd. — Saw the process of tobacco manufacture in all its 
 stages, from the field, &c. About 100, young and adults, men, women, 
 boys, and girls, all busily employed ; most of the women free, and 
 a number of the men ("slaves) are married to free women ; in that 
 case the children are free. These workers (free) make from Is. to 
 2s. a day. The slaves, if married, go to their wives and families at 
 night. Work from sunrise to sunset in summer, and till eight 
 o'clock in the winter ; easy work ; many of the slaves happy, 
 and the masters kind ; not allowed to be taught to read, nor to 
 meet in any place after eight at night, and no black man allowed 
 to preach or address, except by special license, and then constables 
 
190 LIFE OF KEV. DE, BURNS. 
 
 attend, to hear whether he agitates or not. A black man marrying 
 or having intercourse with a white woman is liable to death ! Late- 
 ly, a man for killing his negro by 1000 lashes was sentenced to two 
 years' imprisonment ! 39 lashes allowed ; cowhide very severe. 
 A Methodist leader is one of the chief auctioneers ! A Baptist 
 preacher, who had denounced slavery from the pulpit, was stripped, 
 whipped, tarred and feathered. Lynch law strictly, this ; also in 
 the South, but prohibited in Virginia. Whipping only legal on the 
 upper part of the body, but this often evaded. Men and their 
 wives and children often separated ; much distress. The country 
 slaves worse treated and most numerous ; domestic slaves generally 
 well treated. Demoralizing effects of slavery very manifest on the 
 very manners of the people : style of preaching affected by it. 
 
 " March 5th. — Came to Richmond. Met Mr. Hoge, who ac- 
 companied me to the Church Hill, at Castle Hill, where the old 
 Indian chief Powhatan, the father of Pocahontas, was supposed 
 to have dwelt. Splendid view of the James Piver ; thought of 
 former days ; scenes on the spot where Richmond now stands. Met 
 Bishops Jones and Mead ; good men. Saw Governor Macdonell ; 
 intelUgent man ; conversed on civil and religious polity, traced the 
 conduct of the Dukes* to the system of England ; entails ; establish- 
 ment ; England subjugated religion to the ends of civil government, 
 and made religion (or the church) a mere political machine. We 
 (Americans) seek to infuse the spirit of Christianity into all our in- 
 stitutions, and thus make it leaven the mass. An Establishment 
 here bad, no need of it ; but it does not follow that the rulers of 
 the earth, in their public capacity, can do nothing for God and His 
 cause, or that they ought to do nothing. Such men a blessing. He 
 came to Mrs. Forbes' next night, and took some of the ladies with 
 him in his carriage to hear the lecture. The theatre burnt, 1811. 
 A church on its site. 60 burnt. A monument. Saw the sale room. 
 Belle Tavern ; the auctioneer and two or three more walked about ; 
 twelve or so slaves, men, women, and children, all looking stout, 
 well dressed, waiting for company ; man, respectable appearance, 
 very dull, came that day from Brownsville county, forced by his 
 master to repudiate his wife, that he might be sold without encum- 
 brance ! A woman, too, member of Baptist church in the place, 
 husband in the country, separated from her, and he to be sold, shed- 
 ding tears, but very intelligent and manly ; suspicion. Came away ; 
 saw the cashier. Dined at Mr. Styles'. Camp meeting ; anxious, 
 seats defended : Presbyterians seldom try them ; the Methodists do ; 
 gave them an account of ' Speaking to the question ; ' greatly inte- 
 rested. Saw Mr. W., an English clergyman, not a Puseyite, real 
 minister, but irregular. Dr. P. a slave defender ; lady denied the 
 cowhide ; five slaves in Dr. P.'s, all white. ' God bless you, sir,' 
 
 * Probably the Dukes of Buccleuch, Sutherland, and others, who, at the time, were 
 refusing sites for Free Chiurches.— Ed. 
 
SLAVERY. WASHINGTON. PRESIDENT. 191 
 
 lamented the want of opportunity of instruction. Old Mammy- 
 fine old creature. Curse of Ham, the favourite argument ; mys- 
 tery of Providence ; cut our throats ; Paul's ' Let every servant ;* 
 all politics ; Dr. P. a democrat or locof oco . Many of the clergy of 
 the Presbytery. Visit to Scotland. Rage at the abolitionists a* 
 the cause of retarding their progress. 
 
 " March 6th — Came to Fredericksburg, spent two days. Same 
 arguments for slavery ; violent ; ignorance ; African apprentices ; 
 East Indies ; Popery ; shake off the dust ; religion did not prosper 
 for long; now, revivals. Saw Captain Howe and Mr. Pollock, 
 farmer ; bad land ; slavery against it ; tobacco scourge ; fine land 
 on the Rappahannock, near Dalhousie. Reid and Matheson not 
 liked by any of the clergy ; L. and M. declared they would not 
 speak to them. 
 
 "March 9th. — To Washington; Alexandria; battle of White- 
 house ; saw the spot where Ross was and his companion ; Washing- 
 ton Capitol. 
 
 "March 10th. Preached, Zech. xiii. 7 ; Mr. Knox's in the after- 
 noon, Rom. iv. 17 ; evening, Rom. xv. 30. Delightful singing ia 
 the forenoon and evening. 
 
 "Washington, March 10. — Two ministers in Congress. J. Q. 
 
 Adams. Mr. and Mrs. Graham. Mr. P ; sensible man ; Col. 
 
 Stone's reply on education ; enquire at New York about Maryland 
 not making any effort for paying their debts. Two parties ; levelling 
 
 democracy ; Mr. saw fifty negroes chained together on their 
 
 march to Virginia ; not five who would vote for abolition ; bad influ- 
 ence on ministers and the young ; shut their eyes ; infidelity on the 
 throne ; little eflfect of preaching in the Congress Hall ; ministers 
 study too much, and do too little ; too wide a gap between reli- 
 gion and civil matters ; death of Bertrand, who was here lately. 
 La Fayette, a great friend ; Harrison ; Clay, the greatest ; won- 
 derful afi'ection for titles ; hereditary honours ; singular combina- 
 tion of pride and hatred of all British distinctions. Oregon ques- 
 tion ; dined with Mr. and Mrs*. S ; near relations of Mrs. 
 
 Graham, of New York. 
 
 "March 11th, Introduced to the President (Tyler)*; tall gen- 
 tleman ; talked familiarly for some little time on the church ques- 
 tion ; Establishments ; went to the Capitol again ; yesterday had 
 heard J. Q. Adams, and to day the Senate on Oregon ; heard 
 Mr. Buchanan, Senator of Penn., and Mr. Crittenden^ of Ken- 
 tucky ; talented speakers ; great dignity. Went to the House of 
 Representatives, but great confusion ; question on Oregon, not 
 very honourably brought in ; negociation is going on, yet they de- 
 fend it, because it is not exactly the same question ; national im- 
 morality ; repudiation palliated by the religious people ; slavery 
 
 * President John Tyler, formerly Vice-President, who succeeded General Harrison on 
 the 4th of April, 1841 ; one month after Gen. H.'s entering upon office. He continued 
 in the presidential chair till 4th of March, 1845.— Ed. 
 
192 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. 
 
 in same way. G. and his books not only tolerate, but defend it. 
 On your principles it would be sinful to do it away. Colonization 
 Societies, not an Emancipation scheme, but the reverse. The 
 great argument is the good treatment, only comparative ; same 
 with horses ; no education ; no regular attendance at worship. In 
 Brazil the laws are good, but they are not executed in favour of 
 slavery, and the slaves in a most debased condition. The state is 
 bad ; the negroes are of a cheerful and happy temperament. So 
 in Brazil, and there they are more severely treated — see Dr. 
 Walsh's account of Brazil. Saw John Watson, the Attorney-Gene- 
 ral and his lady ; heard also the pleadings in the Supreme Court ; 
 saw four Judges, Judge , &c. ; loud pleader ; water ; te- 
 dious. Evening meeting in Dr. L.'s. 
 
 " 13th. — At Alexandria ; saw Mount Vernon ; poor house ; 
 cemetery not worthy ; met C ; present from the Govern- 
 ment offices ; addressed the Methodist Episcopal Conference ; 
 three bishops present ; very friendly ; collected ; bad roads ; 
 preached in Uie evening in Dr. A.'s, Isa. Ixii, 11, Standard. 
 
 " 15th. — Disappointed in the morning ; to Baltimore ; left this 
 fine family ; came to Baltimore in the evening ; saw Mr. Morris 
 and Mr. Smith, and family. 
 
 " 16th. — Came on to Philadelphia, and preached next day ; 1st, 
 for Mr. Machlin, on Acts viii. , 26, to the end ; 2nd, for Mr. Board- 
 man, on Rom. xiv., 17 ; 3rd, for Dr. Cuyler, on Rev. i., 17, 18. 
 Gilbert Tennant's Church, inscription on him ; see Dr. Cuyler's 
 letter ; labours of G. Tennant and his brother William, whose 
 scene of labour was New Jersey (Dr. A. 's account) ; pass near it 
 on the way to Princeton ; also Crossweeksung ; scene of David 
 Brainerd's labours. Anecdote of William Tennant. 
 
 "Philadelphia, 18th. — Saw the almshouse. 1700 souls, nine- 
 tenths Irish, Germans too, very barbarous and uncivilized ; very 
 far below the poor blacks ; bad afiair ; accounts not well kept ; 
 not a proper thing to encourage dependence on alms. Sheds at 
 Montreal better. No religion. Roman Catholics. Girard Col- 
 lege, sad throwing away of money ; each pillar $15,000 ; fine 
 masonry. Anti-christian. The Mayor : ' My party tells me I must 
 either accept of a place, such as this, or be laid on the shelf. May 
 be cast oflF, but lay our account with this. My son carries on my 
 business.' Agrees with me as to the almshouse. Too far from the 
 city, ladies cannot visit. Went to Wilmington in the evening, 
 preached and collected. 
 
 " 19th. — Evening at Princeton ; preached to students on Zech. 
 xiii., 7th. 
 
 " 20. — Heard Dr. Miller. Pulpit eloquence, three students 
 read ; allowed to criticize each other ; asked if the people of Scot- 
 land sat at prayer ! long prayers ; Dr. M valuable man, easy 
 
 and interesting. Condemned the slow and drawling and feckless 
 manner of speech in clergy. Dr. Alexander on new school, able 
 
ELIZABETH, NEWARK, NEW YOEK, NEWHAVEN. 193 
 
 Tiew of the atonement'. Dr. Wardlaw he had not seen, spoke to 
 him on conditions ; fund of information. 
 
 "21. — Came on to Elizabethtown and Newark. 
 
 " March 22. — Neat and elegant town of Newark. Last year 
 sad speculation on the extension of the city, everything neglected 
 for this, returning now, after great loss._ Rash spirit of adventure; 
 * never mind, begin at once, quick,' Elizabethtown, favoured spot, 
 700 members ; revivals often. Dr. Magee, anecdote, he deserved 
 it, for his book is good ! Dr. Nesbit ; remarks apply. Dr. 
 Witherspoon ; land speculation, great good to America. 
 
 " New York, 24th.— Preached in Dr. Stark's, Dr. McLeod's,Dr. 
 Dewitt's, Lafayette Place. Questioned by Mr. Tappan and Mr. 
 Jocelyn about asking money from the Southern States ; price of 
 blood ; cuts too deep ; cotton ; the produce of slave labour and sugar, 
 too ! American character : 1. — Eager pursuit of wealth ; keen, 
 shrewd people ; calculating, inventing schemes of wealth ; mat- 
 ter-of-fact men ; grave ; not a smile. 2nd — Political parties : two 
 parties, democracy rules all ; popular opinion, worst part of the 
 people ; all public offices have been and are controlled by these 
 parties ; public good neglected for party ends. 3rd — Conceit, 
 4th — Constant rage after novelty, want of accuracy. 
 
 ' ' 25th. — Went to New Haven, Drs, Duncan and Peid ; beautiful 
 views of the sound. Blackwall, rampart and battery. Orphan- 
 house and farm schools. Beautiful bay of New Haven, lovely city. 
 State house, churches, Yale College, new library, minerals. Dr. 
 Silliman not at home. Journal of Science to be discontinued, 
 Dr. Day, Dr. Taylor Goodwin. Trumbull's pictures, caves of the 
 Regicides ; Quarterly Review. 
 
 " 27th. — Set oflf for Boston, arrived next day. Dr. Codman, his 
 case. Dorchester, old times renewed. Best library, history of 
 Harvard by President Quincy. Massachusetts, historical collec- 
 tions regarding the work of God among the Indians. Samuel 
 Willard, pastor of the South in Boston, and Y ice-President of 
 
 Harvard, died 1707. History of D published by L and 
 
 Prince, 1726, in Boston, one of the first folios printed. Pember- 
 ton preached his funeral sermon, the doctrine of justification. 
 Limited atonement seems to have been making ground in his 
 day ; clear views of election, page 282. The covenant of redemp- 
 tion, as to the articles with those of the Gospel covenant, as to 
 its eternal dispensation. 
 
 "March 31st. — Sabbath forenoon, Dorchester, Rom. xiv., 17. 
 Afternoon, Dr. Edward Beecher's, Rom. xv., 30. Evening, Mr. 
 Phelps, Rev. i., 17, 18. Dr. Beecher, of Cincinnati, father of Dr. 
 
 B . Dr. B , senr., did much good in Boston, went 
 
 to the west to elevate it ; refused all offers of removal. 
 
 " April 1st. — Spent some hours at Har-vard College. See notes 
 separate.* 
 
 * These we have not discovered.— Ed. 
 
 N 
 
194 LIFE OF REV. DR. BCJRNS. 
 
 " April 2nd. — Went to Lowell, the Paisley of America ; 9,000 
 factory giris, 200,000 dollars of theirs in the Pr. Bank. The 
 Magazine. Improvement circles, good appearance, healthy, 
 daughters of farmers, three to five years, wash three times a day. 
 Each has her looking glass ; not five cases of immorality in a year. 
 Most respectably married, decidedly moral ; not the wish of the 
 Supertintendent to train up a manufacturing population. Saw 
 the splendid carpet- weaving machine, invented by Bigelow, of 
 Boston, very clean. The Merrimack a noble stream. 30 or 40,000 : 
 spoke in Mechanics' Hall. All publications ; noble schools, three 
 large Universalist churches. Saw Dr. Woods at Andover. Fine 
 library, 14,000 volumes. One manuscript of the Greek Testa- 
 ment, 13th century. Noble piece of ground, endowment very 
 moderate. Saw Messrs. Smith from Brechin, excellent people. 
 Mr. Dow, great advantage of emancipation. Saw many Paisley 
 folks of the* name of Wilson or Millar, or Halden. 
 
 "3rd.— To Salem. Preached from Rom. xv., 28. Witches. 
 1692. See the pious ! Records of moral justice, 1639-40. First 
 church set up here ; Unitarians. 
 
 " Boston, 4th. — Heard Daniel Webster. 
 
 "5th. — Fast-day by Governor Briggs. Sadly abused. See 
 newspapers. Poor attendance. Preached twice, Dr. Sharp's, Dr. 
 Blagdon, John iv., 13. Meeting in the evening, all spoke^ 
 crowded. 
 
 " Monday, 8th. — Schenectady, Amsterdam, Utica, Rome, 
 Syracuse, Rochester, Batavia, Buffalo. No conveyance to Nia- 
 gara. From elevation on inn saw Canada, both lakes. Preached 
 for Mr. Lord. Saw kind friends, also enquired for the woman, 
 whose house was spared by General Rial, by a cup of tea. 
 Stands still. Woman alive, keeps an inn, but also had daughters 
 who sewed. 
 
 "April 10th. — Steamer down to Niagara town and Toronto. 
 
 Disappointed last night at N ; met Messrs. McGill and 
 
 Gale. 
 
 "April 10. — On to Toronto. Met many friends; conveyed 
 to inn, afterwards to church ; pretty large meeting, addressed, 
 arranged for Friday. 
 
 " 11th. — Went to Hamilton. Indians with John Jones, brother 
 of Peter. Met at Credit River ; address ; man of intelligence. Saw 
 afterwards Kerr, the Chief of the Five Nations, a half-breed, but 
 married the daughter of the younger Brant (Life), an elegant 
 woman. Interesting meetings at Hamilton at three and seven. 
 Many addresses from various bodies of Christians. Not so many 
 Presbyterian congregations as should have been. Mr. and Mrs. 
 Campbell, Mr. Crooks, Ferguson, Kerr, who took me round the 
 height, Dundas, Ancaster. Noble facilities of trade to the West. 
 All the towns on the Ontario well settled. Good prospects. 
 
 "12th. — Returned to Toronto. Meeting successful. St. An- 
 
JOURNAL IN CANADA. 195 
 
 ^Bairew's church. Badly off ; noble station. College ; an awful 
 ^]ob, letters on it (see book). 
 
 "13th.— Went to York Mills. Saw Mr. S ; poor man, 
 
 promised aid, but failed. Impressed with sense of importance o£ 
 Toronto. Met in Canadian Institute at twelve. Respectable 
 meeting ; Messrs. Roaf, Lillie, &c., good men. Mr. Rintoul left, 
 dined in Judge McLean's. 
 
 "14th. — Preached in St. Andrew's, Independent and Metho- 
 dists ; large audiences, much room for an efficient ministry. 
 
 "15th. — Breakfast. Fine opportunity ; much interest excited j 
 left for Cobourg by steamer, accompanied by friends from steamer } 
 free passage. Captain friendly and intelligent. A fine assembly 
 at Cobourg. Went to church, and preached ; introduced subject. 
 
 "16th. — Met at eleven, full meeting, many addresses, £190 
 collected. Afternoon, at five, at College, £5 additional. The 
 students ; Dr. Ryerson. Sabbath school at three, £3 ; seventy 
 scholars. 
 
 " 17th. — At Grafton. £8 Fast day ; evening at Cobourg ; large 
 assembly. 
 
 " 18th. — Breakfast, Lambert's Inn ; went on to Kingston, noble 
 sail. Bay of Quinte ; death of poor Millar, monument in church, 
 inscription. Mr. McDowall's place ; approach to St. Lawrence 
 river. 
 
 " 19th. — Landed in the morning. Active committee met me ; 
 waited on the Governor, kind, intelligent ; had been tampered 
 with ; no right to stop the salaries of Boyd and Smart. Respon- 
 sible Government. Hopkirk, Assistant Secretary. Evening 
 meeting, good. Saw in the forenoon Messrs. Liddell, Machar, 
 &c., here. 
 
 " 20th. — Breakfast ; dined at Mr. Hopkirk's ; spoke in the 
 evening, at Meth. 
 
 " 21st. — Forenoon, afternoon, and evening, in so many churches, 
 Richie, Lillie, &c. Much kindness, went out to the country 
 fatigued. 
 
 "22nd. — Set sail for Brockville ; H. Gordon left me at Gan- 
 anoque ; the lake of Thousand Islands, 1,300 of them; met ^ at 
 Brockville ; large meeting, the Sheriff in the chair. 
 
 " 23rd. — On to Prescott ; cavalcade met^ address. Crane, M.P., 
 presided. Seven churches, not shanties ; Messrs. Boyd and 
 Smart vindicated themselves ; went over to Ogdensburg ; small 
 audience, £7 ; nice church ; a Judge who spoke of going home ; 
 liberal views. 
 
 " 24:th. — Breakfast at Prescott; went on to Cornwall, from 
 
 Osnabruck to C bad roads ; sail delightful ; good meeting, 
 
 £17 17s; met here the French and Protestant minister, Lapel- 
 leterie (see his journals, &c.). 
 
 "25th. — Mr. B. accompanied me by land to Lancaster, Glen- 
 garry House ; in last Mc D^— died lately ; part of the property 
 
196 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. 
 
 entailed, but the family extinct, in a manner ; painful event, 
 
 death of a young woman ; meeting at L ; 300 acres, church 
 
 on it, four miles off another ; no collection ; Glengarry an impor- 
 tant post ; visited a Scotch farmer on the way ; very comfortable ; 
 Indian lands, 100 acres, good ; one dollar and half bushel of 
 wheat ; Scotch farmers needed ; noble land. 
 
 " 26th.— Went on with Mr. McL , Coteau du Lac, five or 
 
 six miles of good road ; a swamp ; passed the boundary of Upper 
 and Lower Canada ; soon see the difference ; Canadians, a simple 
 class ; 200 years ago, more priests ; excellent farmers ; no spur to 
 excel ; cascades by coach ; bad roads ; timber used ; steam to 
 Lachine, Indian settlement, Caughnawaga ; saw a squaw, bad 
 weather ; Scotch church at Lachine ; got to Montreal ; Mr. E.'s 
 child gone ; went to Mr. Redpath's ; zealous friends ; required to 
 preach at seven ; American church filled ; addressed, Wilkes, 
 Girdwood, &c., with many laymen of piety; evening meeting in 
 Mr. DougalFs ; addresses on Temperance, £250 subscribed. 
 '^ 27th, — Funeral, Dr. Mathieson addressed. 
 ** 28th. — Meeting in Mr. Esson's, Mr. Strong's, and the Metho- 
 dists, all crowded. 
 
 "29th. — Saw Mrs. Kerr, the cathedral ; Mr. Osgood's school. 
 '' 30th. — Ride round the mountain ; meeting at Mr. Terrier's, 
 address by Canadian missionary. 
 
 ''May 1st. — At Mr. Esson's; marriage, Mr. R to Miss 
 
 C 
 
 "2nd. — Breakfast; went down to Quebec; scenery, parish 
 churches, Beloeil, Bishop of Nancy's cross, Jesuits. 
 
 "4th. — Visit to Montmorenci and Lorette, Indians, Popery. 
 Preached in the evening in the Methodists'; met many excellent 
 people. 
 
 "5th. — Preached in Mr. Clugston's, Mr. Atkinson's, Dr. 
 
 Cook's ; not crowded. Saw Messrs. Gibb and Munn, frank 
 
 for Mr. Guthrie or Mr. Begg ; another for Dr. Chalmers, from R. 
 Carter, New York. Visited Mr. Hale's Sabbath school ; taught 
 class ; five sects ; Miss Gore. 
 
 " 6th. — Breakfast. Much interest ; set off at five ; Bishop on 
 board 
 
 " 7th. — Could not go to the Grande Ligne from weather ; met 
 friends at breakfast in Mr. Orr's. Saw Mr. Davidson ; must have 
 
 a Theological School ; conference with C about Academy ; 
 
 each denomination has one, why not we ? 
 
 " May 13th. — Newburyport by railway. Saw Mr. Whitefield's 
 skull, handled it ; inscription ; see Reid ; flat skull, but broad ; 
 noble high forehead ; not in order ; the church just as when the 
 great man occupied it, large but plain ; a neat chapel adjoining ; 
 lecture room. Employed all day in getting my articles on board 
 
 the steamer, and seeing friends at Dorchester, Dr. C and his 
 
 family ; much pleasure in the visit. 
 
JOURNAL IN NOVA SCOTIA, ETC. 197 
 
 *' 15th. — Came back to Boston. 
 
 " 16th.— Set sail with letters on board to Dr. C , Dr. Lord, 
 
 and Mr. A. Ferrier, at Uniontown. 
 
 *' 17th. — At sea ; employed in reading and writing various 
 
 " 18th. — Came to Halifax at six a.m. Saw Mr. Robb and other 
 friends, who prevailed on me to remain till next steamer ; agreed 
 to do so, and wrote a letter to my congregation ; met frienda at 
 breakfast and after. Appeal to the trustees and others, who 
 agreed. 
 
 " 19th. — Preached in the morning in St. Matthew's ; afternoon, 
 in the New Methodist ; and evening, in St. John's, crowded 
 houses, except the morning. 
 
 " 20th. — Preached at Dartmouth at eleven in the forenoon, and 
 in the evening in St. John's ; public meeting. 
 
 " 21st. — Address in the evening to the Young Men's Association, 
 Rode out. 
 
 "22nd. — Preached in the Baptist from Rom. xv., 30. 
 
 "23rd.— Set off for Pictou with Mr. and Mrs. Robb ; dreaiy 
 road, one hundred miles ; one beautiful spot, Truro ; Dr. Mao^ 
 gregor. 
 
 *" 24th. — Saw various triends ; went over to New Glasgow ; held 
 a meeting in the afternoon ; Mr. Macrae. 
 
 " 25th. — Returned to Pictou ; addressed in the evening in St, 
 Andrew's. 
 
 " 26bh. — Preached in the forenoon in St. Andrew's, from Acts 
 viii. , 26, and afternoon at New Glasgow ; evening, in Mr. Ma- 
 cauley's. 
 
 ' ' 27th. — Went on to Prince Edward Island ; friends there had 
 sent the steamer ; beautiful island ; Charlottetown ; preached in 
 Methodist, and Mr. Robb addressed. 
 
 •' 28th. — Visited the country ; fertile, no large trees, nor marks 
 of fire, as on the road from Halifax to Pictou ; held a meeting in 
 the evening ; Mr. Stewart and Mr. Farquharson preached in dif- 
 ferent places in Gaelic. 
 
 " 29th. — Made calls ; preached again ; meeting of congregation, 
 no doubt of their all joining the Free Church, but great difficulty 
 about dispensing with Gaelic. 
 
 " 30th. — Returned to Pictou, and held a meeting in the even- 
 ing. 
 
 " 31st. — Returned to Halifax by coach. 
 
 ''June 1st, Saturday. — Engaged variously; dined with the 
 Speaker. 
 
 "2nd. — Sabbath, preached in forenoon in Baptist, Dan. xi., 10 ; 
 afternoon, at Dartmouth ; evening, in St. John's. 
 
 " 3rd. — Public breakfast at hotel ; set sail at twelve, in the 
 ' Britannia' ; eighty passengers ; many friends ; one Catholic 
 priest." 
 
198 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. 
 
 On the 3rd of June he left Halifax in the steamship 
 Britannia, and, after a favourable voyage, reached home, 
 having been absent over five months. His attached flock 
 received him joyfully. 
 
 Free St. George's Church, an elegant edifice, had been 
 erected while he was gone, and been opened for divine 
 worship by Dr. Thomas Guthrie. 
 
 The Colonial Committee, to whom he furnished an 
 elaborate report, specially bearing on his visit to the 
 Provinces, expressed in the heartiest manner their acknow- 
 ledgments for his services ; and the illustrious Chalmers 
 
 wrote thus : 
 
 " Edinburgh, July 16, 1844. 
 
 " My Dear Sir, — I regret much that I did not meet you. I was 
 in the country (Burntisland) at the time you were in Edinburgh. 
 
 "I have had repeated testimonies from America of your great 
 Acceptance, and the deep impression that you made there. I have 
 fiaid to many that we could not have sent out a more efficient repre- 
 sentative than yourself. I feel very grateful for your important 
 services, and for the full acqaittal you have made of your generous 
 undertaking. 
 
 *' Ever believe me, 
 
 " My dear Sir, 
 
 " Yours very truly, 
 
 " Thomas Chalmers." 
 
 On his return, he was besieged for addresses on America 
 and the colonies. To his power, yea and beyond his 
 power, he complied. Much important information was 
 communicated and interest awakened. Among other 
 places, he was invited to Tay mouth Castle, and for a week 
 received much munificent hospitality from the Marquis 
 and Marchioness of Breadalbane. 
 
 It was in connexion with this visit we received the fol- 
 lowing ; 
 
I 
 
 MARQUIS AND MARCHIONESS OF BREAD ALBANE. 199 
 
 "Taymouth Castle, Saturday, Oct., 1844. 
 
 *' My Dear Robert, — I wrote you from Perth rather hurriedly, 
 and I am happy now to let you and Willie know of the progress I 
 have been making since leaving the ' fair city, ' I came to Dun- 
 keld by the mail coach from Perth, and then got the mail gig up 
 to Kenmore, which is a distance of twenty-four miles. On my 
 arrival at Kenmore I found a card, in the handwriting of the Mar- 
 chioness of Breadalbane, inviting me to dinner at seven o'clock, 
 and to stay at the Castle. 
 
 " I have been here since Thursday afternoon, and have enjoyed 
 much kindness. 
 
 " The ceremony of laying the fovindation stone took place yes- 
 terday, and it went off very successfully. The roof of the church 
 is on, and yet the foundation was not laid till yesterday at twelve 
 o'clock. A small hole had been left in the east corner wall, and 
 within that hole the box containing the documents was placed, and 
 the whole closed up again. The ladies of the congregation had 
 subscribed for a silver trowel, which was presented to the Mar- 
 chioness, along with a mallet and rule, and with these instruments 
 her ladyship most methodically and scientifically went to woik, 
 putting in the lime with the trowel, measuring the stone and pro- 
 portions of the whole with the rule, and hammering the whole 
 lown with the mallet. All these articles are now lying in the 
 library, beside where I am now writing. The members of presby- 
 tery were present. The Moderator presided. The Marquis read 
 the reply by the Marchioness, and her address, which were excel- 
 lent, and both will be published in the Witness. It fell to me to 
 give the prayer, and afterwards we adjourned to the Timber Church, 
 where I preached a short sermon (Rom. xiv. 17) and gave an Ameri- 
 can-Highland address on the state of the Gael in those lands, and 
 the general state of the Colonies and the Republic of America. 
 There was a large assembly, and the Marquis remained from twelve 
 to four o'clock, his lady retiring at the end of the foundation ser- 
 vice. We had several persons of consideration present with us, 
 particularly a Captain Mackenzie, who had been the fellow -prisoner 
 with Lady Sale in the dungeon at Caboul, and whom the Affghan 
 chief (Dost Mohammed) ordered more than once to be ' shot away' 
 from the mouth of a cannon ; when, as the captain remarked, ' there 
 was not the slightest occasion for anything of the kind. ' He and his 
 lady are religious people, and took a great interest in what went 
 on. The cause of the Free Church prospers here under the power- 
 ful patronage of these distinguished persons the Marquis and Mar- 
 chioness. We have daily worship, when the whole servants, &c., 
 are assembled. I am to preach all day to-morrow at Kenmore, 
 and in the evening at Aberfeldy. On Monday I go to Killin to 
 address a meeting, and the Marquis accommodates me with carriages 
 +o all these places. I am busy most of this day rummaging through 
 
200 LIFE OF KEV. DR. BURNS. 
 
 his extensive library ; and ranging, when the day allowed, in the 
 splendid domain." 
 
 The generous host and hostess at Taymonth Castle 
 treated Dr. Burns with the greatest kindness and con- 
 sideration, and hearing incidentally of an important 
 change contemplated in his domestic relations, bestowed 
 on him in parting an elegant and substantial token of 
 their regard.* 
 
 He attended, as corresponding member, the Synod of 
 Dumfries, enjoying delightful intercourse with Dr. Henry 
 Duncan and other old friends. He became the bearer, at 
 the same time, of gold spectacles and sundry other keep- 
 sakes, which our kindhearted American cousins had sent 
 to worthy Janet Fraser, whose " not fearing the wrath'* 
 of the " bold Buccleuch" set her name almost alongside 
 that of the redoubtable Jenny Geddes, the heroine of the 
 cutty-stool. The remainder of the year was filled up to 
 the utmost, and it closed most auspiciously with his mar- 
 riage, on the 12th of December, to Miss Elizabeth Bell 
 Bonar, daughter of Thomson Bonar, Esq., of the Grove, 
 near Edinburgh, and niece of his early friend and coun- 
 sellor at Cramond. 
 
 * In her beautifully natural "Journal of Life in the Hij^hlands," our beloved Sovereign 
 thus touchingly refers to a visit paid two years earlier to Taymouth : 
 
 " I revisited Taymouth last autumn, on the 3rd of October, from Dunkeld (incognita), 
 with Louise, the Dowager Duchess of Athol^t, and Miss Macgregor. As we could not 
 have driven through the grounds without asking permission, and as we did not wish to 
 be known, we decided upon not attempting to do so, and contented ourselves with 
 getting out at a gate close to a small fort, into which we were led by a woman from the 
 gardener's house near to which we had stopped, and who had no idea who we were. 
 
 "We got out, and looked from this height down upon the house below, the mist having 
 cleared away sufficiently to show us everything, and then unknown, quite in private 1 
 gazed — not without deep emotion — on the scene of our reception twenty-four years ago 
 by dear Lord Breadalbane in a princely style, not to be equalled in grandeur and poetic 
 effect. Albert and I were then only twenty-three, young and happy. How many are 
 gone that were with us then ! I was very thankful to have seen it again. 
 
 " It Beemod unaltered,— 1866." 
 
CHAPTER XIIL 
 
 TRANSLATION FROM PAISLEY AND SETTLEMENT 
 IN CANADA. 
 
 \^ 
 
 R BUENS had scarcely got home from his 
 American tour when overtures were made 
 to him from Canada. Montreal and To- 
 ronto vied with each other in the effort to 
 secure his services. In the former city he 
 had many warm friends. The friendship of that 
 " Israelite indeed/' Mr. James Court, he had gained 
 several years previously. He, with Mr. Jame& 
 ^Y^ R. Orr — that seraphic spirit, — and Mr. John Red- 
 path, a man of many sterling, noble qualities, and 
 others like minded, pleaded with him to return. A few 
 extracts may be given from two of the letters of Mr. 
 Redpath, who conducted the correspondence ; 
 
202 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. 
 
 "Montreal, 28th May, 1844. 
 
 " We have been busily employed during the last few days in pre- 
 paring a memorial to the Convener of the Colonial Committee for 
 a minister and an evangelist. The names we mention are the es- 
 teemed deputy who has just visited us, Mr. Tweedie, and Mr. 
 McDonald. Any one of them form the types thereof ; and W. C. 
 Burns for the Evangelist, to make the tour of Canada, from which we 
 expect the greatest benefit. We have not named any other person 
 for this trust," as he is the man to whom all eyes are directed, as 
 being peculiarly qualified for such a great and important mission. I 
 got a portrait of you out of the ScoUish Pulpit (a capital likeness), 
 got it framed, and took it home, to the great gratification of Mrs. R. 
 and all my family, the youngest of whom knew it immediately, and 
 said : ' That is Dr. Burns.' I mention this little anecdote to remind 
 you that you are kept in warm remembrance at Terrace Bank." 
 
 " Terrace Bank, 27th July, 1844. 
 
 " It gave me, as well as the rest of your friends in this place, 
 very great pleasure to hear of your safe arrival on your native shore, 
 as an answer to our earnest prayers. Mr. Fraser wrote you by last 
 mail, with the account of the Disruption which has taken place in 
 the Synod of Canada, and you will get by this mail a more particular 
 account of it in the Banner. They have gone through the sifting 
 process. I will not say that those who have come through are all 
 ' wheat' and the others all 'chaflf.' 
 
 " The committee here are doubting, hoping, fearing, the result 
 of their application, but they have still a hope that if all fails, and 
 if there is no man of fitting gifts to be had, that our own dearly 
 beloved doctor will say, ' Here am I, send me.' Great things are 
 expected from Montreal, but nothing need be expected till God 
 sends us a man acording to his own mind ; for what can we do 
 without a preacher ? 
 
 " I think a good University might be formed here, in which the 
 other evangelical bodies might take part, each one having their own 
 theological chair. I think the Congregationalists and Baptists 
 would readily join, and the Secession body will no doubt now join 
 the adherents of the Free Church principles at once. The com- 
 mittee have had a special prayer-meeting since your departure, for 
 the purpose of supplicating the great Head of the Church that He 
 would look favourably on our application, and send us a man suitable 
 to His mind and will. Some of them are consoling themselves that 
 you will really come in case of necessity ; but I can scarcely dare 
 to hope, from what you intimated to me about your own people : 
 but I may safely say that none would be more welcome, for wherever 
 you have been you have gained golden opinions, and nowhere more 
 so than in this city. " 
 

 TORONTO. REASONS. 203 
 
 Toronto also put forth its claims. During his visit he 
 had been greatly impressed with its central and command- 
 ing position. Soon after his visit, an influential body of 
 people left St. Andrew's Church (Church of Scotland) and 
 formed a union with the congregation of the Rev. James 
 Harris, who had faithfully laboured in Toronto since 1820. 
 Mr. Harris retired, and the new organization — under the 
 title, " Knox's Church, Toronto," — joined in a united and 
 urgent call to Dr. Burns to become their pastor. They 
 sent home their strong reasons, and these were accompa- 
 nied by the following reasons from the Colonial Committee 
 of the Free Church of Scotland : 
 
 " 1. The vast extent and resources of Canada, the amazing rapidity 
 with which its population is increasing, and generally its rising im- 
 portance, point out the propriety of its being supplied with the 
 services of ministers of zeal, ability, and piety. 
 
 " II. The peculiar circumstances in which the brethren of the 
 Presbyterian Church of Canada have been placed in consequence of 
 the disruption, render it exceedingly desirable that they should 
 enjoy the presence of a minister of experience from Scotland — more 
 especially one who is fully acquainted with the systems which have 
 been pursued in this country for organizing congregations and for 
 the sustentation of the ministry. 
 
 " III. While the call to Toronto attests the strength of the Pres- 
 "byterian interest in that city, both as regards numbers and wealth, 
 ihis call must be viewed as connected with the nomination which 
 Dr. Burns has received to the Chair of Theology at Toronto ; and 
 -while the duties of both offices must be discharged, for a time at 
 least, by the same individual, the learning, ability, readiness, and 
 untiring energy of Dr. Burns point him out as possessing, in an 
 eminent degree, the rare qualifications which are necessary for so 
 arduous a service. 
 
 '' IV. The reception which Dr. Burns has already met with in 
 -Canada, indicates the cordiality with which he will be welcomed, 
 and affords the most pleasing prospects of the success which would 
 .attend him in that great and rising country. 
 
 " For the Colonial Committee, 
 
 "J. A. Balfour, Jun,, 
 
 *' Secretary. 
 
 *' Edinburgh, 13th January, 1845." 
 
204 LIFE OF KEV. DS. BURNS. 
 
 The chairman of the congregational meeting of Knox's 
 Church, which sent him the call, was Mr. Isaac Buchanan, 
 now of Hamilton, and a tried friend of the church in 
 many ways. In one of his letters, of date 24)th July, 
 1844, the following passage occurs : 
 
 " It is impossible for me to express the deep feeling of anxiety 
 entertained by every member of the congregation, that you may 
 come among us, having in view not only their own edification and 
 eternal interests, but looking to it as vitally important to the inte- 
 rests of the infant church, that we secure the advantage of the great 
 knowledge and experience which you possess, especially at her out- 
 set." 
 
 Others thus earnestly wrote : 
 
 " What are we to do ? The Lord can raise up labourers in his 
 vineyard, and relieve us from our sad difiiculty and distress. But 
 is his hand not pointed to the Free Church in Scotland, and does 
 his voice not say, ' Help your brethren in Canada, and help them 
 immediately.' Dear Doctor, by your love to the glorious cause in 
 which you are engaged, by your regard for the souls of men perish- 
 ing for lack of knowledge, although professedly Hearing Presbyte- 
 rian ministers, send us help. Come yourself ; you know our wants ; 
 you know our localities. Our infant church must take up high and 
 holy ground. It is only from that eminence that we can fight the 
 Lord's battles, 
 
 * ' We earnestly hope that you will come to open Knox's Church, 
 and not be later than the twelvemonth. None will do but you ; 
 for the people have all made up their minds about it." 
 
 To these earnest appeals, after mature and prayerful 
 consideration. Dr. Burns felt it to be his duty to lend a 
 favourable ear. So soon as his mind was made up he 
 broke it at once to his attached people — endeavoured to 
 get them to see the matter in the light he did him- 
 self, and to aid them all in his power in securing a suitable 
 successor. It was a great trial. His handsome new church 
 had been opened. It was fast filling up. He had resumed 
 work after several months' absence with great enthu- 
 
DECIDING FOR CANADA. 205 
 
 siasm. His home, over which the dark shadow had rested, 
 
 was graced and gladdened by the presence of one who, for 
 
 the remainder of his days, was to prove in every sense a 
 
 help meet for him. The congregation in its new relation 
 
 seemed dearer to him than ever. But while cords of love 
 
 so tender bound him to home, the claims of Canada were 
 
 so borne in upon him that his heart was fixed, and he felt 
 
 that he must not be disobedient to the heavenly vision. 
 
 When once his resolution was formed, he never hesitated. 
 
 It was about this time we received from him such notes 
 
 as the following : 
 
 "Paisley, Nov., 1844. 
 
 " I saw Dr. Cunnirgliam at Dr. Abercrombie's funeral. I would 
 advise, as he does, attendance at Dr. Chalmers' lectures. I would 
 not wish you to hurt your health, and we must not tempt Provid- 
 ence by overtasking ourselves. May all your studies, whether 
 secular or sacred, be conducted in the spirit of humility and the 
 fear of God." 
 
 "Dec, 1844. 
 
 " If I go to Canada, which is very likely, Mr. Macnaughtan* ad- 
 vises you to take another year of the home advantages before cross- 
 ing — a very good idea, perhaps. I am anxious that you should confer 
 your services as a preacher of the glorious gospel on the virgin soil 
 of Canada, where every footmark tells, and where a new empire 
 and a flourishing church will yet be reared. I leave it, however, to 
 yourself, requesting only that you may not allow your mind to be 
 pre-occupied by the well-meant but injurious remonstrances of 
 friends who know nothing of Canada, and whose views are narrowed 
 by circumstances." 
 
 "Paisley, December, 1844. 
 " Saturday evening. 
 
 " I am favoured with your letter, and return you many thanks 
 for its contents. You are very busily engaged, and in the noblest 
 of all pursuits. May strength be given you for the successful prose- 
 cution of your studies, and may the blessing of the God of truth go 
 with you. Your Professors are all able men, and the church is blest 
 in having such instructors to guide her rising hopes. I must be in 
 for a week or so, to hear the lectures and to confer with professors 
 on the best means of teaching theology. My nomination as Profes- 
 sor of Divinity in Canada will require me to enter immediately on 
 
 * The Rev. John McN,, of Belfast, then of High Church, Paisley. 
 
206 LIFE OF EEV. DR. BURNS. 
 
 its duties, and an address to the students at Toronto may probably 
 be the first thing that it may necessary for me to print. They are 
 under the charge of Mr. King at present ; and, though few in 
 number, are very promising. I must set about a. Library for them. 
 
 *' Your certilicates from the Duke have come back this day only. 
 
 " I must have some days hard work with you when j^ou come 
 out, on the themes and exercises of all the classes. " 
 
 On the "Presbytery" day, his devoted brother, the 
 " pastor of Kilsyth," thus wrote : 
 
 '' Kilsyth, Feby. 5th, 1845. 
 
 " Dear Robert, — This, I believe, is a day of importance in your 
 history and that of the Church. We consider the event, however, 
 as already certain, as far as human things can be, and that you 
 leave your native shores and engage, if the Lord will, in important 
 labours in another hemisphere. May all be well with you, your 
 beloved partner and your family, and flock left and to be. We 
 shall often be remembering you at the throne of grace. May all 
 be eminently promotive of His glory whose we are, and I trust 
 whom we desire to serve." 
 
 The formal loosing, which his own unalterable decision 
 rendered inevitable, was effected in the most kind and 
 considerate way. The regards and regrets of his minis- 
 terial brethren were expressed in the most fitting terms, 
 and embodied in a suitable deliverance. Seven weeks in- 
 tervened till the embarkation. These were crowded with 
 multifarious work — the needed preparations, the gather- 
 ing of books for the college, the consulting with the Edin- 
 burgh professors, the farewells to friends, the aiding 
 his attached flock in obtaining a faithful pastor, and 
 the dealing out to them, by private visitations and in his 
 public ministrations, such counsels as their peculiar cir- 
 cumstances required. He had previously despatched a 
 fervent, fatherly letter to the students at Toronto. As 
 the ties were being loosed which bound him to his old, 
 his heart went out toward his new home. 
 
FAREWELL MEETINGS. 207 
 
 The College was a special care. With prodigious energy 
 he set about collecting for the library; and, mainly from 
 his own shelves and those of brethren and friends, he col- 
 lected between two and three thousand volumes ; to whicii 
 from time to time, in after years, he made many ad- 
 ditions.* 
 
 The farewell meeting was an overpowering demonstra- 
 tion. Brother ministers and friends from Glasgow and 
 other places were present, and were lavish in their ex- 
 pressions of esteem. All sections of the congregation and 
 community joined heartily in their generous testimonies. 
 The substantial tokens were numerous, and (one of them 
 especially) of great pecuniary value. 
 
 The " farewell sermon " was preached in St. George's 
 Free Church, on the afternoon of Sabbath, the 23rd oi 
 March, from 2 Cor. xiii. 11 : " Finally, brethren, farewell. 
 Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in 
 peace, and the God of love and peace shall be with you." 
 The crowd so compact as to form a living pavement, over 
 which one could have walked ; the sea of up-turned faces, 
 now sparkling under the sun-blinks of the past, then 
 surging under the swell of deep emotion ; the memories 
 recalled, the associations clustering round, the thirty-thre& 
 years looking down on them, the " cloud of witnesses," 
 
 * In addition to the many volumes given from his own shelves, near relat'ves contri- 
 buted 500 volumes. Dr. Chalmers, Sir David Brewster, Dr. Keith, Dr. Hetherinfrton, 
 Dr. Wm. Brown, and others, presented complete sets of their works. Messrs. Collins, 
 and Blaekie & Son, Glasgow, and A. Gardiner, Paisley, contributed donations of books 
 more or less numerous and Valuable. Dr. Black, formerly of Aberdeen, presented the 
 splendid Paris Polyglot. General Macdowal, of Stranraer (whose acquaintance Dr. 
 Burns had formed during his visit with Dr. Chalmers to Sir Andrew Agnew), presented 
 from his fine theological collection 230 volumes. The Free Church Colonial Committee- 
 furnished Dr. Burns with £150, with which he made many valuable purchases. 
 
 Associated with Mr. Black, now of Manitoba, we made the first catalogue of Knox's 
 College Library, which then embraced over 3,000 volumes, the most of which were the 
 result of this special effort made bj-^ my father when on the eve of starting for his new 
 home. 
 
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 generation 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 
 «ince grown up and occupy important stations in society. The 
 iiamber 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 ac 
 the weekly classes for religious instruction, and over many of these 
 I have had cause to rejoice. In the course of my ministry God has 
 permitted me to go through the whole of the New Testament in the 
 form of expository lectures, together with the evangelical 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 the 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 was 
 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 lent 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 
 
LIFE ON THE OCEAN. W. C. BURNS. 209 
 
 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. Burns, 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.t 
 
 * " Circumstances having put it out of my power to complj' with the wishes of friends 
 at Paisley, that I should print my Farewell Sermon before leaving Scotland, I have en- 
 deavoured to follow out tnat wish by devoting part of my leisure time on the voyage to 
 the preparation of the manuscript for the press at Toronto. My design is to send it to 
 my much-loved brethren and friends, as a small token of remembrance endeared by dis- 
 tance. 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 wri^te these lines, the waves of the mighty deep are rolling around us. We are 
 entering the great Gulf of St. Lawrence. A few days are expected to brmg us within 
 sight of some of the most magnificent displays of the majesty of God. Already have we 
 witnessed his wonders in the great 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 ship's company 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 pilgrimage ; and may His omni- 
 potent grace establish in each heart and perfect that ' holiness which becometh His house 
 for ever.'"— Gulf of St. Lawrence, May 1st, 1845. — Prefatory Note to Sermon. 
 
 t One of Dr. Burns' last literary employments 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 become 
 solemn and tender, when his name is spoken. — Es. 
 
210 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS» 
 
 It was the Friday of the Communion season when we 
 reached Quebec. His old correspondent, the Rev. John 
 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 others have fallen asleep." The Rev. John 
 Bonar, then of Larbert, had come out to supply for a 
 season 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 Church. These were the days of the wooden struc- 
 ture which preceded the present Cot6 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 loving 
 Hand which held the ocean in its hollow, and us on its 
 
INDUCTION. TEMPERANCE. 211 
 
 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 with the temperance movement. Though 
 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 announcing his change. 
 
 On Sabbath, the 25th, he commenced his pulpit labours. 
 
 The news of his safe arrival gave great joy to his old 
 flock. Their feelings foimd expression thus :* 
 
 " Paisley, ISth June, 1845. 
 
 " Your highly esteemed and much valued favours of 10th and 12th 
 of May came duly to hand. The members of the congregation 
 were exceedingly delighted to hear of your safe arrival, together 
 with Mrs. Burns and your family, and all that were with you in 
 the ship. Your letters were read at the deacons' court ; and the 
 one to the congregation was read at the prayer-meeting and after- 
 wards from the pulpit. At the meeting, prayer was offered up, and 
 special thanks given to Almighty God for the protection afforded 
 you, and for carrying you through all the dangers of the deep, and 
 landing you in safety at your desired haven. It must have been a 
 season of rejoicing to you all that you were so soon permitted, 
 after landing, to enjoy a communion Sabbath, enhanced by the 
 striking coincidence of its being the same Sabbath of our commu- 
 
 * From Clerk of Sesaion. 
 
212 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. 
 
 nion, and that we were engaged in the same sacred ordinance. It 
 is a matter of great thankfulness 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 
 linion 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 souls, 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- 
 portant 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 principles 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 own weakness, and that he came amongst ua 
 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 soirde. 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 
 yourself and family in your new sphere of usefulness, in the mag- 
 nificent country in which you are now dwelling." 
 
 This affectionate remembrance of him was shared in by 
 
 many besides his own people. The old family physician. 
 
 iIaii(I^IcKechnie, who to great skill in his profession added 
 
 and generous heart, and who had not seen it to 
 
OLD PAISLEY FRIENDS. DR. JAMES BUCHANAN. 213 
 
 )e 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." 
 
 Sherifi' Campbell,* too, who, like the worthy "old doctor," 
 
 remained behind in the Establishment, and whom we 
 
 werQ wont to look up to in our boyhood as the very heau 
 
 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 wiU. 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 1804 one of them (Mr. A. R 
 
 Pollok), writing to him, says : 
 
 "In Paisley, yours is quite a household name, and fondly da 
 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 by 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 writings, have 
 made his name so familiar : 
 
 * Father-in-law of Dr. Begg, of Edinbiu^h, 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. 
 
214 LIFE OF KEV. DR. BUENS. 
 
 " Edinburgh, 30th June, 1845. 
 '* My Dear Dr. Burns, — It gives me very great pleasure to find 
 that the first letter which I am required to write as Convener of the 
 Colonial Committee must be one of congratulation to you on your in- 
 duction into the charge of Toronto, which, important as it is in itself, 
 is doubly so when viewed as a central and commanding position 
 ■whence an evangelical influence may emanate over the whole of 
 Canada. We look forward with much interest and sanguine hopes 
 to your future labours in that interesting field, and it will be our 
 fervent prayer 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 souls 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 qualified in point of talent, and 
 learning, and piety, has been found willing to devote himself to 
 the work of training up, by precept and example, a band of native 
 ministers for the supply of its spiritual wants. " 
 
CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 PASTOKATE 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 pastoral duty. The students 
 were on his heart from the outset, and he never 
 ceased to feel the warmest interest in their welfare. 
 To Pluralities, however, he was always decidedly 
 opposed, and the junction in his case he counted 
 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 
 
 good' 
 
216 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. 
 
 position in his old. His discourses, even those most 
 hastily prepared, ever bore marks of clearness of thought, 
 correctness of diction, 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 coune. 
 
 He was faithful and systematic in his visiting as he hid 
 ever been. 
 
 The Sabbath School was very dear to him. The peci- 
 liar liking which children always had for him, showed tie 
 warm seat which they held in his own heart. 
 
 To his Bible Class he brought the weight of his matur- 
 ed experience and the wealth of his extensive knowledge. 
 
 He loved to have young men visit him — and was 
 ingenious in devices for their benefit. The minutes of the 
 earlier Young Men's Associations of the church, which 
 have come under our notice, give evidence of this. 
 
 He established " Mutual Improvement Circles," which 
 were not confined to his own congregation. 
 
 Dr. Burns was unanimously appointed Moderator at 
 the first meeting of Synod, after his arrival in the Pro- 
 vince, which was held in Cobourg, in June. 
 
 He opened the meeting in Hamilton the following year, 
 with a discourse on the " Headship of Christ."* 
 
 During the summer succeeding his arrival, he was 
 much engaged as Convener of the committee appointed by 
 the Synod to visit all the congregations of the church. 
 He took a large share of the work himself. The results 
 
 * At the time of the Union in 1861, the Moderatorship was gracefully conferred on a 
 venerable and revered representative of the body which, numerically, was the smaller — 
 but, the year following, the honour was with exceeding cordiality tendered to Dr.BuJ-ns, 
 who, however, felt it to be his duty to decline.— Ed. 
 
VISITS TO THE CHURCHES. 217 
 
 ' are recorded in some fifty or sixty MS. books, which are 
 deposited in the library of Knox College. An abstract 
 embodying these, with important recommendations, was 
 subsequently submitted by him,. and ordered to be pub- 
 lished. 
 
 I^B Immediately on his arrival in Canada, Dr. Burns began 
 those periodical visits to the churches, which formed such 
 a prominent feature of his New- World life. His mission- 
 ary spirit found full scope both in the " bush" and in the 
 " clearings" of his adopted land. 
 
 Let a few out of many testimonies to the beneficial 
 effects of these visits suffice. 
 
 The Eev. J ohn W. Smith, of Grafton, formerly a faith- 
 ful missionary in Ireland, writes : — 
 
 *' He was often at Grafton, generally in company with his loving^ 
 partner. He was present on at least four conununion seasons dur- 
 ing my ministry, besides other visits. 
 
 " His presence was hailed with joy, and our communion seasons 
 were times of refreshing and comfort. There was something in his 
 hallowed and comforting intercourse in the household peculiar ta 
 himself. He was pleased with everything — the slightest attention 
 from the humblest was noticed in the kindest manner — the young- 
 est in the house loved him — delighted to serve him, and remember 
 with delight something Dr. Burns said or did, that has left a favour- 
 able impression. He knew all the aged, must see them every time 
 he came, and when any of his aged friends were removed, between 
 his visits, he soon missed their presence. He entertained a strong 
 affection and great respect for the elders, and had always some 
 word of encouragement for them. He was the Christian, and Chris- 
 tian minister, wherever he went, and the most indifferent soon felt 
 they were in the presence of a man of God. We loved him tenderly^ 
 here, and just when removed we had the prospect of another visit. 
 
 '' He did for the Presbyterian Church in the British Provinces 
 what no other man could do. We owe much to him under God . 
 He loved his church — he knew every corner of the church, and 
 his life was bound up in the success of the cause of God in the 
 Dominion." 
 
 The E-ev. Thomas Wardrope, formerly of Ottawa, now 
 
218 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. 
 
 of Guelph, tlie first student licensed, and ordained after the 
 disruption in Canada, describes the part which Dr. Burns 
 took at his settlement, and a portion of the tour with 
 the programme of which it was connected : — 
 
 " Dr. Bums' first visit to Ottawa, (then Bytown,) was in August, 
 1845. That visit was embraced in a plan which he forwarded to 
 me at Kingston, in the neighbourhood of which I had been doing 
 some mission work for a week or two at that time. A synopsis of 
 his plan may be interesting, as showing the extraordinary amount 
 of work that he was in the habit of undertaking — and I may safely 
 add, of accomplishing. 
 
 " 'Leave Toronto, Wednesday 6th, by steamer ; make direct for 
 Brockville ; preach there on the arrival of the boat on Thursday, 
 and at Prescott on the evening of that day. Friday, preach at 
 Edwardsburg, and any other place that may be near enough to be 
 overtaken on the same day. Set out for Kingston on Saturday, 
 stopping at Gananoque to preach there. Then make for Kingston, 
 where three appointments may be made for the Sabbath ; two in 
 in the city, and one wherever required in the neighbourhood. 
 Leave on Monday by canal, for your ordination at Bytown, on 
 "Wednesday, the 13th. Then proceed to Perth ; am sorry that I 
 •cannot go to Osgoode also ; but could I not take Belleville on my 
 way home ? I must be in Toronto for Sabbath, the 17th. 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 intercourse, 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, that 
 they could hardly fail to be remembered. For instance, at a par- 
 ticular spot 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 way through among the 
 rocks and the overhanging foliage ; but we have faith in the pilot ; 
 we believe that he knows the way, and can bring us through.' 
 From this text he took occasion to preach a short open-air sermon 
 
FIKST VISIT TO OTTAWA. 219 
 
 on the blessedness of trust in Him who guides His people amid all 
 the perplexities of life, and at last brings them in ' through the 
 gates into the city. ' As to myself, in view of my ordination which 
 had been appointed for Wednesday, I had addressed to me in the 
 same colloquial style, at intervals and in more quiet corners, a brief 
 course of lectures on ' Pastoral Theology.' 
 
 " We reached Bytown on Tuesday evening, and I remember, as 
 if it was but yesterday, our conversation which was just brought 
 to a close as we steamed down the ' deep cut.' He was speaking of 
 various texts ; and with that openness which so characterized his 
 intercourse with young ministers, was asking me from which of 
 them he should preach on the following morning. Several had 
 been set aside ; and the choice was at last narrowed down to these 
 two : Rom. xv. 29, ' When I come to you, I shall come in the ful- 
 ness of the blessings of the Gospel of Christ ;' and Isa. Ixii. 10, 
 * Go through, go through 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 latter of these was finally chosen ; and both text and ser- 
 mon are spoken of by many of the people in Ottawa unto this day. 
 The services connected with the ordination on Wednesday, were 
 conducted in the stone building on Sparks street, then the Wes- 
 leyan, and now St. Andrew's Roman Catholic Chapel. On Wed- 
 nesday evening, the doctor preached again in the same place, from 
 Song of Solomon, ii, 10, 13. All the passages that have been 
 referred to, will be recognized by many as having occupied promi- 
 nent places among his favourite texts. It is needless to say how 
 highly his preaching was appreciated at Bytown and elsewhere ; 
 but, it is much to be able to add, that he gained the aflFection and 
 esteem of those with whom he was brought into immediate contact, 
 not less by his whole spirit and deportment than by his preaching." 
 
 The following from himself foreshadows similar work: — 
 
 " Toronto, 25th May, 1846. 
 
 *' On the 14th June, I open the church at Binbrook and then go 
 down to Belleville and Kingston, to look after both places. My 
 Owen Sound visit I delay till August or so. Mr. McTavish* will do 
 much good alone just now, and his visit will pave 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 7th, and labours six weeks. Mr. 
 Esson, also, about the middle of June, and my day at Fredericks- 
 burg, &c., will be the 21st. The Islands will also come under my 
 notice. A trip to Amherst and Wolfe Islands may do for The 
 Record, or for the first number of our new paper if it goes on. " 
 
 * Now of Woodstock. 
 
220 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. 
 
 Though the ocean rolled between, he forgot not his old- 
 world friends. To his college companion, the Rev. James 
 Clason, of Dalzell, between whom and Codman, the 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 I 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. 
 
 *'Ihave one near me who is a good amanuensis, and she has 
 been my secretary on many occasions. I do not wish, however, to 
 devolve on her the whole business of correspondence, and more 
 especially in the case of such old confreres as you and I. Many 
 considerations of an interesting kind rise to view, when we 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 wrong 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 exercises, 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 ; while two hours each other day is devoted to Systematic 
 Theology and Church History. 
 
 ' ' Three months 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 large 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 beyond 
 Lake Simcoe — the latest settled townships, and almost all Scot- 
 tish ; as usual, entirely neglected. It is to my mind revolting in 
 
DESTITUTION. DISCOUKAGEMENT. 221 
 
 the extreme to witness such palpable proofs as I have seen, of the 
 heartlessness of the churches at home. It is wonderful that there 
 should be so much Christianity in Canada as there is, considering 
 the treatment our countrymen have 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 just 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 great good. 
 
 " Some hopeful lads are at the Hall, but years ought to elapse 
 before they go forth, and what is the church to do in the meantime? 
 Vacancies must be filled up, with such as we can get. The patience 
 of the people is exhausted, and Scotsmen you know will have minis- 
 ters. We have above thirty stations in this one Presbytery of Tor- 
 onto to supply, and Mr. Rintoul and I are the only ministers ; our 
 young men are therefore sent forth as catechists, and this interrupts 
 their studies. I feel myself sinking under the burden, more how- 
 ever, from discouragement and disappointment, than want of 
 strength. 
 
 " The conduct of the home churches is what I complain of ; here 
 every encouragement is given. 
 
 " Not one of us has had any sickness — not an hour's illness — it is 
 the finest climate in the world. 
 
 " Young Robert is fairly launched as a preacher, nor are we 
 without tokens for good. 
 
 " In new songs, we are called to bless and magnify His name 
 who is all in all. 
 
 " Please remember us to all enquiring friends. 
 
 " Most affectionately yours, 
 
 " Robert Burns." 
 
 After labouring two years successfully in Toronto, he 
 had a season of discouragement. He thus writes : — 
 
 " My discouragement preyed so much upon me, that when, in 
 March, 1847, I thought of a visit to Nova Scotia, to help the 
 churches there and in New Brunswick, in their sad destitution, it 
 occurred to me that possibly my services might be transferred to 
 another colonial field. In May following, my son was licensed, 
 and with the not unnatural feelings of a parent, I entrusted my 
 pulpit and my charge to him for two months. 
 
 " On this occasion, besides an affectionate address and present of 
 books to Mrs. Burns, from her senior Bible class, the following 
 
 * Tne late Rev. Wm. Buchan, of Hamilton, Scotland, 
 
222 LIFE OF KEV. DK. BURNS, 
 
 document, signed by some hundreds of sitters and members in the 
 church, was put into my hands : — 
 
 "May, 1847. 
 " The memorial of the undersigned members and adherents of 
 Knox's congregation, respectfully sheweth — 
 
 " That we have with the deepest regret heard mooted the ques- 
 tion of your leaving the congregation for some other sphere of use- 
 fulness. 
 
 ' ' Under the strong conviction that that event, were it now to 
 take place, would seriously impair the present prosperous condition 
 of the congregation, if not, indeed, as it is to be apprehended, 
 wholly endanger its existence, we are most anxious to avail our- 
 selves of every means within our power, to induce you to relinquish, 
 if you should have formed any intention of leaving us. So much 
 of what is favourable in our present position, both in the congrega- 
 tion and in the Church to which we belong, is attributable to your 
 ability and untiring energy, that the apprehension of losing the 
 advantage of these qualities at the present time is alarming. We 
 cannot doubt that, to an unbiassed judgment fairly considering the 
 whole case, it will manifestly appear that your translation from 
 among us would be attended with consequences disastrous to our 
 ecclesiastical and congregational interests. 
 
 " We therefore desire to express our earnest hope that a serious 
 consideration of the welfare of the congregation will impress upon 
 your mind the conviction that it is your highest duty to continue 
 to devote your eminent talents to the labours of your present 
 charge ; and we fervently pray that, by the blessing of the 
 Almighty, you may be long spared to spend a happy life among us 
 as our most highly esteemed pastor." 
 
 This earnest appeal weighed with him to remain in 
 Toronto. He goes on to say : — 
 
 " In the course of my three months' absence from Toronto, I 
 visited the States, and collected and purchased a thousand volumes 
 for the College Library of Halifax ; supplied Halifax, Pictou, 
 Prince Edward's Island, and the city of St. John, New Brunswick, 
 with preaching on Sabbaths aHd week-days, to a greater or less 
 extent ; visited nearly all the families of the Free Church in the 
 two cities of both Provinces ; obtained a subscription of £1000 for 
 the erection of Chalmers' Church in Halifax ; opened the Mechan- 
 ics' Institute as a temporary place of worship in St. John, N. B., 
 and organized the nucleus of the Free Church congregation thei e. 
 All this, with kindred labours of a similar kind before and since, I 
 looked on and still look on as a donation, if not in money, at least 
 in work (which is the same thing) from the Christian members of 
 Knox's Church, Toronto, to their more destitute fellow-members^ 
 
BUKNING OF OLD CHURCH. ERECTION OF NEW. 225 
 
 of the body of Christ. Two years after, I made a shorter visit to 
 Nova Scotia, and opened the new church in Halifax, then under 
 the ministry of my esteemed co-pastor once in Paisley, Mr. Forres- 
 ter, now the Chief Superintendent of Education for Nova Scotia. 
 ' ' While I was in Halifax, in 1847, the temporary erection called 
 Knox's Church, in this city, was burnt to the ground." 
 
 We well remember the " burning." Having been ap- 
 pointed supply during father's absence, our's was the last 
 voice heard in the old edifice. The last sermon preached 
 in it was on Sabbath evening, the 31st May, 1847. 
 
 The Sabbath following we met in St. Andrew's Church, 
 which was kindly placed at the disposal of the congrega- 
 tion, who subsequently engaged the Temperance Hall. 
 
 Dr. Burns returned with as great rapidity as his engage- 
 ments in the Lower Provinces would permit. 
 
 Within six weeks after his return, the foundation was 
 laid of the present stately structure. 
 
 A sentence of his comprehensive address on this occa- 
 sion contained the germ of what was known as the Mare 
 MagnuTYi controversy, in which some of his United Presby- 
 terian brethren took friendly issue with him. It was con- 
 ducted with spirit and ability on both sides.* 
 
 He kept closely by his post while the work went on. 
 
 Nothing occurred to mar it. We were soon receiving 
 
 such notes as these : — 
 
 »* Toronto, 26th May, 1845. 
 
 " We are getting on successfully, the vane on our spire having 
 been put up on Wednesday last, and towering aloft over all other 
 erections of the kind in the city. We are in great danger of getting 
 VAiJsr of it. These are externals, but they are of importance in 
 their relative connexions. Our church is now nearly ready for 
 
 * To one of the leading champions on the U. P. side, he once said (when this old con- 
 troversy was recalled), "I did not agree with your letters at all, but you treated me like 
 a gentleman." For such intellectual gladiatorship he had a strong liking. In a keen 
 argument on some great principle he was in his element ; and though in the warmth of 
 debate he would not unfrequently say or write severe things, he wae ever quick to make 
 the amende, and slow to resent any fancied or real wrong. 
 
224 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. 
 
 being opened. We have fixed the height of the pulpit, and in a 
 few weeks all will be completed. Mr. Bonar's letter will show you 
 how things are as to the deputies, 
 
 "I am thinking of writing Dr. McGillivray, and Mr. Bayne, of 
 Gait, who may both preach on the first Sabbath of July, and the 
 •evening diet would fall to myself. 
 
 ^' The only subjects on which a difierence of opinion is likely to 
 prevail at Synod, will be the sustentation fund and the college. 
 Both are well worthy of serious consideration. It is rather curious 
 both subjects seem to be agitating our friends of the Free Church 
 at home also. 
 
 " A rival college at Aberdeen would not be a bad thing ; the evils 
 of monopoly are great. 
 
 " I have just completed my visits to all the Common Schools of 
 the city, and the report is in to-day's Banner. There will be con- 
 troversy about it of course." 
 
 " Toronto, 11th July, 1848. 
 
 " Our opening is just at hand. We are already in, i. e., below, 
 liaving commenced in the basement floor, Sabbath before last. 
 Thus, we are gathering. Our " Laigh Kirk" is crammed. We 
 now take in 200 or 300 more than before, and our collections show- 
 it. I am kept busy just now by the Academy examinations, as«l 
 as IVIr. Gale is laid up by sickness, so much devolves on me. " 
 
 *' Toronto, 15th August, 1848. 
 
 " Our opening is fixed now for the 3rd of September, Mr. Pat- 
 terson (of Tranent), the deputy, is to be up to preach, and pos- 
 sibly another (one of our own men). 
 
 *' I would have preferred a week-day for the opening, but this 
 ■could hardly be, from secular considerations and engagements. 
 
 " We had a large congregational meeting last night for arranging 
 the plan of an extraordinary collection on the 3rd. The plan we 
 have adopted is : — 
 
 " ' The distribution of blank tickets to each family of the congre- 
 gation, on which the name of each member (parents, children, 
 domestics, &c.,) is inscribed. These family gatherings to be laid 
 up for the 3rd, and put into the plate on that day.' 
 
 ' ' Of course, although you are not now an inmate with us here, 
 we still look upon you as a member, and I would like to have in- 
 scribed on my card the names of all our members. " 
 
 The new church was opened at the time fixed, Sept. 3rd. 
 The Rev. J. Patterson, of Tranent, deputy from the Free 
 Church of Scotland, preaching in the forenoon and even- 
 ing ; Dr. Bums in the afternoon. 
 
PARISH WORK IN 1850. 225 
 
 A few extracts from the many letters to liis devoted 
 partner, when we visited Scotland together in 1850, may- 
 suffice to give some idea of the work of these years : — 
 
 " I trust that all goes well with you — a kind Providence watch- 
 ing around you — friends happy to see you, and the light of our 
 Father's countenance shining on your soul. 
 
 "■ I rather think you will not return to Church street again. I 
 have taken another house in York street. The accommodation wiU 
 not be much greater than at present, but there are many more con- 
 veniences — the house more elegant every way — near the College, 
 not farther from church, and only ten dollars more of rent. We 
 get possession to-morrow, but the rent dates from October 1st. I 
 have been at home the last four Sabbaths, and am keeping up the 
 classes as well as J can. Your young folks meet only occasionally. 
 We had a pretty good meeting on Monday eight-days, but the night 
 was verj'^ wet ; we got nearly five pounds, which I will set down 
 to account. 
 
 ' ' Mr. Lyal* leaves us for Nova Scotia in a few weeks ; he preaches 
 for me this evening (Thursday). You will think I am getting rich 
 on marriages ; for three, I got 17 dollars. You see what you are 
 losing by being away. I fear these dollars will have fled before 
 you come home. They will cover the flitting, and this belongs to 
 your department you see. 
 
 " Say to Robert, the supplies will be duly attended to. The 
 opening is fixed for the first Sabbath of November, and by me ; this 
 only conditional. I will take charge four Sabbaths. May the pres- 
 ence of the Good Lord be with you. I am wearying for next mail. 
 
 " My visit to Hamilton and the West, occupied me nearly three 
 weeks. The voyage up and down Lake Erie, (nearly 300 miles,) 
 from Bufi'alo to Detroit, by the splendid steamer Mayflower, 
 was very delightful and healthful. I did not find the gtate of 
 matters at Amherstburgh just as I would have wished, but we have 
 done our duty, and truth must triumph in the end. It was on 
 Saturday morning I got home, and preached all last Sabbath. I 
 endeavoured to improve the solemn events which had taken place 
 on both sides of the great Atlantic — the death of President Taylor 
 and Sir R. Peel. 
 
 " I am busy in the work of visitation, taking the afternoon and 
 evening, which makes it more pleasant than the warm forenoon. 
 
 " A pleasing event is the probable accession of Mr. McLachlan, 
 the Cameronian minister, to our body. He has made his formal 
 application to the Presbytery, and unquestionably will be received. 
 
 ' ' We have had pleasant, and I think profitable prayer-meetings, 
 and good attendance on the Lord's Day. Let us hope good is 
 doing." 
 
 * Professor Lyal, then of Knox College, now of Nova Scotia. 
 P 
 
226 LIFE OF EEV. DR. BURNS. 
 
 In the extensive Saugeen District which was jnst be- 
 ginning to be settled in 1851, he thus indicates his inter- 
 est : — 
 
 * 5th August, 1851. 
 
 " You will not be altogether pleased with my depriving you of 
 Mr. Duncan, at your late solemn season of fellowship. The truth 
 is, there seemed a loud call on us to send a missionary to those 
 Huron lands, whose spiritual state was so affecting ; and the nephew 
 of the Crown Commissioner, (McNab,) just setting out to explore 
 and organize the settlements, and a religious man, anxious to help 
 on our cause, presented an opening not to be rejected by us." 
 
 In 1851 he secured for over 300 of the 71st Highland 
 Light Infantry the right to worship God according to their 
 consciences. That right had not been conceded before. 
 It was claimed that the Established Churches of the 
 Empire had the exclusive privilege of ministering to the 
 soldiers. Dr. Burns disputed that claim. The authorities 
 were at first disposed to insist. Eed tape seemed likely to 
 carry the day. But, after a persistent effort, he succeeded. 
 
 The men were marched to the church of their attach- 
 ment. The unflinching advocate of their rights minis- 
 tered to them for over a year without fee or reward. In 
 addition to the Sabbath services he regularly held a 
 prayer-meeting amongst them. Many a lonely toilsome 
 walk he had to the distant barracks, and without the re- 
 motest expectation of salary, which went in another 
 direction. We had the same regiment under our care the 
 following year, and a noble body of men they were — but 
 we were more kindly treated by the powers that be. 
 
 When they left Toronto they presented their friend 
 with a splendid gold watch and chain, and a warm hearted 
 address. 
 
 To anything bearing on the eldership he was specially 
 
ELDERSHIP. DR. DUFF. 227 
 
 partial. He had himself written and published much on 
 the subject, and counted an efficient body of elders the 
 sheet-anchor of the church. 
 
 " Toronto, 5th February, 1853. 
 
 ** Your papers on the eldership are valuable and well timed. I 
 wish we could get a supply of really good elders. They are invalu- 
 able. 
 
 ' ' Death is making ravages at home among my old friends, and 
 the loss of such men as McLaggan, Sievewright, &c., must he 
 deeply felt." 
 
 Two months afterwards he had to part, in circumstances 
 
 peculiarly sad, with one of his best elders and dearest 
 
 friends : 
 
 " Toronto, April, 1853, 
 " Our excellent friend, Mr. John Burns, took his departUfd 
 yesterday to a better world. Our grief is deep ; the loss is great ; 
 the widow and family much to be sympathized with ."* 
 
 Within a single year John Burns, of Toronto, John 
 Fraser, of London, and James R. Orr, of Montreal, three 
 of the noblest elders in our church, to whom he was specially 
 attached, were not suffered to continue, by reason of death. 
 
 Eighteen hundred and fifty -four was to him an annua 
 mirahilis — a wonderful year, in consequence of the visit 
 of the Apostle of India — a blessed avatar to this entire 
 continent. 
 
 The provincial arrangements devolved on him, and ho 
 went about them with his whole heart. 
 
 " Toronto, 10th April, 1854. 
 *' It is my intention to go down with Dr. Duff to Cobourg and 
 to Kingston, but I cannot stay over the Sabbath ; at least I 
 would like to return by Saturday morning, my single object being 
 to pay respect to a distinguished man and esteemed friend. The 
 doctor accepts your invitation of course. He has been with us 
 
 * As agent of the church and editor of the Record Mr. Burns was singularly useful. 
 When cut off in mid-time of his days, linked with such noble compeers, many cried, 
 " Help, Lord, for the godly man ceaseth, for the faithful fail from among tht children 
 of men." 
 
228 LIFE OF EEV. DR. BURNS. 
 
 since the afternoon of Saturday, and our house is still an inn. 
 Yesterday, we had noble work of it, and such an audience I iat/ncj, 
 as was never seen here or in Canada before. Many went away, 
 
 '• This day he addresses the students of the three halls, at 4, and 
 we have a social meeting in the evening. To-morrow the great 
 meeting takes place in the Wesleyan Chapel, and on Wednesday, 
 we have the breakfast in the St. Lawrence Hall. The doctor is 
 greatly overwrought, and yet he spoke yesterday with great vigour 
 till near 6 o'clock, and many solemnly interesting truths he brought 
 before us. W. Lyon Mackenzie and Charles Lindsay stood at his 
 right hand on the pulpit stairs all the time. We made collections 
 for the missions as you should do, but the crowd was against our 
 success. We mean to spend two hours at Cobourg, on Wednesday, 
 Captain Colcleugh having kindly agreed to pause ; thus we may not 
 be with you, till breakfast time." 
 
 The satisfaction of the distinguished visitor was ex- 
 pressed in many ways, and when about to leave on the 
 20th April, of that year, he writes from Montreal : — 
 
 " And now T cannot leave Canada without saying how thankful 
 I feel to God for even this short visit . Above all, my dear old 
 friend, and father beloved in the Lord, allow me to express to 
 yourself and dear Mrs. Burns, the joy of heart which I experienced 
 in meeting and conversing with you, and the gratitude of heart I 
 shall ever cherish for all your uncommon kindnesses towards my- 
 BeK. The Lord recompense you both a hundred-fold ! Excuse 
 haste, and believe me ever, 
 
 " Affectionately yours, 
 
 " Alexander Duff." 
 
 Six years afterwards, during which the country of his 
 love and labour had passed through a reign of terror — 
 writhing in throes, which ushered her into a new and nobler 
 life — Dr. Duff, acting as the mouthpiece of the mission- 
 aries, who from the ends of the earth sounded out to 
 Christendom the summons to prayer, thus wrote : — 
 
 " Calcutta, 8th August, 1860. 
 
 "My Dear Dr. Burns, — Often, often, do I think of my visit to 
 Canada, and of the warm hearts I met with, from London on the 
 West, to Montreal on the East. 
 
 " Since then great events have transpired in many lands. But 
 
DR. DUFF. DR. GUTHRIE. 229 
 
 in a Christian point of view, the most memorable are the great re- 
 vivals of religion in America, Ireland and other lands. 
 
 " How intensely we have been longing for a shower in this dry 
 and parched land, the Lord knows ! That, to a greater extent than 
 heretofore, the spirit of prayer has been stirred up, is undoubted. 
 But, oh ! how feeble are our prayers and all our efforts ! Remem- 
 bering, however, that w.e ought always to pray and not to faint, we 
 wish to persevere and to ' give the Lord no rest' till He 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 and 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'a 
 minds to be ill at ease. But the Lord God omnipotent reigns. 
 That is our happy assurance. And, whatever be the trials in store 
 for His church and people, the issue will be glorious, for the mouth 
 of the Lord hath spoken it. To Mrs. Burns and all friends in To- 
 ronto and elsewhere, my warmest remembrances, and believe me 
 ever, 
 
 " Yours very affectionately, 
 
 '* Alexander Duff." 
 
 On my father also devolved, several years afterwards, 
 the making of the arrangements for Dr. Guthrie's expect- 
 ed visit to Canada — arrangements, which, to the regret of 
 all, had to be abandoned on receipt ot the following : — 
 
 " Copley House, Thoenton Hough, 
 
 " Cheshire, 15th April, 1867. 
 
 " My Dear Dr. Burns, — You will probably have heard before 
 this reaches you, that I left the Scotia at Queenstown, hors de corn- 
 hat, not through sea sickness, but suffering from my old heart 
 malady. It is impossible for me to describe my feelings, but they 
 were not new to me. I had endured the same horrible 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 
 rumbling along the road. I was so anxious to undertake and go 
 through the American enterprise, in the hope that I might do 
 
230 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. 
 
 fiomething to draw the churches and countries nearer to each other, 
 that I cast all warnings behind me. We had a capital passage to 
 Qaeenstown, so far as the ship was concerned. The Scotia never 
 Beemed to feel herself out of the dock. I would have endured 
 other two or three such nights, but I could not bear the prospect 
 of 12 or 14 of them, and unless I got away at Queenstown, I knew 
 there was no other escape ; and I embraced it, almost as glad as the 
 Tsraelites when the Red Sea opened them a means of escape, and 
 -the way to the other shore. However, at the suggestion of some 
 Mnd Americans, I let Charles go on — very much delighted he was 
 that he also was not doomed to disappointment. 
 
 *' He will, I hope, 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- 
 ^oseth 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. 
 JMay the Lord richly bless your and her abundant labours. 
 
 " Ever yours affectionately, 
 
 *' Thomas Guthrie." 
 
 These were Tabor visions and visits. He had other 
 experiences as well. Thus : 
 
 "February 14th, 1856. Confined by severe inflammation of 
 fiide till Sabbath, 24th February, when I 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 from 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, ' O my 
 Lord, &c.' Since May 4th, have been able for all 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 
 
 lb followed one of the most trying periods in his per- 
 sonal 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 a 
 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 miuister 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 
 
232 LIFE OF REV. DE. BURNS. 
 
 seemed as if he would fail in his benevolent design : 
 but he kept persistently at it, till he had collected 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 : — 
 
 "Edijsburgh, 6 Clarendon Crescent, 
 
 " 12th May. 
 
 " I received your obliging reply yesterday, just as I was starting 
 for our annual meeting. It will 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, 31st 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 fatherless will receive a blessing. Try 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. 
 
 the widows and orphans of deceased ministers, he was 
 thoroughly versed. When the matter was mooted in 
 Canada, he took it heartily up. Those who initiated the 
 movement found him a willing worker. 
 
 On one of several tours in its behalf, he writes to King- 
 ston to us : — 
 
 "Montreal, August ]851. 
 
 " We are coming on very successfully with our collections on be- 
 half of the Widow's Fund. St. Gabriel street, already £153 ; Cote 
 street, £192 10s. I think we shall make out £450 or £500 from 
 both. 1 expect to go down to Quebec on Friday, and Mr. Walker, 
 of Newton-Stuart has come up to assist Mr. Fraser on Sabbath. 
 This day (Fast Day,) falls to me. I am counting on being with 
 you on the 12th, and you will circulate 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 Picton and Belleville as proposed. 
 You will send circulars and a note. All this if the Lord will. " 
 
 Kev. Henry Gordon, of Gananoque, 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 1845, I think, when he came to Canada as pastor of 
 Knox'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 quarter 
 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 1867 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 acqiiaintances, and 
 a good many others, giving a pretty fair representation of the Gan- 
 anoque community, the American part inclusive , there was so 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 
 
234 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. 
 
 wished good night, for having given them the opportunity of meet- 
 ing so pleasing a specimen of a cheerful, entertaining, instructive 
 old age. 
 
 ' ' But to take up the thread of my narrative. It was on the 
 occasion of Dr. Burns' coming to Ottawa, then called By town, to 
 preside at the ordination of my much valued friend, the Rev. 
 Thomas Wardrope, that on coming to the spot where travellers 
 land, the face so well and so long known, and which seemed to 
 say, ' T love the work on which I have come,' was recognized by 
 me, and the well-known voice thus greeted me : — ' Mr, Gordon, 1 
 am glad to see you ; I have seen your missionary pony and Mr. 
 Hepworth on it, and I am glad he is using it for missionary work ;' 
 alluding to my friend, Mr, Hepworth, a gratuitous labourer in the 
 Lord's vineyard, nearly if not altogether, and who surpasses the 
 fame of Goldsmith's Country Parson, ' passing rich with forty pounds 
 a year ;' for I can attest that my friend has been engaged in volun- 
 tary evangelical labours, in a circuit of perhaps 30 miles in circum- 
 ference, since 1845, and 30 dollars a year would be a fair average 
 estimate of his income, perhaps less. He has acquired an art, not 
 known in our days, of living without money. 
 
 '' Your father preached a good many discourses at Ottawa, and 
 many belonging to different denominations were hearers. The 
 comments of a person with whom I was not acquainted, but who 
 entered frankly into conversation with me, (I do not think that he 
 belonged to the Presbyterian Church,) comes to my mind, and were 
 to this effect : — ' That's the preacher fitted to do much good — 
 sound, lively, but no wild-^re about him. ' His visit to Ottawa left 
 these impressions on the brethren and congregations of our church, 
 that the Lord had sent a man of preaching qualifications, of those 
 active and, in a good sense, flexible social habits, suited to a young 
 rising country of mixed races. 
 
 ^' I had a good deal of intercourse with your father, in his jour- 
 neying labours in behalf of the schemes of the church ; in particu- 
 lar, at the time of founding ' The Widow's Fund.' I went round 
 with him in my own locality and somewhat in Brockville, and was 
 struck with the zealousness, cheerfulness and knowledge of human 
 nature with which he went about it. 1 remember that, in visiting 
 a widow lady, whose son, a farmer, happened to be absent, we 
 came into the house after a journey from Kingston, on one of these 
 cold sharp days, not a little tending to the sharpening of physical 
 powers — it being about 4 o'clock, p. m. , and not having dined. 
 The Canadians' serve-all tea, butter such as we find at farmers' 
 houses,- and cakes, that kind we never saw in Scotland, crullers I 
 think they call ihem, were among them ; but, as far as I can remem- 
 ber, the common help at all times, ham, was awanting — well, abun- 
 dance of all this was soon seen spread out on the table — and another 
 strong proof was added to the innumerable proofs before, that 
 alcohol IS not needed for raising the sj)irits. 
 
IN THE COTTAGE. LOKD DALHOUSIE. 235 
 
 *' For altho' your father in his constitutional temperament was 
 generally lively, 1 think that I never saw a more generous, copious 
 outflow, than when partaking of that kind woman's repast, and 
 praise of the cakes (not so dangerous as praises to our poor imper- 
 fect fellow creatures,) was not spared. Your father's kindly way 
 with the people had won this woman's heart, and her remark to me 
 was ' dear me, I was in trouble that I had sae unco puir a table for 
 the Doctor, but his fine homely way made me soon forget,' — a 
 Sisson for the stiff and stately ones. This stiffness is often an ex- 
 crescence which needeth the knife." 
 
 My beloved old friend recalls a marriage feast fresh in 
 my recollection, when my father (as was not unusual), did 
 the honours of the table. Reverting next day to the dis- 
 play by him of the very feature which came out in the 
 Gananoque cottage, the mother of the bride, in the exuber- 
 ance of her feelings, exclaimed, putting a strong accent on 
 the second syllable of " comfortable/' and giving a little 
 variation to the first : — " Oh, but the doctor was the 
 confdrtahle man that nicht." 
 
 To lend a helping hand to ingenuous youth commenc- 
 ing life, was a real pleasure to him. Many applications 
 he made to men in business, and sometimes to those 
 bigh in power, in their behalf. Thus, for a young man 
 in no way related to him, he applied to the War Depart- 
 ment when the present Earl of Dalhousie (then Mr. Fox 
 Maule), was in office, and received from his lordship a 
 reply, an extract from which will be found interesting : 
 
 " Wae Office, 
 
 " 11th January, 1849. 
 
 "I received your letter some few days since, and am rejoiced to 
 hear that it has pleased God to prosper you in the land where you 
 are placed. The prosperity of His Church is at all times a source of 
 delight, but that of the portion of it with which we are connected, 
 is peculiarly so. Your college beats that of the Presbyterian 
 Church in England in its numbers, and I trust will be sufficient to 
 supply preachers of the Gospel to our North American Colonies, 
 
236 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. 
 
 without drawing away from the old country such men as yourself. 
 I read with great interest the account of Knox's Church, and I am 
 happy to see that you agree with me in opinion, that beauty of 
 structure of the House of God, is not inconsistent with purity of 
 devotion to God himself. T have been in Toronto many years since, 
 but my visit was hurried, and the condition of the place at that 
 time, left no great impression of its advantages in my mind. It 
 must be greatly altered since then, and it would gratify me more 
 than I can say, were I able to revisit that loved haunt of my youth, 
 from Quebec to Niagara. 
 
 " To come, however, to the marrow of your note, I fear that M's, 
 son can receive little help from me. 
 
 " People are apt to think that because a man is in power, he can 
 get anything. It is exactly the reverse. Unless you have it in 
 your own department, you have less chance than the humblest sup- 
 porter of Government. Moreover, every step, at present, is 
 towards reduction, and so my difficulty is insurmountable. 
 
 ' ' I regret to return so ungracious an answer to your request, 
 which, however, I am glad you have been induced to make, as it 
 has given me the pleasure of hearing of your doings and yourself." 
 
 He was often the " afflicted maris companion.'' In the 
 chamher of sicktiess his visits were peculiarly prized. He 
 knew how to speak a word in season to those who were 
 weary. In the morning of his ministry he had learned 
 obedience by the things which he suffered, and thus ob- 
 tained an aptn.ess to teach those occupying forms in the 
 same school, its severe though salutary lessons. 
 
 " 31st Dec. 1850. 
 " We have been in painful anxiety these days past, regarding our 
 beloved Rebecca. Every hour we are expecting a telegraphic an- 
 nouncement. If the dear suflerer is still present in the body, let 
 her know from us that we constantly remember her at the heaven- 
 ly throne — that we desire her spiritual advancement and joy — that 
 we commend her in faith to Him in whom she trusts, and that we 
 sympathize most tenderly with the afflicted, and we fear, by this 
 time, bereaved husband. My dear partner would write at length, 
 were it not that the last intelligence seemed to be the prelude of an 
 hourly-expected fatal announcement. Assure the Messrs. G. that 
 all the wishes and hints in their letters will be most punctually at- 
 tended to, and that our house, whether by day or by night, is at 
 their service. May the God of all grace be with the interesting 
 sufferer, and at even-time — may there be light !" 
 
I 
 
 SYMPATHY. MK. CLASON. 237 
 
 To his life-long friend, Mr. Clason, he wrote thus 
 
 sympathisingly, when "the desire of his eyes was taken 
 
 away with a stroke" : — 
 
 " Toronto, 5th May, 1848, 
 
 *' My Dear Old Friend, — Your late painful trial in the loss of 
 your beloved partner, demands a token of sympathy from me, and 
 I willingly offer it. We had heard through various channels of 
 dear Mrs. C. 's illness, but had not anticipated a fatal result. We 
 have since learned the particulars from mutual friends in Edin- 
 burgh, and yet a detail of them from yourself or Rebecca, (when 
 you can bring your mind to it,) will be to us most agreeable, more 
 especially as regards interests more sacred and solemn than those 
 of the body and the termination of a life temporal. What we have 
 heard in this respect is so pleasing, as just to excite a desire to hear 
 more. In the meantime, we offer our united condolence. We have 
 met with you often at the heavenly throne, and commended all 
 your concerns into the hands of oar common Father, praying that 
 divine support may be imparted in this your time of need, and that 
 all things may be made to work 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 the sharer of your joys and sorrows ; 
 and we sympathize with each and all the members of your 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 called 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 Gospel which 
 we 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 sweetly soothing. 
 
 " Amid your growing infirmities — for both you and I must think 
 of these while we feel them — the new tie to heaven thus formed in 
 your case, will be at once comforting and strengthening, and your 
 closing days may be among your brightest. It is now upwards of 
 forty years since you and I used to exchange letters, and our period 
 of sacramental intercourse has been not greatly short of this, and 
 without interruption from any cause of an unpleasant nature . 
 
 " It was just this week, twelve months ago, when enjoying for the 
 first and last time, fellowship in communion with our old friend at 
 Dorchester, near Boston, we had you and yours before us, and 
 many recollections of other times. He is gone, and you and I must 
 be getting our houses in order, for the knell is striking for us both. 
 Oh, my dear friend, there is indeed a reality in the things of God, 
 and in the solemnities of a coming world j a reality, which such 
 
238 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. 
 
 events as the present presses more strongly upon us. May we grow 
 in experimental acquaintance with the truths we have so long been 
 honoured to preach, and may we exemplify their spirit more than 
 we have hitherto been enabled to do. My partner will accompany 
 this with a few lines to R. My son is with us at present, (from 
 Kingston,) and I go down to take his pulpit on Sabbath. I have 
 had many causes of gratitude in Robert, who has early been called 
 into the vineyard, and whose field is large and inviting." 
 
 Travelling four years ago in a distant part of the State 
 of Wisconsin, we chanced to be entertained by one who 
 had served during the late American war as a brave Com- 
 modore. 
 
 After dinner, his wife mentioned that for a season they 
 
 had sojourned in Toronto, under the ministry of Dr, 
 Burns. A very promising daughter left behind at school 
 had fallen sick and died. She spoke with a beating heart 
 and swimming eyes of his assiduous attentions, and 
 showed me a long letter written by him to her (dated 
 August, 1850,) directed to her Western home, in which he 
 tenderly broke to her the sad intelligence, and conveyed 
 words of counsel and comfort. 
 
 Nor did he lose in Toronto his Paisley character of the 
 "friend of the 'poor." He was ready to distribute, willing 
 to communicate. No one can enumerate his benefactions, 
 for "not letting the left hand know what the right hand 
 doeth" was fully acted out by him. 
 
 " His warm friend, Alexander McGlashan (says one who knew 
 him well),* occasionally blamed the good doctor for being more 
 generous than his means could afford, and as they often went about 
 together. Dr. Burns sometimes adopted measures to prevent his 
 friend knowing the extent of his liberality. On one occasion they 
 visited a widow with whom the doctor sympathised in her need, 
 and when leaving the house he left a glove, saying to Mr. McGlas- 
 han when about to enter the carriage, that he had left it, Then^ 
 
 * Rev. E. Wallace, West Church, Toronto. 
 
GENEROSITY. PUBLIC SPIRIT. 23& 
 
 returning alone, he placed an envelope in the hand of the wido-vr 
 containing 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 un- 
 righteous mammon, and followed his Master's admonition, ' make 
 friends to yourselves of the mammon of unrighteousness. ' He was 
 noted for the generous liberality with which he aided new and weak 
 congregations and mission stations ; in several instances encourag- 
 ing them to purchase pulpit 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 
 offering him five dollars to pay his expenses from Toronto, he asked, 
 ' What is this V 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 ons 
 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- 
 ence as Secretary of the Colonial Society made him inti- 
 mately acquainted with these. The vexed subjects of tht^ 
 Clergy 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 accomplished athlete, in a contest 
 which was ere long to eventuate in triumph. He partici- 
 pated in the feelings which the " liberal spirits" of the day 
 cherished towards the "Star Chamber," under whose 
 crushing despotism the country had groaned. 
 
 By speeches 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. DR. BURNS. 
 
 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 Si seTies 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 September, 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 had 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 " persecuted 
 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 
 suras 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 forward 
 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 hollo wness, 
 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 Jew, 
 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, 
 
242 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. 
 
 when Dr. Burns 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 public 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 Vincit (Family motto), 
 
 " Presented to the Rev. Robert Bums, D.D., of Knox's Church, Toronto, by a large 
 body of citizens and others, as a token of respectful esteem, and in testimony of his 
 faithfulness and zeal in the cause of Truth, in having on various occasions detected im- 
 postures practised on the public ; and more especially of his exalted moral courage under 
 peculiarly embarrassing circumstances, in having, notwithstanding the most unscrupu- 
 lous conduct of volunteered abettors, successfully frustrated and exposed the audacious 
 career of the accomplished impostor and swindler, Lublin, a pretended Hungarian 
 nobleman, Moravian Bishop and convert from Judaism, and an agent of the * New York 
 American Society for meliorating the condition of the Jews.' Toronto January, 1854." 
 
IMPOSTUKES EXPOSED. PEOGHESS. 243 
 
 Dr. Burns 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 say." The fellow, wincing under the startling 
 rebuke, withdrew, and left the 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 brief 
 statement of his own may be given : — 
 
 " Of the progress of the congregation, since the com- 
 mencement of my ministry, the following table of admis- 
 sions of members may give some idea. 
 
 A Communion List of Knox's Church, extracted from the Session 
 Record, this 10th December, 1855. 
 
 Roll as it stood on 23rd May, 1845, the day when Dr. 
 
 Burns was inducted , 215 
 
 A dmitted in Sept. 1845, First Communion 80 
 
 " Feb. ] 846— 48. Sept. 1846—23 71 
 
 " Feb. 1847—38. Sept. 1847—34 72 
 
 " Feb. 1848— 33. Sept. 1848— 18 51 
 
 " Feb. 1849—40. Sept. 1849—51 91 
 
 " Feb. 1850-74. Sept. 1850—21 95 
 
 " Feb. 3851-55. Sept. 1851— 25 80 
 
 " Feb. 1852—2.5. Sept. 1852—34 59 
 
 " Feb. 1853—39. Sept. 1853—30 69 
 
 " Feb. 1854—37. Sept. 1854—70 107 
 
 " Feb. 1855— 35. Sept. 1855— 39 74 
 
 1064 
 
 Being an average of about 80 per annum. 
 
CHAPTER XV. 
 
 PROFESSORSHIP. 
 
 R. BURNS visited Kingston as delegate from 
 the Free Church of Scotland on Friday and 
 Saturday, the 19th and 20th of April, 1844. 
 On the 7th of March, 1842, Queen's College, 
 had been opened, with Thomas Liddell, D.D. 
 of Lady Glenorchy's, Edinburgh, as Principal, and 
 the Rev. P. C. Campbell, M.A., as Professor of Clas- 
 sical Literature and Belles Lettres (now the Very 
 ^Y I^Gv. Principal Campbell, of Aberdeen). Seven 
 theological students were in attendance at the 
 time of Dr. Bums* visit. Six of these waited upon him, 
 intimating their intention of separating from the Estab- 
 lished Church of Scotland and of connecting themselves 
 with the Free Church.* 
 
 • The names of these six students were, we believe, Angus McColl, John McKinnon, 
 Eobert Wallace, Lachlan McPherson, Thomas Wardrope, and Patridc Gray. 
 
I 
 
 KNOX COLLEGE. MR. GALE. 245 
 
 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 established. The Rev. Andrew King, M.A., 
 of Glasgow, afterwards of the Theological Seminary 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 first 
 communication, after deciding for Canada, was to the stu- 
 dents. So soon as he arrived he commenced arrangements 
 for their benefit. He prevailed on the Rev. Alexander 
 Gale to devote a month to the preparation for winter 
 work of those 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. 
 
246 LIFE OF IlEV. DR. BURNS. 
 
 " Hamilton, Tuesday, Sept., 1845. 
 " Mr. Gale, at my request, agrees to take charge of the students 
 for one month, and to reside at our house, where the students will 
 meet with him for at least three hours a day, for exercises in lan- 
 guages and philosophy. Mr. Gale is well qualified in every way 
 for this work, and I hope that the young men will profit much 
 under his tuition. He will also preach for me on the 10th. I need 
 scarcely say that we rely on your paying all attention to Mr. Gale's 
 comfort. " 
 
 We were privileged to enjoy the teachings of that ami- 
 able and accomplished man, with the little band that had 
 gathered some weeks before the commencement of the 
 session in the humble tenement in James street, which 
 formed the cradle of Knox College. His fatherly counsels, 
 and the exercises upon " Watts on the Improvement of the 
 Mind," and kindred text-books, were of lasting benefit. 
 
 In those days, when Upper Canada College was largely 
 under High Church influence, and our public school sys- 
 tem was but in its infancy, feeling the importance of a 
 preparatory school as a feeder to the college. Dr. Burns 
 urged strongly the establishment of such an institution. 
 Toronto Academy was the result. He drew up the cir- 
 cular regarding it, and acted as chairman of the board. 
 Mr. Gale was made Principal of the Academy, and Profes- 
 sor of Classical Literature in Knox College. Associated 
 with him were the late Rev. Thomas Wightman and Mr. 
 Thomas Henning. Both boarding and day schools were 
 conducted with distinguished ability, and proved 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 
 
I 
 
 FEMALE EDUCATION. ''GRINDING." 247 
 
 deep interest. He prevailed on Christian ladies of sound 
 
 principles to open seminaries, which might be an offset 
 
 against those well-known establishments to which parents 
 
 of lax notions are too prone to send their daughters at an 
 
 age when the character is most susceptible of impressions, 
 
 and the mind receives a set. 
 
 *' Toronto, Aug. 26, 1853. 
 
 * ' The S are now fairly embarked. Perhaps Kingston may 
 
 bring a few boarders. We have embraced the range of the evan- 
 gelical churches, and they seem hearty. These Popish and Puseyite 
 seminaries are eating out our vitals. Female seminaries, if properly 
 conducted, and on sound evangelical principles, will exercise a 
 commanding influence on the churches and on the community — a 
 subject of far greater importance than many suppose. 
 
 " I send you a letter from Dr. Guthrie, that you may let Mr. 0. 
 and others see the light in which the thing is regarded in Scot- 
 land." 
 
 Dr. Burns served in the college till the arrival of the 
 Eev. Dr. Willis as permanent professor and Principal. His 
 prelections embraced Church History and the Evidences of 
 Christianity, with occasional lectures in cognate depart- 
 ments. He had a good deal of " grinding" in the elemen- 
 tary branches, and was ready to set his mind in any direc- 
 tion where he felt there was a want. 
 
 On the matter of " preparatory training" he laid great 
 stress, and published, in 1848, a lengthened document ex- 
 planatory of his views. These did not meet at the time 
 with that measure of favour which he desired, but they 
 were subsequently carried out, substantially, in the tutorial 
 arrangements. Such supplementary provision for ground- 
 ing in the elements was needed, at the period of his per- 
 sistent advocacy, to a degree which, with our present 
 improved educational advantages, we cannot fully appre- 
 ciate. 
 
248 LIFE OF KEY. DE. BURNS. 
 
 After Dr. Willis had entered on the duties from which 
 he has recently retired with a record of over twenty years* 
 honorable service, Dr. Burns at intervals rendered efficient 
 aid as occasional professor. 
 
 On the 17th of June, 1856, he was appointed to the 
 chair of Church History and Apologetics, and loosed from 
 the pastorate. A few extracts from his diary thereafter 
 may be given : 
 
 "June 24th. — Over to St. Catharines; drew the address on 
 college buildings. 
 
 " 27th. — Examined books on church history. 
 
 .*' July 29th. — Have now got six lectures on the Evidences ready ^ 
 
 "Aug. 8th.— At Guelph ; collected £22 for College. 
 
 " 10th. — Hamilton, forenoon, Judges vi. 13, Gideon ; evening, 
 6.30, Dundas. 
 
 " 11th. — Making calls with Mr. Walker, collecting. 
 
 " 12th. — Went down to Wellington Square, preached on 2 Cor. 
 V. 21 ; at Waterdown at 7, on Rom. xv. 39. 
 
 " 13th. — At Cummingsville, on Luke xxiii. 46. 
 
 "14th. — Collected of money, £90 ; but the amount of subscrip- 
 tion is £175. 
 
 " 15th. — Dundas ; subscription £20 ; arrangements made for 
 collecting, 
 
 " 16th. — At Gait ; preached forenoon and evening, 2 Cor. iii. 18. 
 
 " 19th. — Set off for Doon ; sermon at 7. New Hope omitted — a 
 pity. 
 
 "21st.— At Berlin and Woolwich. 
 
 " 24th.— Preached at Fergus, 2 Cor. v. 21 ; and Elora, 1 Peter 
 iv. 18, ' Scarcely saved.' 
 
 " 26th. — Preached at Mount Forest, forenoon and evening ; 
 rising place ; conversed about the site ; agreed to enquire about it. 
 
 " 27th. — At Durham, church roofed ; shall they sell ? examined 
 the ten acres ; preached, Rom. vii. 9 ; addressed on College ; keen 
 contest about M. P. 
 
 " 28th. — Dangerous ride up to the Sound. 
 
 " 29th. — To Collingwood ; church matters there going on well." 
 
 In September we find him preaching and addressing at 
 Grimsby, Clinton, Niagara Falls, St. Catharines, Port Dal- 
 housie, Niagara, Woodstock, Innerkip, Ingersoll, London 
 Lobo, WiUiams, Komoka, Westminster, «Sz;c. 
 
COLLEGE LABOUKS. BURSARIES. 249 
 
 '* October 1st. — Delivered (opening) lecture on the Literature of 
 the Christian Ministry — large attendance ; good many students 
 Coming." 
 
 To the discharge of his duties in the seminary he brought 
 an enthusiasm which never flagged. Looking out for 
 students, gathering books for the library or curiosities for 
 the museum, influencing friends to establish bursaries 
 and scholarships, collecting subscriptions for the college 
 buildings, securing works of standard theology for stu- 
 dents at reduced rates, and commending the institution 
 in every way he could to the sympathies, the prayers, 
 and the liberality of the church. 
 
 In its behalf he undertook a journey to Great Britain 
 in the summer of 1857, in company with the Rev. Donald 
 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 on the floor of the Free Church 
 General Assembly awakened much interest. A consider- 
 able amount of money was collected, and much advantage 
 in various ways accrued to the institution. Latterly he 
 made a specialty of the bursary fund, establishing a bur- 
 sary himself, Mrs. Burns founding another, and several 
 relatives and friends following their example.* 
 
 * My father always set a high value on bursaries or scholarships as aids to deserving 
 students. The obtaining of these he made a specialty in his efforts for the college. On 
 one occasion, in Scotland, he made an effort in this direction in behalf of a member of 
 his own family ; for with his limited income and open-handed charity it was not easy to 
 make the " ends meet." An omitted portion of his autobiography refers to this. " Forty 
 years had rolled away, and three peers in succession had occupied the ducal chair of 
 the palace at Hamilton, when it came into my mind to make a slight experiment on the 
 memory and the heart of a Scottish nobleman to whom of course I was totally unknown. 
 My son Robert, formerly of St. Catharines, now of Chicago, Illinois, U.S., was in 1842 
 commencing his studies in theology at Glasgow College. The Hamilton bursaries are 
 ' golden' ones ; and a gift worth the taking is surely worthy of being asked. I amused 
 myself penning a letter to the duke, when at the palace, stated the facts of the case, my 
 father's claims, and my son's standing at college ; sending at the same time my friend 
 Professor Buchanan's high certificate. Ten days brought me an answer from the duke's 
 
250 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. 
 
 The circulation, at half price, of Dr. Cunningham's work? 
 which he accomplished on a large scale among the stu- 
 dents, was a great boon. This he was enabled to do 
 through the generosity of several gentlemen, specially of 
 Mr. Joseph McKay, of Montreal, who had previously done 
 so much to defray 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 books from him. 
 
 He was frank, generous, and kindly in his intercourse 
 with his students. To the stiffness and starchedness of 
 magisterial authority he was ever a stranger. The punc- 
 tilious etiquette which stands on its dignity, and insists 
 on ceremonious deference to its exacting behests, he could 
 not away with. 
 
 To empty-headed conceit when accompanied by flip- 
 pant impertinence he would show no mercy. A shallow 
 youth, desiring to annoy him by unearthing a buried 
 controversy, asked him if he could let him have a copy 
 of a long-forgotten pamphlet, which he had issued during 
 the heat of it — he replied " No ! but I once published a 
 discourse on * Young men exhort to be soherTuinded,' 
 and if you come across a copy, I would advise you to 
 study it." 
 
 A student being examined before Presbytery, who 
 
 confidential adviser, that hia grace had considered and respected my claim, and that ray 
 presence at Hamilton was immediately called for. With a light and joyous heart I 
 obeyed the summons. An offer of three years at thirty guineas or two years at fifty were 
 in my choice, and the deliberations were pleasantly going on, when the trying event of 
 the disruption of the church took place ; and 1 and my son, with every expression of 
 gratitude to our noble patron, respectfully declined the proffered boon." 
 
ANECDOrES. 251 
 
 was not distinguished for his profundity, was asked by 
 him : " Where was the WestTninster Confession of Faith 
 compiled ?" He received, in a hesitating tone, the reply — 
 " I suppose Sit Udinburgh, Doctor !" He would not smile on 
 such occasions, though the scenes were sometimes ludic- 
 rous in the extreme. Tired with the inaccurate answers 
 of another who aspired to a student's position in Knox 
 College, he pointed to a folio copy of "Brown's Self-Inter- 
 preting Bible" on the table, and asked " What does self- 
 interpreting mean ?" "It means, sir" (was the sage re- 
 sponse), " John Brown's Bible, interpreted by himself — 
 meaning, sir, that it was himself that done it !" 
 
 Another who had launched out into a prayer of pro- 
 digious dimensions, had to be stopped by the associate of 
 the Doctor, though at his suggestion, to prevent their 
 losing the conveyance which was to carry them to 
 another appointment. 
 
 One of the Synod bores, no longer in this country (and 
 there were a very few such), had taken the floor, and 
 was descanting in grandiloquent style on the Headship of 
 Christ over the nations — reaching the climax of his ora- 
 tory in the scene of the Gadarene "Pork Sellers." 
 Thoroughly tired out by his windy wordy vapouring, 
 the Doctor rose, and said — "Moderator, I am amazed 
 that this venerable Court can listen to such balderdash," 
 The orator was confounded. Floundering about, he 
 exclaimed — " Moderator, I don't know where I was last." 
 " You were among the Swine," replied the Doctor. The 
 caustic response took amazingly, and did the delinquent 
 good. 
 
 But these cases of seeming severity were exceptional 
 
252 LIFE OF REV. DR BURNS. 
 
 His general bearing was genial and kind. He loved story- 
 telling. His fund of anecdotes was inexhaustible. An 
 overflowing treasury of incidents and illustrations, with 
 first-rate conversational powers, made him the best of 
 company. The puckering of the lips, the sparkling of 
 the eyes, and the wreathing of his countenance with 
 smiles, would be the precursors of some happy hit, which 
 would convulse the company, or " bring down the house." 
 He never deemed it a sin to laugh, or considered that 
 there was the remotest connexion between godliness and 
 gloom. He generally looked on the " sunny side," and 
 found the joy of the Lord to be his strength. 
 
 He was ever ready to tender advice, when asked, to 
 students, in the prosecution of their studies, or to young 
 ministers, amid the struggles and difficulties of their early 
 ministry. 
 
 " I cannot look round my study (writes one .of them, who speaks 
 for many), without my eye falling upon some book, or manu- 
 script, or manual, that is 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." 
 
 A few extracts may be given from his correspondence, 
 illustrative of this. They exhibit his views on Pastoral 
 Theology — a department to which he was specially 
 partial — and into which, occasionally, he loved to turn 
 aside, though it came not directly within the range of 
 his professorial duties ; 
 
 "ToEONTo, 15th Nov., 1847. 
 
 " With regard to pasioraZ visits they are not easily m'nagod so 
 as to be edifying, and nothing has given me more concern than 
 the conviction that I have not succeeded in making them 3f> use- 
 
PASTOKAL HINTS. 253 
 
 ful as I would have wished. My second visitation of all the 
 families in Knox's Church is just closed ; upwards of two hun- 
 dred — and far greater pleasure has attended it than on the first 
 round. This has arisen, partly from my getting better acquainted 
 with the people, and partly from an impression on my mind 
 that things are advancing with us as to personal and family reli- 
 gion. The impression also, on the part of the persons visited, has 
 been, I learn, more pleasing and salutary. Our church is crammed. 
 
 "One plan will not suit for all cases. Where there are a 
 number of young persons and domestics I mingle a good deal of 
 catechizing, with direct address to the parents, and prayer. 
 Where there are mostly adults I try to converse with each on 
 fche state of religion in their own minds, <&;c., basing this, how- 
 ever, generally, on a suitable passage of Scripture, read and 
 spoken from, the exposition going first, and occupying, perhaps, 
 ten minutes. It is very difficult to get persons to open, or to 
 converse freely at all on religion. In that case I do not urge 
 very much, but address earnestly and aflectionately. 
 
 " The different classes I always speak to separately ; not in dif- 
 ferent rooms, indeed, but insulating them, as it were, and 
 pointing out the duties and snares and responsibilities of each. 
 
 " Half an hour to each family. Notice sent before. Twelve 
 visits a day. I generally enquire after the family library — 
 Bibles, Testaments, Catechisms, Confessions of Faith — and re- 
 commend a Commentary, such as the Tract Society one, and pay 
 particular attention to the question as to Family Worship. 
 Here there is much to distress. Some have it on Sabbaths ; 
 some once a day ; many, never. My greatest difficulties have 
 arisen from this quarter, and you will find it so, too. The duty, 
 however, is far more attended to loith us than formerly. Re- 
 commend the District Prayer-Meetings. These are better, and 
 distribution of good tracts is useful, along with the visits, al- 
 though I have not done much in this way. The education of the 
 children and the religious state of the servants always noticed : 
 domestics of whatever denomination always present and conversed 
 with. In the case of Eoman Catholics, no contboveiisy, but 
 warm appeals in regard to the Word, the work of Christ, the 
 danger of looking anywhere for salvation except to Christ, the 
 solemn prospects of Death and Judgment, and the folly and 
 madness of dependence on man. 
 
 " Gathering pupils for male and female Bible classes and 
 Sabbath schools always attended to. Thus there is a mutual 
 feeding, as it were. Great carelessness I find, however, in these 
 things. Your Sabbath school, by being re-modelled under your 
 own eye, will be improved. Our Bible classes please me much. 
 Keep regular books of visits ; parents' name ; profession ; each 
 child ; communicant or not ; servants ; denomination ; remarks, 
 Ac These hints may be of some use, but they axe hurried.^' 
 
254 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. 
 
 Toronto, March 13, 1848. 
 "I sympathize with you on the difficulties you must have felt 
 on the subject of admission to sealing ordinances. I have felt 
 them all my days, and they are increasing every day with me. 
 My opinion is, that time and forbearance, and painstaking, with 
 much prayer, are the only means of conquering them. Both you 
 and I have sort of safety valves ; and yet, 1 am always sorry 
 when persons, tired of my efforts for their good, go away. Our 
 standard has been greatly raised, and is rising. The whole system 
 of our Free Church, if properly acted out, will issue in this. The 
 style of preaching, too, will affect it, and above all, private com- 
 muning and earnest appeals." 
 
 •' Toronto, 19th July, 1848. 
 
 " There is no peculiar difficulty in the case of discipline which 
 you bring before me. After communing on your part with the 
 parties, they must both appear before the Session, and make con- 
 fession of their guilt. They are then rebuked, and appointed to 
 converse with two members of Session, who are understood to 
 satisfy themselves, not only of their apparent penitence, but of 
 the regularity and consistency of their walk and conversation. On 
 a favourable report to the Session, the parties a^e admonished, 
 and prayed with, and suitably exhorted as to their future conduct. 
 They are thus held to be absolved from the scandal, and re-ad- 
 mitted (if members before) into fellowship. If not previously 
 members, they may then, one or both, be received (after due 
 examination), and enjoy the privileges of the church. This was 
 our uniform practice in Scotland. No case has come under my 
 notice in Canada. Much depends on the symptoms of penitence 
 and steadiness of walk since marriage. I have seen us keep hack 
 parties for months and longer, because they exhibited no other 
 symptom than merely a fixed determination to have baptism at all 
 hazards. From your account of the case, there seems to be no 
 danger in this instance, and I hope and pray that the blessing of 
 the Great Head may rest on this, apparently your first call to a 
 faithful and godly discipline." 
 
 "Toronto, 7th Jan., 1850. 
 
 " I am so much occupied with my Church History and Normal 
 School attendance, in addition to all my other duties, that I have 
 scarcely a moment for extra work. We have heard that you have 
 taken possession of your basement floor as a temporary place of 
 worship. In our basement I had two months public labour in 
 preaching, prior to the opening of the church, and these two 
 months were to me very sweet ; large crowds of hearers, all near 
 me, and the impression on the whole, more in unison with my 
 feelings than since our entry into the greater place. 
 
 * ' May souls be converted to God by your ministry ! May your 
 
ADVICE TO YOUNG MINISTERS. PROF. YOUNG. l»o;> 
 
 humble place of assembling be a birthplace for precious immortal 
 spirits ! 
 
 " I feel no discouragement from anything, except mysdf, and I 
 believe that causes in ourselves are specially the obstacles in our 
 way. 
 
 ' ' I should be sorry if anything like depression should affect you 
 in your private or public labours. Any tendencies this way must 
 be guarded against, and we have 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 quickness of utterance I was considered, when a young 
 minister, to be faulty, and after my first visit to London I began 
 to imitate the solemn pace of the Evangelical clergy of England, 
 when a letter was sent me, complaining of my ' ' teasing slow- 
 ness," and entreating me to go back to my former rapidity. *' In- 
 medio tutissimus ihis. " 
 
 ' ' Simplicity of manner is of great importance also. But these 
 ire the externals. Still, they are of value. Oh ! to be able ta 
 choose acceptable words ! and to carry Divine truth to the minds^ 
 of our hearers in a way somewhaL suitable to its Divine character^ 
 and the awful responsibilities it involves !" 
 
 ''Knox College, 
 
 Friday, April, 1861. 
 
 " We have now got the labours of the Session brought to a close^ 
 Our final examinations were very full, and on the whole successful. 
 But the charm of the close was Professor Young's expose of the- 
 Oxford Essays, a very able and eloquent piece, which I regret to 
 say, he refuses to publish. I lent him the book, and recommended 
 the theme to his attention ; and his compliance with my urgent 
 request was to me very gratifying, and the 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 
 Professor Young to take charge of, as the state of my eyesight 
 renders it very difl&cult for me to peruse fully all I would need ta 
 examine on the new phases of Infidelity. 
 
 Dr. Burns had lectures fully written out, but his 
 general practice was to prelect from elaborate notes. He 
 emphasized the passages which he intended the students 
 to take down, repeating them slowly and distinctly, so 
 that no one need mistake the meaning. He was a good 
 catechiser. His questions at the close of each Session, to 
 
256 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. 
 
 which written replies were required, were very clear and 
 exhaustive. 
 
 His Church History course embraced the Old Testa- 
 ment in condensed form, with a vidimus of Church His- 
 tory proper, selecting certain epochs for fuller elaboration, 
 with occasional dissertations on cognate topics. He did 
 not believe it was his province to be a mere chronicler of 
 dates and facts, or a delineator of ecclesiastical battles. 
 With the prominent controversies he made the students 
 sufficiently 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 instead of going into all the 
 minute details, erecting finger posts or mile stones for the 
 travellers along the pathway of knowledge, rather than 
 being by their side at every step. He supplied seeds of 
 thought and spurs to mental efibrt. 
 
 His lectures on Apologetics partook also of this cha- 
 racter. With the tactics of the eld opponents of the 
 truth he 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 precluded 
 his reading more of the teeming productions of the press. 
 He was well aware, however, that many of the present 
 instruments of assault on the citadel of our faith were 
 but the spent shot of former battles — the ancient cannon 
 re-moulded and re-mounted that have been spiked times 
 
MONTREAL COLLEGE. 257 
 
 without number, and even turned on the retreating foe. 
 He was generous in his treatment of honest and sincere 
 doubters, but with the sophistical lucubrations of pre- 
 tentious sciolists he had no patience. 
 
 His interest in Knox College remained unabated. AJl 
 through his last visit to the old country it was on his 
 heart. He spoke for it in the General Assembly, and in 
 private circles. He also published a circular on those de- 
 partments in which aid was specially required. 
 
 The last letters he wrote were to its Principal and to 
 Dr. MacYicar of the sister institution. Between the 
 two Colleges he always endeavoured to maintain the 
 most friendly relations. He strongly advocated the 
 claims of the Montreal College, and did what he could 
 for its benefit. 
 
 In the report, submitted by him on July 9, 1844, to the 
 Colonial Committee of the Free Church, of his visit to 
 the Provinces of British North America, jhe thus writes : 
 
 " Were a Theological Institution set up there (Montreal) under 
 the charge of the ministers of our church in the chief cities of that 
 province, it would not only receive nearly all the young men at 
 present under the charge of Queen's College, Kingston, but large 
 accessions from the districts around. A circumstance of which I 
 was not previously aware demonstrates the facility with which 
 Theological Seminaries may be instituted, and even kept in effi- 
 cient operation. At Toronto, at Cobourg, and at Montreal, I found 
 institutions of this kind belonging to Methodists, Independents, 
 and Baptists maintained ; not on the plan of expensive and im- 
 posing bjildings, to meet the eye and nothing more, but on the 
 plan of an able, a learned, and a truly humble and pious agency, 
 adapted to the wants of a young country, and kept up at a mode- 
 rate cost. One thing is certain, that the want of regularly organ- 
 ized plaas of Theological training, adopted at an early period of 
 the settlements in Norih America, was an evil whose consequences 
 are developing themselves even to the present day." 
 
 The last article he penned was with reference to Knox 
 
258 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. 
 
 College, and it was a striking coincidence, which was 
 noticed by many, that the Institution within whose walls 
 so much of his time was spent, and for whose interests 
 he laboured and prayed so earnestly, became the scene of 
 his last illness and death. 
 
 The testimony of one of the earliest students of the 
 College, may fittingly terminate this chapter : 
 
 " There is no department of our work in which Dr. Bums took 
 a deeper interest than the training of young men for the ministry. 
 He soon made himself thoroughly acquainted with the wants of 
 our Canadian church, and his sagacious mind clearly perceived 
 that the main hope of our church was in raising up a native minis- 
 try, men brought up in the country, feeling at home here, and 
 both understanding and sympathizing with the peculiar circum- 
 stances of the people. Hence, he devoted himself with character- 
 istic zeal and energy to the establishment of Knox College for the 
 theological training of our students for the holy ministry. Be- 
 sides doing so much to collect a library for that institution, and 
 devoting himself with untiring industry, at a very advanced period 
 of life, to the instructon of young men in his own department, he 
 also took the deepest interest in the personal welfare of all the 
 young men attending the classes, enquiring after their circum- 
 stances, providing help for the needy, and conversing with them 
 on the state of their hearts, endeavouring to impress on their 
 minds the greatness and grandeur of the work to which they were 
 looking forward, and especially the necessity of being entirely con- 
 secrated to the service of Christ. Deeply convinced himself that 
 an "earnest ministry" was the want of our times, he did much, 
 both by his own example, and by his instruction, conversations and 
 prayers, to give to our church the priceless boon of such a minis- 
 try." 
 
CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 MISSIONARY. LABOURS. 
 
 R. BURNS rejoiced in being a missionary at 
 large. His labours in the mission field 
 were distributed, at intervals, throughout 
 the entire year. 
 
 In the matured glories of " the Fall" he 
 took great delight. The mild and mellow " In- 
 dian summer," with its gauze-like haze overhang- 
 ing the landscape, the genial air, the varying 
 tints of the trees, the gorgeous tapestry of nature, 
 presented a fairy scene on which he 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 the tall trees." In many a 
 forest cathedral the stump of a tree served for a pulpit, 
 
260 LIFE OF REV. DE. BUKNS. 
 
 the canopy of heaven for a sounding-board, while his 
 clear, sonorous voice carried the notes of salvation to the 
 utmost limit of the thronging multitude, and amid throb- 
 bing hearts and trembling voices and tearful eyes, there 
 ascended the sacrifice of praise. That familiar verse found 
 a new meaning : 
 
 '^ Lo, at the place of Ephratah, 
 Of it we understood ; 
 And we did find it in the fields 
 And city of the wood," 
 
 Without regard to chronological order or geographical 
 position, some extracts may be given from a mass of cor- 
 respondence devoted to these missionary tours : 
 
 Knox College, Toronto, Dec, 1859. 
 
 " We are just out from our joint devotional and hortatory meet- 
 ing with all the students, the Doctor and I dividing the work with 
 Professor Young. 
 
 " We go off for Osprey, Artemesia, and three other northern 
 townships, to-n^orrow morning by the Northern Railway, and two 
 Sabbaths, with the intervening week-days, will be devoted to mis- 
 sion work. I say we, for my dear partner goes with me for the 
 first time on a sleigh excursion to any distance, and I trust that no 
 evil will befall us, and that by preaching, visiting, and distributing 
 books and tracts, some good may, by the blessing of God, be done. 
 
 " Quebec, Aug., 1863. — Arrived at this ancient historic capital. 
 I have had one Sabbath-day's labours in Chalmers' church, and 
 warm as the weather is, I have stood my work well. To-morrow 
 evening I preach at the '' Cove," and on Thursday in the church, 
 the ordinary week-day service, and E am arranging with Mr. Clark 
 for our united missionary labour in the neighbourhood. The 
 communion is fixed for the second Sabbath in September, and after 
 that I expect to come direct home, as the Sabbath 1 mean to give to 
 Montreal will be before that, and after Mr. Redpath's return from 
 England. I find I will have a good deal of time on my hand here, 
 
 for my preparations for winter. Mr. C has a great collection 
 
 of old and valuable books, and there are also public libraries that 
 are accessible. Thus, I will be at no loss for useful employment 
 in my own direct line of study. There is also a reading-room at 
 
 my command for papers and reviews and magazines. Miss B 
 
 has picked up a Scotch gowan among the bushes, at the back of the 
 house, and I send it. 
 
QUEBEC AND VICINITY. ME. CLARK. 261 
 
 ** I am getting on very comfortably with my work, only rather 
 little to do. Last Sabbath was spent at a small Scottish settle- 
 ment, fourteen miles to the north, and among the hills. The 
 place reminded me much of the hills of Perthshire, and the 
 scenery around is nearly Dunkeld over again.'' 
 
 The Rev. W. B. Clark, of Quebec, thus interestingly 
 writes of his labours in that region : 
 
 "Quebec, 28th Nov., 1871. 
 
 " Tt was in the summer of 1863 that your father visited me at 
 Quebec, and assisted me efficiently both in my own pulpit, and by 
 missionary operations in the neighbourhood. He remained for 
 about six weeks altogether, but during that period had to make a 
 journey to Ontario, and was absent from us one Sabbath. Hia 
 visit was a source of great enjoyment to myself and family, and I 
 am sure we all profited, both intellectually and spiritually, from 
 his company. 
 
 " During this period Dr. Burns visited Stoneham, where we 
 have still a small station among the mountains, about seventeen 
 miles north of Quebec. He visited Lorette also, an Indian vil- 
 lage, where a small remnant of the Huron tribe still reside, and 
 preached to a few Scotch people who are occupied at the paper- 
 mill there. He also visited Portneuf, and spent one of the Sab- 
 baths among the Scotch settlers there. 
 
 " It was his earnest desire to visit the stations on the Kennebec 
 road ; but as there was no public conveyance of any kind to that 
 remote district, and the difficulty of travelling a distance of nearly 
 ninety miles very considerable, I opposed his going, a good deal 
 to his annoyance, and arranged that Mr. Crombie, then of Inver- 
 ness, should spend two Sabbaths in the Kennebec district, while I 
 occupied his pulpit in Inverness ; the Doctor officiating for me on 
 one of these Sabbaths, and somewhere in the neighbourhood of 
 Quebec on the other. 
 
 " On the 13th of September it was our communion in Quebec, 
 when the Doctor preached the action sermon, with great power and 
 effect, from Revelation i., 18. I do not think his pulpit power 
 was in any degree diminished, even at the advanced period of life 
 which he had reached then. He was feeble on his legs, and was 
 glad to get hold of my arm when walking, but when he ascended 
 the pulpit all the vigour of youth seemed to return. 
 
 " He was a laborious man even then ; and T admired the indus- 
 try with which he collected information for his college lectures 
 and some literary work with which he was then engaged. With a 
 view to this he availed himself of the rich stores of material in the 
 Laval University, a Roman Catholic institution, where he was 
 kindly received, and afforded all facilities of reference, by the re- 
 spected librarian of that institution." 
 
LIFE OF EEV. DR. BURNS. 
 
 At this time he spent two Sabbaths in Montreal, which 
 he often visited, and of which he writes : 
 
 " A visit to the commercial capital of our Province (as Montreal 
 unquestionably is) is always interesting, and peculiarly so in a 
 moral and religious view. The city is rapidly on the increase in 
 population and wealth. Its near vicinity to the States, its valu- 
 able railway communication with Portland, its ocean intercourse 
 with Britain, and its many mercantile and commercial advantages 
 give it, with almost moral certainty, the prestige of the " New 
 York of the North." Alas ! it is the stronghold of Popery ; and 
 yet Protestantism is nominally, let us hope really, on the increase. 
 
 *' The Protestant Church is, generally speaking, in a healthy 
 state ; and the friends of Christ, though sectionally divided, love 
 one another. There are able ministers in all the churches, and 
 there have been of late pleasing revivals ; and the noble Institution 
 of McGill College, under the superintendence of an accomplished, 
 liberal-minded, and pious Principal, aided by a thoroughly quali- 
 fied staff of Professors, is a prominently pleasing feature in the 
 moral picture. The Grande Ligne Mission, 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 mind in this city is highly enlight- 
 ened, and intelligence on all subjects of mercantile and interna- 
 tional interest is steadily diffusing itself among all classes in the 
 community." 
 
 "London, Ontario, Monday, April, 1864. — 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 preached twice yesterday from Rom. v. 7, 
 and 2nd Thes. i. ] ; 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 you say about a call from Mr. 
 
 H . In reply, I say this : On the subject of the Immaculate 
 
 and Supernatural Conception of the blessed Redeemer, there never 
 was any difference 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 fifth 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 
 
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 Huron College, and spent an hour 
 very agreeably with Archdeacon Hellmuth, who is also Principal 
 and Professor of Divinity. It is a very promising Institution, and 
 the building superior to ours. 
 
 " Orillia, July 4th, 1866. — How I wished to have had you all 
 with us on the voyage and at the sermon ! We had a company of 
 thirteen in all from the Manse, and from Mr. Paterson's, and we 
 were two hours on the Couchiching Lake, in a small pinnace belong- 
 ing to Mrs. P . The place, Rama, is seven miles to the north- 
 east, and there the minister (Mr. Brooking, W. Meth.) met us. We 
 took our pic-nic with 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 worship, and 
 had a large congregation, fifty being Indians. I preached by an 
 interpreter, who happened to be the Indian schoolmaster, and who 
 seemed to be really 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 a 
 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 Monday 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, 186T. — Constant engagements, both in 
 preaching and hearing, have rendered it impossible for me 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 EngUsh work yesterday 
 morning, noon, and night, to carry out, 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 
 
264 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. 
 
 "be." What a delightful communion season we have had ! How 
 you would have enjoyed a really Highland Sacrament ! The 
 church crammed as full as it could hold, and 3,500 in the Grove, 
 about a mile distant. There the Gaelic preaching went on, and 
 there the tables 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, f.,n 
 exact specimen of a Ross or Inverness-shire communion, for in the 
 Highlands no church could hold the multitudes that assemble 
 from all quarters — sometimes to the number of 10,000 or 12,000. 
 Friday was devoted as usual to what is called "speaking to the 
 question,'- and Professor Car en and 1 enjoyed wonderfully four 
 hours hearing in an unknown tongue, amazed that we could so 
 easily enter into the sentiments and feelings, without understand- 
 ing the language of the people. 
 
 " It was a genuine specimen of the thing, and Mr, Fraser pre- 
 sided with greai propriety, and I am told, by those who knew the 
 language, that not an unsuitable idea or word was introduced — 
 for eight experienced " men" spoke at greater or lesser length, 
 and much to the purpose, the text being Joha iii. 3, and the 
 signs and evidences of regeneration distinctly brought out. We 
 both spoke also in English, after being told of the leading topics 
 that had come imder review. To-day I rest, Mr, Caven taking my 
 place in English, and Mr. Grant, of Ashfiield, 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. 1868. — The Artemesia falls, seventy feet in height, 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-street' 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. Mr. and Mrs. Beattie are within 
 six miles, and our meeting again in one of the most romantic spots 
 in Canada is very pleasing. 
 
 " The numerous memorabilia of former visits in 1859, 1861,1862, 
 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 to the 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. GLENGAKRY. 265 
 
 in 1841, and as keen as ever to come down to Toronto to ' get her 
 eyes pulled out and put in again,' but still averse to any experi- 
 ment in the way of operation. 
 
 To these extracts, which are principally from letters ta 
 Mrs. Burns, may be added the reminiscences of several 
 esteemed brethren in whoso districts he itinerated. With 
 reference to his last visit to Ottawa, the same kind friend 
 (Mr. Wardi'ope), who detailed an earlier visit, adds : 
 
 " So far as I know, he was then about seventy-five years of age j 
 yet, as in days that had long gone by his much loved three services 
 on the Sabbath were undertaken. 
 
 " He preached in Knox Church, Ottawa (which name had then 
 superseded the name of Bytown), from 1st Cor. iii, 21-23. ' All 
 vhings are yours, &c.' In the afternoon he preached in Nepean, 
 whither I accompanied him. the place of meeting was the build- 
 ing occupied by the Presbyterian church under the pastoral care 
 of the Rev. I. 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- 
 j.ointed for the evening meeting in Ottawa, and we had six miles 
 to drive H.e was a little tired, but could 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 quite 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 aj^pearing 
 in the presence of God for us ;" and the discourse was listened to 
 with atten+ion, corresponding in some good degree to the earnest- 
 ness w'.'h which it was delivered. When he had concluded, there 
 were/,' in many hearts, thoughts too deep to be lightly uttered — 
 thov ghts of Jesus, the glory of whose mediatorial work the preacher 
 ha(?' sought to set forth. But yet about the preacher himself, some 
 w>.o had heard and known him a quarter of a century before could 
 njt 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 
 a^'scourse was indeed very, very impressive,; and listened to with 
 veiy marked attention. I believe it did much good. It produced 
 goot'. effects in many, some of whom still remain, and their good- 
 ness does not appear to be like the morning <;loud or the early dew 
 
266 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. 
 
 that passes away. I invited him to Indian Lands. The expecta- 
 tion of seeing and hearing him drew together an immense crowd. 
 I believe 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 was 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 weeks, some of the most 
 delightful reminiscences are those of your sainted father. 
 
 ' ' I think I may safely say that the respect 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 our 
 communion. I remember on one of the days, the Gaelic and Eng- 
 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 was in one of his very happiest moods, and preached with 
 great freshness and power ; and I believe there are not a few of 
 his hearers that day who could now, after the lapse of seventeen 
 years, give you, not the ' text' alone, but some precious ' notes' of 
 the sermon, and perhaps name the Psalms that were sung on the 
 occasion. 
 
 " That communion week was an Elim in the wilderness journey of 
 some of the Lord's people among us ; and to lengthen out the en- 
 joyment of it, many <5f them followed him to Lochiel the next 
 week, where he was to assist at the same solemn service. 
 
 " Speaking of this visit, in a letter dated 21st of August, Dr. 
 Bums 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 feUow-labourers in that in- 
 teresting field.' 
 
 " His next visit was in 1858, and in replying to my letter asking 
 his assistance, his only stipulations were, 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 liomewards, or, it may be, farther east.' On 
 the Sabbath referred ' to (the third Sabbath of July) he preached 
 one of the most powerful sermons I ever heard, from John xix . 30, 
 
INDIAN LANDS. LOCHIEL. COMMUNIONS. 267 
 
 The people seemed much impressed. On the Wednesday following 
 we accompanied him to Lancaster, where, by previous arrangement, 
 he Avas to assist the Rev. J. Anderson at the communion. Many 
 of our people came to join in the service, a distance of twenty-four 
 miles ; and some of them felt themselves well repaid for the journey 
 in hearing one sermon, from the 2nd chapter of the Song, 10-13 verses. 
 
 " On May 24th, 1865, Dr. Bums again writes : ' I have a great 
 desire to pay a visit to Glengarry this summer, but I fear that your 
 arrangements for the communion may not comport with my pre- 
 vious engagements. It so happens that the third and fourth Sab- 
 baths of June are already taken up with sacramental duties in the 
 west ; yea, also Sabbath, July 2nd. Thus it is that the first day I 
 can offer to be with you is Sabbath, the 9th of July. Will this do ? 
 Could you make such an arrangement as would allow me to asssist 
 at two, or even three, sacramental occasions ? say, at Lochiel, or 
 Lancaster, or any other place where the communion may not have 
 been. I don't mean to be at the Synod, but will reserve my 
 strength for Glengarry. I have certainly a wish to see something 
 of the good work that has been going on among you.' 
 
 " In tracing the pleasant impressions of these communion- weeks 
 to their source, however, I find that they are due quite as much to 
 the social Christian intercourse with your revered father as to his 
 pulpit services. 
 
 ' ' I remember as distinctly as if it were yesterday, being greatly 
 struck with his appearance and manner as, coming out of his rooni, 
 he gave or responded to the salutations of the morning. That air 
 of genial 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 duties was a great treat to us all ; and more 
 than once the time at the breakfast table was lengthened out, quite 
 unconsciously, to more than two hours. 
 
 " 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 account of the beginning 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, 
 * Robert, 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 : 
 
268 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. 
 
 " He visited these parts many times, in summer and in winter, 
 when the country was almost a wilderness, and after it became 
 settled and covered Avitli Presbyterian churches. With perhaps 
 one exception, nothing can be said of these visits to us but what 
 may be said of his ministrations in scores of cases, somewhat simi- 
 lar, from the Atlantic to Lake Huron. He came brimful of happi- 
 ness and kindness, of zeal and of sermons. His progress through 
 the country had in it something of the nature of a triumphal march 
 or an episcopal visitation. Crowds of all countries and religions 
 came to hear him preach, and after the service he held a kind of 
 a levee, at which there appeared to present their respects people 
 whom he had married nearljrhalf a century ago in Scotland ; others 
 whom he had baptized ; others whom he had admitted to member- 
 ship or office 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. And 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 quickness and perception 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 exception to which I have referred. Your 
 father had fulfilled his engagements in Owen Sound, where the 
 Rev. Mr, McKinnon, 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 wd,s hot, and to shield himself from the sun Dr. 
 Burns raised his umbrella, when the animals, now destitute of 
 blinkers, took fright, and with their bits hanging before their col- 
 lars, and their reins draggling in the dust, they ran away over what 
 the editor of our Record, 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 stones, ruts and mud-holes, and, 
 worse than all, a ' piece of corduroy,' 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 bottom of 
 the waggon. He was perhaps unaware that straight in front of 
 him, and in dangerous nearness, lay the Rocky Sangeeii River, with 
 its steep banks and ricketty bridge, and abrupt curve, which always 
 
I 
 
 REMARKABLE ESCAPES. 2G9 
 
 required steady and cautious driving. Had the horses taken the 
 river, he could not have escaped ; but when within half a mile of 
 the dangerous spot, they suddenly, and with none to check or guide 
 them, turned to the right, and walked into a fence comer beside 
 two hemlock logs, which were pointed out to me as still existing, 
 last week, by Mr. MacKechnie, into whose house Dr. Burns was 
 taken after the runaway. In the bottom of the waggon were found 
 his gold watch and communion tokens scattered about, but with 
 the exception of a few bruises, he himself was unhurt ; and after a 
 little repose he went forward to Durham and preached 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 
 heen 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, commg 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 associated with him once at a country church 
 ^opening. On a bitter winter morning, entering his 
 
270 
 
 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. 
 
 chamber to see if he was up, he found the window blown 
 open, the snow drifting on the coverlet, and the 
 water in the basin frozen hard. My father was shivering 
 in the blankets, but bearing the inconvenience, which 
 would have disturbed beyond endurance many younger 
 brethren, with philosophic patienceand Christian resig- 
 nation. With the thermometer sometimes far below 
 zero, amid the pelting storms that assailed him in his 
 Christmas sleigh journeys, he had often to " endure 
 hardness," and to put to practical proof the question 
 " Who can stand before His cold ?" 
 
 Once going along the Northern Railway, the snow and 
 ice so impeded his course that he had to spend the whole 
 night in the cars, some respected Wesleyan Methodist 
 brethren being his fellow-travellers. One or two of the 
 cars rolled down a steep embankment, but he mercifully 
 escaped. In the grey of early dawn his faithful friend 
 and former precentor, Mr. John Ross, came several miles 
 along the track on a hand-car, and took him to his desti- 
 nation, where his appointments were fulfilled as if nothing 
 had happened. 
 
 In February, 185S, when travelling along the Gara- 
 fraxa road we visited a shanty on the road-side where he 
 had repeatedly stopped. It consisted of a single apart- 
 ment of the very plainest description, and in somewhat 
 dilapidated condition, within which were huddled, in ad- 
 dition to the family, pigs and poultry, bags and barrels, 
 and all sorts of farming implements and provisions. But 
 beneath the coarse home-spun in these lowly shielings, 
 there beat hearts of loyalty to Christ, and love to his 
 
Mil. JOHN GUNN, OF BEAVERTON. 271 
 
 servant ; and he was never happier than in front of the 
 blazing log-fire, or when partaking of the homely fare 
 which such true-hearted hospitality supplied. Mr. John 
 Gunn, of Beaverton, one of our most devoted elders, who 
 was with him in many of his earlier tours, bears fre- 
 quent testimony to this. He tells of how cheerfully he 
 endured annoyances, and never wearied working. He 
 speaks of his great frankness and affability with the people. 
 Coming into the house after preaching, he would gene- 
 rally say — " Well, Mr. Gunn, any remarks V 
 
 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 afiectionate 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 larajer 
 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 
 
272 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. 
 
 appointment he 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 compelled to abandon it. He would 
 €all 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 Sabbath 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, 
 
William's fatal illness. 27o 
 
 in the back townships, the Rev. Wm. Burns, now of 
 Perth, kindly consented to go after him. He made up 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 preaching 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 the charge of 
 Mr. Milligan, 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 these 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 his 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, he would 
 become hopeful that a vigorous frame might be able to throw off 
 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 diJBBiculty, 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 
 
274 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. 
 
 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 V 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, 
 thoroughly 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 which Dr. Burns had specially to do. 
 
 As convener of the " Red Eiver" 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 fathers. 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 
 see their teacher," but " the vision tarried." 
 
 Some, disheartened by delay, left the " old paths," but 
 many held fast the profession of their faith without 
 wavering, " mid perils of waters, mid perils of the wilder- 
 ness, mid perils of robbers, mid perils among false bre- 
 thren, mid weariness and painfulness and watchings often, 
 and hunger and thirst, and cold and nakedness." 
 
 His whole soul went out lovingly towards them, and 
 
BED RIVER MISSION. HOPE DEFERRED. 275 
 
 wheir in 1850 the clamant case was transferred from 
 the Home Church to the Canadian, he determined not to 
 let it drop till the melting prayer of these worthy settlers 
 was granted. In this he was nobly seconded, especially 
 by Mr. Kintoul and Mr. John Burns. Dr. Bonar also, 
 the indefatigable convener of the Colonial Committee of 
 the Free Church, gave him every encouragement. 
 
 Mr. Ballenden, a leading officer of the Hudson's Bay 
 Company, offered free transit for a minister. 
 
 After many disappointments, which made some faint- 
 hearted ones ready to abandon the enterprise, my father 
 had the satisfaction of writing Mr. Ballenden on the 8th 
 May, 1851 :— 
 
 " I beg, in name of our committee, to say that we have every 
 reason to rely on a missionary of approved character being pre- 
 pared to embark by the caravans from St. Anthony's Falls, about 
 the beginning of July next ; and in this confident hope, we request 
 of you to make for our missionary the arrangements to which you 
 referred in conversation with Mr. Rintoul, at Montreal. In the name 
 of the members of our Synod, who have been consulted with on 
 the present occasion, I feel myseK authorized to give this pledge, 
 and to return you our hearty thanks for the deep interest you have 
 taken in this important matter." 
 
 In this hope he was again on the eve of being disap- 
 pointed. With fields white at home, our means of 
 supply limited, and our missionary spirit only beginning 
 to flow out towards the regions beyond, it was difficult to 
 get any suitable person to look at this distant and desti- 
 tute region. 
 
 It was in such circumstances I received from him the 
 following : — 
 
 " Toronto, 2nd July, 1851. 
 
 " We are perplexed somewhat about the Red River case. Mr. 
 McK. wishes to go, but his people oppose. I rather think, how- 
 
276 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. 
 
 ever, that we will send him. I have got from a traveller here, 
 (Paul Kane,) who was guide to Sir J. Richardson over the Rocky- 
 Mountains, the fullest information as to the case. There are 2,000 
 Highlanders still, and many Indians and half-breeds besides, 
 among whom a missionary would labour. 
 ** We ashed J. Black, hut he refuses." 
 
 A month after the penning of this note, he had the 
 great satisfaction of securing the Rev. John Black's 
 consent. After a solemn designation, he went forth to 
 the field where for over twenty years he has laboured so 
 successfully. 
 
 On the 7th August, he wrote my father from Galena, 
 which he reached after a break-neck journey of over 
 three days from Chicago — missing the deputation that 
 had come a thousand miles to meet him. 
 
 On the 29th, Mr. Alexander Ross, the father of the 
 Presbyterian cause in the settlement writes : — 
 
 " Your letter had no sooner got here with the news of a minis- 
 ter's coming, than the Presbyterian party held a meeting. At this 
 meeting steps were taken and immediately executed to secure a 
 large lot, and commence the erection of a church and manse, and 
 the opening of a school. 
 
 ' ' These were the steps taken previous to the return of the party 
 from St. Peter's, yesterday, as already stated, with the account of 
 * no minister. ' You can easily imagine the state of our feelings at 
 the disappointment. Relying, however, on the confidence we 
 place in your letter, we see no just reason yet to despair. We 
 therefore mean to sustain the move that has already been made, 
 and follow it up with all the energy and means in our power," 
 
 Hope deferred made their hearts sick ; but though the 
 vision tarry, they wait for it, hoping against hope. 
 
 Mr. Black very providentially overtook Governor Ram- 
 say, of Minnesota, who was going with an escort to Pem- 
 bina, and under his pilotage and protection, enjoying the 
 utmost kindness and courtesy, he entered the settlement. 
 
MR BLACK. SIR GEORGE SIMPSON. 277 
 
 and writes on the 21st September, of his hearty recep- 
 tion. 
 
 For many years he was our solitary sentinel at this 
 distant outpost, till we had the pleasure of commissioning 
 Mr. Nisbet, another early alumnus of Knox College, to 
 join him ; and all who have entered the field since have 
 been from the same fruitful Institution. 
 
 My father at one time entertained the idea of visiting 
 the " Red River" country. With reference to this, Mr* 
 
 Black wrote : — 
 
 "KiLDONAN Manse, April lOth, 1858. 
 "Rev. and very Dear Sir, — It is truly gratifying to myself 
 and to many others here to be informed of your still robust health, 
 and seemingly undiminished activity in body and mind. May you 
 be long preserved to serve the Lord in helping to lay, broad and 
 deep, the foundations of a truly Scriptural church in our young 
 and interesting country ! We, last year, expected some one to visit 
 us, and I gave five pounds to a man to take a horse to bring him — ■ 
 but no one came. James Ross mentions that you sometimes speak 
 of it. Now, we would be most delighted to see you and to hear 
 your voice in our church, but I fear, at your advanced age, you 
 would find the journey too severe. As far as Crow Wing, you 
 could come easily and comfortably, but after that, the road leads 
 through a perfect wilderness — woods and swamps, creeks, rivers, &c. , 
 requiring much toil and exposing to some dangers, besides the dis- 
 comforts of sleeping in a tent and living in a way to which you are 
 not accustomed. Still there is no man whom I should like so well 
 to see here, and none whose visit, I am persuaded, would be of 
 such advantage to the church." 
 
 Though he had all the heart for it, he yielded to the 
 advice of friends who regarded such a perilous and pro- 
 tracted journey as unadvisable at his time of life. 
 
 After Mr. Black had been two years at Red River, and 
 when there was fear of his withdrawal, Sir George Simp- 
 son, Governor of the Hudson Bay Company, who, all 
 along took a warm interest in the mission, wrote to Dr 
 Burns, urging his continuance : — 
 
278 LIFE OF KEV. DR. BURNS. 
 
 *' Hudson's Bay House, 
 
 '' Lachine, 5th Sept. 1853. 
 *' During his short residence at Red River, Mr. Black proved 
 himself eminently qualified for the peculiar duties of that remote 
 station, as, while he was an able and zealous minister and upholder 
 of the Presbyterian Church, he avoided, himself, and checked in 
 his congregation, that spirit of sectarian rivalry which is apt to 
 prevail, and to be productive of so much evil in small communities, 
 and in other respects, apart from his sacred duties, his conduct was 
 always judicious, and he was admitted on all hands to be a very 
 useful member of society. Under these circumstances I am very 
 anxious, if possible, to make sure of his return, and as an induce- 
 ment to that end, and at the same time, as an evidence of personal 
 esteem for Mr. Black, I am willing, on behaK of the Hudson's Bay 
 Company, to add to the stipend he may receive from the Presby- 
 terian congregation, the sum of £50 (fifty pounds,) sterling per 
 annum. As the season is rapidly advancing, and travelling on the 
 plains after the present month will be very difficult, you will ex- 
 cuse me if I urge this matter on the immediate consideration of the 
 Synod and yourself." 
 
 Mr. Black continued at Red River, and continues still 
 — the father of the Presbyterian church there. A second 
 missionary went forth to join him, and another, and 
 another. The mission to the Cree Indians of the Saskat- 
 chewan, 400 miles from Red River, grew out of it; a 
 mission in which Dr. Burns felt a peculiar interest, and 
 with which Mr. Nisbet, brother of the devoted Samoan mis- 
 sionary and Mr. Black's " true yoke-fellow," is so honour- 
 ably associated. And ruow, Red River has come, as the 
 Province of Manitoba, into the great British North Ameri- 
 can family of colonies, with a bright future in store for 
 it; and our church has a flourishing Presbytery there, 
 with Synodical powers, and a rising college, and all the 
 requisite machinery for doing its part in " going up to 
 possess the land ;" promising thus to bring to pass what 
 is written, — " though thy beginning be small, thy latter 
 end shall greatly increase." 
 
BUXTON MISSION. MR. KING. 279 
 
 My father had an unquenchable hatred 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 the pestilence," the winged 
 words which formed its climax, shot like a lightning flash 
 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 Friends 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 ofiicers, 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 Ealeigh, near Chatham, which secured at a 
 low rate comfortable 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 
 
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. 
 
 ' ' I first became acquainted with the late Dr. Bums in November, 
 1846, when I landed in Toronto as a missionary from the Free 
 Church of Scotland. The Doctor called on me at the Welling- 
 ton hotel, to inform me that the boxes containing my books 
 and clothing had arrived safe from New York, from which place I 
 had forwarded them to Toronto to the Doctor's care. He then 
 kindly invited me to go to his house, and remain until I should get 
 my appointments from the Toronto Presbytery, but as I had only 
 a few days to remain in the city I 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 ofi'er. During the 
 winter of 1846 and the spring of 1847 we often met on missionary 
 duty. In April, 1847, I received a letter from the South, request- 
 ing me to go there 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 was a slave-owner, and that I must go South to 
 give them their freedom, as the legal difficulty 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. R othenvise calm, was quite excited. 
 
 The Doctor and Mr. Gale saw the difficulty of my position at once, 
 and asked me how long I had 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 3845, 
 by Doctors Candlish and Cunningham, were the same as I held, 
 that slavery 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 abiised, 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 could 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 
 
VISIT TO UNITED STATES WITH MR. KING. 281 
 
 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 the coloured population of Can- 
 ada. In June, 1848, I brought the spiritual destitution of the 
 coloured people in Canada before the Synod, then met in Toronto. 
 A committee was appointed by the Synod to mature a plan for a 
 mission ; the Doctor was on that committee, took an active part, 
 and in the following year the Buxton mission was established. At 
 the same time the Fugitive Slave Bill was passed by the Congress 
 of the United States, which, in the fall of 1849, sent 5,000 fugitive 
 slaves into Canada, stripped of everything but life, without a friend 
 and without a home, and for whose soul no man cared. In the 
 spring of 1850, 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 what 
 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, especially 
 as part of the journey had to be made across Lake Erie ; and about 
 200 miles of it through rugged mountain scenery, in the old fash- 
 ioned stage-coach, with leather straps for springs. On that journey, 
 and the labours that followed it, the Doctor gave full proof of his 
 power of endurance, and of his missionary zeal, which never abated 
 till the close of his life. We left Bufi"alo 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 
 
282 LIFE OF EEV. DR. BURNS. 
 
 more reconciled, and by the time we were ready to start all appeared 
 in better humour. The remaining part of our journey lay among 
 the hills that form the western slope 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 made to themselves comfortable homes. 
 The village church, with its spire rising in the midst of a cluster of 
 trees, could be seen as we passed along. The rain had ceased, the 
 sun began to shine, and the Doctor kept the passengers in good 
 humour with his remarks on the scenery, and pleasant conversation. 
 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 sleep 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 
 up and breakfasted 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 exception, 
 
 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 Adews 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 doing 
 to improve the social and moral condition of those coloured per- 
 sons who have found 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 
 chiirches 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 Professors remarked, on coming 
 out one evening from hearing one of the Doctor's eloquent aer- 
 
I 
 
 PITTSBURG. BRITAIN, 1860. 283 
 
 mons, ' Well,' said he, ' we have had delegations here from Ire- 
 land and Scotland, but none of them ever preached and spoke on 
 the platform with the power and eloquence of Dr. Burns.' The 
 result of the visit was a handsome subscription for the mission, 
 and a fine-toned bell, sent expressly for Buxton, and paid for by 
 the coloured people. 
 
 '' In the summer following our visit to Pittsburg, the Doctor 
 spent a week with me at Buxton, where he preached on Sabbath, 
 and during the week he visited Chatham, Tilbury, and most of the 
 mission-stations in the west. From that time till 1857 the Doctor 
 frequently visited me at Buxton. On one of these visits, in 
 1853, he dispensed the Lord's Supper, and received a number of 
 communicants for the first time. One of these was a woman named 
 Lydia, with three of her children, 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 had ever baptized during his public minis- 
 try. In April, 1860, the Doctor and I visited Scotland and Eng- 
 land in behalf of the Buxton Mission, where we collected most of 
 the money that built the mission-church. The Doctor was to at- 
 tend the Tercentenary of the Reformation, and was frequently sepa- 
 rated from me ; and as we had only three months to remain, 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 between my meetings 
 tne Doctor filled by preaching and visiting his friends. It was a 
 season of great enjoyment both to him and me." 
 
 When home with Mr. King, in 1860, in the interest of 
 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. 
 
284 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. 
 
 With many other home-mission enterprises Dr. Burns 
 had to do — occasionally too, with the stated suppl}' 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 
 way prepared for the settlement of the faithful and devoted 
 
GOULD STREET CHDRCH. LOWER PROVINCES. 285 
 
 pastor, under whose earnest ministry the congregation 
 has grown to be one of the best in the body. In many 
 ways the Gould-street people showed their appreciation 
 of his disinterested labours ; and when they insisted on 
 his acceptance of a very handsome sum of money, 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 Provinces. 
 
 In Nova Scotia he had to do with the founding of the 
 College, and of Chalmers' Church, Halifax. 
 
 The long and honourable connexion of his younger 
 brother George with New Brunswick, drew him specially 
 towards it. Thence he received his first strong impulse 
 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 w^as guided by 
 his 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. 
 
286 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. 
 
 He visited Newfoundland in 1858. The intercourse 
 he had with the Rev. M. Harvey, who is securing 
 for himself a prominent place among Colonial literati, 
 and with Lady Bannerman, the excellent wife of Sir 
 Alexander Bannerman, then Governor of the Island, was 
 specially refreshing. 
 
 Lady Bannerman, writing Mrs. Burns in 1860, records 
 
 her impressions : — 
 
 "St. John's, Newfoundland, 1860. 
 
 " It is a pleasure to find that you and Dr. B. have so afiectionate 
 a recollection of the short visit you paid to Newfoundland. All 
 who had the happiness of meeting or of listening to the earnest 
 and talented instructions of the Doctor, have reason to remember 
 the refreshment of such an arrival amongst us, and will gladly hail 
 your return." 
 
 In another letter Lady B. writes : 
 
 " I was much instructed by the last sermon Dr. B preached here, 
 (All things are yours, &c.,) few days pass without my remembering 
 some part of it. Had I been as well acquainted with the force and 
 fulness with which he is enabled to teach Gospel truth, as I ought 
 to have been, this would not have been the only sermon I would 
 have listened to from him ; but now I can only mourn Over the lost 
 opportunity, and hope I may some day have the privilege, I unwit- 
 tingly failed to secure, brought again within my reach. 
 
 " I shall not forget, if we are spared, the kind hint Dr. Bums 
 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 flock, it would be unkind and discouraging to seek for spiri- 
 tual food from another ; but there are times when he may be absent, 
 when I may follow the friendly advice." 
 
 Amongst other regions outside his own province, which 
 he visited, we must not lose sight of Chicago and the 
 great West. 
 
 Between March, 1867 and April, 1870, I was first pas- 
 tor of the First Scotch Presbyterian Church in Chicago. 
 
CHICAGO. ELMIRA. MONMOUTH. 287 
 
 connected with the Canada Presbyterian Church. My 
 father's visit lasted a month, in August, 1867. He enjoy- 
 ed amazingly the stir and enterprise of Chicago. He 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 catastrophe 
 which has overtaken this marvel of the West. Many 
 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 — he 
 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 
 the hospitality of its worthy president. Dr. Wallace. 
 
 When he returned from this tour, he visited my former 
 flock at St. Catharines, and for over an hour he talked ta 
 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 position, Dr. Burns bore his full share. 
 
 '* It was his happiness to oreaJs ground in many a district which 
 has since borne abundant fruit, and in others to revive what was 
 weak and ready to die — liis exuberant energy and resolute will 
 serving, in not a few cases, to rally the friends of Presbyterian order 
 in districts where he found them weak and disheartened. The 
 country was ripe for such a labourer when he came to it, and he 
 
288 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. 
 
 sa-w and seized the opportunity, preaching far and near, undeterred 
 by distances and severities of weather, which many persons of much 
 younger years would 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." * 
 
 * Sermon preached in Gould Street Church, Toronto, on the 23rd of August, 1869, by 
 RcT. John M. King, M. A. 
 
CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 MISSIONARY SKETCHES. 
 
 K 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 
 Owen Sound ; sixteen from Walkerton, Communion 
 twice a year in the village ; five prayer-meetings con- 
 nected with the congregation ; five Sabbath schools, and a 
 Bible-class ; pupils, 150 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 Lodge, improved 
 as to Temperance ; progressive advancement, fourfold in four 
 years ; Muir, an old Paisley weaver of 71, was at my ordination in 
 1811." 
 
290 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. 
 
 After his missionary excursions, my father was in the 
 habit generally of writing out fuller notices. From a 
 mass of material of this description we make several se- 
 lections : 
 
 "Toronto, 29lhAug., 1845. 
 
 " On my -way to London I preached or addressed meetings at 
 three places — Dundas, St. George (Dumfries), and Gait. Owing to 
 the wetness of the night the attendance at the first of these was 
 smaller than it would have been ; but judging from what I saw, I 
 would say that the congregation of our friend Mr. Stark seem to be 
 decided in their 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 here 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 people 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 arable ; 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 Flamborough, 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 who has been the instrument of planting a number of 
 congregations. On his arrival in the district, without a friend to 
 direct him. Providence led him into conversation with a plain man 
 who was 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 the 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 
 Jiere I saw what I had it not in my power to witness for many 
 
* HONOURABLE ADAM FERGUSSON. 291 
 
 years — ^the master, the family, the domestics, and the reapers ail 
 congregated in one large company at evening worship, while the 
 early hour of five in the morning witnessed the same assembly 
 similarly engaged, prior to the commencement of the work of the 
 day. With Mr. Christie and his labourers, prompt payment, 
 healthful and abundant provision, and entire abstinence from 
 spirituous liquors, are the standing rules, and the blessed effects 
 are palpable to every eye. 
 
 " Whenever I have been called to address a congregation on. 
 these visits, I have made it a rule first fco preach the Gospel of the 
 grace of God to sinful and dying men ; and thereafter, 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 of Hamilton, I must be allowed 
 to particularise the Honourable Adam Fergasson, of Woodhill, 
 who settled with his family in Canada West twelve years ago, and 
 whose patriotic efforts for the improvement of the colony 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 that has 
 past, and if looked into now' says he„ ' it can only claim notice 
 as affording a pleasing and a cheering record of the advances we 
 have made in the last ten or twelve years.' Well may he add, from 
 his own experienced observation : ' I see no reason to shrink from 
 the sentiment of ' i^pero meliora.' 
 
 ' ' 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 place. 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. On Friday 
 there had been held an experience meeting for ' speaking to the 
 question' as it is called, and several aged and pious Highlanders 
 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 public 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 Gaelic part of the congregation till three o'clock, 
 when they got possession of the church, and the communion ser- 
 vice in Gaelic went on. The singularly affecting strains of the 
 
292 LIFE O]/ «EV. DK. BL'llNS. 
 
 music of the Gael, their slow and oaiitious approach to the table, 
 «,nd the whole solemnity of the scene brought forcibly to my mind 
 what I had of 'en heard of but never saw, the sacramental scenes of 
 Ferintosh 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. A-llan, of Stratford, have been 
 eminently blest. Nor must I omit to notice the debt of gratitude 
 we owe to Mr. 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 up the Church. O, that our breth- 
 ren of the Free Church at home 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 a 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 
 lan^juage, 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 
 agricultural resources, far superior. I felt a gfreat desire to go 
 along through the whole of the districts of Lake Erie round to 
 Goderich, knowing as I did, that there are masses of our couatry- 
 men there who would have given me a hearty welcome. The 
 round Presbj'-terianism of our Free Church is the very thing 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. Frasor, of London. H« died within a few yeara after, uni- 
 reraally regretted.— Ed. 
 
KINGSTON. RIDEAU CANAL. 293 
 
 land have kept so far to the east. The finest parts of Canada have 
 not been reached by them as yet. May the great Head of the 
 Church speedily send forth standard bearers, to display the banner 
 of his cross and crown in those goodly lands !" 
 
 " Toronto, Sept. 17, 1845. 
 
 '* The second Sabbath of August I spent in Kingston, preached 
 three times on the Lord's day, besides giving a discourse on Saturday 
 evening, specially addressed to the members of the congregation. At 
 that period there was every reason to hope that Mr, King would 
 have been among his afiectionate friends in that place, and that 
 matters would, under his faithful ministry, go on prosperously. The 
 disappointment in this respect must be injurious to the religious 
 state of that congregation, and every eiFort must be made both by 
 the Presbytery and Synod and Home Mission Committee, to carry 
 on the supplies vigorously in that important station, in hope that 
 the Free Church may yet be induced to send forth one of her sons 
 duly qualified for occupying a place so influential. I left Kingston 
 on Monday morning by the Rideau Canal. The scenery was new 
 to me. At first the mud and the marsh were not particularly at- 
 tractive, but that part of the scene was soon succeeded by some- 
 thing more picturesque and inviting. All at once we seemed to be 
 transported to the far west regions of the States, where deep waters 
 and leafless trees of varied size and height growing up out of the 
 wide waste of waters, seemed so many masts of ships under the sea ; 
 and the only sound heard being that of our steamer, as she made 
 her turnings and windings in a narrow but deep stream through 
 the dense forest, reminded us of the first invasion of an unknown 
 land. But the broad expanse of the Rideau Lake, with its clusters 
 of islands, was peculiarly gratifying to the eye ; and the massive 
 works at * Jones' Falls' gave us a very high idea of the skill and 
 enterprise which had been embarked in this mighty national under- 
 taking — the Rideau Canal. Our excellent Free Church chairman 
 at Montreal, Mr. Redpath, who superintended the execution of 
 these vast works, was present to my mind ; and I felt grateful to 
 that gracious Disposer who had given to such a man the great ele- 
 ments of doing good — ample means and an enlarged heart. 
 
 Bytown is a most important station for our Church to occupy, 
 The Free congregation here is not at present very large, but it is 
 composed of the very best materials. They have got their neat 
 place of worship well advanced, and with everj' prospect of a 
 vigorous eldership, the interests of the congregation will be success- 
 fully consulted, while our excellent young friend, their pastor, 
 will have his hands strengthened by an attached people. The 
 meetings which were held in connexion with this settlement were 
 very pleasing, and the ailectionate greeting he received from Chris- 
 tian fellow -labourers of dilierent denominations was a feature m 
 
294 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. 
 
 the case not to be overlooked . May the Chief Shepherd bless his 
 own cause in this rising locality. The magnificence of nature, com- 
 bined with great beauty, mark the splendid falls in its vicinity, and 
 filled me with admiration. May the wonders of grace be seen here 
 also with an impressiveness still more captivating ! 
 
 " At Beckwith and Ramsay 1 had the pleasure of addressing 
 large congregations, united and prosperous. At the former, a call, 
 signed by 240 members and adherents, had been drawn out in favour 
 of the Rev. Mr. McMillan, of Cardross. This call was committed 
 to my charge, and is now, I trust, in the hands of my excellent 
 friend, Dr. James Buchanan, of the Free Church College, Edin- 
 burgh, to be by him, and the Committee of which he is chairman, 
 put into the hands of Mr. McM. At the latter of these places, a 
 call was in the course of signature in favour of the Rev. W. G. 
 Johnston, late of Pittsburg. Thus both congregations are in a 
 matured and settled state — perfectly able to support the Gospel 
 creditably, and presenting most promising situations for laborious 
 and efiective ministers. The rising village of Carleton Place, too, 
 was not overlooked. An hour's notice brought out a respectable, 
 though not a large, audience ; among whom I was privileged to 
 meet with a few very pious Presbyterians. 
 
 " The township of Ramsay is almost wholly Presbyterian. Of 
 six hundred families in it, I am informed that five-sixths are either 
 Scotch or Irish, and decidedly Presbyterian and Free. A large 
 proportion of Beckwith 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 advantageously situated. Here I 
 spent the Sabbath — preached three times to crowded audiences, and 
 on 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 
 folders 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. 
 
DALHOUSIE. 295 
 
 " Tlie Dalhousie District was to me personally very interesting. 
 There 1 met with not a few whom I had seen and known twenty- 
 five years before in Renfrewshire, and whose circumstances 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- 
 tary in promoting intelligence and sound morals. The number of 
 volumes is nearly ] ,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 7iine 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. ''' 
 
296 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. 
 
 '* Toronto, 22nd Nov., 1849. 
 
 " Immediately after the celebration of the holy ordinance of our 
 Lord's Supper in Knox's Charch, in the beginning of September, I 
 resolved, in humble dependence on God, to carry out my intention 
 of a missionary tour to Canada East, Nova Scotia, and New Bruns- 
 wick. In much mercy I have been enabled to do so, and eight 
 Sabbaths, 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 mission field is by no means lost, even 
 to the congregation more immediately his own. A missionary 
 spirit is favourable 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 peculiar 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 accomtnodation for week-day schools. The Free 
 Church at home has supplied them, 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 at present 
 in as flourishing a state as at any time since its first opening in May, 
 1845. Its staff of elders and deacons comprises a band of faithful 
 men, characterized by sound judgment, elevated piety, and active 
 habits. The number of members exceeds 200. An addition of twelve 
 was made at the communion on the 24th September 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 difficulty 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 human character, and in the movements of 
 
FRENCH CANADIAN MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 297 
 
 churches, that the finest of all fields for evangelistic 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 seasons I look back with 
 singular pleasure — they were refreshing and gladdening. In the 
 meetings of the Sabbath school and of the Bible-classes, I saw the 
 germ of growing prosperity to the congregation. In the services at 
 the wharf too, and on board the Erromanga and Montreal ; in the 
 visit to ' Pointe aux Trembles ;' in the weekly prayer-meetings 
 and lecture, and in other occasional exercises, 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 Cot^ Street take a deep interest. The society is 
 catholic, and liberal in its basis ; and since its commencement in 
 1839 its operations have been characterized by energetic harmony. 
 A day devoted to the institution for boarding and educating 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 pupils ; and a hundred acres of the 
 finest land attached. With Mr. and Mrs. Tanner, with the teachers 
 of the diff'erent departments, and our excellent friend, Mr. John 
 Black, who occupies 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 
 introduced 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 round 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 
 
298 LIFE OF KEY. DR. BURNS. 
 
 in the regular steamer, sixty or seventy miles — and a magnificent 
 scene it is — as far as St. Andrew's, where we landed, and travelled 
 Ly car to Lachute (or Jerusalem, as the new Popish nomenclature 
 calls it), where our worthy brother, the Rev. Thomas Henry, is 
 settled. It is quite a rural district, Scottish in its aspect, and most 
 •of its inhabitants Scottish. On the evening of the day on which 
 we left the city, we had sermon and address in Mr. Henry's church, 
 and to a respectable congregation of his people. On all such occa- 
 sions, it is the best plan to declare to the people, first, the simple 
 truths of the glorious gospel, and, having done so, to exhort them 
 in a separate address on their special duties as church members, 
 with appeals to our distinctive principles. This last is not in every 
 case necessary, but in no case should the direct preaching of the 
 gospel to perishing sinners be neglected. Visits of this nature tend 
 to strengthen the hands of the minister, while they cheer and en- 
 courage his people. 
 
 *' At St. Andrew's, we observed, rising near the Roman Catholic 
 Chapel, a large building, which we learned was intended as a Popish 
 College or seminary — one of many such erections all over Lower 
 Canada. They 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 pleasing 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 
 people cherished the hope of his becoming their pastor. Although 
 that able minister did not see it to be his 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 manse 
 
LOCHIEL. HIGHLANDERS. 299 
 
 (to be) we called, surveying its comfortable but tenantless apart- 
 ments ; admiring the deep grove within which it is embedded ; 
 marking out the precise spot for the ' manse garden ;' and thinking 
 of Dr. Paterson, and the fascinating pages of his enchanting book. 
 
 " Lochiel is eight miles south-west of Vankleek Bill, and at twelve 
 o'clock next day we found ourselves there, surrounded by seven 
 hundred brawny Highlanders, assembled within the rising stone 
 walls of their large and handsome erection, and listening for three 
 hours to the message of salvation, in the delivery of which I was 
 most thankfully aided by the valuable assistance in Celtic of our 
 faithful catechist and missionary, Mr. Alexander Cameron, and the 
 Rev. Daniel Clark, of Indian Lands, a godly man, of primitive 
 simplicity, who, with piety and prudence, combined with some 
 good measure of Highland tact, has for years held up single-handed 
 the banner of truth, and borne the brunt of many a residuary on- 
 set. He had come to meet us upwards of twenty miles. 
 
 ' ' It was a very small part of Glengarry I had it in my power to 
 visit. There are in all four large and populous townships, besides 
 the Indian reserve on which Mr. Clark is located. The district 
 teems with Highlanders, the descendants of those worthy men who, 
 seventy years ago, fought the battles of loyalty on the American 
 soil. It was here that my young relation, Mr. W. C. Burns, now 
 in China, had many of his most delightful tokens of success. A 
 considerable number of Gaelic 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 summer, Mr. 
 Alexander Cameron, student in theology, has laboured successfully 
 as a Gaelic missionary in Yankleek Hill and Lochiel, and on his 
 return to college a few weeks ago, Mr. John Ross, lately licensed 
 by the Presbytery of Toronto, has agreed to give his valuable ser- 
 vices during the winter. My visit to these places brought 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 1 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 weary journey of many miles, reached 
 St. Eustache, a place well known in the annals of the late rebellion 
 in Lower Canada. The marks of the balls on the doors and win- 
 dow-shutters of some of the houses, were pointed out to us as 
 melancholy memorials of fearful events. The Popish 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 hahitans, 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 
 
300 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. 
 
 little changed from that of their ancestors two centuries ago. The 
 state of the roads and the agriculture, indicated that we were not 
 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 did when tra- 
 relling in Virginia, where the withering effects of the system of 
 slavery are seen in the very blasting of the fields, as well as in the 
 degradation of man, ' the growth that dwindles there.' Near Ste. 
 Therese we saw a large stone-building of four stories in height, 
 which we were told was a college and boarding-house, under the 
 •ontrol of the Jesuits. Here, education, after the fashion of 
 Popery, is given to upwards of eighty young men, with board, at 
 a remarkably cheap rate. The driver of our car told us that his 
 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 so far as the communication of real 
 knowledge is concerned ; but I doubt not that attention is paid to 
 the comfort of the inmates. It is the interest of the concern not 
 to be wanting in this respect ; and the college has good endow- 
 ments from those lands which, to a prodigious extent in this Pro- 
 vince, belong to the Romish church. The temptations offered to 
 lax Protestants are thus very numerous, and we fear that from this 
 cause, and from the frequent intermarriages betwixt Protestants 
 and Roman Catholics, the career of pernicious error is much ad- 
 vanced. 
 
 ' ' In both St. Eustache and Ste. Therese, there are congregation* 
 and churches belonging to OTir Church. In Ste. Therese, the Rev. 
 David Black, son of the eminently pious Mr. Black, formerly of 
 Lady Yester's, Edinburgh, has been settled for a number of 
 years ; and in St. Eustache, we have, since the disruption, had 
 from time to time, a missionary and catechist settled. Mr. 
 Swinton, formerly, and Mr. William Maclaren, this last sum- 
 mer, both students of Knox's College, have been very accept- 
 able. Our friends rent the church for a nominal sum, 
 and it may, perhaps, be looked on now as substantially their 
 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 unquestionably be done. Several of the agents of tha 
 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 cur^ whom the bishop had sent, but who 
 
MONTREAL TO BOSTON. 301 
 
 was unacceptable 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 habitants, they would have 
 a wide sphere of usefulness, not only among their own countrymen, 
 but among the natives also, whose prejudices would dissolve away 
 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 Church in 
 these lands is carried. In one clump, we saw an elegant parish 
 church, a parsonage or rectory, male and female seminaries, with a 
 nunnery and maison de Dleu. No place in the Lower Province is 
 more than four miles from a parish church. So carefully has 
 Popery watched over its interests ! Indeed, the wealth of the 
 Papacy in this Province is immense. The annual rates levied from 
 property in the Island of Montreal, alone, exceed £30,000 ! Great 
 eflForts have been made "during last session of Parliament, to grant 
 incorporating charters to the Jesuits, who hold property in land ; 
 and it is thought that soon one-half of the real property of the 
 country will be theirs. This is a fearful prospect as regards the 
 civil and religious liberties of Canada. 
 
 " ToKONTO, Jan. 1850. 
 
 ** My journey from Montreal to Boston was rendered doubly- 
 pleasing by my having as my travelling companion Mr. James 
 Court, of Montreal, Treasurer to the French Canadian Mission, 
 who was on his way to the States, to plead with the friends of evan- 
 gelical truth in behalf of that important institution. We left Mon- 
 treal at twelve (noon) on Monday, September 24, and reached 
 Boston next day at eight o'clock p.m., having rested on Wednesday 
 in Burlington. The sail along Lake Champlain has many attrac- 
 tions, and not a few interesting associations to recommend it ; and 
 the journey from Burlington to Montpelier (by coach) opened up 
 to us many beautiful scenes of hill and dale, reminding us forcibly 
 of Perthshire and some pa-t of the Inverness Highlands. V^ermont, 
 New Hampshire, and Mp^sachusetts, were the three States through 
 which we passed by railway ; and the agricultural and pastoral 
 character of the first two of these, with the rapidly rising manufac- 
 turing prospects of the third, were in different ways abundantly 
 interesting. The Merrimack is a noble stream. For public works, 
 Manchester already rivals Lowell, and the town of Lawrence — so 
 named after the ' Loru of the Manor,' the Hon. Abbot Lawrence, 
 Ambassador from the States to Great Britain — already numbers 
 seven thousand souls ; while all the three present clear evidence of 
 
302 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. 
 
 the prodigiously rapid rate with which towns and cities grow in 
 these States, and form indications of the future ascendancy of the 
 American Union as a manufacturing country. In Boston we stayed 
 at the Marlborough Hotel, where we had the pleasure of witnessing, 
 what I regret to say is too rare in such cases, the assembling of the 
 household, morning and evening, for family worship. This is the 
 law of the house, as it is at the Delavan Hotel, in Albany ; satdi 
 these two establishments are, especially on this account, entitled to 
 the friendly countenance of religious men, while in accommodations 
 of a more ordinary kind they are fully equal to the most respectable 
 establishments in both cities. 
 
 " I was accompanied on board the British steamer Canada, next 
 day, by my friend Mr. Court, who soon after left for Montreal. 
 The interest of the scene usual on these occasions was increased by 
 the circumstance of the embarkation of Mr. Lawrence, the Ameri- 
 can Ambassador to Great Britain. He is a descendant of the pil- 
 grim fathers — a man of high honour and respectability — who has 
 raised himself by his own talent and perseverance to the possession 
 of five mxillion of dollars, and has lately given seventy thousand of 
 these to the endowment of a chair of engineering and mechanics in 
 Harvard University. I was introduced to him by an old Paisley 
 parishioner, Mr. Lawson, now at the head of a large carpet-manu- 
 factory in Lowell. We had much agreeable conversation during 
 the sail from Boston to Halifax, and in the accuracy of the infor- 
 mation furnished by the American Ambassador, on all subjects, I 
 had every reason to place the most implicit confidence. 
 
 "On mj'' arrival at Halifax, on the evening of the day after 
 leaving Boston, the hearty welcomes of many well-known friends 
 were blended with the pleasing associations of former visits, and I 
 soon found myself at home with my excellent friends, Mr. and Mrs. 
 Forrester, whose house was my comfortable abode during my stay 
 in the city. The next day, Friday, was employed in visiting some 
 of the active friends of the church in and near the city, and in 
 making arrangements for the opening of Chalmers' Church on the 
 14th current. A commodious building presented itself to my view 
 in the very centre of the city, among whose prominent ornaments 
 the handsome spire most legitimately counts. The interior presents 
 a compact and well-arranged provision made for the comfortable 
 accommodation of seven hundred sitteis ; and the proofs of judg- 
 ment, liberality, and good taste in the tout ensemble, reflected much 
 credit on the members of the congregation. We held a devotional 
 meeting in one of the rooms of the Acade.ny, in the evening, when 
 various matters were adjusted in the view of the important services 
 we had in prospect. 
 
 Arrangements having been duly made "or a missionary tour in 
 the eastern settlements and in Prince Ed-\ 'ard's [sland, Mr. For- 
 rester and I left Halifax on Saturday morn ng, by coach, for Truro, 
 a beautiful settlement of old standing, about sixty miles eastward. 
 
piCTOU. 303 
 
 Here we made arrangements for sermon on my return, and passed 
 on to Londonderry, where we found the Rev. John Munro, ordained 
 missionary of the district, waiting for us, accompanied by Mr. 
 Maclean, a lay friend, whose services on this and other occasions 
 were to us very valuable. Mr. 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, Gulf shore, 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 field of missionary labour, and we 
 felt deeply the want of suitable labourers. Mr. Munro 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 I accompanied him to New Glasgow, where a portion 
 of his congregation assembled. After sermon and address on their 
 appropriate duties, we re-crossed the harbour, and preached 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 River, and perhaps one or two more in course of erection, 
 I may remark that some help from the friends of colonial churches 
 would be highly desirable, as the great body of adherents to our 
 cause, in these places, are in humble circumstances, and a succes- 
 sion of unfortunate harvests has crippled 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 fifteen thou- 
 sand souls. Six Gaelic ministers would be required here in addition 
 to those already settled, and there are numerous Highland settle- 
 ments to the east and west of Pictou entirely destitute. A finer 
 missionary field there cannot be. Ministers of the Presbyterian 
 Synod and others have indeed done much to supply the spiritual 
 destitution, but still the harvest is very plenteous. May the great 
 Lord send forth faithful men, who may be able to teach the people 
 in their own tongue the wonderful things of God. 
 
 ' ' It was arranged that Mr. Munro 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. Unfortunately, the letters 
 giving notice of our intended visit had not reached, and thus no 
 
304 LIFE OF REV. DK. BURNS. 
 
 arrangement for missionary work had been made. In the circum- 
 stances, we made the 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 
 about 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 matter 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 people, is not exten- 
 sive ; and those friends of the Redeemer who, five years ago, or 
 since, were thirsting for the water of life, have gone away from us 
 in difi'erent 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- 
 tsionary 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 difficulties, 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 presbyteries 
 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 ha^'e combined with us readily. 
 
PRINCE Edward's island, cape breton. 305 
 
 Of the Gaelic population in the island, amounting to many thou- 
 sands, we have a very strong hold, and their attachment to our 
 principles is based on something better than mere expediency. Mr. 
 Mclntyre, the Free Church Gaelic missionary in the island, has 
 proved himself a faithful and successful labourer ; but he had left 
 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 
 effected 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 told most successfully on this interesting field. 
 Reflection on what this 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 Comwallis, were the 
 first ministers whom the Glasgow Society designated to the Colo- 
 nies, in 1826. 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 Halifax, 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 very 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 Island I had an agreeable 
 
 U 
 
306 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. 
 
 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 kno"\vn. These patri- 
 archs of the bush presented to me fine specimens of the ' men' 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 spiritual 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 — long highly favoured by a succession of excellent 
 ministers of the Presbyterian Church, and still enjoying many pri- 
 vileges — we had a successful meeting in the Baptist chapel in the 
 evening. It was the time of the sitting of the Assizes, and the 
 respected Judge, with Crown Counsel and other official gentlemen, 
 closed the 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 34th, 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 Syna- 
 gogue.' The collections this day exceeded £100. . Much praise is 
 due to the members of this congregation for the liberality they 
 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, 
 
HALIFAX COLLEGE. DR. WILKES. 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 the preparatory and theological depart- 
 ments, and the able prelections of Professor 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 in 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 
 Hal'iax 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 really effective instruments have been compelled to do the 
 work which may, in a more matured state of a church, be spread 
 over a number. Assuredly the very existence of Free Presbyte- 
 rianism both in Canada and the other provinces, hangs upon right- 
 ly constituted and successfully conducted seminaries in Toronto 
 and in Halifax. 
 
 '■ On Monday and Tuesday we had public services in Halifax, 
 and at Dartmouth on the opposite side of the bay ; and on Wed- 
 nesday evening a crowded audience assembled in Chalmers' Church 
 to listen to an exposition of the distinctive principles of the Free 
 Church. On this occasion. Professor King acquitted himself with 
 all his well known talent and tact ; and the effect of the meeting 
 on both friends and foes were unquestionably good. 
 
 "After enjoying much agreeable fellowship with kind friends, I 
 bade adieu to them and to Halifax on Thursday for Windsor, on 
 my way to St. John, N. B. Whom should I find in the coach as 
 my fellow-traveller but my respected friend the Rev. Henry 
 Wilkes, of Montreal, on his way from England, having left Liver- 
 pool by the steam-packet on Saturday se'nnight. The details of his 
 visits to England, Scotland, Switzerland, and France, werb to me 
 exceedingly interesting. We stopped together a night 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 
 
SOS LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. 
 
 From Saturday to Tuesday I had the gratification of enjoying in 
 St. John much agreeable intercourse 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 Church, 
 St. Stephen's Hall ; and in the Centenary Church of the Wesleyan 
 Methodists. To that body we are under great obligations for their 
 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'Aubigne, Gaussen, and other eminent men of the Evange- 
 lical school of the Continent were brought visibly before us. 
 Sketches of evangelistic eiOfort were given, and many practical les- 
 sons inculcated. Nor did the St. John friends listen with any 
 appearance of indifference to the details which were given them 
 regarding the progress of the Gospel among the churches of 
 Canada. 
 
 " To my mind, St. John possesses a peculiar interest. In 1817, 
 my brother, now at Corstorphine, was settled as the first minister 
 of St. Andrew's Scots Church in that city, then with a population 
 of ten thousand — not one-third of its present magnitude. Those 
 whom he baptized are the men and women of the present genera- 
 tion. A few of the more aged settlers, then on the active and busy 
 scene, remain ; and their reminiscences of other days were to them 
 and to me very affecting. The Scots Church has had many occu- 
 pants since the departure of its first pastor, and now it is presided 
 over by a minister lately sent out by the Establishment. The 
 Free Church, after overcoming many obstacles, has now for its 
 pastor the Rev. John Thomson, formerly of Alnwick, Northum- 
 berland,* a faithful, talented, and acceptable minister of Christ, 
 The foundation of the new church had been laid about six weeks 
 before my visit, and it has already been roofed. Its position is 
 commanding, and when the elegant fabric is completed, it will 
 accommodate at least a thousand hearers. The Sabbath schools 
 and classes are in a flourishing state. On the whole the prospects 
 of our brethren in St. John are exceedingly encouraging. It is 
 proper to add that in the city there has been for five years past, 
 another Presbyterian congregation in connection with us, under 
 the ministry of an active and energetic clergyman, the Rev. Robert 
 Irvine. t My earnest prayer is, that both congregations may have 
 entire fellowship with each other while they seek the glory of the 
 common Lord. 
 
 * Now the Rev. Dr. John Thomson, of New York, 
 + Now liev. Dr. Irviue, of Augusta, Georgia. 
 
PORTLAND. PAYSON. BOSTON. QUEBEC. o09 
 
 " It was on Tuesday, October 22nd, T left the commercial capital 
 of New Brunswick, and came by steamer to Portland. The sail 
 through the Bay of Fundy and the islands that lie between the 
 British and American possessions, is exceedingly line. Portland 
 is a large and prosperous city of the State of Maine, and when the 
 railway from Montreal to Portland is completed (probably in two 
 years) this will become the great line of communication with Cana- 
 da and the United States. I had spent some hours at Portland on 
 my visit two years ago to New Brunswick, and part of that time I 
 passed within the walls and in the pulpit of the church which was 
 for years honoured in the ministry of Dr. Payson. I remembered 
 Dr. Andrew Reed, and the expression of the worthy elder to him, 
 when pointing to the pulpit he said, emphatically, ' That is the 
 place, sir, where Payson prayed !' ' I was struck,' says Dr. R. 
 ' with this remark. It gave me Payson's peculiarity in an instant. 
 I had thought that whatever might have been his power as a 
 preacher, it was greatest in prayer. I was now sure of it.' Our 
 countryman, Dr. Carruthers, is now the successor of Dr. Payson, 
 but as he was from home, I had not an opportunity of seeing 
 him. 
 
 *' Boston is about one hundred miles from Portland, but the rail- 
 way car brought m.e up in the course of four hours. After stop- 
 ping a night again at the Marlborough, I left the city next day by 
 the Fitchburg line, and reached Burlington (partly by coach), at 
 eleven p. m. As we were too late for the steamer for St. John's, I 
 was detained a day at Burlington, and did not reach Montreal till 
 Saturday morning. Having supplied the pulpit of Cote Street on 
 Sabbath, and visited and addressed the Sabbath schools, an oppor- 
 tunity was given me of examining the male and female Bible 
 classes on Monday, and of meeting with the Home Mission Com- 
 mittee of the Presbyteiy. Tuesday and Wednesday were nearly 
 taken up in the sail from Lachine to Kingston, and after spending 
 a day among our kind friends in the quondam capital of Canada, 
 we reached Toronto safe and sound on the morning of Friday. In 
 a journey of three thousand miles or upwards, one is exposed to 
 many casualties, and our gratitude cannot be too ardent to Him 
 who holdeth our goings." 
 
 " Toronto, Dec. 1852. 
 
 " The history of our church in Quebec is connected with inter- 
 esting associations. In 1802, the religion of Quebec, nominally 
 considered, was divided into two parts. The genius of Popery 
 brooded over the one, and that of rationalism or Unitarianism over 
 the other. A few friends of the Redeemer felt a longing for some- 
 thing more in harmony with evangelical truth, and a small Congre- 
 gational church was formed. The London Missionary Society sent 
 
310 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. 
 
 out a minister to this pagan city, and serious religion flourished for 
 a season. The prudence of the missionary, however, was not equal 
 to his zeal, and he got into difficulties. The cause of civil and re- 
 ligious liberty was well nigh crushed by the overwhelming influence 
 of the high church bigotry of the Anglican hierarchy. David Dale, 
 and a few like-minded men in the city of Glasgow, interposed ; 
 and the services of these noble men will never be forgotten in the 
 annals of the Protestant Church in Quebec. 
 
 *' The first missionary was followed by a succession of good men, 
 and one of these, Mr. Francis Dick, a native of Monifeith, Forfar- 
 shire, Scotland, and at one time settled in Montrose, deserves 
 special notice. A plain Scotchman, and with few attractions of 
 eloquence, Mr. Dick grasped the standard of Zion with a firm hand, 
 and kept it flying on the citadel for years. Many rallied around 
 it, and the recollections of those days are fresh and fragrant still. 
 In the course of providence, Mr. Dick was called to leave America, 
 to minister to the Scotch inhabitants of Hamburg, where he occu- 
 pied the same pulpit with Dr. Merle D'Aubignd, then a young and 
 promising evangelist, and since that day the world-renowned his- 
 torian of the Reformed Churches. — One church was allotted for the 
 Scotch, the Germans, and the French ; and these two pious minis- 
 ters divided the services betwixt them. Mr. Dick returned, after 
 many years, to his native land, and died not long ago, at Cavers, 
 where that noble-minded and truly catholic gentleman, James 
 Douglas, had been for years his patron in everything that was 
 good in missionary effort. 
 
 " About twenty-five years ago, the plan of connecting the Con- 
 gregational church with the Presbyterian Establishment of Scot- 
 land was devised ; the E,ev. John Clugston became, in this new 
 ecclesiastical position, its first pastor, and St. John's became a 
 stronghold of evangelical truth. The pious and pains-taking minis- 
 try of Mr. Clugston is an era of no ordinary interest, in the religi- 
 ous annals of Quebec. 
 
 "I spent nearly seven weeks in the city and in the Lower Pro- 
 vince. The congregation I found to be considerably dispirited, 
 by a succession of painful disappointments in their attempts to get 
 a minister. The circumstances of the last of these had been really 
 disastrous. Still, the members and adherents are cherishing hope 
 that the Church at home will yet take pity 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 church of that city 
 will become a noble rallying point, otherways it will be a monument 
 of folly. It is, indeed, a lovely gem ; but a c(mgregation 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. MERLE D'AUBIGNE. 311 
 
 the way of success are great, and nothing short of commanding 
 talent and untiring zeal will conquer them. 
 
 But this is only one view of the case. The Free church of Que- 
 bec ought to take the lead of the evangelical community ; and what 
 a field of usefulness is opened to its future ministers. In a popula- 
 tion of nearly 50,000, the number of nominal Protestants is a small 
 fraction of the whole, and yet, under an able and pious pastor, the 
 influence of such a ministry must tell over the city and Province to 
 an incalculable extent. The near presence of a cunning, skilful, 
 and all but overwhelming foe consolidates the Protestant mind, 
 harmonizes jarring elements, and secures evangelistic union. 
 
 " The lateness of the season put it quite out of my power to visit 
 Metis, the remotest of our settlements to the east. But it so hap- 
 pened that Mr. and Mrs. Pasche, the teacher and his wife, lately 
 appointed by Knox's College Missionary Association to occupy the 
 station, reached Quebec, on their way down, exactly at the same 
 time with me, and thus, on the Wednesday after my first Sabbath 
 in the city, we held a meeting specially on their account. The 
 weather was very unfavourable, and thus the attendance was not so 
 good as it would have been. But the meeting was an interesting 
 one. Mr. Pasche gave an address in French, which was interpret- 
 ed by Mr. Hadden, one of the elders. Special prayer for the mis- 
 sion was offered up, and an appeal in its favour made to the audi- 
 ence. Next day we had pleasant intercourse in private with Mr. 
 and Mrs. Pasche, and my impression is, that they are admirably 
 qualified for the situation they are called to fill. It is partly educa- 
 tional and partly of a missionary character ; and amid many diffi- 
 culties, and the great opposition which may be looked for from the 
 priests, there can be no doubt that a good beginning has been made. 
 The acquisition of the whole seigniory, upwards of 30,000 acres, by 
 our friends the Messrs. Ferguson, of Montreal, is highly favourable 
 to the progress and success of any measure having in view the ad- 
 vancement of the cause of Christ. In connection with this station, 
 I could not but think with melancholy interest on the fact, that it 
 was on his way to visit Metis, in August, 1851, our excellent friend 
 Mr. Rintoul was called home to his Father's house on high. 
 
 " While in Quebec, a visit to the friends of the French Canadian 
 Mission of Montreal was paid by their newly appointed agent, the 
 Rev. Mr. Clark. It was a refreshing season. The public meeting 
 held in the Methodist church was admirably attended ; many heart- 
 stirring appeals on the subject of Popery and missions made ; and 
 a handsome collection of nearly £60 realised. Quebec ought to be a 
 stronghold of that Mission. A French Protestant minister of abil- 
 ity and zealous piety ought to be located here. The idea of such a 
 a man as Merle D'Aubignd, the great historian of the Reformation, 
 being settled as pastor of the Free church in Quebec, and Presi- 
 dent of a Protestant Seminary for training young men for the 
 
312 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. 
 
 ministry, in the Lower Province, caught my fancy ; and most will 
 say it was a dream of the 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 
 valuable history, 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, though 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 worship on Sabbaths and at other times ; 
 the same place serving both as school-house and chapel. — His labours 
 are justly appreciated. The accommodation is excellent. The day 
 school is well attended, and the 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. Although 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 Rev. Alex. Young, of Montreal. 
 
ST. SYLVESTER. LEEDS. 31 S 
 
 ** January 25th, 1853. 
 
 " It was on Wednesday, November 17, I went by steamer to St. 
 Nicholas, a port on the south side of the St. 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 overtaken that night. 
 My guide was a worthy son of Erin, who, with his sleigh, had been 
 sent down some fifty miles expressly for me, 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 coun- 
 try, where the privilege of evening and morning domestic worship 
 was enjoyed. In the surrounding district, however, only three 
 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 families, 
 mostly from the north of Ireland. In the house of one of these 
 families (Mr. Woodside's) we made our arrangements for preach- 
 ing ; my guide going on before me to give the due notices as fully 
 and ejffectively as in the circumstances was practicable. After par- 
 taking of the kind hospitality of the worthy family, I was conveyed 
 two miles further to the church of St. Sylvester, adjoining to 
 which is the house of Mr. and Mrs. Heddle, and their family, 
 originally from Shapinshay in Shetland, but for many years resi- 
 dent partly in Quebec and partly in St. Sylvester. 
 
 " With this worthy Christian family I stopped for the night, and 
 in the afternoon notices were sent round for sermon next day (Fri- 
 day,) at 12. A congregation of about fifty assembled — as large a 
 number as, in the circumstances, could have been expected. The 
 usual services were gone through — a sermon preached, and a con- 
 gregational meeting for conference thereafter. On Saturday, a simi- 
 lar meeting was held at Mr. Ross's, seven or eight miles further on, 
 and in the township of Leeds, and here the number of hearers was 
 about the same. (Of the probable amount of the regular congrega- 
 tion in such places, however, it would be wrong to judge from an 
 occasional and transient visit, not duly announced. There is no 
 doubt whatever, that were an acceptable pastor settled in Leeds 
 and St. Sylvester, these two stations would produce good congrega- 
 tions on the Lord's Day, while the pastor could, with perfect ease, 
 supply both. Mr. Boss is father-in-law to our excellent friend Mr. 
 Swinton, now at St. Louis de Gonzague, but formerly the catechist 
 and missionary in Leeds, where his labours are remembered with 
 much afiection.) 
 
 " My Sabbath services were divided betwixt the two stations in 
 
S14 LIFE OF REV. DR. BUENS. 
 
 Leeds, one at Lambie's mills, and the other seven miles distant, 
 and in a school-house at Mr. Reid's. The substantial place of 
 worship at the former was well filled by an attentive and serious 
 looking congregation, of probably more than two hundred; and from 
 eighty to one hundred were assembled in the other place. These 
 four stations of Leeds and St. Sylvester would form together one 
 manageable charge, and they are fully ready to receive a minister. 
 — The past services of such faithful young men as Messrs. Swinton, 
 Alexander, McLaren and Murray, * have been duly appreciated. The 
 earnestness and the skilful propriety with which the praises of God 
 were sung in these localities, as well as in those of Inverness, 
 formed a pleasing feature as an index of pious feeling, and a proof 
 of congregational organization. Sabbath schools and Bible classes 
 also appear to have been successfully conducted, 
 
 " In St. Sylvester and Leeds the number of families adhering to 
 us cannot be fewer than one hundred and twenty. But there are 
 out-fields which must not be overlooked, 
 
 "There are Frampton, Broughton, and Kennebec road, in all 
 five stations at least, and upwards of one hundred 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 missionary or catechist for these appendages, 
 would be of great value. On the Kennebec road, the Rev. Simon 
 Fraser, now of McNab, laboured for some years ; and our friend, 
 Mr. Angus Macintosh, now in Scotland, in one of his zealous 
 mission tours, first brought to light the existence of settlements 
 of Presbjrterian families at the other places, who had been many 
 years without the knowledge or the spiritual aid of the Church 
 whose children they were. In regard to temporal support for a 
 gospel ministry, there will be, as there has been, some diflBicul- 
 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. 
 
 "On Monday, 22nd, I went on to Inverness, where I preached 
 that day and the next day in the same place, and at the same 
 hour, to congregations of betwixt eighty and a hundred. On 
 both occasions a conference was held after sermon, and every 
 encouragement held out to the people to keep together, and to 
 wait for more regular supply. The number of families in Inver- 
 ness belonging to us, professedly, cannot much exceed fifty, and 
 they are for the most part Gaelic. To show their real desire to ob- 
 tain a minister, they have built a nice manse in a convenient situa- 
 tion. My two days' intercourse with these excellent people, was 
 
 * Messrs. Swinton, now in United States : 
 McLaren, of Ottawa ; 
 
 Alexander, of Baptist Church, Brantford ; 
 Murray, of Grimsliy- 
 
I 
 
 EASTERN TOWNSHIPS. LIBRARIES. 315 
 
 of the most pleasing kind. Much intelligence and warm-hearted 
 piety met my obgervation. I was greeted with real Christian affec- 
 tion, and left them with the full impression, that a pious young 
 minister, having the Gaelic language, would find in this township 
 a most promising field of useful labour. In looking into the libra- 
 ries of the families with whom I stay, I am often delighted to 
 find in their proper places of influence, some of the standard works 
 of our most venerated authors ; and here, I found that several pious 
 colporteurs from the United States had given extensive circulation 
 to new and cheap editions of the works of the Flavels, and the 
 Chamocks, and the Baxters, and the Howes, of the justly vene- 
 rated Christian authorship of other days ; and, moreover, that these 
 visits of young men, most of them aspirants to the ministry in the 
 Presbyterian churches of America, had been in other respects 
 pleasing and salutary. Here also I found some promising speci- 
 mens of attainment both in family and congregational singing. 
 Need I add, that both in Leeds and Inverness, there is much physi- 
 cal beauty to meet the traveller's eye ; while the ' falls of Inver- 
 ness' remind me of similar scenery in other lands. — Disappointed 
 was I to be told, that the river on which these ' falls' were, was not 
 called the Ness (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 Montreal — 
 nearly half way to Quebec — on the line of the great railway 
 now in progress from Montreal to Portland in Maine, U. 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 locality, and preached 
 four times on the Lord's day and Monday. To the friends in Dan- 
 ville, Richmond and Melbourne, I am under obligations for their 
 great kindness. Their pleadings for a resident evangelical minis- 
 try shall not soon fade from my inemory. God grant that such an 
 invaluable blessing may soon be enjoyed ; and then shall the spiri- 
 tual graces of the lovely district more than vie with its physical 
 beauties and commercial capabilities. 
 
 " Had it been in my power to have devoted at least one month to 
 missionary labours in the eastern townships, I might have obtained 
 some idea of the extent of the field and the religious condition of 
 its inhabitants. A whole season would be needed to do anything 
 like justice to such a work ; and yet I know not a missionary tour 
 which, if properly prosecuted by a minister of Christ of due ex- 
 perience and energy, would be of more avail to the cause of Christ 
 and the interests of his Church in this western world. The supe- 
 riors of these townships are, properly speaking, the shareholders 
 of the American Land Company of London, and there axfamonsr 
 them, and occupying stations of influence, those who htave,^® 
 the power of the truth in their own minds, and kno^ the "^' 
 
316 LIFE OF llEV. DR. BUHJSS. 
 
 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 
 "wrould almost to a certainty issue in the permanent 'lifting up of a 
 standard' for the people inhabiting one of the finest portions of the 
 habitable 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 pious lay members — say a Nisbet, or a 
 Barbour, or a Gillespie. 'The thing would pay' — ah, that it would 
 — not, it may be, 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. " 
 
 " Knox College, 
 
 "ToKONTO, Oct. 15, 1858. 
 
 ' ' It had been for years my wish to visit Cape Breton and New- 
 foundland, that I might thus complete my survey of the religious 
 state of the British provinces of North America. In the course 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 1858, 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 July were occupied by Synod duties ; by visits to Durham and 
 the West ; and by sacramental engagements in Glengarry. These 
 last formed a repetition of what it had been my privilege to enjoy 
 four years before ; and I look back on both occasions with singular 
 relish. While the associations with the settlement of Glengarry, 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 members 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 is 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 
 six 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., 
 
 N^ew yBrunswick and Nova Scotia ; and it was on October 2nd, 
 
 V tw^c^ months after, we left Portland for Toronto, on our re- 
 
NEW BRUNSWICK AND NOVA SCOTIA. 317 
 
 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 regret to 
 me that the engagements prospectively made behoved to be broken 
 up, and intercourse with these interesting fields suspended for the 
 present. In the old Acadian settlements the aspect of our sister 
 church 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, although the majority of those who enjoyed his 
 ministry in earlier or in later life have not been suffered 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 staff, the city 
 had its ten thousand inhabitants ; now its citizens fall not much 
 short of four times that number. The history of Presbyterianism 
 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 Presbyterian 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 we 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. We had much agreeable intercourse 
 with Mr. Hunter, as also with Professors King and Lyall, of the 
 Free College, and Mr. MacKnight, the Hebrew tutor, who has also 
 the pastoral charge of Dartmouth. My earnest wish and prayer 
 are, that the health of all these gentlemen may be preserved in 
 vigour, and that their important labours, 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 men 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. 
 
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 first 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 ;. 
 embracing those of Chalmers' Church, Dutchtown and Dartmouth. 
 Between two hundred and three hundred pupils attended. Ad- 
 dresses suitable to the occasion 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 feehngs 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 Osprey, one of the vessels connected with the 
 Cunard line, and which pays a fortnightly visit to that Island from 
 Halifax, calling at Sydney, C . B. , on her way to and from. Our 
 voyage of 600 miles was prosperous ; Captain 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,' as the entrance is called, and announcing by the successive 
 booming of our ship's brass cannon the arrival of Her Majesty's 
 mail at this the most venerable of her Colonial possessions. Tho 
 Bay of St. John's is just one of perhnps 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 has occurred to render the 
 wisdom of the selection questionable. It is at once safe and com- 
 modious, its waters deep, and its position relatively to the island 
 as a whole, and its bearing on the home connections with the East, 
 just what might be desired. The wharf was covered by hundreds, 
 serenading the entrance of the Osprey, and welcoming friends and 
 visitors. Among the rest we soon saw tho 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 our 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 ; and this last sage, on being asked hi» 
 
NEWFOUNDLAND. DR. H. M'LEOD. 319 
 
 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, which 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 Mr. Jukes, the sketches in which 
 form a rich repast to those who are conversant with such researches. 
 T 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 set 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 efibrts were made to retain the 
 whole in connection with the Church of Scotland ; but a series of 
 circumstances in the providence of God, led to the formation 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-ruled for 
 good. He remained for six weeks in St. John's, and was eminent- 
 ly 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 principles, 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 struggle with difficulties, 
 arising from the loss of property and other causes ; but they have 
 stood firm to the cause of the Redeemer — having reared a very neat 
 and commodious place of worship, admirably located, and filled by 
 a united body of sincere and afi'ectionate 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 qualified for the situation he occupies, by 
 
 * This English seaport gave also to Canada the Rev. William Rintoul, one of her most 
 useful ministers. 
 
520 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. 
 
 talents and acquirements which command respect, by a piety at 
 once unaflFected and warm, and by a measure of prudence, good 
 sense, and sound judgment rarely exemplified. Besides his pulpit 
 labours, and pastoral visits, and Sabbath 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 
 rehgion, such as — the connection of science with 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 and the other to Harbor Grace ; and these are the only 
 Free churches as yet in the island. In addition, I preached 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 
 minister. 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 
 union' 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. Newfoundland 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 island acted with the spirit of the 
 Sumner, the Tait and the Bickersteth school, we might have good 
 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 commendably 
 zealous in Newfoundland, and at present the number of its adher- 
 ents is 36,000. I know no field where an union of Protestants 
 against the common 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 godBness may give the tone to the community at 
 
LOUISBOURG. 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 
 Bannerman, whose moral excellence and consistent religious charac- 
 ter throw a lustre around the influential station she has been called 
 to occupy. Her sentiments are decidedly evangelical and liberal, 
 in the best sense of these terms. She is exemplary in her attend 
 ance on religious ordinances, she takes the chief superintendence 
 of the Sabbath school, in connection, not with the Cathedral, but 
 with the less imposing fabric which owns an evangelical ministry. 
 She visits the sick and afliicted. She distributes funds, books and 
 tracts ; and is the patroness of everything patriotic and Christian. 
 Her religious influence and example- have already, here and in other 
 places, been owned of God for great good." 
 
 "KJNOX College, 
 
 "Toronto, Nov. 4, 1858. 
 
 ^' Tyre has a name in history, both sacred and civU, and the 
 ruins of Old Tyre are most graphically and characteristically de- 
 scribed in prophetic record as places on which ' fishermen would 
 spread their nets.' What the ruins of Tyre are in the 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 Whitefield that formed the 
 proximate cause of that bold undertaking on the part 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 'fi-eres ' and the St. Sul- 
 pice ' Sisters' of Cape Breton, were the great * bounders on' of the 
 poor Micmacs, in their scalping experiments on defenceless Eng- 
 lishmen. 
 
 " It has been said that the destruction of its capital threw the 
 island beyond the limits 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 and fisheries are 
 boundless, and its local situation, relatively to Europe and Ameri- 
 ca, makes it the very Thermopylae of the West. Its population is 
 sixty thousand, but its capabilities will suflSce easily for ten times 
 that number. Down to the close of the American war, when a few 
 loyabsts settled in it, the island was absolutely ignored by the 
 mother country. It was not till the beginning of the present cen- 
 tury that Cape Breton was thought of as a field 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 land. The eastern half of 
 
322 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. 
 
 the island is still theirs, but fishing has occupied their attention 
 more than agriculture, and the best of their farms are mortgaged. 
 About 1810 the ' clearings' of the North drove away many valuable 
 Protestant families 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 in 182V my acquaintanceship with the late Mrs. Mackay 
 of Rocktield, Sutherlandshire, began. At that time her attention 
 was directed to the state of the emigrants from her own county to 
 Merigomish, Earlton, New Lairg, and the district around Pictou, 
 Nova Scotia. Her first efforts 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 efibrts 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 very afi'ecting details of the 
 spiritual wants of the Island, and different 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 resolved to take ' her little island,' as 
 she called it, under her care. This ' little island,' nevertheless, con- 
 tains 3000 square 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. Mackay was spared to see a very considerable number of 
 the leading Gaelic settlements in the Island taken up by mission- 
 aries whom she was mainly instrumental in sending out ; and their 
 labours were aided and encouraged by catechists on the itinerating 
 plan, as in Scotland ; by teachers ; and by supplying pious bookt 
 
DK. MACLEOD. 323 
 
 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 o£ 
 each charge is great, as the settlers are scattered ; and the demand 
 for additional churches and ministers is at present 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 meetings held 
 successively at Sydney, Myra, Sydney Mines, Bras d'Or, Boular- 
 derie, Bedeque, Cape St. Ann, Wycokoma, and Plaster Cove, will 
 dwell in my remembrance to my latest days. 
 
 " The arrival of Dr. Macleod, of Logie Easter, first as a deputy 
 from the Free Church, and afterwards as minister of Sydney, 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 
 th« 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 hundred, met us, gathered, some 
 of them, from the distance of twenty miles. Dr. Macleod has six 
 churches under 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 he has in his 
 immediate locality two such associate fellow-laborers as the Rev. 
 Matthew Wilson, the esteemed pastor of Sydney Mines and 
 Bras d'Or, and the Rev. James Frazer, of Boularderie, now the 
 oldest resident minister in the Island. Boularderie is an island 
 within the Island, eighteen or twenty miles long by four or five 
 broad ; a spot 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 be all of the 
 Free Church. Mr. Frazer is the only resident minister of any de- 
 nomination on the island, and the number of intelligent * men' who 
 strengthen his hands is large. I preached to five hundred persons 
 on the afternoon of a week-day in harvest, and in a lovely hollow 
 encompassed with trees, where the communion had been dispensed 
 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 spiritual welcome. 
 
 " The three churches at Wycokoma, Bedeque, and St. Ann's Bay 
 forming one extensive and beautiful vale, are supplied by three 
 excellent ministers, Messrs. Mackenzie, Macintosh, and Ross, who 
 
324 LIFE OF KEV. DR. BURNS. 
 
 had all been students at the Halifax Free College, and are now 
 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 hundred, 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 Boularderie to West Bay, 
 sixty miles, was so retarded by want of wind, that the hour fixed 
 for service was long passed before we arrived at the place ; and the 
 painful intelligence met us, on our reaching the house of the intel- 
 ligent and pious minister, the Rev. Murdoch 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. We 
 passed the night under the hospitable roof of the excellent minis- 
 ter, and next morning he accompanied us twenty-five miles, to 
 Plaster Cove, where the Rev. Mr. Forbes 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 extremely picturesque, and went on next day, sixty miles, to 
 the house of my worthy old friend, the Rev. John Stewart, of 
 Kew Glasgow. With him and his excellent family I stayed two 
 days, preaching to a good atldience 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 have 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 the 
 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 cue of the oldest and wealthiest of the 
 
CAPE BRETON. 325 
 
 settlements 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 Cape Breton, my impressions 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. Maclean, 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 tha 
 large number of witnesses for the truth whom her annals have pre- 
 sented to us, as glorifying God 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 qualification for 
 duty, zeal in its discharge, and success in the preliminary training 
 of young men for the ministry ? The lamented Professor Macken- 
 zie, cut off in the very dawn of his usefulness, may be honourably 
 named. Do you wish to see the picture of a pious labourer whoy 
 for a quarter of a century or more, toiled in a very unpromising 
 field, but who lived down his difiiculties, and saw very clearly th© 
 fruit of his earlier and later toils 1 We point you to the Rev. 
 Alexander Farquharson, the pioneer in Mrs. Mackay's band of 
 pious heralds to Cape Breton, and the father of its infant but prom- 
 ising church. Do you desiderate a second specimen of the same 
 class more recently ? You have it in the late Rev. Murdoch Suth- 
 erland, of Pictou, over whose early grave the residents and visitors 
 at Rothsay, Scotland, will long shed a tear of respectful sympathy. 
 Do you look round for one among the rising hopes of the College 
 of Halifax, ripening fast in attainment and already an active and 
 successful missionary, but gathered prematurely ripe, as we would 
 say, into the garner ? The image of the late Mr. John Macdonald 
 rises before us, while, as one of the great cloud of witnesses on high, 
 ho seems to beckon his surviving fellow-students to catch his mantle 
 as he ascends. Do you desiderate one example out of many on the 
 roll of departed Christian citizens who, amid diligence, and toil, and 
 humble integrity in secular life, have never lost sight of the para- 
 mount claims of the cross of Jesus ? I would name the late Mr. John 
 Mcintosh, of Halifax, associated under the ministry of the lamented 
 Mr, Robb as one of the early leaders in the Free Church movement 
 in tliat city, and whom all its members lamentingly revere as the 
 very heau ideal of a devoted and judicious lay brother in Christ. In 
 
S26 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. 
 
 fine, do you look for a pattern of Christian humility, decided prin- 
 ciple, and active usefulness in a female member of the church, and 
 a mother in Israel ? You may see it in the late Mrs. Mackenzie, 
 of Pictou, who has so lately finished her course of rare godliness 
 with triumphant joy. With most of these I was more or less ac- 
 quainted. Memorials of each have been laid before the public, and 
 I would deliberately give it as my opinion, that a church within 
 whose orbit such a bright galaxy has been seen, cannot fail to be 
 honoured by her Head with many additional evidences of his ap- 
 proving smile." 
 
 "Toronto, 18th October, 1859. 
 
 " The third Sabbath in July having having been fixed on for the 
 celebration of the ordinance of the Supper at Nottawasaga, the 
 Gaelic portion of duty was allotted to Mr. Stewart, of Oro, 
 and the English to me. In view of the ordinance, there were ser- 
 vices at Sunnidale on Thursday, and at the Scotch Corners on Fri- 
 day and Saturday, when there was also an ordination of elders. 
 The Lord's Day witnessed an assemblage of at least seven hundred 
 hearers, the majority being Gaelic-speaking persons, and they as- 
 sembled for worship in a small grove of trees near at hand ; the 
 rest meeting in the newly-erected but not yet finished 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 Mr. James Mair, 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 maintenance 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 regular 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 varying 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 the Saskatchewan mission. 
 
OSPKEY. 327 
 
 to about sixty persons, 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 delightful. Ample accom- 
 modation was provided in a large barn, the use of which Mr. 
 Hunter, the proprietor, though not of our communion, granted us. 
 The occasion was every way most solemn and impressive. During 
 the summer, first Mr. Eadie, and then Mr. McLennan, Gaelic 
 student, were employed as missionaries here, and their labours 
 have been most acceptable and useful. Indeed, no mission tour 
 has impressed me more deeply than this one with a conviction of 
 the value of a pious missionary's residence and labours. And this 
 was only one illustration out of many. My two months' mission 
 brought me into contact with at least a dozen of our promising 
 students, 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 four or five years. The open- 
 ing of the Northern Bailway made access to it comparatively easy, 
 and the soil, generally speaking, is good. A considerable number 
 of settlers from King, and other localities near, have purchased 
 bush farms, and thus Osprey 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 paster or itinerating missionary may soon be resident 
 among them. Two villages, Singhampton and Feversham, begin 
 to rise in the mid^b of the forest, and the fact of each having already 
 its post oflice, and the additional fact of a fine road having been 
 opened up from this locality directly west towards Durham and Lake 
 Huron, mark 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 most serious disappointment, for which, however, I 
 afterwards made up by availing myself of 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. 
 
 y 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 
 Sound, by Mono and Orangeville, in length about 120 miles. On the 
 northern part of that road, towards Owen Sound, there are many 
 settlements of Scotch and Irish Presbyterians. I spent some days 
 amongst them, and preached to attentive audiences in five crowded 
 
328 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. 
 
 school-houses . The number of persons in this township who claim 
 membership with us, or were ready to give in their names as ap- 
 plicants, was about forty, and there seemed to be among those 
 several pious and intelligent men who might bd set apart as elders 
 over them. On submitting this matter to the Presbytery they 
 were so much satisfied in regard to it as to authorize an application 
 to Messrs. Cameron and Grant, of Sullivan and Owen Sound, 
 though within the bounds of the Presbytery of Hamilton, to give 
 their assistance in organizing a congregation, electing elders, and 
 dispensing the ordinance of the Lord's Supper amongst them. All 
 this has been done, and Artemesia now holds the rank of a recog- 
 nized congregation. By a union with some of the adjoining dis- 
 tricts a pastoral charge might be formed, but it must remain at 
 present as a missionary station. It is a considerably older settle- 
 ment than Osprey, but both the one and the other afford painful 
 specimens of what meets a Canadian missionary wherever he goes — 
 the evil that inevitably arises from the neglect of the Presbyterian 
 Church to look after her scattered members early, and to throw- 
 over them the shield of a kind guardianship. 
 
 " Our excellent young missionary, Mr. Eadie,* by his informa- 
 tion and tact, aided me much in my visit to Artemesia, and it h^ 
 been the result of my experience in this as in former instances, 
 that our Presbyterian ' succession,' in the way of guides and 
 friendly helps knows no interruption — no gaps — 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 Sullivan arrived with his substantial two-horse waggon, to con- 
 duct me to his own newly-erected mansion in Sullivan, which his 
 family had taken possession of the day before, and of which I hap- 
 pened thus to be the first visitor ah extra. This intelligent gentle- 
 man had come lately from Perth, C.W., whither his excellent 
 father-in-law, Mr. Halliday, and other friends had come in 1815, 
 when Government chartered vessels and sent out the first settlers to 
 ' this Canada.' These worthy representatives of the first disturbers 
 of the wolves and bears of the forest, I had the pleasure of meet- 
 ing with a few weeks after, when Mrs. Burns and I paid a visit to 
 Mr. Duncan at Perth, on occasion of the dispensation of the sacra- 
 ment of the Lord's Supper. It is exceedingly interesting to con- 
 verse with fresh and hale octogenarians in Canada ; to hear the 
 story of their chequered scenes in the bush, the obstacles they had 
 to overcome, and the success with which Jehovah has blessed them. 
 Of their earlier movements we, youngsters, know nothing ; we 
 listen with profound awe to the rehearsals of the men of those 
 oays, the ' jocund' heroes of the bush, who could not for a season 
 "boast of a ' team' to drive ' a field,' but who, from the very first, 
 made the tall pine to bend ' beneath their sturdy stroke.' What a 
 
 * Now Rev. John Eadie, of MiltoD. 
 
OWEN SOUND. 329 
 
 fine contrast the noble roads at the ' Scotch Settlement* of Perth 
 present to the unbroken forest of 1815 ! 
 
 * ' Our ride to Sullivan led us through a wild part of Holland 
 township, and some jnelancholy instances of lawlessness were 
 brought to my ears, impressing me with a deeper conviction, that 
 the churches of Christ have not done, and are not even now doing 
 their duty to Canada. There has been too long a sad disruption 
 of colonization from Christianity ; and William Howitt has done 
 good service to the cause of both, by his church-reproving book on 
 that great subject. The settlement of such men as Mr. Elliott and 
 his enterprizing sons in such regions is a public blessing ; and they 
 know full well the vast importance of a faithful ministry to a ris- 
 ing colony. On Thursday, July 28th, the large and substantial 
 church recently erected for the Rev. James Cameron, the lately 
 ordained pastor, was nearly filled by noon — and short as my 
 intercourse with the congregation necessarily was, very satisfactory 
 proofs on this occasion were blended with those of my former 
 visit a twelve month past, to satisfy me that a fine vantage ground 
 had been gained ; and later information satisfies me that the Owen 
 Sound road shall not be given up to spiritual neglect ; that the 
 wilderness shall yet blossom like the rose ; that here and there 
 through a stretch of seventy miles, a standard shall be lifted up for 
 the people. 
 
 " The last Sabbath in July had been fixed on as the communion 
 day at Euphrasia and St. Vincent. My former visit to these places 
 two years and a half ago was marked by unbroken sleigh rides ; 
 this one exp(^sed me to the broiling sun of a Canadian summer. It 
 is wonderful how the human constitution adapts itself to the oppo- 
 sites. All elements are under the ceaseless control of Him who 
 makes second causes bend to his pleasure. My worthy friend, Mr. 
 John Crichton, junr. , was at my service with his sleigh in the one 
 case, and now he was alike ready with his light waggon in the 
 other. And what are twenty miles whether in the summer heat, 
 or in the winter's cold ? We provide for both ; and the God of 
 the seasons protects us in our going out and in our coming in, up- 
 holding our goings. On the present occasion we passed through a 
 rich country, marked here and there by massy ridges of limestone, 
 and the sweet flavour of the hay. gathering and the waving of the 
 golden corn-harvests ready for the sickle, blended pleasantly to- 
 gether. I did not expect a large attendance at ' the Saturday ser- 
 vice', and therefore was not disappointed. But on Sabbath we had 
 the newly-reared frame fabric of the church thoroughly packed by 
 a respectable audience of probably four hundred. The communion 
 roll presented a list of ninety-one persons, and the number who 
 convened at the table on the present occasion exceeded sixty. I 
 preached four times in connection with the holy ordinance, and on 
 the evening of Monday a well-attended prayer-meeting was held in 
 the house of Mr. Walter Story, where also the ordinance of bap- 
 tism was dispensed. 
 
330 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. 
 
 " On Avigust 2nd, a pleasant steam sail of thirty miles from 
 Port Meaford, brought me to the town of CoUingwood, where, and 
 at the neighbouring village of Nottawa, Mr. James Robertson* 
 has been labouring as missionary for a few months. The station 
 was in rather a depressed state when he began his labours, but his 
 able and indefatigable ministrations have very considerably revived 
 it. There was a good congregation in the evening, and my im- 
 pression is that ours is the best attended place of worship in the 
 town. It would be matter of deep regret were the station relin- 
 quished. The prospects of CoUingwood commercially are fair ; 
 the means of intercourse with Toronto by railway are easy ; and 
 the adjacent stations on different sides of it, give to CoUingwood 
 Bomewhat of the character of a connecting nucleus. 
 
 *' After meeting with the Presbytery and giving in my report of 
 stations visited, I remained a week at home, and then, August 
 13th, entered on my allotted duties as interim supply for two or 
 three weeks at Thorah, Eldon, and Mariposa, during the absence 
 of Mr. MacTavish at the Red River colony. Two Sabbaths' sup- 
 ply was given, and a third by exchange with Mr. Gray of Orillia. 
 The intermediate 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 impressions of the extent and value 
 of the field occupied by Mr. MacTavish were so deepened by 
 actual observation, that I almost longed for his speedy return, 
 that he might address his own people in their much loved native 
 tongue ; for although I was ably aided by interpreters, the great 
 deficiency could not but be painful. Many evidences 1 had that 
 the good work of God was progressing within that wide district. 
 The men of intelligence and of gifts for prayer and exposition of 
 scripture are numerous ; they are ready on all occasions to give 
 valuable help, and the numerous prayer-meetings kept up by them 
 are opportunities and means of much spiritual good . On its ordi- 
 nary day the weekly prayer-meeting was held in the church at 
 Mariposa at 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 07ie-half at least were men. 
 
 " The energetic and pious pastor has since returned, after en- 
 during a good many hardships and paying a truly acceptable visit 
 to a colony long isolated from the 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 Perth, and that town has certainly increased 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 Rev. J. Robertson, of Paris. 
 
I 
 
 OTTAWA. 331 
 
 church under Mr. Duncan's ministry. The communion sea- 
 son [Sept. 11th], was a very delightful one ; and we were proj&t- 
 ably prepared for it by our Christian intercourse with Mr. and 
 Mrs. Mackinnon, formerly of Owen Sound, now of Beckwith. The 
 week-day congregation there exceeded three hundred. Opportuni- 
 ties were also given me of preaching at Ramsay, at Dalhousie, at 
 St. Andrew's, at Lanark, and in Mr. Aitkin's church at Smith's 
 Falls. Remembrances of our visit last year to Nova Scotia were 
 also brought fresh to our minds by agreeable intercourse with 
 Professor King and Mrs. King, of Halifax, whom we met on a 
 visit to friends at Ramsay. Such unexpected occasions of friendly 
 Christian intercourse on the highway of life, are pleasing and 
 edifying, 
 
 " On our way to Ottawa by Brockville and Prescott, we met 
 with much kindness from Mr. Sherwood, the Sheriff of the district, 
 and had agreeable intercourse with Mr. and Mrs. Smith, of Brock- 
 ville. After spending a night and part of two days with our 
 worthy friend, the Rev. Mr. Melville, at Spencerville, we reached 
 the 'city of Ottawa,' at two o'clock on Friday, Sept. 16th, where 
 we were met by Mr. Wardrope, and conducted in safety to the 
 'Manse.' In the absence of Mrs. W., who happened to be on a 
 visit to her relations in Kingston, we met with every attention 
 from Mr. W. , while Mr. Durie and other friends shewed us much 
 kindness. The evening of the day of our arrival happened to be 
 the time fixed for a public meeting of the friends of the London 
 Religious Tract Society, and thus we had an opportunity of lis- 
 tening to the eloquent appeals of Dr. Davis, the secretary, and of 
 meeting with ministers of different denominations, and hearing 
 some of them address the meeting. Saturday was in part devoted 
 to a seeing of the falls, and other prominent features of this an- 
 ticipated capital of the British empire in Canada. The locality 
 presents the complete prestige of a noble city, and if ' Rupert's 
 Land,' in whole or in part, is added to the Canadas, the position 
 of the capital will be at once central and safe. 
 
 " On Sabbath the 18th, I preached twice at Ottawa, to fine con- 
 gregations, in Mr. W.'s church, and once at Nepean, nine miles 
 distant, a branch of Mr. Gourlay's charge. The other branch, 
 Aylmer, I visited on Monday, and in Mr. G.'s absence, Mrs. G. 
 had made such judicious arrangements that an audience of more 
 than one hundred assembled in the Town Hall, and listened atten- 
 tively to the preaching of the word. After passing a night under 
 the pastor's hospitable roof, we set sail next morning on the Otta- 
 wa, and enjoyed a pleasant voyage of fifty miles, interrupted only 
 by three miles of portage by a primitive sort of horse railway. 
 Next day the Presbytery of Ottawa met for the ordination of Mr. 
 Wm. Lochead, to the ministry of Renfrew ; and assuredly it was 
 something new to find here an assemblage of ten ministers of the 
 Presbyterian Church to conduct for the first time the solemn rites 
 
332 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. 
 
 of ordination according to the forms of the Presbyterian Church. 
 It was laid on me, as the senior minister, to preach and give the 
 ordination prayer, and Messrs. Mackinnon and Simon Fraser, of 
 McNab, presided ably 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." 
 
 " Kkox College, 17th Dec, 1863. 
 
 ** I spent three Sabbaths in Quebec, and as one of these was the 
 communion season, a pleasing opportunity was presented of hold- 
 ing Christian fellowship with the pastor, office-bearers, and mem- 
 bers of Chalmers' Church. Mr.. Clark, formerly of Maxwelltown, 
 near Dumfries, Scotland, has been minister of the congregation 
 which meets in this handsome edifice, for more than ten years. The 
 field of labour is an interesting one ; but ministers of Christ placed 
 in the very centre of the stronghold of Popery, have multiplied 
 difficulties to struggle with. The moral atmosphere all around is 
 chilled, while it is surcharged with cloud§, 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 feels this, and assuredly he and his people are richly 
 entitled to all the co-operative assistance which the brethren can 
 render them. God forbid that they should sink in despondence ! 
 They grasp the standard of Zion, and they are honoured to display 
 from the Diamond rock a banner, because of the Truth. 
 
 " The mission-fields in the neighbourhood of Quebec, are on a 
 limited scale in regard to numbers of Scottish or Presbyterian set- 
 tlers. The want of a French-speaking Evangelical ministry is felt 
 by all denominations, and the efi'orts of the Protestant Church are 
 thus necessarily circumscribed almost within the narrow range of 
 its own adherents. With regard to Presbyterian settlements, the 
 following is a list of those I visited, lying at distances from the city 
 varjdng from nine to thirty miles : — Stoneham — a beautiful pasto- 
 ral district or valley ; Beauport Lake — a favourite resort of the 
 citizens for sport on the lake, or for a summer 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 
 settlements I received a hearty welcome, and the 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 the zealous efi'orts of a 
 pious and single-hearted friend of religion, who, as agent of the 
 Bible Society, has much in his power in the way of facilitating in- 
 tercourse with these out-posts. At Port Neuf there had been for 
 years a Scottish congregation under a regular pastorship, but cir- 
 
I 
 
 (^'UEBEC. S33 
 
 eiimstances of an adverse nature, in regard to the staple trade of 
 the place, have greatly diminished the resident population. 
 
 " On the different 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 map of Protestantism. There are difficulties in getting 
 them suitably superintended, and visited with sufficient frequency ; 
 but they offer ample encouragement to Christian ministers and 
 friends who kindly take an interest in them. With ' the Mother 
 Church,' at Quebec, as the church there may be called, there are con- 
 nected a goodly number of pious men, office-bearers and others, who 
 are indefatigable 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 serious obstacles, but 
 zeal and a robust constitution, with the blessing of God, will over- 
 come them all. The missionary experience of two years in such a 
 field as this would be a noble preparation for a permanent pastoral 
 charge. Its labours would break a man into all the habits of easy and 
 judicious spiritual toil ; and the presence of the Spirit of God would 
 assuredly not be wanting either to him, or to the subjects of his 
 anxious and loving care. This plan has been adopted 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 joining in fellow- 
 <«hip 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 additions to the roll of 
 membership, and was felt in other respects to be a season of re- 
 freshing from the presence of the Lord. 
 
 *' In the programme of arrangements, drawn up for my guidance, 
 two important 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. Application 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. Crombie at Inverness ; de- 
 volving on me the charge at Quebec for the same period. 
 
 " The worthy people, among whom Mr. Crombie labours, had 
 been visited by me more than ten years ago, when they had not as 
 yet realized the benefits of a regularly settled pastorship. Recol- 
 lections of that visit led me to desire its repetition ; and, on my 
 way from Montreal to Quebec, I had an opportunity of spending 
 two days at the Manse, and of preaching on two several week-daya 
 to very encouraging audiences. It was in the very th/^ong of har- 
 
334 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. 
 
 vest, and yet the people flocked willingly both at noon and in the 
 evening to hear the Gospel. Mr. Clark and I cordially concurred 
 in our estimate of the religious condition of that interesting people. 
 He found the work of God prospering among them. They have 
 lately reared for themselves a handsome brick church, ornamented 
 with a tower, and filled from Sabbath to Sabbath with a large and 
 affectionate congregation. 
 
 " 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 occasional local preaching here is kept up by brethren of dif- 
 ferent denominations. At St. Foye, two miles from the city, but 
 almost a suburb of it, I had an opportunity 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 where 
 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 Gospel. It is now thirty years since my correspondence with 
 Christian friends in that city commenced, and on the subject, ever 
 dear 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 1864 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 but a limited portion of that territory I 
 could visit, I saw enough to fill me with astonishment at the great 
 physical and moral changes in the district, from 1847 when I first 
 saw it as one unbroken forest, to the time when the same district 
 rose to my view with its millions of acres ' all taken up ;' Low- 
 landers and Celts in hundreds, yea thousands, settled peaceably and 
 comfortably along road-lines judiciously marked out ; and echools 
 and churches provided to an extent that augured well. My visits 
 to my brethren and friends three years ago were fresh in my mem- 
 ory, and the names St. Helen's, Kinloss, Kincardine, Tiverton, 
 Greenock, Paisley, Southampton, Elgin and North Bruce, had 
 taken familiar and firm hold of me, and gathered around them a 
 multitude of sincere good wishes ; when in the course of events a 
 second opportunity of a visit opened to me. It was readily em- 
 braced ; and with the exception of Paisley and Southampton and 
 St. Helen's, the localities already named were re- visited, and suc- 
 cessful progress marked. In particular, I found that Kincardine 
 had obtained the services of an able minister in both tongues, Mr. 
 Fraser, formerly of Thamesford ; and that a number of excellent 
 
mT' 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 Glengarry, and what I had 
 often lieard of at home but never witnessed. At Kincardine the 
 church, which has been greatly enlarged since 1864, 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 2,000. 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 sweet Gaelic melodies ; these all blended together could 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-fixed 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 s+opped 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 distance is 280 miles, and the ' Michigan 
 Central' with its comfortable 'Pullman' dormitories, brought 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 Michigan and Illinois, to and from Chicago, have 
 been accomplished, through the kind providence of God, without 
 any untoward incident. 
 
 " Till 1830, Chicago was known only as a depot for Indian furs, 
 and as a military post for two 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 rapidity till its inhabitants are estimated 
 at 230,000. It is now the acknowledged metropolis of the vast 
 North- West. It is the great thoroughfare of produce 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 musical 
 instruments of difierent names, are on a great scale. Its ingenious 
 contrivance for obtaining an ample supply of pure water from the 
 lake, has been executed within three years, and at the expense 
 
336 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. 
 
 of one million dollars. Its 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. I had 
 the pleasure of being present at the opening of the Presbyterian 
 Seminary of Theology, on the 5th of September, when an excellent 
 lecture 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, are 
 all provided with admirably appointed seminaries ; and it was to 
 my mind peculiarly refreshing to find all the larger distributors of 
 knowledge, whether literary or religious, under a decidedly Chris- 
 tian influence. 
 
 " The population of the city, as already stated, is estimated at 
 230,(00, and constantly increasing. The number of churches, in- 
 cluding all the places that are set apart for the worship of God,and 
 also four Jewish synagogues, amount to about 120. Of the Chris- 
 tian denominations, the Methodists and Baptists, under varied 
 modifying designations, 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 number of church attendants estimated at an average of seven- 
 teen thousand ; and well-informed persons assured me that this 
 waB 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 prevalent 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 stand 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 prayerfid effort on the side of truth and of godlineaa. 
 
SCOTCHMEN AND CANADIANS IN CHICAGO. 337 
 
 ** 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 eflbrt, Chicago will bear a favourable comparison 
 with the other large cities of the Union. The formation of moral 
 and religious character in a rapidly increasing community, becomes 
 a subject of befitting thought to all good men ; and in this city the 
 measure of the forms of Christian energy is truly gratifying to 
 the moral observer. A large and united branch of godly ministers ; 
 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 benefit of that vital 
 portion of the community ; daily meetings for prayer 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 and 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 the 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 ; while 
 they also 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 ' the first 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- 
 
 W 
 
338 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. 
 
 tions, and several distinguished citizens, made suitable 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 neigh- 
 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 offices of the Presbytery 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, but determined to have none 
 but from the Canada Presbyterian Church. I found here Mr. 
 John Macnab, the worthy representative of a ' regular apostolic 
 succession' of pious Celtic brethren from our church ; and by this 
 time he will be succeeded by Mr. Alexander Mackay, of Tiver- 
 ton, one of my esteemed 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 institution 
 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, what 
 is rather uncommon, both sexes afe admitted to the benefits of 
 the prelections under very judicious rules. 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 
 opinion of their literary and theological character. It is seven- 
 
DR. WALLACE. DR. PRESSLY. AURORA. 339 
 
 teen years since I became acquainted with Dr. Pressly, the 
 venerable head of the older school of theology at Pittsburg, in 
 the same ecclesiastical connexion. Some things have recently 
 occurred in their synodical proceedings and otherways, which 
 lead me to hope, that by some modifications that involve no sacri- 
 fice of principle, the way may be opened for a closer fellowship 
 between us, and that elder branch of the once undivided 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 the Rev. Mr. Ebbs, formerly 
 of Paris, now of Aurora, a beautiful rising town of 12,000 in- 
 habitants. Mr. Ebbs is a faithful and acceptable minister of the 
 Congregational Church, and it has pleased God to visit him lately 
 with a very distressing domestic trial in the loss of his only 
 son who was drowned while bathing ; a most 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 acquaintanceships of 
 other years, leaving on my mind impressions salutary and sweet." 
 
CHAPTER XVIir. 
 
 THE PIONEERS OF PRESBYTERIAKISM 
 IN CANADA. 
 
 M 
 
 T is not ours to assume the part of the His- 
 torian, yet it seems a suitable sequel to the 
 record of Dr. Burns' labours, to say some- 
 thing respecting the earlier History of 
 ^ Presbyterianism in the region which formed their 
 more immediate scene. 
 
 The Rev. George Henry is the first Presbyterian 
 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- 
 ference of the Province to British rule, and from 1765 till 
 1784! he discharged the duties of his office in full. He 
 died on the Gth July, 1795, at the advanced age of eighty- 
 six. For several years previously he had been assisted 
 
EARLY HISTORY OF PRESBYTERIANISM IN CANADA. 341 
 
 by the Kev. Alexander Spark, 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 Sanquhar, having 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 Wiiliamstown, Glengarry, in May, 1787, where, 
 after eighteen years 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 EecoUet 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 
 venerable St. Gabriel, which still stands, was opened on 
 
342 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. 
 
 the 7th October, 1792. On the 18th September, 1803, the 
 Rev. James Somerville, of the Scotch Relief Church, suc- 
 ceeded 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 of 
 Montreal having been, by unfortunate circumstances, dissolved, the 
 Rev. Mr. John Bethune, minister of the Gospel at Glengarry, 
 Upper Canada, formerly a member of said Presbytery, and the Rev. 
 Alexander Spark, minister of the Gospel 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 this Seventeenth of September, in the Year of our Lord, One 
 Thousand Eight Hundred and Three, and, after prayer, the said 
 ministers, together with Mr. Duncan Fisher, Elder, took their 
 seats. The Rev. Mr. John Bethune was chosen Moderator, the 
 Rev. Mr. Alex. Spark, Clerk. Absent, the Elder from Glengarry 
 and the Elder from Quebec. The Presbytery agreed that they shall 
 be known and addressed by the name and style of the Presbytery 
 of Montreal." 
 
 The "former Presbytery," whose records were lost, 
 must have been composed of Messrs. Bethune, Spark, and 
 Young, together with their Elders. Nor are there any 
 records of this second Presbytery save the one quoted. 
 
 Certain parties seceded from St. Gabriel Street church in 
 1803, under the Rev. 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 Roxburghshire, who was sud- 
 denly cut off in 1824. In 1817 the Rev. Henry Esson, 
 afterwards the accomplished Professor in Knox College, 
 became assistant and successor to Mr. Somerville, who died 
 in 1837, leaving £1,000 for a Manse to St. Gabriel Street 
 church, and the same amount to the Natural History 
 Society of Montreal. 
 
V^m EARLY HISTORY OF PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH. 343 
 
 ^^P Dr. Edward Black, who arrived in Montreal in 1822, 
 was associated with Mr. Esson till 1831, when St. Paul's 
 congi-egation was formed under his pastoral oversight. 
 
 In 1798, the Classis, of Albany, of the Dutch Reformed 
 Church, 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 Fredericksburg. His 
 widow I distinctly remember. One of his sons belonged 
 to my church, in Kingston. Mr. Gordon, of Gananoque, 
 writes thus of him — 
 
 "I was very intimate with Mr. McDowall, of Fredericksburg, 
 who was sent to Canada by the Dutch Reformed Church, U. S. , in 
 compliance with an application from Canada for Christian labourers, 
 at a time that there were so few of such as the applicants wanted, 
 (they, as I understand, being Presbyterians,) or indeed of ministers 
 of other bodies ; and in our confidential conversations he told me 
 that his missionary labours stretched from Quebec, and below it, 
 I think, eastward, and Toronto, then ' Little York,' and a small 
 insignificant place, and beyond westward. He told me that he had 
 much acquaintance and personal intercourse with Governor Hunter, 
 I think he said the first Governor sent to Canada, whom he spoke 
 of very favourably, and that if he, Mr. M. , had changed his church 
 and become Episcopalian, the Governor's influence was all in his 
 favour. But Mr. M. was of that single-eyed, single-hearted charac- 
 ter that no temptations of a worldly nature could weigh with him 
 against higher and more sacred considerations. Mr. M.'s heart was 
 always set upon Presbyterian Union on a right basis. 
 
 " I had much enjoyment in a preaching tour with this devoted 
 servant of Christ in autumn, nearing to winter, 1837, the year that 
 our Canadian Rebellion broke out. We preached in the evenings 
 either in the same school-house or near to each other, and lodged 
 with some of this venerable, loveable man's old friends for the night, 
 and I remember a laughable incident that one night occurred. A 
 man who kept a tavern, about eight miles west of Kingston (Tictch, 
 I think, was his name), and whose loyalty to Queen Victoria had 
 been brought into suspicion, tried some shifts to redeem it. 
 Instructions had just at that time gone out from Government 
 to have a keen eye upon travellers passing through the country, as 
 it was thought that spies of the pseudo patriots, who soon after 
 this made an incursion into Canada, were out on their mischievous 
 errands. Well, I was riding on a light, beautiful and spirited 
 horse, lent me by my much esteemed friend, Colin Macdonald, 
 
344 LIFE OF KEV. DR. BURNS. 
 
 brother to the Hon. John S. Macdonald, whom you knew so well, as 
 a suitable servant for 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 notes for the evening's sermon, I said very little to the 
 host beyond what business required, and retired during the feed- 
 ing to a room. But this zealous loyalist had on my departure 
 straightway gone to Mr. Fraser, Mr. M.'s particular friend, and a 
 Magistrate, to give him a description of all about the visible out- 
 ward personality, of such minuteness as could identify, and make it 
 safe to get a warrant to lodge the suspected spy in any of Her 
 Majesty's jails. Size, the peculiar iitness of the horse, the valise 
 strapped behind it, the light-weight rider on it, all so peculiarly 
 adapted for flight and escape, if required. Above all, the dark 
 treasonous taciturnity that could not look honest men in the face. 
 So well had this informant — so to the life — described the suspected 
 person's outward personality, with a view to unmistakeable identifi- 
 cation, that when Mr. M. at night introduced me to Mr. Fraser, the 
 real so exactly answered to the person previously described, that 
 Mr. Fraser had enough to do to refrain from a good loud laugh as 
 the salutation." 
 
 The Session Records of Niagara, which date from 1st 
 October, 1794, tell of the Rev. John Dunn, a licentiate x)f 
 the Presbytery of Glasgow, coming 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, 
 he 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. 
 He remained from 1802 till 1804, when the Rev. John 
 Bums, a Scotch Secession minister, father of Judge BurnS; 
 arrived from the State of New York. He preached every 
 third Sabbath in Niagara till 1812, when the second 
 American War broke out, and the town was reduced to 
 ashes. He resumed in 1815, combining with the Pas- 
 torate the charge of the District School, till his death, in 
 
NIAGARA. EASTMAN. SMART. 345 
 
 1844. Mr. Thomas Green, from the North of Ireland, 
 succeeded him, who soon after became Episcopal Rector 
 of the place. In 1827, the Rev. Thomas Fraser, of the Re- 
 lief Church, Dalkeith, Scotland, now residing in Montreal 
 (a vigorous preacher still), fulfilled a brief ministry in the 
 old town, followed in 1829 by the Rev. Robert McGill,, 
 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 1799 or 1800, and 
 planted " seven churches," most of which remain until this 
 present. We remember him well — his ' erect gait, and 
 springy step, and ringing voice, and warm hand-clasp — 
 though when we knew him he was totally blind. We joined 
 with some of his spiritual children in laying him in one of 
 the quiet churchyards he had marked out, when, " an old 
 man and full of years, he was gathered to his Fathers." 
 
 In 1808 or 1809, 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 the venerable Bogue. A 
 petition came from the people of Brockville for a minister, 
 addressed to the London Missionary Society. Mr. Smart, 
 feeling that his own countrymen had claims, at least equal 
 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 Canada. 
 He formed the first Bible Society in the Province in 1817 
 — the first Missionary Society in 1818, and the first Reli- 
 
S46 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. 
 
 gious Tract Society in 1820. Mr. Smart's field of labour 
 stretched from Gananoque to Osnabruck, from ninety to 
 one hundred 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 ministers when he came — Mr. Bethune and 
 Mr. McDowall. 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. Keturning from a missionary tour in 
 1812, after the breaking out of the second American War, 
 a stray, spent twelve-pounder passed over the neck of Mr. 
 Smart's horse, fell near the fence, 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 recently died on a field signal- 
 ized by the indefatigable labours of half a century. The 
 Rev. WiUiam Bell, in 1817, followed the emigrants from 
 Lanark and Renfrewshires, who had settled in the Perth 
 district the year before. He sailed on the 5th April, and, 
 ^' after fifty-seven days of horrors," reached Quebec. He 
 took twenty-four days to travel between that city and Perth. 
 Eight days were spent between Montreal and Prescott, with 
 batteaux, oxen, and horses. From Brockville 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 of 
 stagnant water. The closeness of the floor may be under- 
 
PERTH. REV. WILLIAM BELL. STRUGGLES. S47 
 
 <<tood 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 had. 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 mosquitoes — 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 upset from canoes to the danger of drowning, 
 and, when escaping, having no opportunity of getting wet 
 clothes changed. 
 
 Over a shocking road he has to travel on foot forty- 
 two miles to Brockville, to get leave to perform marriage, 
 but, opposed 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 occupies as a church. An Episco- 
 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, observing in his 
 Journal : " It is not safe living in Rome and falling out 
 with the Pope." He is brought into court and fined heavily 
 for trying to put down Sabbath desecration. The proxies 
 of drunken parents demand " christening " for a child. On 
 being refused, they go off in high dudgeon to a Roman 
 Catholic priest, who goes through the ceremony, for half 
 a dollar, in French, of which they were entirely ignorant. 
 The enraged father complains to a magistrate, and next 
 
348 LIFE OF REV. DE. BURNS. 
 
 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 waggon, 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 
 Lei th, who held the same plurality till translated, in Decem- 
 ber, 1826, to Rothiemay, Aberdeenshire, when Dr. Hugh 
 Urquhart, 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 Lachine, and, for five 
 years, from 1821 till 1826, when he was cut ofi" in his 
 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* 
 
 The name of Jenkins must be 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 pioneers. 
 
 *' Father " Jenkins, when labouring ^ a missionary 
 among the Oneida Indians, in New York State, was in- 
 
 * See in Appendix II. some interesting extracts from the journals of this vcnei-»ble 
 man, kindlj' furnished me by his excellent son, the Rev. Dr. George Bell, of Clifton, 
 t See valuable memorabilia of Mr. Harris in Appendix I. 
 
I 
 
 FATHER JENKINS. 349 
 
 duced to visit Scarboro', in 1820, a township which began 
 to be settled by emigrants from the south of Scotland 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 receivings license, I will never forget, 
 thus writes me with reference to Mr. Jenkins : — 
 
 " With respect to Father Jenkins, I became acquainted with him 
 in the fall of 1820, a short time after my arrival in the town of 
 York, and for many years maintained uninterrupted ministerial 
 communion with him. He was a zealous and indefatigable labourer 
 in the Master's cause. Not unfrequently I accompanied him to 
 some of the recently-formed townships north of Toronto, convers- 
 ing with, and preaching the Gospel of Christ to many poor and 
 destitute settlers, organizing congregations, 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 to the Asso- 
 ciate Synod in Scotland. An excellent preacher, and a 
 faithful labourer he has proved, to whom I am indebted 
 for some interesting facts 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 Montreal and 
 Quebec, the ministers who came over with Dr. Mason, of 
 New York, and the planting of Presbyterianism at La- 
 chute, where some dissentients from the original congre- 
 gation applied to the Kirk. 
 
 The Rev. John McKenzie, in 1818, succeeded the 
 
 * A certain dignitary vho, ecclesiaitically, had forgotten his first love, meeting Father 
 Jenliins, remarked the threadbareness of his coat. Caustically, yet courteously, the old 
 gentleman replied, " At any rate, I thank God it isn't a turncoat .'" 
 
350 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. 
 
 venerable Mr. Bethune, at Williamstown, and was the 
 Moderator of the first Canadian Synod. It was held in 
 St. Andrew's Church, Kingston, in 1831, from June 8th 
 to 13th inclusive, and was attended by fifteen ministers, 
 four elders, and five commissioners. The Synod agreed to 
 a division of the church into four presbyteries, viz., the 
 Presbytery of Quebec, six ministers ; Glengarry, four minis- 
 ters ; Bathurst, four ministers ; and York five ministers.* 
 
 Besides the Rev. Wm. Rintoul, M. A., who had a few days 
 previously arrived at Toronto (then York), we find west 
 of that city, belonging to the Church of Scotland, but 
 these four names, Alexander Gale, M. A., Amherstburg ; 
 George Shedd, M. A., Ancaster; Alexander Ross, Aid- 
 borough ; Robert McGill, Niagara. 
 
 A few extracts from letters of an early Paisley emi- 
 grant, addressed to his father, who used regularly to show 
 them to Dr. Burns, and to copy off portions, may supply 
 glimpses of the early religious condition of Canada, and 
 of the influences which drew out his sympathetic nature 
 towards these distant and destitute settlements : 
 
 " Brockville, Upper Canada, 
 
 ''18th June, 1820. 
 
 " When we landed at Montreal the first thing that struck our 
 attention, being the Sabbath, was the whole shore covered with 
 people fishing, and the market place covered with stands of differ- 
 ent kinds of goods, just the same as it had been a fair day, and in 
 the neighbourhood of the town numerous parties going about with 
 guns, or amusing themselves with playing at the ball." 
 
 ♦ After lengthened and mature deliberation, it was unanimously resolved— 
 " That this Convention of Ministers and Elders, in connection with the Church of 
 Scotland, representing their respective congregations, do form themselves into a Synod, 
 to be called the Synod of the Presbyterian Church of Canada, leaving it to the vener- 
 able the General Assembly to determine the particular nature of that connection which 
 shall subsist between this Synod and the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland." 
 The Rev. John McKenzie was chosen Moderator of the Svaiod, and the liev. Robert 
 McGill, Clerk. 
 
*'YoRK, 18th Sept., 1820. 
 " I think that religion is at a low ebb in this country. There are 
 very few churches in it, and the inhabitants in general are very de- 
 praved. It is not unusual to see them working in their fields on 
 the Sabbath day, or going out a shooting. The law does not ap- 
 pear to interfere with them, and therefore they do what they plea&e 
 on that day." 
 
 '' Caleb ON, 10th Sept., 1823. 
 
 *' You wish to know how we spend the Sabbath in Caledon. I 
 have therefore to inform you that I and a number of the emi- 
 grants assemble at eleven o'clock, forenoon, in the house of J. M. 
 The service in which we then engage commences with prayer and 
 praise ; a chapter of the Bible is read, then one of Burder's village 
 sermons, which you gave me when I came away, is next read. 
 After this the children are catechised, and the service concludes as- 
 it began, with prayer and praise. I am much obliged to you for 
 the tracts and other useful pamphlets you have sent me, for they 
 are agreeable company to me here in the woods." 
 
 " Caledon, 27th June, 1826. 
 
 " You mentioned in a letter lately sent, that a society has been 
 established amongst you for sending out ministers and teachers to 
 the British Colonies. I heard a sermon preached about seven 
 weeks ago, and with the exception of that opportunity, I have not 
 heard a sermon for the last seventeen months. 
 
 " When 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 to the 
 Rev. Mr. Burns, Secretary of the Society, and to inform him of 
 our situation, and I should write to you, so far to corroborate his 
 statement, which I accordingly did. Among other things, I men- 
 tioned that the minister would have to preach to three townships, 
 viz. : Esquesing, Erin and Caledon. I also mentioned that the 
 population of Caledon consisted of eighty families, chiefly Presby- 
 terians, and that the population in Erin was nearly the same, and 
 the number of families in Esquesing to several hundreds, and you 
 were requested to converse with Mr. Burns on the subject." 
 
 " Caledon, 1st March, 1827. 
 
 " We are as yet deprived of the privilege of hearing the gospel 
 regularly preached. We have, however, been lately favoured with 
 a sermon, once a month, by a Methodist missionary, who preaches 
 to us every fourth Sabbath, in the house of John McDonald, jun. 
 
352 LIFE PF REV. DR. BUR^S. 
 
 We are now deprived of the labours of Mr. Redpath,* of whom I 
 gave some account in a letter I wrote to you last January. He 
 was a man of small stature, and of a delicate constitution, while 
 to have undergone the fatigue which he underwent in spreading 
 the glad tidings of salvation, would have required a strong and 
 robust frame, and indeed one of the best of constitutions. So 
 wide was the circuit in which he itinerated, that he could only give 
 us a sermon once in three months. All his journeys he performed 
 on foot, and though the roads were at some seasons of the year 
 nearly impassable, yet a word of murmuring or complaint he never 
 uttered, but endured all his privations and hardships with manly 
 fortitude. He was always cheerful, and when once asked, ' How 
 it was possible he could get along, the roads being so bad V He 
 smiled, and replied ' that they were broad enough, and when a 
 place impassable came in his way, he could go round a little space 
 in the woods. After having itinerated in this manner for a number 
 of years, he at last sunk under his labours and extreme fatigue, and 
 died in Yonge Street ; and, from all accounts I have heard, of ex- 
 treme exhaustion. When on his last circuit he did not intimate 
 his appointments as he used to do, and when last here, when urged 
 to do so, he replied, 'Sonte time after harvest,' and we were there- 
 fore daily expecting him, when we heard of his death. You will not, 
 therefore, be surprised when I inform you that the tidings affected 
 us greatly, as we were deprived of the labours of the only minis- 
 ter, who for a long time had come amongst us . The last sermon 
 he preached was from a passage in the 21st chapter of Revelation, 
 on the beauties of the New Jerusalem, which I was informed was 
 on the day immediately preceding his death." 
 
 "Caledon, 10th Oct., 1828. 
 
 " We are still as badly ojff as ever with regard to the preaching 
 of the Gospel. I have only heard five or six sermons since I last 
 wrote you. All of these, excepting one, were by Methodists, and 
 that one was by a Baptist. 
 
 *' Several new sects have arisen in the province of late, spread- 
 ing erroneous doctrines among the ignorant. One of these sects 
 call themselves Christians, and their religion is a compound of the 
 tenets of several others. Amongst their other errors they deny 
 the divinity of Jesus Christ, and they are said to be gaining ground 
 in the country. Another sect, calling themselves Dunkards, wear 
 long beards. A person of the name of Wilson has started in 
 Yonge Street, as a leader of a new sect, consisting chiefly of fe- 
 males. Their doctrine and mode of worship I am ignorant of ; but 
 I understand that their progress has caused separation to take place 
 in several instances betwixt husbands and wives." 
 
 Mr. Redpath waa (we believe) a devoted Congregational minister. 
 
THE EMIGKANTS' CRIES. 353 
 
 The following extract is written by a friend of Mr. C, 
 
 dated 
 
 *' Ancaster, 19th Nov., 1829. 
 "I saw at York the other day a minister sent out by a Glasgow 
 Association to Niagara. He has given great satisfaction since he 
 came to this country. We much want such men as Mr. McGill. 
 Our Sabbath day is not generally spent as it should be. The reli- 
 gious and moral condition of this people is lamentable ; but our 
 wants begin to be known, and we may hope that things will not 
 remain long as they are in this particular." 
 
 Mr. C.'s letters continue : 
 
 ** Caledon, 5th July, 1830. 
 
 *' I received a letter lately from a Mr. Carruthers, informing me 
 that he had written to Dr. Burns, Secretary of the North American 
 Colonial Society, proposing an extended scheme of Sabbath school 
 usefulness under their patronage, and that he had oflFered himself 
 as a travelling catechist for planting, organizing, and strengthening 
 Sabbath school instruction, and I consider him a person well quali- 
 fied for that office. If the proposed measure should obtain the 
 sanction of that society, I think it might be productive of much 
 good, as it might be the means of establishing Sabbath schools in 
 many places, where there are at present none, and of stirring up 
 those that have already been established to more diligence ; and it is 
 probable that they might supply the schools with religious tracts, 
 of which we stand in great need. Will you be so good as recom- 
 mend tliis to Dr. Burns, or any of the members of the society with 
 whom you may be acquainted." 
 
 " Caledon, June 11th, 1831. 
 
 "In the latter end of April last we gave theHev. Duncan McMil- 
 lan a call, which was accepted of, and he was ordained on the 26th 
 of last month. The Rev. Mr. Harris, of York, made the intro- 
 ductory prayer ; the Kev. Mr. Ferguson, of West Gwillimbury, 
 preached the ordination sermon from 2 Cor. iv. 7 : * But we have 
 this treasure in earthen vessels,' &c. The Rev. Mr. King, of Nel- 
 son, put the questions to Mr. McM. in the usual form ; the Rev. 
 Mr. Jenkins, of Yonge street, ofi'ered the consecrationary prayer ; 
 the Rev. Mr. Eastman, from the head of the lake, delivered the 
 charge ; and the Rev. A. Bell, of Toronto, addressed the congrega- 
 tion in a very impressive manner. The place of ordination was 
 about thirteen miles from Caledon. It was a fine day, and a good 
 many went from this neighbourhood, as well as from the neighbour- 
 ing townships. It was indeed a very interesting scene. There 
 were a great many wet eyes in the congregation, and some of the 
 clergymen were also observed shedding tears. That prophecy was 
 then fulfilled in its most important sense, 'The wilderness*^ shall 
 blossom as the rose,' &c; In this place, where lately nothing waa 
 X 
 
354 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. 
 
 heard but the howling of wolves and the raging of the elements, in 
 now heard the joyful sound of salvation ; and where the Indians 
 lately bowed to their imaginary gods, the ambassadors of Jesus 
 Christ proclaim the triumphs of His cross." 
 
 It was amid such antecedents and surroundings that 
 the Glasgow Colonial Society was formed. How it 
 fulfilled its mission we have already seen. In 1826, soon 
 after its formation, Dr. Mathieson, of St. Andrew's Church, 
 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 the rigour of our winters chills the warm feelings which charac- 
 terise our countrymen ^ at home.^ Distance from 'our dear own- 
 native land ' but fans our native ardour, and makes to cling to us 
 more tenaciously all the sturdy but honest prejudices of Scotchmen. 
 
 " The language of the captive Jews by the rivers of Babylon is 
 the language of many of your countrymen 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 cunning. If I do not remember thee, 
 let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth.' Often does ' their 
 home,' with all its associations rush upon their recollection. The 
 cottage where they first received a father's blessing and shared in a 
 mother's care ; the fireside group, where 
 
 * The sire turns o'er, wi' patriarchal grace. 
 The big ha' bible ;' 
 
 the country church, half hid among the trees, whither they were 
 early taught by pious care to turn their steps ; and the simple 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 religious feeling and preserve religious knowledge, and it is 
 clear this advantage must be lost. The rising generation will grow 
 up in comparative ignorance, and devoid of those impressions that 
 public ordinances are calculated to make on the mind, and will 
 present an untractable material both to the philanthropist and the 
 teaching of religion. May God and the General Assembly and our 
 gracious King avert the evils which are likely to flow from such a 
 state of society. Many of these 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 
 
DE. MATHIESON, OF MONTREAL. 355 
 
 never been. I prayed that I might see one minister of this persua- 
 sion, in which I was brought up, settled amongst us. I saw that. 
 I prayed for another ; thought another would do much good ; the 
 labour was too much for one. I saw another, — but so happy a day 
 as this I never expected to see in Canada, — five ministers of the 
 Kirk of Scotland in Glengarry !' 
 
 *' It is said of us that we are all very apt to become Episcopalian* 
 when we come to this side of the Atlantic. This may be true with 
 respect to some of our hig folk who wish to be fashionable, and our 
 little folk who wish to be big ; and among the latter is your friend 
 McL , who has renounced his church, and has applied for Epis- 
 copalian ordination, as I am informed, ' from a conscientious pre- 
 ference to that church ! ! ' But with respect to the great body of 
 the people, nothing can be more false than such a statement. Many 
 of them, it is true, laudably attend the services of the English 
 church, because there is no other within their reach. They (the 
 Church of England) have been certainly much more zealous in at- 
 tempting to plant themselves in Canada than our good Kirk has 
 been hitherto ; but the 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 Assembly and for individuals to exert themselves, and 
 if they do, I do not despair but very soon, and precisely from the 
 same causes, there will be exhibited on the bosom of the boundless 
 forests of Canada many as lovely moral pictures as Scotland now 
 presents from the bosom of the ocean." 
 
 At an after date. Dr. Mathieson closes another letter 
 thus. Our readers will not grudge the space occupied by 
 these two selections from the manuscript volumes of colo- 
 nial correspondence : 
 
 " I would call upon the people of Scotland generally, and the 
 clergy in particular, to bestir themselves in our behalf. We 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 affections which unites us to the beloved land we have 
 left. Her ordinances are viewed by many in Canada with a regard 
 which, I am afraid, those who constantly enjoy them do not always 
 feel. The God of their fathers is more impressively felt to be their 
 God when they sing to his praise the same Psalms in which in their 
 infancy they joined with their parents. The English liturgy may 
 be an excellent composition, and every page of it may be full of 
 pure 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 
 our previous associations. It calls up no recollections of the solemn 
 stillness of the Scottish Sabbath, or the more delightful and hal- 
 lowed sounds that, amid the glens and hollows of our native 
 
S56 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. 
 
 country, rise through the morning and evening stillness. The 
 plant may be fine, but it is an exotic ; its fragrance may be fault- 
 less, 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. C. 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. MatT)ieson has been published, from the vigorous pen 
 «f Mr. James Croil, who, in so many ways, has rendered signal service to the church of 
 bis attachment. 
 
UNITED SYNOD AND U. P. CHUIICH. 357 
 
 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 North 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 Scotland. 
 
 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. Kobertson, 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 commissions 
 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. Eobertson 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 ofi" by cholera. Mr. Proudfoot settled in London, 
 
358 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. 
 
 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 Flamborough. On the 8th of September, 1870, at the 
 ripe age of 86, having served his generation, by the will 
 of God, he fell asleep. 
 
 Such were the heroic pioneers who founded what be- 
 came the "United Presbyterian Church" in Canada, 
 which has done a noble work in the land, and with which, 
 at Montreal, in June, 1861, the Presbyterian Church of 
 Canada formed so auspicious a union.* 
 
 This glance at the past is well fitted to make us " from 
 this time say, What hath God wrought V 
 
 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), 30,000 families, 
 50,000 communicants, over 8,000 office-bearers (including 
 Sabbath-school teachers), and church accommodation for 
 128,210. During the past year 21 churches have been 
 erected, and 11 manses, the latter now numbering 161, an 
 increase of 47 in three years. She has two theological 
 colleges, with 150 hopeful young men, either directly en- 
 
 * We had hoped to have received from a respected minister of the former United 
 Presbyterian Church a fitting record of its most useful history, but have not succeeded, 
 and must content ourselves, for the present, with this meagre notice. 
 
PROGRESS OF CANADA PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH. 859 
 
 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 (96 
 last year), these including some 700 stations. Our Foreign 
 Missions are in China and among the Cree Indians of the 
 Saskatchewan, and it is a hopeful symptom that the col- 
 lection doubled during the past year. The total contri- 
 buted for congregational purposes during the year was 
 $403,614 ; for the schemes of the church, S47,990 ; for all 
 purposes 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 aU 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 
 do 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." 
 
CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 MISCELLANEOUS. 
 
 UK readers will remember the shadow on his 
 hearth 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- 
 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 
 
 as 
 
 " An infant crying in the night, 
 And with no language but a cry. '* 
 
THE EMPTY CRIBS. MRS. DR. BRIGGS. 361 
 
 Yet had he full sympathy with the sentiment — 
 
 • ' I hold it true, whate'er befall, 
 I feel it when I sorrow most, 
 'Twere better to have loved and lost, 
 Than never to have loved at all." 
 
 By the empty crib, in the darkened chamber, he thus 
 writes 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 dear Jane, — It has become my painful duty to inform 
 you that our dear girl 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 serene ; 
 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 all 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 circumstance of the complaint not being fully understood, and 
 
S62 LIFE OF KEV. DR. BLTKNS. 
 
 irom its having assumed frequently a 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 
 affection 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 expired, 
 but so gentle was the transition that I could not ascertain the pre- 
 cise moment when the pulse ceased to beat. Her mother has been 
 wonderfully sustained throughout. Her bodily health has been 
 uncommonly good, and her mind has been brought to a resigned 
 and tranquil state. She feels much gratified by your letters, and 
 requests me to return her best thanks for them. She feels at not 
 having been able to answer them, but I know that you will find too 
 ample an apology in the circumstances in which we have been 
 placed. Your first letter reached us about the time when Agnea 
 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 indispose as well as unfit for even the ordinary occupations 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 month 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." 
 
 " Paisley, January 29, 1820. 
 
 " My dear Jane, — Little did we think that we would so soon 
 require the renewed sympathy of our friends. The wound 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 
 gave him great uneasiness, reducing his frame to a shadow. For some 
 
DEATHS OF AGNES AND JOHN. 3G3 
 
 time 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 the crisis of the disorder was 
 past. During the night he became rapidly worse, and about four 
 in the morning it was evident that the painful change was fast ap- 
 proaching. He died without a struggle at a quarter 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 the same 
 hour, our dear Agnes was translated from us. We felt her loss 
 deeply ; but we were supported and comforted, among other conso- 
 lations, by the thought that we had still remaining one dear object 
 of our affections. That is now taken from us, and the double loss 
 is peculiarly painful. Nature must feel, and grace does not eradi- 
 cate feeling, although 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 sufferings 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 fit me for the duty of 
 sympathizing with and comforting others who may be in affliction. 
 Speculation and theory will not- do ; it is the actual participation 
 in suffering which gives the requisite qualifications. ' Tribulation 
 worketh patience, and patience experience, and experience hope. ' 
 I am happy to say that my dear partner has been wonderfully sup- 
 ported throughout the whole of the fiery trial. She is composed, 
 but at times overcome. Our boy was just six months old ; he had 
 begun to shew signs of intelligence, and there seemed to be some- 
 thing peculiarly gentle and amiable in his disposition. He was 
 indeed the object of our hopes and anticipations, and now he ap- 
 pears lovely even in death. I began this letter on Saturday, but 
 did not finish it. It is now Monday morning, and we have had 
 cause to renew our vows, and sing of mercy and of judgment. Yes- 
 terday my pulpit was supplied by Messrs. Hanken and Geddes (Dr. 
 Findlay's assistant), and I expect a friend from Glasgow for next 
 Sabbath. Friday is the day fixed for the funeral. It will be some 
 little time before my mind can be brought to its ordinary state, 
 and before I can enter fully into my public duties. A change of 
 scene, as you observe, would no doubt be desirable, but at this 
 season we cannot think of that ; and besides, our sacramental 
 solemnity comes on, and the preparatory duties will occupy my 
 time and thoughts. We were much gratified by your kind and edi- 
 fying letter, and when Janet or I are able shall endeavour to answer 
 it. In the meantime, I will take it kind if you will write a few 
 lines of sympathy and comfort to Janet. A father feels the loss of 
 children, but a mother's feelings must be much more tender and 
 
364 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. 
 
 acute. We have been much edified by the perusal of some tracts 
 suited to our case, particularly ' Cecil's Yisit/ and ' Flavel's Token 
 for Mourners,' and Mr. Thomson's 'Address on the Loss of Friends.' 
 Yesterday fortnight I endeavoured to improve the dispensation by 
 two sermons, on Jonah iv. 9 : ' Dost thou well to be angry for the 
 gourd 1 ' shewing, first, when men may be said to imitate the spirit 
 and language of the prophet. When they murmur, refuse consola- 
 tion, allow passion to triumph over reason and truth, neglect to 
 mark the great ends of all trials, and fail to improve by them. 2nd. 
 Reasons why we should not be angry. It is the Lord ; aflSictions 
 are the efiects of sin, they are the chastisements of a Father, they 
 render the gospel and its privileges doubly interesting, and they 
 recall our thoughts from this world to another and a better, — ad- 
 verting particularly to the precious consolations which God has pro- 
 vided for those in trial, &c. Yesterday we were all in mourning 
 for the Duke of Kent. Death assails all ranks. The nation has 
 sustained a loss, — may it be sanctified to all concerned. 
 
 ' ' I had almost forgot to notice that, in compliance with the wish 
 of the physicians, our dear girl's head was examined, and a large 
 quantity of water was found lodged in the cavities of the brain, as 
 also a part of the substance of the brain in a state resembling the 
 cartilage of the ear. We are thus satisfied that the disease was 
 beyond the power of human skill, and every suitable means had 
 been used. We desire your sympathy and your prayers, and with 
 every kind wish for the Doctor and you, in which Janet cordially 
 joins, 
 
 " I remain, my dear Jane, 
 
 *' Your afiectionate brother, 
 
 "Robert Burns." 
 
 Enough reference has perhaps not been made to the 
 domestic side of his character. It is not always that those 
 moving on the public arena as much as he, have those 
 dispositions formed and fostered which make a truly 
 happy home. Naturally of a warm, loving temperament, 
 the members of the home circle were especially dear to 
 him ; and when anything occurred to annoy him outside, 
 the sweets of domestic retirement yielded additional solace. 
 As he advanced in life he found increasing pleasure in the 
 joys of his own fireside. 
 
 The many young persons who latterly sojourned, for a 
 
INTEKEST IN THE YOUNG. WARDROBE STUDIES. 365 
 
 longer or shorter period, under his roof, love to speak of 
 his unfailing cheerfulness, his entire freedom from all ex- 
 actingness, his ceaseless flow of spirits, his almost juvenile 
 playfulness, his ready dealing out from an inexhaustible 
 store, of apt reference and happy anecdote, blended with a 
 constant regard for the interests of the higher life. 
 
 His table talk had always a charm. Many of his racy 
 stories and ready repartees will be recalled, by those who 
 were his familiar friends. 
 
 His interest in his family entered into the minutest 
 details of daily life. The contents of their wardrobes, the 
 books they needed in study, the state of their health, 
 were ever a care to him. "When at College, such notes 
 would come in on us as : 
 
 " Peggy has been looking for your bag with the clothes to wash, 
 and I think you should send them out immediately. I would liko 
 to see a catalogue or inventory of all your articles, that I may know 
 how you are provided with these things." 
 
 When in our summer retreat, at Helensburgh, preparing 
 a prize essay, we sent to him for a needed volume. The 
 request is at once complied with, though costing him, 
 amid manifold labours, a journey to Glasgow : 
 
 " Camphill, Wednesday, Aug. 1843. 
 
 " I went into Glasgow once errand to-day, in pursuit of ' Verres, 
 and I was so successful as to find him. 
 
 ' * Dr. Willis last week shewed me in his library the whole works 
 of Cicero, in 16 volumes, and, although he was not at home to-day, 
 I got access to his room, and brought away the two volumes which 
 I now send — leaving a note, and knowing that you would take care 
 of them and restore them safe in good time, along with some other 
 books of the Doctor's which I have." 
 
 A year prior to our settlement in Kingston, when tern- 
 
36G LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. 
 
 porarily labouring there, we were laid aside for a brief 
 period, from duty. 
 
 It reached his ear on his return from a missionary tour, 
 when he had been mapping out work for us and others, 
 and drew from him characteristic expressions of parental 
 solicitude. 
 
 "Toronto, May, 1846. 
 
 " It grieves me to hear on my return from the West that you 
 have been so poorly. My first impression was, that I must get off 
 in ' the captain's' steamer, and see how matters are with you, and 
 give our Kingston friends a day — leaving Mr. McTavish to do my 
 work here. This, however, is not in my power, having engaged for 
 too many places on Sabbath first, in other directions. I am rather 
 anxious about your preaching in the large church on Sabbath first. 
 My impression is that you should rest at least one-half." 
 
 To the peculiar difficulties of a pastorate entered on 
 without any experience, and when very young he was 
 fully alive. His advice was, always readily rendered. 
 
 " I sympathize with you in the difficulties you must have fe?'^ cii 
 the subject of admission to sealing ordinances. 
 
 " 1 have felt them all my days, and they are increasing e y day 
 with me. My opinion is, that time and forhearmice and painstak- 
 ing, with much prayer, are the real and only means of conquering 
 them. 
 
 " I am always sorry when persons tired of my efforts for their 
 good, go away. Our standard has been greatly raised, and is rising. " 
 
 We never consulted him without getting a prompt and 
 decided answer. 
 
 The correctness of his calculations on many difficult and 
 delicate points, was often proved by the result. 
 
 In his estimate of the suitableness of individuals for 
 particular posts, we found his advice ever reliable. 
 
 In connexion with the contemplated mission to the 
 American Indians, when Convener of our church's foreign 
 
MR. NISBET. NEW YORK CELEBRITIES. 367 
 
 mission, we asked his opinion, and at once got thiSj which 
 entirely harmonized with our own : — 
 
 ** Dr. W. and I have 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 such 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 got." 
 
 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 
 audience. But I agree with you entirely, and have always advocat- 
 ed such views." 
 
 Every movement that was fitted to widen the range of 
 our acquaintance, and to increase the sum of our know- 
 ledge very 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 Bev. William Gregg,) to attend the Missionary Anni- 
 versaries at New York — he sent us the following : — 
 
 * ' ToRON TO , April, 1 854. 
 
 " I am happy to hear that you mean to go to New lork, on occa- 
 sion of the Missionary and Conference meetings. You will not only 
 see Dr. Duff again, but meet with many ministers and others of 
 whom you may have heard, and whom you may never have the op- 
 portunity of seeing again. You may remember me very affection- 
 ately to Dr. McLeod, Dr. Alexander, Dr. Phillips, Dr. Krebs, and 
 indeed, all the good men whom Dr. Cunningham and I had the 
 pleasure of meeting when out on the deputation. Kirwan, (Dr. 
 Murray,) in particular, I would like you to see. You may ask him 
 
S68 LIFE OF EEV. DR. BUENS. 
 
 his opinion now of tlie 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, 
 still I have no difficulty in preaching when I can get into the pulpit, 
 which is sometimes a work of difl&culty from my enfeebled strength. 
 I hope to fulfil my engagements with you for 9th and ] 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 question, turns out to be, not the 8th — 
 
PARISH LABOUR. HOME LOVE. 369 
 
 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, and 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- 
 piising portipns 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 day last Sab- 
 bath, 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.' 
 
370 LIFE OF KEY. DR. BURNS 
 
 However crowded with work and pressed for time, 
 missives fragrant with a love with which a " stranger in- 
 termeddleth not," were sure, with clock-like 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 bleacliing 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 audiences were small. My 
 visit to Cobourg was a very 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 
 enquiries they made about you and your praiseworthy labours, . . . 
 
 ' ' 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, I 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 
 audience had all the appearance of intelligence and seriousness. 
 There I saw Mr. Patrick Barclay, who lives three miles oflF, whose 
 
PLANS OF 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 Sabbath 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 for 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 unpleas- 
 ant smell is from the refineries, and as none of them are going to-day 
 there is no smell at all. There is here published a weekly news- 
 paper, called the Oil Springs Chronicle, of which 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 infantry brigade. 
 
 " My ever dearest love, 
 
 " Your ever affectionate husband, 
 
 '' RoBT. Burns. 
 
 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 acknowledg- 
 ment : 
 
S72 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. 
 
 " Town Clerk's Office, 
 
 " Paisley, 12th Dec. 1866. 
 
 **Rev. and Dear Doctor, — I received from our mutual friend, 
 Mr. Russell Pollock, your letter, dated September last, addresse"d 
 to the Town Council, and relative to plans of the town of Paisiey 
 in your adopted country. 
 
 * ' These I laid before the Town Council, at a meeting held upon 
 ihe 6th inst., and 1 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 learn 
 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. Hodge." 
 
 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, he 
 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 
 
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 Young Friends, — The Synod of your Church has 
 called me to take the inspection of your studies. The 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 living 
 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 itseK 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 same. 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 mitrammeled, 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 efi'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 again to 
 cross the great ocean, and to settle in the west, I shall rejoice not 
 
374 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. 
 
 a little in finding 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 you 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 ministry which elevate it no higher 
 than a species 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 
 prosecution of your studies. An activity which is merely secular, 
 I would not desiderate in candidates for the sacred office ; but a 
 vitality that is spiritual, 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 is 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 ? 
 *' 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 with 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 say the same of our great historian, Dr. McCrie ; 
 
PKEPARATORY TRAINING. 875 
 
 for every one who has read his sermons and lectures, must have 
 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 theology 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 Redeemer, does not occupy 
 the place of a commanding principle within you, — if, in a word, 
 you are not really "living members of Christ," and partakers of 
 that faith which unites to the Saviour, — 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 you, 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, 
 
 " Robert 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. 
 
376 LTFE 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-arranged, and their 
 stafl* 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 General 
 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 sanction 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 of 
 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 is 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 Presbytery does not appear to me to be sufficient, 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 received into the seminary. 
 It does not appear to me that Knox College 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 
 at 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 the 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 grammar school. 
 
 *' In theirs* 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- 
 
S78 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. 
 
 tages under which settlers in the provinces, in a literary view, 
 labour, demonstrate the necessity of such exercises ; while the age 
 of the young men, and their general status as to mental develop- 
 ment, place them beyond the ordinary range of scholastic forms, 
 and render a training specially for themselves absolutely essential. 
 " In the second place : Interesting and important 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. For example (1), a 
 plain common-sense view of the powers and capacities of the human 
 mind, with rules for their improvement. This has little in common 
 with the speculations of metaphysics, or the more recondite parts 
 of intellectual philosophy ; but it may be highly advantageous as 
 a preparation for such departments of human thought. (2). An 
 exhibition of the nature of evidence, and the laws of its regulation. 
 This is of very great importance in all pursuits ; but its importance 
 is mightily increased, when we take into view its bearings on the 
 evidences of natural and revealed religion. (3). The laws of reason- 
 ing, or logic proper — including, of course, correct but condensed 
 views of the methods of syllogism and induction, with analysis and 
 synthesis, and the rules of correct definition. I know not a better 
 mental exercise than an occasional examination on the ' ambiguous 
 words' in Archbishop Whateley's Logic, or on the ' definitions' in 
 Taylor's Elements of Thought. (4). The nature and sources of pre- 
 judice ; the causes of error ; the idola of Bacon, and the large tribe 
 of fallacies in argument, present a wide, but most inviting, field for 
 young enquirers ; and here the dangerous errors afloat among 
 philosophers, as to the nature of causation, demand careful search- 
 ing. Some of the most plausible and pernicious forms of modem 
 scepticism may be traced to these errors. (5). The ideal theory 
 ought to be explained to our students, not only in its older forms, 
 as held by the ancients, and by such earlier moderns as Descartes, 
 Malebranche, and Locke, but as recently revived by Dr. Thomas 
 Brown and his admirers. The theory is, that the mind sees only 
 images of its own creation or the representations of things without 
 it, and not things themselves. This is the famous hypothesis out 
 of which Bishop Berkeley formed his theory of the non-existence 
 of a material world ; and following out whose principles Hume 
 succeeded in satisfying himself that neither mind nor matter had 
 any existence. The world is under infinite obligations to such men 
 as Reid, Stewart, Campbell, Beattie, and others, who exposed the 
 baselessness of the theory, and appealed successfully to primary 
 principles of human belief, as ultimate facts in the arrangements of 
 God. I tremble when I think of the readiness with which the ex- 
 ploded theory has been received ; because I look upon it as not 
 only destructive of all the evidences from final causes, in proof of 
 the existence of God, but as directly subversive of all belief in the 
 
MODEEN THOUGHT. OFFERS AID. 879 
 
 existence of any beings in the universe except ourselves. (6). Mod- 
 ern discoveries and speculations in Geology render it essential that 
 our young men should be informed on such subjects so as to detect 
 and expose the fallacies of such writers as the authors of the ' Con- 
 stitution of Man,' and the ' Vestiges of Creation ;' and such infor- 
 mation may be easily communicated, irrespective altogether of any 
 peculiar fondness for the exact sciences. The theory of ' world 
 building,' as well as the theory of ' ideas,' will soon fall before the 
 lessons and the inductive processes of an exact logic. 
 
 " I wish it to be distinctly understood, that, according to my con- 
 ceptions of preparatory training, Knox College is, in regard to the 
 above matters, essentially defective ; and my complaints on this 
 account, for two years past, I do not feel ashamed to acknowledge. 
 My brethren may deem them groundless, but all I ask is enquiry, 
 and a fair tribunal for final judgment. 
 
 *' III. The remarks hitherto made respect the Institution in its 
 primary bearings only, but I attach to them great importance in 
 any circumstances, and more especially in the present position of 
 our young country, as contrasted with the advancing intellect of 
 the age. It must not, however, be inferred that my objections are 
 limited to the elementary or preliminary departments of study. In 
 the higher walks of metaphysical and moral science, I would desi- 
 derate for our students a pretty full view of the leading questions 
 in morals, and the various theories of morals which have been put 
 forth, with such philosophical parade by ingenious men. An ac- 
 quaintance with these is necessary, together with a knowledge of 
 their comparative merits, and above all, an exposure of their errors, 
 when tried by the test of revelation. Along with this, I would 
 recommend a concise system of Christian ethics. 
 
 " When, in October, 1844, I received the appointment from the 
 Synod, ' to be the Professor of Theology, and to have the charge of 
 training the young men for the holy ministry,' I undertook the 
 office under the impression that it comprehended the right and the 
 obligation to see that the preliminary training, as distinct from 
 what is properly theological, was adapted to the end in view. The 
 young men I was led to consider as oM students in theology, that is, 
 ' under training for the holy ministry ;' and this is the plain expla- 
 nation of the fact, that so soon as I saw, or thought I saw, a defi- 
 ciency in the * training' department — a deficiency which neither the 
 learning nor the assiduity of the Professor of ' Science and Litera- 
 ture' appeared to me likely to supply — I set myself, in some tem- 
 porary way, to make up the deficiency. With this view, besides 
 personal examinations, I prepared and delivered to the students, 
 in November and December, 1845, about twenty lectures on the 
 philosophy of mind, and the nature of mental discipline ; the Baco- 
 nian method of induction, with its relations to theological stu(Jjjd 
 the theories of morals ; and the errors of Brown's moral syste- 
 reference to the scripture doctrine of rewards. I also sou'TTISH 
 
 k 
 
380 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. 
 
 obtain the assistance of several intelligent ministers of our own 
 body, who might devote a month or two to such studies for th© 
 benefit of the young men, the church supplying their pulpits in the 
 mean time. Although disappointed in this expectation, I still re- 
 solved to make another attempt, and in September, 1 846, I applied 
 for the second time, personally, to Mr. Bayne, of Gale, to under- 
 take the department of Logic, with a special reference to the philo- 
 sophy of evidence. He entertained the proposal favourably, and 
 took with him a copy of Hedge's ' Elements of Logic,' for examina- 
 tion as to its fitness to be used as a text book. Circumstances pre- 
 vented this plan from being realized ; and at the commencement of 
 the session of 1846-7, I found for the first time that I had been 
 labouring under a misapprehension as to the extent of the powers 
 entrusted to me, and that, in reality, the preliminary department 
 of study was wholly independent of that allotted to theology, and 
 that with this last only had I to do. 
 
 " On the arrival of Mr, McCorkle, however, in November, 1846, 
 I made known to him my difficulties in regard to the preparatory 
 classes ; and on finding that he had been engaged for several years 
 in giving lessons to young men at Glasgow College, in Logic and 
 Rhetoric (prior to their entrance on the more direct departments of 
 philosophy), I drew up and read to the College Committee a scheme 
 for the winter studies, which would have put under that gentleman 
 all the students who had not been instructed in these branches. I 
 succeeded so far as to obtain the consent of the College Committee 
 to his undertaking a class for Rhetoric ; but Logic was not included ; 
 and even the time allotted for the other, only two hours in the week, 
 was far too short. Still, good was done by this arrangement ; and 
 looking back upon it as an experiment on a small scale, it seems 
 to me to have been a successful one, and amply to bear out my 
 suggestions and views in the matter. 
 
 " From all that I can hear, it does not seem to me that the de- 
 ficiency has been at all supplied during the winter session now 
 drawing to its close, I made ofler privately to the students, that 
 if any number, not fewer than six, wished an hour a day for logic 
 and practical dialectics, my time and my labour were at their com- 
 mand. The time of the young men, however, was so fully taken 
 up by other pursuits, that this number could not be obtained, and 
 nothing was done till about a month ago, when my much esteemed 
 friend, Dr. Willis, resolved to devote two hours weekly to the work. 
 His class for Logic, however, embraced none of the junior students ; 
 and its application to the senior classes rather confirmed than dis- 
 proved the soundness of my impressions. 
 
 " I am aware of the objection on the ground of expense ; but I 
 
 am not inclined to infer from this that no eflbrt should be made to 
 
 implement an existing defect by the means which are in our power. 
 
 OT^^i^, are members of Synod who, if asked, would cheerfully give 
 
 the fcernces gratuitously, for periods more or less extensive. Dr. 
 
VIEWS ON tTNIVERSITY. PUBLIC MEETING. 881 
 
 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 very 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 ecclesiastical 
 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 Chairman. 
 
 In the Banner Extra, published for the occasion, it 
 is headed '' Great King's 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 
 
382 LIFE OF REV. DR BURNS. 
 
 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 
 broucrht forward. The mover and seconder of the sixth, 
 
 o 
 
 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." 
 
 These familiar names embrace the leading men that 
 had to do with 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 efiect : — 
 
 " 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 management 
 of the estate should be vested in a colonial body (distinct from the 
 members of the faculty, or others holding paid offices 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 
 
B . BUENS' SPEECH. PATRONAGE AND MANAGEMENT. 88S 
 
 laot be overstated. On the supposition of a right management 
 this College, nearly all the abuses of which we complain in its 
 ;ablishment and constitution would have been prevented or neu- 
 i^'ized. On the supposition of the trust remaining as it is, all 
 XT movements will be useless, and all the essential evils of the 
 em will remain. What shall we say of a management under 
 lich the benefits of a great provincial institution for the colony 
 ,ve been intercepted and turned into a narrow and sectarian chan- 
 j1 ? Sixty thousand acres of the finest land belonging to the Col- 
 ge sold or given away by the illegal authority of trustees ! One 
 indred and twenty thousand pounds of money raised from sales or 
 Jierwise, and appropriated to any purpose rather than the educa- 
 on of the people ; transactions gone into and carried out, of which, 
 ord Sydenham said that a Court of Equity behoved to make in- 
 jiry ! Charges of a most grave character have been brought 
 jainst the managers of this Institution, and these, though circu- 
 ited in every possible shape, remain uncontradicted. My im- 
 ression is, that in all cases of trust, the management ought not to 
 e committed to those who have a personal and selfish interest dis- 
 nct from and at variance with that of the Institution itself, and 
 D the neglect of this salutary rule may the evils complained of be 
 lainly ascribed. The motion in my hand says it is ' indispensa- 
 le ' that this state of things be no longer allowed. Whether or 
 ot the right of nomination to chairs and other offices should b? 
 (3sted in the same persons who have the charge of the funds, may 
 ,dmit of doubt ; but there can be no doubt at all that in the pre- 
 ent case there must be a radical change in both. I do not see any 
 ;ood reason why the patronage and management maynot,under anim- 
 )roved system, be vested in the same body. The question is, what may 
 liat body be ? Home nomination might do very well in the infancy 
 )f the colony, when teachers as well as ministers must necessarily 
 ]e brought from the mother country ; nor even in an advanced 
 itate of the colony would I be understood as shutting up that 
 source of supply. But you can easily see that a Downing Street or 
 Whitehall nomination is liable to many objections, partly on the 
 >T:ound of politics, and partly on the ground of private influence ; and, 
 raoreover, that the native talent of tlie colony ought as far as possible 
 to be cherished. If you transfer the nomination from Great Britain 
 to the representative of the Sovereign in the Colony, apart from his 
 t)ouncil, you recognize a vicious principle of internal discord, which 
 ilmost necessarily involves civil dissention ; while you leave what we 
 3all sinister or back-stairs influence its full sway. There is and has 
 been, and no where more than in Upper Canada, a malignant in- 
 fluence which has worked unseen, a deleterious miasma, like that 
 iv^hich rises out of the chinks in an Italian soil ; a dark and hidden 
 iigency, which, like the simoom or samiel of the desert, carries death 
 ind desolation every where, and is, indeed, the ' pestilence which 
 w'alketh in darkness,' such an agency we must try and trace out, 
 
884 LIFE OF REV. DIl. BURNS. 
 
 and even where we 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 
 fielf-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 being. 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 represented 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 aL 
 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 originally meant by Sir John 
 Colbome. You will ask, do I allot no place to the Government of 
 the land ? I do ; three seats maybe 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-ojfficio Chancellor , 
 but without a seat at the Board. An University court constitute* ^ 
 in something this way, would be saved from many of the evils o 
 the present system, and particularly from the dangers of personal 
 private, sectarian, and political influence. ^ 
 
 " The cry about ' vested rights ' I dismiss. The munificent boo?' | 
 was clearly meant for the general benefit. Private patrimoni? 
 interests, and trusts for the public benefit, are clearly differer 
 things ; and this belongs to the last of these ; and can we doubt tb 
 readiness of the Queen and Council to give up even a 'veste 
 right' for the sake 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. 885 
 
 with the multiplicity of their affairs, might occasion a neglect in the 
 trust ; and the management might be committed absolutely 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 set aside ; knowing that it will be well attended to by 
 the different 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 may 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 different 
 denominations seem to say, because electors to chairs have nothing 
 to do with the religious opinions of candidates. Does it make no 
 diflference whether a candidate be an atheist, or a socialist, or an 
 adherent to demoralizing systems, or a sound and godly man ? 
 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 dejideli, to the holders of the sacred trust of the Col- 
 lege investment ? But is an oath worth anything without the 
 fear of God ? And is not the fear of God and his oath a religious 
 act ? 
 
 ' ' 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 infidelity 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 duty and 
 expediency both. Men are bound to be religious when acting as 
 guardians of a public trust like that of a College - they are bound 
 jto casrry 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 
 
386 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. i 
 
 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 np for the Christian In- ' 
 structor, the Record, kc. 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 5th 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 also, for fifteen years, the \ 
 factorship on the Duke of Hamilton's estate of Kinneil 
 He died in 1817, at the venerable age of eighty-eight i 
 He was present, though merely as a spectator, at the ! 
 battle of Falkirk in 1746, and often entertained the memi 
 bers of liis family with anecdotes of that remarkable tin^e' 
 He was one of many in Scotland whose religious charat^ 
 ter was formed under the ministry of the celebrate^ i 
 Whitfield, who occasionally resided under his father"/*^ 
 roof. ^ 1/ 
 
 " Dr. Burns began his studies for the ministry in the 
 College of Edinburgh, in 1791, and with the exception of 
 one session which he spent at St. Andrew's, the whole of 
 
I 
 
 I 
 PASTOR OF KILSYTH. DR. CHALMERS. 887 ' 
 
 his curriculum was passed at the metropolitan university. \ 
 
 In all the departments of study he stood high, particularly I 
 
 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 I was then sojourn- 
 ing in " the bishop's palace," in Brechin, well do I recollect 
 the awe, not unmingled 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 confirmed 
 me in the truth of the information that had been pre- 
 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,' such men 
 as John Leyden, Dr. Robert Watt, author of the ' Biblio- 
 theca Britannica ;' Sir Robert Spankie, 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* 
 
S88 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. 
 
 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 family was the warm-hearted, witty, 
 and facetious John Wightman, of Kirkmahoe; and his 
 snccessor was Dr. Thomas Gillespie, a scholar and a poet, 
 afterwards Professor 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. Forrest, a ripe 
 scholar too, and now Chief Superintendent 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 martyrs, 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 
 
STRANllAER. DR. WILLIAM SYMINGTON. DUN. 389 
 
 ere he paid another visit to these haunts of his earlier 
 (lays ; iDut he kept up a constant intercourse with some of 
 the branches of the respected family of Dunragget, and 
 ■v\rhen Dr. William Symington, then of Stranraer, now of 
 (jrlasgow, 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 venerated 
 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 days, 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 
 Kev. 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 coUeagueship 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 the 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 
 1 shall present both to the museum of our college. Need 
 
 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 papers,' 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 
 [)ainstaking piety, and earnestness rarely equalled, never 
 Eixcelled. During the same period he acted as clerk to the 
 IPresbytery of Brechin, and never did official enjoy more 
 
390 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. 
 
 thoroughly the confidence and the warm affections of all 
 his brethren. 
 
 " In 1820, the large and influential parish of Kilsyth, in 
 Stirlingshire, became vacant by the death of Dr. Eennie, 
 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 prin- 
 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 nearly four thousand ! But the minister was in 
 the full vigour of his manhood, his graces developing with 
 mental progress and application, 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 by 
 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 ; these 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 KEVIVAL. DISRUPTION SACRIFICES. 391 
 
 was discouraging, as may be ever expected in all such 
 cases, many hundreds ascribed their first religious impres- 
 fdons to such seasons of revival, and passed through the 
 joilgrimage 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," my 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 hu 
 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 agrudge, 
 and for fourteen years thereafter considerably less than 
 one-half of this income became his portion. jSis 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 
 
392 LIFE OF 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 present 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 Eev. Mr. Black was called to this office. On that 
 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 servant 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-toned 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 
 
" UNCLE William's" letter, mks. 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 period. 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. He 
 preached here two months ago, with fully more than average 
 
394! LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. 
 
 vigour. Mr Bain, (0. Angus,) and J. C. B., of Kirkliston, were 
 with us at our communion 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 Edmonstone puts entire confidence in her 
 as her almoner. We both are in our usual health, and with strength 
 more than common at our time of life. But what do you think of 
 Mr. Anderson, senr., (United Presbyterian minister, 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 COME.' TMs was often in 
 )ur revered father's prayers." 
 
 Within six months, and the lively hope of this "old dis- 
 ciple" became fruition. On the 6th 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 entered 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 wrote, 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. SPRAGUE, OF ALBANY. 395 
 
 tion of his sketch of Dr. Oodman, for the " Annals of the 
 American Pulpit." 
 
 He also prepared 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 accompanying corrections of the typographical errors 
 in your admirable letter, concerning Dr. Codman. I shall see that 
 the list is placed in the hands of the printer, before the next edition 
 is issued, so that 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 confidence, 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 property 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 work, yet in the Presbyterian, 
 or some one of our monthlies or quarterlies. I am sure that by doing 
 this, you will place our church under great obligation to you ; for 
 if there is any one among the fathers, whom 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 
 so unproductive or difficult a field as you might suppose. In regard 
 to intellectual culture, I do not think that, as a denomination, they 
 faU behind the Baptists ; and there is no doubt, that among their 
 comparatively uneducated men, they have had some of the first 
 pulpit orators this country has ever produced. It is equally certain 
 that, with all their extravagances, both of doctrine and of practice, 
 many of them have evinced the most heroic self-denial in penetrat- 
 ing into the wilderness, and anticipating 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 satisfied 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 were 
 
396 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. 
 
 subjected to so much trouble about it. I remember at the time 
 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 marvellous 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. Spragub." 
 
 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 autographs, and received from 
 him in return, some valuable American ones, and several 
 of his works kindly addressed. 
 
 A sketch in the Instructor, of Hog, of Carnock, drew 
 from the distinguished historian of the church of the 
 Netherlands, the Eev. 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 addressing you. 
 Indeed, I have been so long acquainted with your public character 
 as an author, and a valued leader in our national church courts, 
 that I feel convinced you will not regard as obtrusive the commu- 
 nication of a brother clergyman, however humble that correspon- 
 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 CAENOCK. DUTCH WORTHIES. 897 
 
 the accompanying copy of a letter from James to Thomas Hog. I 
 bad transcribed it, some time ago for my own use, but conceiving 
 that it 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 
 from Craighead, of Londonderry, Wodrow, &c., addressed to my 
 predecessor, Mr. Thomas Hog or Hoog. These interesting relics 
 belonging to the venerable Burgomaster Hoog, of this city, have 
 been discovered among the family papers, since I published my ac- 
 count of the British churches in the Netherlands. 
 
 " Should you, or any of your friends be engaged with memoirs 
 of ministers once resident in Holland, it will afford me great plea- 
 sure to facilitate such researches — as far as lies in my power. J 
 have a third edition of my pamphlet on 'Constitution of the Dutch 
 Reformed Church,' in the press at Edinburgh. 
 
 " I shall be delighted to hear from you." 
 
 The knowledge of his skill in the line of historical re- 
 miniscence and graphic biographical delineation, led the 
 late Rev. James Mackenzie, of Dunfermline, to whom had 
 been entrusted the preparation of the Life of Dr. Cunning- 
 ham, to invite his assistance. 
 
 A life-like sketch of Dr. Macdonald, of Ferintosh, had 
 attracted special notice, and he writes as follows : — 
 
 " Dunfermline, July 12th, 1866. 
 
 " Rev. Sir, — The family of the late Dr. Cunningham, have put 
 his papers into my hands, requesting me to prepare a memoir, in 
 which work I am now engaged. I would not be in my duty if I did 
 not apply to you, for any materials or recollections that you may 
 have. 
 
 "Your knowledge of Dr. Cunningham extended over a long 
 time, and your letter on the 'Apostle of the North,' in the June 
 Becord of the Canada Presbyterian Church, encourages me to hope 
 that you may favour me with something similar, in regard to Prin- 
 cipal Cunningham, Your connection in the Presbyi;ery of Paisley, 
 and in the American journey, must have left reminiscences, which, 
 if you will kindly impart, will be a very great obligation. 
 
 " Hoping that you will grant this great favour, 
 
 " I am, Rev'd Sir, 
 
 " Your most ob't servant, 
 
 *' James Mackenzie, 
 " Minister of Free Abbey Church." 
 
398 LIFE OF KEV. DB. BURNS. 
 
 It does not appear that this request was complied with 
 The death of the lamented writer, in the midst of his 
 work may have interfered. Of this we feel assured, that 
 none would have been more willing than my father to do 
 honour to the name of Cunningham, his old co-Presby- 
 ter and co-delegate, for whom he entertained an en- 
 thusiastic regard, and to whom, in certain features of his 
 character, he bore a strong resemblance. In reading some 
 of the delineations of the one, we have felt as if the other 
 had almost sat for the picture. 
 
 Thus — for example : — 
 
 " The kindliness which struck every one who met him in private, 
 was joined with a transparency that never left you in doubt for a 
 moment, that you saw the whole man. What you thus saw, was 
 full of nobleness morally, and power intellectually. Then his 
 faults or infirmities, which were perhaps the most unconcealed parts 
 of him, were so allied to his force, clearness, and scorn of baseness 
 — were indeed such delightful exaggerative illustrations of these — 
 that they merely printed him larger on the mind ; while the touch 
 of exaggeration or over- vehemence, soothed you with the sense of 
 an imperfection to be tender to, and warmed the whole mode of 
 feeling with which he was regarded. Indeed, it must have often 
 crossed the mind of those who knew him, that what no doubt were 
 his faults and weak points, and were so regarded by himself, were 
 somehow the points in his character that nobody would have liked 
 to dispense with ; and if he had been enabled, totally and absolute- 
 ly to eradicate them, as there is no doubt he often and sorrowfully 
 strove to do, I am much afraid his friends would never have forgiven 
 him for his success ; so near of kin were they to that in him which 
 we admired and trusted. Nor was this feeling confined to friends. 
 In all his successive controversies, the same feeling existed among 
 opponents — if only they had chanced to get near enough to know 
 the real man. " * 
 
 A case with which, as a partj^-, he had to do, in almost 
 boyhood's days, may here be recalled — the case referred 
 to at page 11. It is a very singular one, and deserves a 
 
 » Life of Dr. Cunningham, pp. 382-3. 
 
SKETCH OF MARY P. 399 
 
 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 this 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 boys 
 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 his hapless victim, like the 
 Devil with the youth in the Gospel story —and it was nob 
 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. Dll. BURNS. 
 
 blood of the Lamb, I have got the victory. I saw it was 
 necessary for me not only to pray, but, to use other means^ 
 so that, with the help of God, T would not be carried 
 away. I knew Jesus was able to keep me from falling, 
 but I must watch for my 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 way 
 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 religion. 
 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 sufier than sin." 
 
 AA 
 
CHAPTER XX. 
 
 VISIT TO SCOTLAND AND LAST DATS. 
 
 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 at the Free Church General As- 
 sembly in May, along with Mr. King, and met 
 with a cordial reception. He spoke with his usual vigour 
 and animation. 
 
 * He sojourned for a short time in Montreal on his way, among his kind friends at 
 Terrace-bank. Mr. John Dougall, the founder and senior editor of that remarkably 
 useful Journal, the Mcntreal Witness, who remembered his Paisley ministry in hia 
 youth, records thus pleasingly his impressions at the time : 
 
 "This venerable patriarch of the Presbyterian Church, bears the weight of fourscore 
 years with that vigour which has characterized all his previous history, and appears, in 
 fact, fresher and stronger than he did ten years ago. His iutellectuu.1 powers, including 
 
modekator's address, varied work. 403 
 
 The Moderator, the Kev. Wm. Nixon, of Montrose, 
 thus addressed him : 
 
 ' ' With the deepest sentiments of respect, esteem, and thankful- 
 ness to the God of all grace, to the God of our life and the length 
 f our days, we welcome this renewed visit of such a veteran of 
 ur 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 effective of 
 all loving friends of Presbyterianism and true religion 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 more for the kingdom of your Lord, 
 and to see His goodness in the land of the living, and that in due 
 time you 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 CoUege ; — ^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, — the latter being, indeed, extraordinary. He remem- 
 bers, with the utmost precision, the persons and incidents and occurrences of the time 
 of his settlement in Paisley, in 1811, or the radical time of 1818, or, in fact, any year of 
 his long and iiseful career ; and, consequently, his conversation is a rare treat to those 
 who take an interest in the past. His knowledge of Canada is also very extensive, on 
 account of his frequent preaching tours through various parts of it. Dr. Bums belongs 
 to a family remarkable for the number of ministers it has furnished to the church, as 
 does Mrs. Burns, n4e Bonar. They leave to-day to take the steamer at Portland, and 
 many prayers will be ofifered for their prosperous journey and safe return." 
 * Through his application the " Scottish Reformation Society" made offer to the three 
 ' lonial Colleges, of one-half of the sum required for two prizes in each, of £10 and 
 sterling for the successful competitors in examination on the "leading principles of 
 le Romij3i Controversy." "I have just received," he writes from Edinburgh, April 
 
404 LIFE OF EEV. DR. BURNS. 
 
 field of labour; visiting missions, and re- visiting tlie 
 old familiar 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 : 
 
 "EDiNBURan, 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 Beview 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, ho w^ever. 
 
 " 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, 1869. — Attended seventy-first meeting of 
 Sabbath schools. Death of Mrs. Briggs.f' 
 -ill b>J;. 
 
 -r fl>r; Bums was at Paisley at the time, after having 
 
 14th, 1869, "from Professor MacVicar, Montreal, the following^ notice of the reception 
 of the Society's offer :" ' May I ask you to be so kind as to inform the Reformation 
 Society that the conditions of their minutes have been complied with, and to convey to 
 them our best thanks, and our deep appreciation of the kind interest tliey have thus 
 ehown in our work. The Society have singularly anticipated ou i desire to offer our 
 Students 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 operate 
 upon the dense spiritual ignorance of this province. 1 hope to be able next Session to 
 ■uperintend theological studies in that language.' " 
 
 * Late Thomson Bonar, Esq. 
 
 t His sister Jane, widow of ProfMsor Briggs, of St. Andrew*!, special friend of Mm. 
 Ooutts. 
 
LAST APPEARANCE BEFORE THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY. 405 
 
 spent some days with her. " Dear Eobert," 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 been 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 Rev. W. Cochrane, of Brantford. His address 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. Bums 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. Burns. He was sure they would 
 all join in thanking G-od 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 so vigorous, still so lively, still so much " the old man 
 
406 LIFE OP REV. DR. 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 addressing you, Dr. Bums, I feel myself utterly incapable 
 of expressing either my own feelings or those which are evidently 
 filling the hearts of the members of this Assembly. When I re- 
 member my first intercourse with you, about the commencement of 
 my own ministry, more than thirty years ago — when, as Dr. Burns, 
 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 
 man, but the same man with a still richer eloquence than before — 
 an eloquence 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 listened with intense 
 interest to your impressive statements regarding the settlement 
 near the Red River, the objects to be aimed at in connection with 
 British Columbia, and the calls addressed both to 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 
 scriptural 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 
 
PAISLEY TESTIMONIAL MEETING. 407 
 
 most of the churches. In anticipation of his leaving, a 
 gathering of singular interest was held in his old church 
 on Tuesday evening, the 29th June. Kepresentatives 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 France, 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. PoUok, 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 the 
 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 wishes, ' understood' 
 rather than ' expressed,' of many friends. You have not allowed 
 it so to be, and words are wanting wherewith to indicate my sens© 
 
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 Paisley, the trade had been for 
 years very prosperous, and the wages of the operative weavers 
 averaged weekly from one guinea 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 year I 
 was in London, my companion in travel being a respectable Paisley 
 manufacturer, the late Mr. William Burns, of Gateside. We at- 
 tended a public meeting for relief of the suffering manufacturers 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. Wilberforce and other philanthropists pleaded the cause 
 of suffering humanity, and a fund was then created which continues 
 to this day, and out of which we have drawn from time to time to 
 an extent somewhat commensurate with our necessities. More 
 than twenty years passed before I had an opportunity of enquiring 
 after the healthy state of this hopeful fund, and the worthy trea- 
 surer, whose ominously pleasing or euphonious name was Mr. Help, 
 told us, without the least hesitation, that he was burdened with 
 the load of twenty-five thousand pounds. It is characteristic of 
 *a Paisley man,' I fancy, that he 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 ifcnglish manufactures, but we 
 had influence at the very commencement of it, as above alluded to, 
 to get the word ' British' substituted in place of ' English,' and this 
 made all the difference possible in the matter ; while ' a King's 
 letter,' in 1826, circulating through the cities and counties of the 
 south, replenished the fund when it began to diminish. With our 
 pilgrimages in and around the metropolis, you, Mr. Chairman, are 
 well acquainted, and for years after I had left Paisley and settled 
 in Canada, you continued to ' walk the course,' knocking at the 
 doors of Whitehall officials 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 great and liberal principles for the public good. My en- 
 trance on the ministry was at a period rather early ; the field vast 
 and difficult, and my experience small. ' Who is sufficient for these 
 things V might I well enquire ; and satisfied have I long been that 
 a smaller preparatory scene of labour would have been more desir- 
 able. Nor did 1 then thoroughly know the peculiarities of the 
 Paisley character. 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 one another, Rowland Hill 
 called Paisley 'the Philadelphia of Scotland.' A change of senti- 
 
PROFESSOR MURRAY. REV. W. COCHRANE, M.A. 40^ 
 
 ment on some important points no doubt arose, but unity of doc- 
 trine and similarity in worship, kept us amicably together, and 
 ' the word of the Lord had free course amongst us and was glorified. ' 
 To later changes I shall not advert, but may I not still say, ' one 
 faith, one hope, one God, one Redeemer, one SanctiHer, 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 Brantfoi d, were present, and gave their 
 estimate of the services wliich 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 up, 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 was 
 privileged to hear from the lips of Dr. Burns ; 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 began to have an 
 influence upon us. Therefore I do not think that I am wrong in 
 saying that even in these earlier days of my life, I may have receiv- 
 ed from Dr. Burns' ministrations, under which I sat, some of the 
 most valuable influences that have acted upon my subsequent life." 
 
 In a like spirit, Mr. Cochrane remarked : 
 
 " I cannot help going back twenty-four years ago, when our 
 venerated father. Dr. Burns, preached his farewell sermon in this 
 church. He had then arrived at an age that most professional 
 men regard as entitling them to comparative rest and leisure for 
 the remaining portion of their lives, and had accomplished a work 
 in the West of Scotland second to none of his contemporaries. But 
 at the call of duty, he severed the fondest ties of flesh and blood, 
 bade farewell to his brethren in the ministry, left behind him a 
 numerous, influential, and devoted congregation, and went forth to 
 Canada to help other self-denying men who had preceded him, in 
 laying the foundations of Scottish Presbyterianism in that rising 
 colony. I shall not attempt on the present occasion the most 
 meagre epitome of Dr. Burns' labours in Western Canada during 
 
410 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. 
 
 the past twenty-five years. As minister, as professor, and as a sort 
 of universal bishop, he has had the care of all the churches, and 
 the results of his abundant labours are now manifested in many parts 
 of the land. Why, Mr. Chairman, there is scarcely a spot in Can- 
 ada where the voice of Dr. Burns has not been heard. Travelling 
 in summer and in winter enormous distances, and often at great 
 personal inconvenience, with the thermometer varying from blood 
 heat to 20 degrees below zero, and over roads that would shake to 
 pieces a much younger man, the Doctor has accomplished a work 
 that no other minister of our church has ever attempted. We in 
 Canada feel truly thankful to the Great Head of the Church for 
 having spared him so long, and strengthened him so fully for his 
 abundant labours ; and our prayer is, that for years to come he 
 may adorn the ministry of the Canada Presbyterian Church." 
 
 Mr. Cochrane has kindly supplied me with the follow- 
 ing very interesting statement, which furnishes vivid 
 glimpses of these closing months, and groups the principal 
 occasions of their meeting in Fatherland : 
 
 " It was my good fortune to spend the summer of 1869, in Britain, 
 when Dr. Bums was making his last visit to his native land. The 
 friendship which existed between us, and ofiicial business connected 
 with the church in Canada, brought us frequently together. On 
 my arrival in Edinburgh, to attend the United Presbyterian Synod, 
 I found him absent on a preaching tour, and assisting at a sacra- 
 mental season, somewhere in the neighbourhood of Brechin. W hen 
 I returned a week afterwards, for the Free Church Assembly, the 
 Doctor was in the city, and in almost daily attendance at the As- 
 sembly hall. He had procured tickets of admission to the students' 
 gallery, for several Canadian students then on a visit to the old 
 world, being anxious that they should hear the famous union de- 
 bates and the various reports on home and foreign missionary opera- 
 tions. Dr. Burns' love for, and unwearied interest in the welfare 
 of the students of Knox's College, is too well known in Canada to 
 call for remark. 
 
 ^' This attention to their wants, and his willingness to be useful 
 to them, in circumstances where trivial acts of kindness were of 
 special value, were most marked in Scotland. No labour was 
 deemed irksome that in the smallest contributed to their enjoy- 
 ment or afforded them opportunities of hearing and coming into 
 contact with men of note in the ecclesiastical world. As was to be 
 expected, he did not forget, both in public and in private to press 
 the claims of the colonial field, and especially those of Canada, upon 
 the attention of those more immediately interested in that branch 
 of the church's operations. Several applications in person and by 
 
r 
 
 MR. cochrane's statement. 411 
 
 letter had been made to the Doctor, by preachers and students who 
 were turning their thoughts to Canada as their future field of labour. 
 These applications, and the suitability of certain candidates, were 
 a frequent topic of conversation when we met. Eager though he 
 was for additional ministers to fill our vacant pulpits, and occupy the 
 far off regions now opening to emigration, he was exceedingly cau- 
 tious in selecting. 
 
 *' No man in Canada had such opportunities of exploring the field 
 and understanding its demands, and no one could so quickly and 
 accurately decide as to the likelihood of success in given cases. 
 
 *' The evening came when we were to address the Assembly. On 
 many former occasions, the deputies from the Presbyterian churches 
 in the United States, had precedence of the Canadian commission- 
 ers. This arrangement the Doctor considered unfair, considering 
 the close relations of the Home to the Colonial churches. In pri- 
 vate conversation some days before, he told me what steps he had 
 taken to change the order, although he was by no means sanguine 
 of accompHshing his object. Having succeeded, however, in ob- 
 taining for the Canadian deputies a first hearing, his next concern 
 was that we should maintain the good name and standing of the 
 church in Canada. Dr. Bums had often in former days, both as 
 deputy and as member of court, addressed that Assembly. To him 
 it was indeed no labour, even at the age of 'four score years' to 
 secure the ear and rivet the attention of any audience. As Dr. 
 Candlish well said, in moving the vote of thanks — he was ' still the 
 old man eloquent,' whose well known voice in former years had 
 thrilled the hearts of thousands and given forth wise counsels in 
 times of threatened danger. On this occasion, however, he seemed 
 more than usually anxious, not only as to how the younger mem- 
 ber of the deputation should comport himself, but also in regard to 
 the subjects of his own address. The almost certainty that this 
 would be his last address, before the great Assembly of his much 
 loved mother church — the memory of scenes and associations, and 
 fellowships of other days, and with other leaders long departed, 
 and probably premonitions of the coming end, unperceived by 
 friends, may have tended to increase his solicitude. I need hardly 
 refer to his address before the Assembly, suffice it to say, that it 
 was a noble ending, to a long and arduous life of toil and self-de- 
 nial, on the platform — in the ministry, and in every department of 
 Christian enterprise that engaged his energies. To say in the some- 
 what stereotyped language of the press, that he was 'received with 
 applause,' would give but a faint idea of the enthusiasm that pre- 
 vailed in the vast congregation. It was a simple and spontaneous, 
 but sincere recognition of the services he had rendered to the Scot- 
 tish church in pre-disruption times, and the sacrifices he had made 
 in sundering tender ties and going far hence to spread the princi- 
 ples of a church he dearly loved. 
 
 *' After the meeting of the Assembly and previous to his return 
 
412 ' LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. 
 
 to Canada, we met frequently, both on public occasions and at the 
 table of mutual friends. I took part with him in assisting the E-ev. 
 Alexander Pollok, of the Free South Church, Paisley, at a sacra- 
 mental season, and was present on the following Tuesday evening 
 at the farewell gathering in Free St. George's. The magnificent 
 testimonial presented him by his fellow townsmen, among whom he 
 had laboured for thirty-four years, brought together representa- 
 tives from all the diflFerent churches in the town and neighbourhood, 
 and was to him an occasion of great joy and heartfelt gratitude. 
 After this he preached a special sermon in behalf of the Paisley 
 Tract Society, and breakfasted on the Monday morning at the 
 house of Dr. Richmond — all the ministers of the town and office- 
 bearers of the society being present. He seemed in the best of 
 health and spirits, and not in the least fatigued by the repeated 
 services of the preceding Sabbath. I never heard him talk more 
 vigorously than on this, the last occasion on which we met. He 
 called up the numerous incidents connected with the formation of 
 the Tract Society — mentioned the names one by one of its early 
 presidents and office-bearers — the sermons he had preached in its 
 behalf during his ministry in Saint George's, and the tracts he had 
 written for circulation under its auspices. The conversation then 
 turned to the various seasons of commercial distress, through which 
 the town had passed, and the frequency of his visits to London to 
 seek government aid for the destitute poor. Then followed the 
 various political contests in which he had occasionally taken a some- 
 what active part, and finally the great voluntary controversy prior 
 to disruption times, in which the Doctor was an honest and un 
 flinching defender of Establishments. His pen was busy as his 
 tongue during these years — so busy that he had all but forgotten 
 certain pamphlets he had published, until their names were men- 
 tioned. It was on this occasion, that the incident which I mention- 
 ed in the Toronto Assembly of 1870, occurred. His friend. Dr. 
 Richmond, in referring to ecclesiastical movements and startling 
 events of bygone days, alluded to the little asperities which the vol- 
 untary controversy engendered, and the unseemly breaches that 
 were made among Christian brethren of the same faith ; and added 
 ' but I need hardly say that all this was a strange work to our father 
 Dr. Burns — he had no taste for such work, and no love for such a 
 controversy.' ' Stop, stop,' said the Doctor, interrupting his friend, 
 the chairman, * that is hardly so — I rather think I liked it.' The 
 downright honesty and candour of Dr. Burns were never perhaps 
 more conspicuously seen than in this simple incident. Not that he 
 loved controversy for the sake of controversy or the display of in- 
 tellectual acuteness,but believing that his opinions were scriptural 
 and right, he threw himself into the arena of debate, and was so 
 thoroughly absorbed in it, that it became congenial and not distaste- 
 ful work. 
 
 ' * In our occasional meetings, the Doctor talked freely about Can- 
 
LAST WEEKS IN SCOTLAND. 413 
 
 ada and his future plans in the land of his adoption. He spoke 
 hopefully of his return to professorial and ministerial duty, and 
 coming years of occasional service in the church. The new house 
 then building for him — but which he never entered— 'which would 
 be so conveniently situated to the college,' was matter of repeated 
 remark. 
 
 " Those of his friends who imagined he would remain in Scotland, 
 little understood the intense love which he bore to the Canada Pres- 
 byterian Church, and all that appertained to her history. In a 
 modified sense, the closing stanza of Augustine's hymn expresses 
 the feelings of his soul towards his beloved Zion : — 
 
 *' Jerusalem my happy home ! 
 My soul still pants for thee ; 
 Then shall my labours have an end, 
 When I thy joys shall see." 
 
 For notices of his last weeks in Scotland, and his last 
 days after his return, we gladly avail ourselves of the 
 deeply interesting journal of her who, for a quarter of a 
 century, had been truly "a help meet for him;" to whose 
 thoughtful solicitude for his personal comfort, and prac- 
 tical sympathy in his public work, he owed so much. 
 
 " On the 7th January, 1869, Dr. Bums and I accompanied Rev. 
 Mr. Thomson to a district missionary meeting, in Gray's Close, Can- 
 ongate. The Doctor was deeply interested in his audience, such a 
 crowd of hitherto poor uncared for outcasts. 
 
 ' ' He spoke to them on the 'faith of Abraham' and at the close, 
 was surrounded by many to shake hands and express their grati- 
 tude. We then walked up High street, along Grassmarket, to 
 Vennel United Presbyterian Church, where there was a similar 
 meeting, and there he also spoke, not getting home till a late 
 hour. 
 
 "January 18th. — Dr. Burns attended a missionary meeting of Rose 
 street United Presbyterian congregation, in Queen Street Hall. 
 Very fine meeting. Rev. Dr. Finlayson presided, and Dr. Bums 
 was most enthusiastically welcomed, 
 
 " In the early part of the Spring of 1869, he had a great desire 
 to visit the Continent and supply one of the churches there for a 
 few weeks. He made application, but the arrangements having 
 been made, his wish was not gratified. 
 
 " He was satisfied afterwards, for he would have been absent 
 during the last illness of his sister, Mrs. Briggs. 
 
 "Many homes were open to him in Paisley, but our principal 
 
414 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. 
 
 headquarters were at Mr. Morgan's, Greenlaw, where nnboimded 
 kindness and hospitality were enjoyed. Mrs. M. had formerly been 
 one of the children of his flock ; and it was her joy now to see 
 her venerable pastor take her baby in his arms, and for the elder 
 ones to gather around his knee and get his smile and blessing. 
 One sweet little lamb was soon after our visit, gathered to the 
 fold above." 
 
 " Thursday, 37th February, 1869. 
 
 " Dr. Bums and I spent an hour or two in the Parliament House 
 withMr.Nicolson. Visited the Advocates' Library; 200,000 volumes ; 
 first Bible published ; saw the original MS. of Waverly ; copy of 
 every piece of music published. Dr. Bums made enquiry about 
 the Wodrow MSS. The librarian, who had not been long there, did 
 not know where they were, Dr. Bums pointed to the corner where 
 they used to lie, and there they were. In a small room, there is 
 preserved above the door, the flag or banner taken at the Battle of 
 Flodden ; the motto is the most entire part of the relic, and to us 
 was very interesting, it is Veritas Vincit. It was the Keith motto 
 — (Burns' family motto, as well). 
 
 *' It was on the 16 th of this month that Mrs. L. wife of the Rev. 
 Mr. L, (librarian Free college,) died. Dr. Burns had visited her 
 frequently during her long severe illness. She said 'you have come 
 from Toronto to be a blessing and comfort to me. ' She was an ex- 
 cellent Christian woman. 
 
 " It was during this month he was occupied with the manuscripts 
 of W. C. B, , and had a good deal of correspondence, regretting much 
 that Canada had to be compressed into one chapter, when there 
 was material for much more." 
 
 " Saturday, 19th Febmary. 
 
 *' Mrs. McNider called upon the Doctor to consult with him 'about 
 the annual meeting of the French Canadian Missionary Society. 
 She had been much discouraged by the failure of previous meet- 
 ings . The Doctor promised to attend and do what he could to ex- 
 cite some interest. So he wrote to some ministers, waited per- 
 sonally on others. The meeting was held on the 25th, and was 
 the most successful that had been for many years. Mrs. McNider 
 was greatly cheered. Mr. Haldane was in the chair, and there 
 were interesting addresses by young Mr. Monod, Dr. Wylie, Dr. 
 McCrie, Dr. CuUen, Dr. Burns, Rev. Mr. Marshall, United 
 States. 
 
 "Mr. McDonald read the report, and the Doctor had some con- 
 versation with him afterwards. When we came home, he said to 
 me * I am disappointed with Mr. M. ; I don't think his heart is in 
 his work.' The result proved so.* 
 
 *My father always felt much interest in this excellent Society. At the time of its 
 formation, in 1839, when Dr. Taylor and Mr, Court, of Montreal, visited Scotland m ad- 
 
RBUSH EXPERIENCES. DR. DUFF. 415 
 
 "On the 21st of this month, Dr. Bums attended the annual 
 eeting of the Gaelic schools, having been present at its first meet- 
 ing in 1810. 
 
 " When we were arranging about our visit in 1868, 1 said, 'now I 
 hope you will not undertake any collecting this time, for you are 
 not able for it V He said that he did not intend that, 'but if I can 
 piit in a word for a book or a bursary, you won't object to that !' 
 
 " At a private meeting of friends at Mr. Crichton's, in Paisley, 
 some reference was made to some inconveniences and difficulties 
 the Doctor had encountered in the back woods. He seemed 
 quite annoyed about the report, and took the opportunity of 
 enlarging on the kindness and hospitality he had always ex- 
 perienced. ' I am always well taken care of.' " 
 
 " 18th July. 
 "The last Sabbath Dr. Bums spent in Scotland, was at Portobello. 
 He officiated all day for the Rev. Dr. Ireland. We drove down 
 with him on the Saturday, and returned for him on Monday, 
 being accommodated with Dr. Guthrie's carriage. His last public 
 meeting in Edin. was on Monday evening, (the 19th July,) in the 
 Free High church, on the occasion of designating two missionaries 
 to India (Rev. Messrs. Stephens and Whitten). Dr. Burns was 
 going in as one of the audience, and near the door. Dr. Duff ob- 
 served and took hold of him. 'You are the very man ; we must 
 make a change in our programme.' Dr. Duff presided ; read por- 
 tions from Ephesians, and then spoke of Dr. Bums being so happi- 
 ly present as their veteran missionary about to return to the far 
 West, while the two younger were going to the East. Before ask- 
 ing Dr. Burns to pray. Dr. D. said ' I never see Dr.- Burns but I 
 think of the last verses of the 92nd Psalm, I cannot do better than 
 repeat them,' which he did with peculiar impressiveness, " 
 
 " Thursday, 22nd July, 1869. 
 
 ' ' Thursday, the last day we spent in Edinburgh. In the forenoon, 
 called about books for Professor Young 
 
 " We called at Johnstone and Hunter's to leave some letters of 
 introduction for young Mr. Thornton,* who was on his way to Edin. 
 — then to Ogle, bookseller, and picked up one or two old works. 
 The Doctor said he could not leave Edin. without visiting the In- 
 dustrial Museum, so we spent an hour or two there, and he looked at 
 as many objects as time and strength admitted of. We called on 
 Dr. C. Brown and Dr. H. Bonar, who, within three months, had a 
 second family bereavement The evening was spent at home. 
 
 vocacy of its claims, he rendered efficient assistance. He attended and spoke at the first 
 meeting held in Glasgow, which was the first occasion on which a minister of the Estab- 
 lishment fraternized with his dissenting brethren after the excitement and asperities of 
 the voluntary controversy. 
 * Rev. R. M. Thornton, M.A., of Montreal. 
 
416 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. 
 
 •^ On Friday, 23rd, after early breakfast, we all joined in family 
 prayer, and parted with dear relatives at Lauriston Park, a little 
 after 9 a. m. A number of friends were at the Caledonian station, 
 among others. Dr. Guthrie, who had some minutes conversation 
 with the Doctor after we were seated in the carriage, principally on 
 the subject of a visit to America. He and others cheered us off, 
 and we had a very pleasant journey to Liverpool, where we arrived 
 at 6 p. m. ; remained at the Waterloo hotel till next morning ; at 
 10, went on board the Cunard steamship Russia, and sailed at noon. 
 The Doctor stood the voyage as well as usual, but I thought he was 
 not so lively — was disappointed that there could be no arrangement 
 for worship in the evening. 
 
 '^He was cheered when Captain Lott intimated to him on Satur- 
 day, 31st, that he would have an opportunity of preaching next 
 morning, and introduced him to Rev, Mr. Goodwin, an Episcopal 
 clergyman. On Sabbath, August 1st, he arose before 7, arranged 
 for service, which was held in the saloon at half -past 10. The Eng- 
 lish service was read solemnly, and then Dr. Burns preached a 
 short sermon from 2 Cor. v. 21 : * He made Him to be sin for us 
 who knew no sin.' He dwelt on the doctrine and blessed results. 
 Most of the passengers were present, also the captain and about 
 thirty sailors. The audience listened very earnestly, and seemed 
 amazed at the force and readiness of the speaker, as some of them 
 said after, they expected to have listened to a read discourse. 
 
 " There was no other service, so after lunch, we spent the sacred 
 day in our berth. 
 
 ' ' On Monday he felt rather languid, but in the afternoon he went 
 on deck and revived, having a good deal of conversation with an 
 American lady and gentleman. Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence, and a 
 number came round to enquire for him, and speak of yesterday's 
 service. Our pleasant intercourse seemed then to begin, 
 
 " We had not as much reading as usual, we were inclined to rest 
 after past excitement, and there was considerable rolling of the 
 vessel. The season being early it was rather cold to sit long on 
 deck We read the life of Robert Brown — some reviews, and the 
 Synod's discussion on the Gait revivals. 
 
 " Tuesday, 3rd August, land in sight. As we approached Staten 
 Island (unknown to any but the officers,) detectives came on board, 
 as among the passengers were a party of forgers, hailing from Lon- 
 don — apprehended as soon as they landed. 
 
 ' ' We were nearly two hours getting to Jersey City, where our 
 nephew J. J. B. , met us and helped us through all our Custom 
 House difficulties, &c. We rested at the Everett house, enjoyed 
 dinner and night's rest, but with much reluctance the Doctor gave 
 up the idea of a visit to Princeton, which he promised to Dr. Mc- 
 Cosh. He proposed to go and return next morning, and then leave 
 by train for Toronto. 
 
 " The heat was great — besides an addition of 140 miles journey, 
 
I 
 
 RINCETON. TORONTO. MR. KING. LAST SERMON. 417 
 
 and the uncertainty of Dr. McCosh being at home. ' Very well/ 
 then he said, '1 suppose I must give it up, as you are all opposed to 
 it,' He took breakfast in bed next morning, seemed quite refresh- 
 ed, and enjoyed a drive which our nephew gave us round the grand 
 Central Park (1,800 acres, twenty-five miles of walk). He allowed 
 then, that it was better than going to Princeton. In order to avoid 
 the heat, we thought it best to travel during night, so we left at 
 half-past six, a beautiful evening, came on comfortably, though 
 tired, to the Suspension Bridge, then by Hamilton to Toronto. 
 
 " Not getting access to the house w^hich we had taken by lease 
 and was buUt for our occupancy, we took up our abode at Knox 
 College. On entering, the Dr. said to Mrs. Willing, ' JSTow, we 
 have come to stay a fortnight with you, and then I am going 
 home.'* On Friday, we remained in the house, several friends 
 calling. In the morning he was busy in getting two boxes of books 
 for students opened — they were standing in the hall and caught his 
 eye as soon as we entered. ' See,' said he, ' they are here before 
 us.' He wanted to carry up some of the volumes himself, when 
 two young friends came and assisted. They were put in his own 
 room, and he began to arrange them. One or two of the students 
 called and got their copies, (of Cunningham). On Saturday after- 
 noon there was an eclipse of the sun. He came out to the green 
 and we stood under a tree, and then walked up and down, watching 
 its progress. 
 
 ' ' He then went in and had a long talk with Rev. Mr. Sanson, 
 Church of England. Other friends also came in. 
 
 " Sabbath, 7th August; very fine day; we left early and walked 
 slowly to church, meeting friends who congratulated the Doctor 
 on looking so well. He heard with great comfort and satisfaction 
 a sermon from Rev. Mr. King, from Luke xii. 40 ; ' Be ye also 
 ready' — subject, ' sudden death,' in connection with a solemn event 
 in the congregation — death by drowning of two young men, cousins, 
 of the name of Mackay — they had been in church the Sabbath 
 before. The Doctor spoke of the excellence and appropriateness 
 of the discourse. 
 
 "He rested till evening, when he preached in Gould street, to 
 a large audience from 2 Cor. xiv. 15, 16, on the triumphs of the 
 Gospel, beginning with an account of the progress of God's work 
 in Scotland — referring to his visits to Ferryden, Perth, &c. 
 Towards the close of the discourse he dwelt much on the words 
 ' who is sufficient for these things.' Dr. Tempest drove him home, 
 he was quite lively ; came down stairs ; joined us with Mr. 
 King at worship. 
 
 The last records in his own day-book are very brief: 
 
 *' Friday, August 6. — Staying at Knox College. Sabbath, 8th, 
 
 ^ 
 
 • Precisely that day fortnight he removed to the "house not made with hands.' 
 B B 
 
418 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. 
 
 preached in the evening in Gould street, on ' Now thanks be unto 
 God, which causeth us to triumph in Christ ;' greatly delighted. 
 
 *' Tuesday, 10th August. — Wrote to Principal Willis and Dr, 
 Mc Vicar, of Montreal," (his last letters). 
 
 The letter to Dr. Willis was as follows : — 
 
 " Knox College, 
 " ToBONTO, 10th August, 1869. 
 
 " My Dear Dr. Willis, — We sailed from Liverpool on the 24th 
 July, by the Cunard steamship Russia, 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 of the 
 States, but the hot weather and other considerations changed our 
 plans, and on we came, after one night's comfortable, but fearfully 
 expensive residence at the ' Everett House,' and by the New York 
 Central reached our own city in safety, by 4 o'clock in the after- 
 noon of Thursday. On enquiry, we found that you had gone off to 
 Niagara on the morning of that day, and I hope this will find Mrs. 
 W. and yourself in 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 frequent 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 Wingate, &c. 
 
 " I preached in about fifty places of worship, and, in the present 
 rfis-united 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 Dr. H. Bonar, Mr. 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 shall expect a meeting for arrangement of 
 college duties. Mrs. B. joins in all good wishes for Mrs. W. and 
 yourseK, 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 mc, 
 * you had your sickness at sea, J am going to have mine now, ami 
 
"RECORD LETTER." SERIOUS ILLNESS. 419 
 
 ill be the better for it. ' A simple remedy seemed to restore 
 him, and he was desirous to fulfil an engagement he had made for 
 the evening. I persuaded him to remain in bed for a rest." 
 
 During this day (Thursday, 12tli), my wife and I, who 
 had come over from St. Catharines, where we had been 
 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. 
 
 The journal resumes : 
 
 *' He insisted on my going for a little to the house of a friend. 
 When I came in, he was in his own room ; had conducted worship 
 with the household ; conversed with two students, and alsfj with 
 one of our servants about her marriage (she had been waiting for 
 the Doctor's return). He felt weak, but said, as a joke, ' you see 
 how well I have got on !' During the night there was a violent 
 thunder storm, preceded by great darkness, during which I lost my 
 way, in going from one room to another. He slept pretty well. 
 During the noise of the thunder, he repeated the line, ' But the 
 full thunder of His power, what heart can understand.' In the 
 morning he could not be prevailed on to keep his bed — * No, no,' 
 he said, ' I must be spicy to-day, Robert saw me in bed yesterday, 
 I must not be there to-day !' I observed his colour very yellow, 
 and told him ; ' Well, but I am better.' He shaved and dressed ; 
 came to his sitting-room and resumed a letter he had been writing 
 io Rev. Mr. Reid,* an account of his visit to Scotland. He wished 
 me to go and see Mr. Blaikie about the house, to enquire about the 
 Mackay family, and to get some little things for him. In the mean- 
 time R. and E. came in — and though he spoke cheerfully, his tone 
 of voice was solemn. They had come to say good bye." 
 
 We found him looking jaundiced, and strongly advised 
 him to discontinue his writing and to lie down. We had 
 a delightful interview, which an unwillingness to tire him 
 made as abridge. Still, although he looked poorly, there 
 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 progress made in writing the letter. He had thrown 
 himseK on the bed in the other room, complained 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, 
 ^fec. This was the last time he was dressed. By continued hot ap- 
 plications, stimulants and constant watching, 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 satisfied 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 spend 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 Record for August, 1869. It contained 
 seven obituary notices of ministers in Scotland, all of whom he knew 
 more or less intimately — 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 nicet 
 volume of sermons we have had in our bag on our voyage. I was; 
 reading one.' 'O yes, read me one. I picked up that volume in mj( 
 brother's library, atCorstorphine; my name is on it, I wish that book tc 
 be yours. When Dr. Thomson was editor of the Christian Instructro^ 
 being busy, he sent me that volume to review. The author is the i 
 
421 
 
 Rev. Mr. Cunningham, of Harrow on the Hill, London, an excel- 
 lent man. You will find the article in such a volume, such a year 
 of the Christian Instructor.^ I said : 'You must wait until we get our 
 books unpacked again'— (Robert and I found it afterwards, just date 
 and place as he said). 
 
 " We had not much more reading, but he continued to sit up, 
 the day was very warm and bright, and he enjoyed the window be- 
 ing open. He said he felt only a little oppression 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 her pretty hymns. The hymns were in succes- 
 sion : ' Thy will be done,' ' Jehovah Tsidkenu,' ' Shall we gather at 
 the river,' and his great favourite, ' Nearer my God to thee' (this 
 he always carried in his note book^. He 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 hymns, ' 
 
 " 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 he 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 — pleading for all ministers, congregations, &c., as 
 clearly as ever I heard him. This was his 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 Tuesday 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.) 
 
 The journal continues : — 
 
 " On Wednesday afternoon, (18th inst.,) Robert and Elizabeth 
 arrived, I think he 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 he never rallied, 
 symptoms of increased prostration, never moving from one position 
 — any liquid rejected. 
 
 " The Doctor assured us he was not suflfering, but that there 
 would be no rallying. ' He is dying 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 EEV. DR. BURNS. 
 
 their unremitting attention. ' Do you think the Doctor is conscious 
 now V asked my dear friend Mrs. Leslie, (who, thirteen years ago 
 had, along with our early and much valued friend, Mrs. Captain 
 Dick, been my constant helpers during a long illness of the Doctor, 
 an illness then apparently much more severe than the present). 
 
 "To Mrs. L.'s enquiry, Dr. 0. very beautifully replied, 'No, the 
 dear Doctor won'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, which became less frequent and less intense, as the 
 breathing became gradually fainter and fainter; after twelve hours 
 it ceased, with a gentle flutter — tongue moved 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, fervent prayer was ofiered, 
 and occasionally a few verses of a psalm or hymn were mournfully 
 Bung. As the spirit was departing, the Rev. Mr. King said : Pro- 
 fessor Young, will you give thanks ? ** Praise followed from earth, 
 praise, welcomed to heaven." 
 
 " All night we watched the ebbing life, 
 As if its flight to stay, 
 Till as the morning hour came on, 
 Our last hope passed away. 
 
 ** Each flutter of the pulse, we marked, 
 Each quiver of the eye ; 
 To the dear lips, our ear we laid, 
 To catch the last long sigh. 
 
 " At last the fluttering pulse stood still, 
 The death-frosts through the clay 
 Stole slowly, and as morn drew on. 
 Our loved one passed away." 
 
CHAPTER XXL 
 
 MEMORIAL TESTIMONIES. 
 
 ^^1 
 
 R. BURNS died on the morning of Thursday, 
 the 19th of August, 1869, at the age of 
 eighty years and six months. On the after- 
 noon of Saturday, the 21st, he was buried. 
 On Sabbath, the 22nd, most appropriate 
 sermons were preached in Gould street Church, in 
 the forenoon by the Rev. J. M. King, M.A., pastor 
 of the family, and in the evening by the Rev. M. 
 JMJ Willis, D.D., LL.D., Principal of Knox College. 
 Both were subsequently published, and had a wide 
 circulation. From many pulpits in the City and through- 
 out the Province, the event was improved. 
 
 It seemed meet that his earthly career should terminate 
 in the College with whose rise and progress he had so 
 much to do. 
 
424 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. 
 
 Friends (principally in Toronto) have erected over his 
 grave, in the most elevated part of the Toronto Necro- 
 polis, of which he was one of the original proje«>tors, a 
 massive and costly monument of Aberdeen granite, bear- 
 ing his name and the mottoes of the Burns and Bonar 
 families, which are singularly appropriate : 
 
 '* Veritas Vincit ''— (Tmth conquers^. 
 " Deniqtje Ccelum " — (Heaven at last). 
 
 Letters of sympathy and regard poured in from all 
 quarters, representative specimens of which may be in- 
 serted. 
 
 The Rev. Wm. Fraser, LL.D., of the Free Middle Church, 
 
 Paisley, from whom he received very great kindness during 
 
 his last visit, thus writes ; 
 
 "Sept. 27th, 1869. 
 
 " I often think of that dear friend whom I so recently met here, 
 and whose marvellous devotedness and mental energy both sur- 
 prised and stimulated me. What a life was his ! Ceaseless activ- 
 ity in his Master's cause marked it to its very close. All here loved 
 him. His last visit was a blessing. No other minister that haa 
 been here has been so loved ; and no wonder, for Dr. Burns had 
 this characteristic so prominently that all saw it, and acknowledged 
 it — singular unselfishness. Whatever he did was not for self, but 
 for his brother-man and in his Master's name. You have this assur- 
 ance, that your beloved companion has entered into a glorious rest." 
 
 In another letter, Mr. Fraser writes : 
 
 "No minister has ever taken such a deep hold of all this com- 
 munity. All classes and stations revere his memory. I am de- 
 lighted to hear that there is a probability of a Life of Dr. Bums. 
 I hope it will be issued early, but one can hardly hope for that with 
 a life extending over so long a period, and embracing within its due 
 sphere of action so much that is really historical both in Scotland 
 and in Canada." 
 
 Dr. Guthrie, the last to part with him a few brief weeks 
 previously at the railway station in Edinburgh, and be- 
 
DR. GUTHRIE. DR. C. J. BROWN. MRS. COUTTS. 425 
 
 tween whom and himself there existed a strong mutual 
 regard, expresses his sorrowful surprise at the sudden 
 
 translation : 
 
 <« Edinbuegh, Sept. 1869. 
 *' Dr. Btims looked so elastic, strong, and hale, that I looked 
 forward to years still of usefulness for him, and was in the habit of 
 saying that of those remaining when he left this country, he was 
 much the most likely to reach the years of the days of his fathers. 
 But God, his God, has seen it meet to ordain otherwise ; and what 
 becomes us so much now but to praise Him, that He spared Dr. 
 Bums so long to you, to us, to America, and to His church, and 
 gave him so much strength to work on to the last. He did indeed 
 die in harness, and after a life of extraordinary labours, in which 
 his old age often put both youth and manhood to the blush, he 
 has now entered on rest." 
 
 Eev. Dr. C. J. Brown, Moderator of the General Assembly 
 of the Free Church of Scotland for 1872, and an esteemed 
 friend of many years' standing, in a touching and beauti- 
 ful letter, says : 
 
 " Edinburgh, Sept. 1869. 
 
 " How strange it seems to us that dear Dr. Burns, who left us in 
 such vigour and spirit, should scarce have set his foot down again 
 in his adopted country when the voice reached him, ' Come up 
 hither.' And yet, though it must have taken you by surprise, it 
 was scarce surprising either. The real wonder was his previous 
 amazing vigour. What a mercy, and how rare a one, that he should, 
 to such an age, have not only been spared, but enabled to the last 
 to do the work of a young man, with scarce almost weariness. I 
 know, dear Mrs. Burns, that you thankfully feel all this, and are 
 persuaded that without a murmur, amid whatever sorrow, you have 
 been enabled to give him up, even as dear Mrs. Coutts, when, in 
 very early life, she had to part with her admirable husband, and 
 who, sitting on the bed, with her hand under his head, waiting for 
 the last breath, when told by the nurse that he was gone, just with- 
 drew her hand gently and said, ' Is he gone ? then J let go my hold ; 
 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 we are apt to think of the many things he was still 
 planning, and I suppose engaged with, yet that is but our poor 
 thought. His work was done ! The Lord makes no mistakes. We 
 have each our fixed, allotted portion and measure of work, and 
 another comes in to take up what we leave. How blessed to think 
 of that account of the believer's departure : * Father, I will that 
 
426 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. 
 
 they also 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., &c.,. 
 until you shall be called to join the innumerable 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. Burns, — Little did I think when I received 
 your last kind note from Edinburgh, announcing your intention of 
 embarking from Liverpool, that the next news from Canada was to 
 be the death of my dearly beloved friend and father, your honoured 
 husband. Yet after all, my dear friend, there is nothing to regret ; 
 his work was done, and I believe well done in the estimation of the 
 blessed Master whom he served so long and so faithfully. Does 
 any living doubt that he has received the happy welcome, ' Well 
 done,' &c. 1 Let us, therefore, not grudge that he has got to his 
 rest at last, though somewhat sooner, perhaps, than we wished. 
 He took little rest while here. If work, and especially work for 
 Christ, could be said to be any man's meat and drink, it was surely 
 that of Dr. Bums. ' In labours more abundant.' He would not 
 say so, but we 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 professor and friend. I accompanied him to the backwoods on 
 preaching tours (no slight privilege). He licensed me, 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 overflowing, my eyes a fountain of tears, yet not tears so much 
 of sorrow as of thankfulness to God that I ever enjoyed so much of 
 his society and confidence, and for all that the Lord did in him and 
 for him. His last visit to Ardersier with yourself, besides the 
 gratification it afibrded to myself and dear partner, has left a most 
 salutary impression upon the people. The old and godly people 
 here 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, 
 

 EEV. K. 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 — the first- 
 fruits of the Presbyterian Church of Canada — of being licensed by 
 the good Doctor in 1845, and I have naturally followed his course 
 €ver since with deep interest. 
 
 " I need scarcely say that he was most indefatigable in his la- 
 bours. I spent a day with him m this city in 1847, accompanied 
 him in his visits among the people, having an appropriate word of 
 counsel for each, and praying fervently with the sick or the sorrow- 
 ing. During the evening we visited several public meetings, which 
 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. 
 
 "1 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 their 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 piety, seemed to 
 get full scope and to be in their proper element. On such 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 human life, and who delighted in the law of the 
 Lord after the inner man, and feasted on the rich repast of which 
 he 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 offer as made to all the children 
 of men. 
 
 " He 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 him 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 men to 
 reject that fundamental doctrine of the Christian faith to their own 
 destruction. 
 
 " At the same time, he ever 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 faith 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. 
 
 ance 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 Ingersoll, 
 he was fond of reminding them that his revered nephew, 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, seK-denying spirit. In mingling 
 with the people in their homes, even in the newest settlements, 
 he was always content with whatever accommodation and fare they 
 could afford him ; never complained of privations, such as he must 
 have felt ; but on the contrary, he 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 any 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 
 sanctified learning, in a cheerful and pleasant manner. 
 
 " Another feature of his character which should not be forgotten 
 was his FERVENT PBAYERFULNESS. Often havo 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 paid. 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 'abuijdant 
 entrance,' explaining the figure as that of a ship coming into har- 
 bour uninjured, with all her canvas spread, her hull unshattered, 
 her masts unbroken, and her rigging not torn. Such an entrance, 
 I doubt not he had." 
 

 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 ? I cannot realize that he is gone, and to how 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 unselfishness, 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 difiiculties. 
 
 * ' How many humble members also on both continents will lift 
 up the prophet's lamentation, ' My father, my father, the chariots 
 of Israel and the horsemen 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 T 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 less dreary and 
 more 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 others 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 Eev. Dr. Hugh McLeod, whose labours in 
 Cape Breton have been so eminently owned of God in 
 
430 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. 
 
 connexion with the great revival there, and whom he 
 loved to visit in that interesting field, which was associated 
 with the early efforts of the Colonial Society, we received 
 the following graphic portraiture : 
 
 *' Sydney, C.B., 16th November, 1871. 
 
 " My chief acquaintance with your venerable father was formed 
 in the fall of 1845, when, as deputy from the Free Church of Scot- 
 land, I visited the British provinces of North America. But from 
 my earliest recollection I was familiar with his appearance, charac- 
 ter, and name. I saw him several times in the General Assembly, 
 both before and after the disruption ; 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 pleasure and admiration. 
 
 " His personal appearance was peculiar ; short but stout, indi- 
 cating great strength. 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 was 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 order, and a mind richly stored with various 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 word of God as well as with the windings of the 
 human heart, and possessing a faithful memory, fertile imagina- 
 tion, fluency of expression and teeming thought. His sermons 
 were able, suggestive and eloquent. 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 he 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 Society for the Conversion of the Jews, the Anti-Slavery Society, 
 the Colonial Society, the Gaelic School Society, the Cape Breton 
 Mission, 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 
 accompanied 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 confined to members and adherents 
 
I 
 
 THE APOSTLE OF CANADA. 431 
 
 of his own church, but embraced a wide circle of Christian associa- 
 tion. Wherever he preached, crowds flocked to hear him. To 
 none, perhaps, does British America owe more than to Dr. Burns, 
 who may well be called the Apostle of Canada. Not only have 
 congregations been organised and places of worship built through 
 his instrumentality, but many souls have been born of 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 ' his 
 hope and joy, and crown of rejoicing in the presence of our Lord 
 Jesus Christ at His coming.' 
 
 *' In the summer of 1858 he visited Newfoundland, where he 
 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 continually 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 otherwise 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 his stay here he was extremely happy. In all his letters to 
 me afterwards he referred to the great pleasure which his visit 
 afforded him. From Sydney we proceeded to Sydney Mines, 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 Cape Breton. I returned home. He crossed the Strait to 
 Nova Scotia, where he remained for some weeks preaching in differ- 
 ent localities, and where his name is still so savoury. On his 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 valuable and desirable portion* 
 of her Majesty's dominions. His estimate is found to have been 
 correct, and shows how observant he was. 
 
 " Some time thereafter I had the pleasure of paying 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 and 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 home ' to the General Assembly and Church of the First-bom, 
 whose names are written in Heaven.'" 
 
 The Rev. 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 1844, they drew to one another, and the inti- 
 macy remained uninterrupted to the last. His finely- 
 rendered testimony will be acceptable to many : 
 
 "New York, 
 
 " December 2nd, 1871. 
 "Rev. R. F. Burns, D.D. 
 
 "My dear Sir, — I very cheerfully comply with your request 
 to send you some brief personal reminiscences of your venerable 
 and venerated father. 
 
 " It was my enviable privilege to enjoy his friendship for nearly 
 a quarter of a century, and to share his confidence during a greater 
 part of that period. The intimacy of our fellowship was never 
 interrupted by a single misunderstanding. Its influence at the 
 time, on my mind, 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- 
 selfishness of his disposition, the generosity of his conduct, and 
 the warmth of his afi'ection. Mistaken in judgment, rash in utter- 
 ance, very resolute 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 ofl"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 fact, and biographical 
 incident. His memory alike retentive and ready, never seemed to 
 
DR. ORMISTON. FIRST MEETING. 433 
 
 lose a date or fact, place or person once entrusted to it. His inte- 
 rest in all that affected the welfare of society and the progress of 
 the province was deep and most 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 h e 
 was so thoroughly sincere, and so terribly in earnest that he often 
 seemed impatient of delay, and irritated by hindrances. He had 
 no sympathy with indolence, slackness or inefficiency, and he had 
 not only a noble scorn for anything mean, fraudulent or unreal, 
 but also possessed a rare faculty for detecting falsehood, preten- 
 sion, insincerity or imposture in others, and when fully satisfied in 
 his own mind in reference to such matters, no fear of personal in- 
 convenience or public disfavour could deter him from exposing 
 them. As a friend I ever found him trustworthy, sympathetic and 
 obliging ; as a brother in the ministry, faithful, affectionate and 
 true ; able in public ministrations, laborious in the active duties of 
 the pastorate, prominent and active in all the business of the 
 church courts, long associated with the management and instruc- 
 tion of the college ; a willing, effective advocate of every good 
 cause, and an unwearied worker in the field 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 field, by his great gifts, his diversified labours, his exhaust- 
 ing ungrudging efforts for the good of the church, he speedily won 
 for himself a high place in the esteem of his brethren, even of 
 those who felt themselves oft constrained to differ from him, and 
 a warm 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 I heard be- 
 stowed on him in every section of the dominion, wherever his elo- 
 quent voice had thrilled them from the pulpit, or 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 Burns. 
 
 " Well do I remember my own first personal interview with him. 
 It was during a visit he made to Cobourg, when travelling 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 the students. This in- 
 vitation Dr. Burns accepted, and to me his address was a rich treat. 
 A small contribution in aid of the then infant Free church was 
 made by the professors and students, and I was commissioned to 
 convey it to the deputy. I approached him with great diffidence, 
 but so hearty and genial was his greeting that the raw inexperienced 
 student soon felt at his ease with the great gifted visitor. As was 
 
 CC 
 
434 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. 
 
 his custom, ere we separated, he spoke directly to my heart, asked 
 my purpose in attending college, and what was my grand object in 
 life, and on ascertaining that I had devoted myself to the ministry 
 of the word, he said much to encourage and stimulate me. He 
 closed, what seemed to me, more like a father's counsel, than a 
 mere casual conversation, very solemnly, while he held my hand in 
 his, saying that the pulpit required a strong, richly-cultured mind, 
 and a sanctified earnestly devoted heart. I never forgot my first 
 interview, or lost the impulse it gave me ; and how many other 
 young men he has similarly counselled and cheered, "that day" 
 alone will reveal. He rests from his labours, but his works follow 
 him. It were as delightful as it would be easy for me to narrate 
 many an incident in our common experience, which would strik- 
 ingly exhibit and exemplify the leading traits of your father's 
 character, and specially mark the ripened mellowness of his later 
 years, but that is not required. 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 the 
 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 unfrequently 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 me in my youth, and his valued 
 friendship in my riper years. What a blessing it is that the as- 
 sured hope of re-union at home mitigates the grief of separation 
 on the way. They are not lost who have only gone before. 
 
 " T am, my dear Brother, 
 
 "Yours, very faithfully, 
 
 "• W. Ormiston." 
 
 The College Board and Senate, various Sessions, Pres- 
 byteries and Synods of the Church, together with the 
 General Assembly, besides different public institutions, 
 passed highly eulogistic resolutions. Papers and periodi- 
 cals were warm and hearty in their obituary notices. 
 Extracts from two or three of these will appropriately 
 terminate these memorials. 
 
 Some of his earliest literary efforts in Paisley were con- 
 nected with " The Philosophical Society," an institution 
 
■Hpan which none in the community has had a more 
 
 B^ponourable record. During his last visit he revived the 
 
 intimacy and associations of former times. This testimony 
 
 is all the more to be esteemed as being a deviation from 
 
 the ordinary custom : 
 
 '^ Paisley, 12th October, 1869. 
 
 " The society, having learned with deep regret that the Rer. 
 Dr. Burns had died in Toronto on the 19th of August last, cannot 
 allow the event to pass unnoticed. As the circumstances are special, 
 they in this instance depart from what has been their practice. Dr. 
 Burns was one of the earliest and most active promoters of the 
 objects of this society. Upwards of fifty-three years ago he read 
 papers, and in 1813 was vice-president. For several years he acted 
 as president ; and during his long residence here spared no pains 
 to contribute to the efficiency of the institution. On his recent 
 visit from Canada, the land of his adoption, he made himself ac- 
 quainted with the operations of the society, and took such interest 
 in the proposal to found a reference department in the Free Public 
 Library, that he offered a very handsome donation of valuable 
 works. His address on the occasion was worthy of his natural en- 
 thusiasm, and was not only touching in its allusions, but was an 
 eloquent and interesting record of successful work half a century 
 ago. The labours of Dr. Burns in connexion with this society- 
 abundantly show that he had that intuitiveness to discover and 
 that power to combine which are the bases of successful investiga- 
 tion, and that if his talents had been consecrated exclusively to 
 scientific or philosophic pursuits, he would have held a foremost 
 place in Britain. He is not the less to be valued because he devoted 
 himself to the welfare of his race through the channels of Christian 
 philanthropy ; and the society record with gratitude their sense of 
 the benefits which he conferred by his sympathy and exertions," 
 
 From the resolutions of the College Board of Knox 
 College we make the following extract, befittingly 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 pleased to remove by death the Eev. Pobert Burns, D.D., 
 Emeritus Professor of Theology and Church History in Knox Col- 
 lege, resolve to record, as they hereby do record, their high appre- 
 ciation of the consistent Christian character of their late venerable 
 father, and of the eminent services which he has rendered to the 
 
436 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. 
 
 college and to the church generally. They feel that any statement 
 of theirs can add nothing to the estimation in which he was held, 
 as his ability and zeal and devoted labours in behalf of all benevo- 
 lent and philanthropic and Christian objects have been universally 
 acknowledged wherever he was known. At the same time they 
 reckon it a jDrivilcge as well as a duty to give expression to the 
 sentiments of gratitude which they, in common with all their breth- 
 ren, entertain, that he was so long spared to take a prominent place 
 in building up and extending the Presbyterian cause in this land, 
 and that, by his disinterested, self-denying, unwearied eflForts, he 
 was enabled, through the blessing of God, 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 Church, and latterly as one of the 
 theological professors, he gave himself, with all his superior mental 
 and physical powers and spiritual attainments, to the assiduous 
 discharge of the duties devolving on him ; and even when, by rea- 
 son of advancing age, he felt himself constrained to resign his pro- 
 fessorship in the college, he continued as Emeritus Professor to 
 cherish an unabated interest in all that concerned its welfare ; and 
 such was his love of work in the cause of his Master, and such his 
 pleasure in it, that he persevered in conducting classes with his ac- 
 customed energy. To him the library of the college stands indebted 
 mainly for its present state of advancement. Even during his last 
 visit to Britain, from which he returned only a fortnight before his 
 death, he was largely occupied in seeking its increase ; and the 
 Board cannot but regard it as worthy of notice that, in the provi- 
 dence of God, he should have been brought back to be summoned 
 away, as he himself could have wished, within the walls of this 
 institution, whose welfare he had so strongly and abidingly in his 
 heart." 
 
 The General Assembly, meeting at Toronto in June, 
 1870 (the first held in Canada), passed a very full and 
 discriminating deliverance, from which we extract the 
 following : 
 
 ** The Assembly cannot take notice of the death of the late ven- 
 erable Dr. Burns without recording tlnnr sense of his qualities and 
 of the eminent services he was enabled, during a long series of 
 years, to render to the cause of Christ, They are thankful to God 
 for having sent among them ono who was so remarkably fitted, in 
 the public circumstances of this country when he came to it, to act 
 as an evangelist, in the best sense of that term. His unwearied 
 
II 
 
 GENERAL ASSEMBLY. "THE RECORD." 437 
 
 labours in preaching the Gospel, in every part of the land, in mis- 
 sion stations as well as in settled congregations, have contributed 
 in a high degree to the prosperity of this church, and have made 
 the name of Burns a household word in thousands of families — a 
 name which parents will mention to their children yet unborn, as 
 that of one whom they account it among the privileges of their lives 
 to have seen and heard. His duties as a Professor of Theology 
 were discharged with zeal and fidelity. He had a deep concern 
 both for the spiritual welfare of the young men under his care, and 
 for their progress in their studies. To his exertions mainly the 
 formation of the College Library was due. His preaching tours 
 had much influence in calling forth an increased liberality on the 
 part of the church, in sustaining the college, and his unabated in- 
 terest in the institution, even after he had become an Emeritus 
 Professor, was shown by some of the latest acts of his life 
 
 *' As a man, Dr. Burns could not be known without being loved. 
 He had a warm heart, and a large and genial nature. A man of 
 great breadth of sympathy, he was notably one who did not look 
 at his own things, but took a lively interest in the things of others. 
 He was generous almost to a fault. His overflowing and manifestly 
 sincere kindUness, his wonderful vitality, his unfailing flow of con- 
 versation, and the rich and varied information he was accustomed, 
 in all companies, to pour forth, made him in society the most de- 
 lightful of companions 
 
 " His character became in a singular degree mellowed ; alongside 
 of the spirit of power, which was always a predominant feature in 
 it, came out conspicuously the gentler graces of the divine life — 
 eminently among others, meekness and humility ; and no one could 
 converse with him without feeling that, day by day, he was ripen- 
 ing apace for the change which both he himself and those who 
 looked upon his marked and venerable form knew could not be far 
 distant." 
 
 The Record, the monthly journal of the church, devoted 
 several pages to an admirably -written sketch by the edi- 
 tor, from which we make a few selections : 
 
 " Most of our readers will have heard, before these paragraphs 
 meet their eyes, of the death of the venerable Dr. Burns. The 
 event took place on the morning of Thursday, 19th ult. , in Knox 
 College, in which, with his family, he was residing for a few days 
 before entering into a house of his own. He had returned from 
 Scotland, on Thursday, 5th, apparently in excellent health and 
 good spirits. He preached on the evening of the following Sabbath 
 in Gould street church, of which he was a member. With his usual 
 zeal for work, especially for preaching, he undertook to preach on 
 Sabbath, 15th, in two of the churches of the city, and also in Knox 
 
438 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. 
 
 church, on Sabbath, 22nd. But his working days were coming to 
 an end, and these engagements, so readily entered into, were not to 
 be fulfilled. The evening of Wednesday, 11th, he spent in com- 
 pany with his son, Dr. R. F . Burns, and a few friends, at the house 
 of the Rev, W. Gregg, and was, as usual, genial and pleasant. Dur- 
 ing the night he was seized with a chill, which returned in an aggra- 
 vated degree on the forenoon of Friday, 13th. Medical aid was 
 called in, and it was hoped for some days that he would soon re- 
 cover from what seemed to be simply a bilious disorder. But al- 
 though he rallied repeatedly, the improvement was only temporary ; 
 and, notwithstanding all that medical skill and affectionate atten- 
 tion could do, the disease still kept firm hold of its victim, and, as 
 already stated, he ceased from suffering, and entered into rest, on 
 the morning of the 19th. During the latter part of his illness he 
 was unconscious, and from the first he was happily exempted from 
 bodily pain. His son had left Toronto, and returned to Chicago, 
 but a telegram reached him in time to bring him back to see his 
 loved father in life, although in a state of extreme prostration. It 
 is a very remarkable providence that Dr. Burns should have come 
 back to die in Canada, for whose spiritual advancement he had 
 laboured so zealously, and within the walls of the college, where for 
 several years he was so frequently to be found, and whose interests 
 were ever so dear to him. In another column of the Record 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 
 Presbyterian Church. The communication referred to was begun 
 some days after his arrival in Toronto ; indeed he was engaged in 
 completing it even after the leaden hand of disease had been laid 
 upon him. He still intended to make some additions to it, but 
 was unable to do so ; and we now publish it as it is, believing that 
 it will be read by thousands with peculiar interest, as being the last 
 production of the pen of the venerable writer, the last work of a 
 public kind to which his hand was put, and as showing the very 
 strong hold which the church and her institutions had of Ms thoughts 
 and ajffections, even to the end." 
 
 The communication referred to above, in the preparation 
 of which that busy hand was arrested, is as foUows : 
 
 " Dear Mr. Editor, — We left Edinburgh for Liverpool on Fri- 
 day, the 23rd of July ; embarked next day in the fine Cunard 
 steamship Russia, and after a fair passage of nine days, reached 
 New York on Tuesday, the 3rd inst. After a day's sojourn in that 
 magnificent city of the 'Empire State,' we left by the Central Rail- 
 way, on Wednesday afternoon, and reached Toronto in safety. 
 
 '•It was at one time my earnest wish to have visited the Conti- 
 
LAST "ARTICLE." LIBRARY. SCHOLARSHIPS. 4S9 
 
 H nent, and in that case I might possibly have seen the celebrated 
 P discoverer of the ' Codex Sinaiticus/ and been favoured with the 
 ' actual inspection of that invaluable monument of an early century 
 in the Christian era. It had been indeed carried by the Professor 
 to St. Petersburg, and there made over to the Czar by purchase, 
 but it had been brought back again to Leipsic for the purpose of a 
 
 Ifac-simile transcription. This has 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-simile. The University of Edinburgh, I 
 found, had purchased a copy at the price of £34 10s. ; but this was 
 soon superseded by the gift of one directly, as I understand, from 
 the Emperor. The spare one was purchased by Principal 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 Pev. 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 Sinai ticus,' with ample collations from the Cottonian and 
 Vatican MSS. , with historical and critical prolegomena, and a variety 
 of miscellaneous illustrations. A German bookseller in Edinburgh, 
 told me that I could have the whole work for about £20 ; but as 
 this was beyond my means, I was obliged to content myself with 
 the Professor's supplementary 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 now in the 
 possession of the college library ; and though small, it gives a pretty 
 fair idea of the solid contents of the great work. I should think, 
 that were the managers of the Toronto University or of the McGill 
 College library at Montreal, to apply to the proper quarter, through 
 the Governor-General 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 Dominion of Canada, I print- 
 ed and circulated an ' Appeal on behalf of the Colonies of the West,' 
 my wish being, if possible, to obtain a few 'capitalized endowments' 
 of a permanent character. This was found to be rather up-hill 
 work ; and the only society or body of Christian men who entertain- 
 ed the idea, was the 'Scottish Peformation Society,' who at once 
 made the offer, on certain conditions, of -two bursaries of £10 and 
 £5 each, to the three Theological Colleges 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 be the leading 
 principles of the Protestant controversy ; and the manner of con- 
 ducting the comparative trial is left to the discretion of the Senate 
 in each of the Seminaries. 
 
440 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. 
 
 '' For the first time, the deputies from Canada managed to get a 
 fair hearing in the General Assembly of the Free Church. On all 
 previous occasions they were thrown into the back-ground, and 
 heard at a late hour, and by benches nearly empty. 
 
 " We owe it to Dr. Candlish that it was ordered otherwise this 
 time. On the Friday of the 'business week,' and at eight in the 
 evening, a full house listened to us ; and Mr. Cochrane, of Brant- 
 ford, and I, were cordially complimented and thanked by the 
 moderator, Sir H. Moncrieff, a noble chairman. Three points of 
 importance were pressed on the notice of the Assembly — our mis- 
 sion to British Columbia, our Red River Settlement, and our Gaelic 
 Bursaries. On motion of Dr. Candlish, seconded by Dr. Begg, all 
 these were handed over for consideration to the Colonial Commit- 
 tee, newly appointed, with Dr. Adam, of Glasgow, at its head. 
 On the Wednesday after the close of the Assembly, I was invited 
 to a meeting of committee, when a resolution was cordially passed 
 in favour of a renewed and friendly correspondence with the Foreign 
 Mission Committee of Canada, in regard to the first and second of 
 these subjects ; and as to the third, one bursary for fifty dollars, 
 engaged for during the present year. It is painful to reflect, that 
 the collections for the colonies have always been the smallest of all, 
 and that for years past the operations of the colonial scheme have 
 been sadly crippled for want of means. In addition to the Assem- 
 bly bursary, one clergyman of ample means, the Rev. Mr. McDou- 
 gal, late of Dundee, gave me twenty-five dollars for a second bur- 
 sary, and both of these, I expect, will be renewed from year to year. 
 
 " By the liberality of the Rev. Dr. Charles J. Brown and a few 
 other friends I was enabled to arrange with Messrs. Clark, of 
 George Street, for one hundred copies of the two volumes of ' His- 
 torical Theology,' by Principal Cunningham, to be sold at a reduced 
 price to the theological students at each of our colleges. The 
 books have arrived safe, and I will be happy to receive orders from 
 such of our young men, from 1867 to the present date, who may 
 not have already been supplied. The Messrs. Clark also presented 
 me with twenty volumes of their choice collection of foreign theo- 
 logical literature ; and these have been equally divided between 
 the Colleges of Toronto and Montreal. I have also brought with 
 me one hundred copies of the Free Church edition of the ' Confes- 
 sion of Faith,' which will be at the service of sessions, and minis- 
 ters, and students, at the rate of one shilling each. The theologi- 
 cal and literary stores of our colleges have also been largely 
 augmented by the presents of books from the libraries of private 
 friends. Some curious articles also, principally Chinese, have been 
 added to our museum. " R. B." 
 
 After giving a sketch of the leading events of Dr. 
 Burns' life, drawn chiefly from a very correct and com- 
 
"THE GLOBE." "THE RECORD." CHARACTER. 441 
 
 prehensive leader of the Globe, the article in the Record 
 goes on to say : 
 
 " Dr. Bums had many qualifications which fitted him for taking 
 a prominent position among his contemporaries, and for being a 
 standard-bearer in the conflicts which the revival of evangelical 
 principles, and the progress of social reforms, brought about in his 
 day. His varied endowments were of a superior order. His read- 
 ing was varied and extensive ; while a memory singularly retentive 
 and ready enabled him to have at command the results of his read- 
 ing. His style was clear, manly, and vigorous. His principles 
 were not taken up just to suit the times, but were conscientiously 
 held, and freely and fearlessly expressed. His energy was untiring^ 
 As a preacher he was evangelical, impressive, and often powerful. 
 His discourses were full of sound theology, enriched by apt illus- 
 trations ; and even to his latest years were delivered with remark- 
 able 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, sometimes with those who generally were to 
 be found on the same side with himself. But even those opposed 
 to him respected his thorough integrity of purpose, and his out- 
 spoken honesty. There was a heartiness about him which even 
 his opponents could not but like. It is pleasing to add that his last 
 years were full of peace and tranquillity. He had to a considerable 
 extent withdrawn from the arena of public discussion. His charac- 
 ter was more and more softened and chastened. , Some personal 
 misunderstandings were removed ; and we believe we only state 
 the truth when we say that, before his removal from us, there was 
 not one who did not cherish towards him feelings, not only of high 
 respect, but of warm afiection. 
 
 ''In private life Dr. Burns was genial and loving. His powers 
 of conversation were remarkable. It was impossible to weary of 
 his company, or in it. To the atudents under his charge he was 
 peculiarly kind and attentive. He manifested a warm interest 
 in their studies, and in everything affecting them ; and of those 
 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 unselfishness in regard to money 
 matters were remarkable. One instance of this maybe mentioned. 
 A few years ago the Doctor received a handsome sum of money from 
 one of the city congregations of Toronto, for whose benefit his ser- 
 vices had been for some time generously given. No sooner had he 
 received this gift than he freely gave it to establish a scholarship 
 in Knox College. Many other instances of this liberality might be 
 given. Indeed we can freely say that we never knew one so utterly 
 unselfish in this respect 
 
 "Dr. Burns has gone from us, and we can truly say that aprinc 
 
442 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS 
 
 and a great man has fallen in Israel. He has done more for our 
 Church in Canada than any other man. When few thought of 
 the spiritual wants of these 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 
 congregations. When a call was made for one to come and take 
 the 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, he was willing to 
 his ability — yea, and beyond his ability — to do whatever was needed 
 for the supply of ordinances, or for the promotion of the interests 
 of the Church, and the glory of her great Head. We thank God 
 for all that 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 his works do 
 follow him." 
 
 In the excellent funeral discourse of the Rev. J. M. 
 King, M.A., on the " Good Fight," occurs the following 
 beautifully -drawn portraiture of his character : 
 
 " The first feature which attracts attention, in contemplating the 
 character of the departed, is the extraordinary activity which char- 
 acterized him, his unceasing application to work, the wonderful en- 
 thusiasm and energy which he carried, even in age, into every un- 
 dertaking. Sabbath and week day ; morning, noon and night, till 
 failing sight made it imprudent or impossible for him to read much 
 in the evening hours ; Scotland and Canada ; our city, where his 
 form was so well known, and the remote settlements of 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 
 employed, working or planning work, preaching, teaching, glancing 
 through books with dim eye but with quick and sure discernment of 
 their spirit and worth, writing notices of brethren who had preced- 
 ed him to the grave, or reviews of works of literature, advising with 
 students as to their difiiculties, arranging the library or taking 
 means for its enlargement ; never inactive unless when compelled 
 to cease exertion through sheer exhaustion ; and never satisfied 
 with any past achievement, but forthwith embarking on new enter- 
 prises, laying new plans 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 in himself — his grief and annoy- 
 ance. His very holidays, his periods of relief from his regular du- 
 ties, were only times of, if possible, more continuous and exhaust- 
 
REV. J. M. KING, M.A. IRREPRESSIBLE ACTIVITY. 443 
 
 ing toil ; occasions of long and fatiguing journeys, and of almost 
 daily public services. 
 
 " Very closely connected with the preceding, and yet entitled to 
 a separate place in even an imperfect analysis of his character, was 
 the breadth of interest by which as a minister of the word and Profes- 
 sor of Theology in the Canada Presbyterian Church, the deceased 
 was characterized ; the solicitude, which he uniformly evinced for 
 the welfare of the whole church, and for all that could promote its 
 efficiency and honour. He was never the person to be satisfied 
 with the prosperity, however great, of one congregation, or one 
 corner of the field, especially his own ; while other parts of it might 
 be lying waste, given over to neglect and barrenness or something 
 worse. His soul was too large, and his interest in the things of 
 Christ too deep and intelligent, to be contented with so narrow a 
 satisfaction. The whole field, so far as observation or report could 
 make it known to him, was in his eye, and the weakest and neediest 
 parts were just the ones to excite his deepest solicitude, and evoke 
 his heartiest efibrts. The Presbyterian Church, since it attained 
 any considerable proportions, has never had a minister who could 
 with equal truth adopt the language of the Apostle of the Gentiles : 
 'Who is weak and I am not weak ? Who is ofi"ended and I bum 
 not V 'Now we live, if ye stdind fast in the Lord.' This rare but 
 most serviceable quality ; this breadth of view and interest, was in 
 part the cause and in part the consequence of the extensive evan- 
 gelistic journeys in which he engaged from the first, and in which 
 he persevered to the last. 
 
 " Not so apparent, perhaps, to those who knew him only in the 
 distance, as his wide and irrepressible activity, but not less real, as 
 forming part of the man and the Christian, was his great benevo- 
 lence of heart. All knew him to be abundant in labours ; not all, 
 though many, knew how strong and tender were his attachments, 
 how unexacting he was in the attentions which he claimed from 
 those around him, how prompt and active his sympathies with suf- 
 fering friends, and within how wide a circle these were exercised, 
 how open his hand to help a good cause or a needy person, how 
 ready to oblige on every occasion, and — what is more difficult — how 
 ready to forgive and forget a personal wrong, with all his pertinacity 
 in adhering to what he believed to be truth and right ; how uniform- 
 ly kind and cheerful, in these later years at least, his bearing 
 towards young and old. To this feature of his character, to its be- 
 nevolence still more than to its strength, to the cheerfulness of age 
 in his case, even more than to its extraordinary energy, is the afiec- 
 tion due, with which, throughout this Province and far beyond it, 
 his person was regarded. We are safe in saying that for many 
 years he did not enter a house but to make warm friends, if his en- 
 trance did not find them already such ; and so his name has become 
 a household word in the land, and the tidings of his death will 
 spread through it to awaken a tender regret in thousands of hearts 
 
444 LIFE OF KEV. DR. BURNS. 
 
 *'That form, in which was exhibited so singular a union of 
 strength and frailty ; the eye dim, the intellect clear and active ; 
 the limbs supporting with difficulty the still massive frame, the 
 voice ringing out its notes firm and clear ; the step slow and uncer- 
 tain, the memory running rapidly along an experience of well nigh 
 a century, and able to recall minute incidents at any point ; the 
 hoary wreath of age around the brow, the face lit up with the play- 
 fulness of childhood — that form, presenting contrasts so striking, 
 has passed away. It was a sight yesterday which men regarded 
 with wonder not unmixed with more tender emotion. It is only a 
 memory to-day, a memory, however, which many will cherish with 
 sacred respect for long years." 
 
 We have already quoted from Principal Willis' admir- 
 able funeral sermon. This chapter may appropriately 
 close with one or two additional quotations : 
 
 " My attention was drawn to our deceased friend in the compara- 
 tive youth of my own ministry, and towards the mid-time of his, as 
 one taking a very prominent part in the cause of evangelical religion, 
 and watchfully guarding the rights and interests of the Christian 
 people, at a time when this required no small vigilance and resolu- 
 tion. Men may acquire, on very cheap terms, the reputation of 
 friends of the evangelical interest, when the tide has come to tmn 
 in its favour ; but it is due to Dr. Burns to say that he stood against 
 the current when that ran in the contrary way. It is known that a 
 blight had extensively come over churches in Scotland, England, 
 and Ireland, half, or say three quarters of a century ago ; and in 
 the church of Scotland a full exhibition of the truth was, if I may 
 not say the exception rather than the rule, at any rate far less gene- 
 ral than happily it came to be in more recent years. Our deceased 
 father and brother took no unimportant share in the work of revi- 
 val, and reassertion of the true principles of our Scottish Presby- 
 terianism : — and, when I say Presbyterianism, I do not merely think 
 of church government, but of the catechetical and confessional doc- 
 trines of our loved native land. I know that in the sphere of his 
 immediate pastorate, (in Paisley) his influence was powerfully felt 
 in the very earliest years of his ministry. I remember — on occa- 
 sion, I thint it was, of my first revisiting Scotland, after my coming 
 to this country — that in a conversation held with me by a worthy 
 minister, now also deceased, who either was of Paisley as his native . 
 town, or during his student life had been familiar with that locality, 
 he said that the exertions of Dr. Bums there, in his youth and 
 vigour, told with most observable effect on the community. Not 
 that that Scottish town was without faithful spiritual labourers both 
 in other denominations and in his own ; but in his immediate pas- 
 toral sphere, and around, a far livelier interest came to be evinced 
 
PRINCIPAL WILLIS' FUNERAL SERMON. 445 
 
 in religious observances, appliances adapted to the young and to the 
 masses of the population were multiplied, and beyond his more de- 
 nominational range (so I understood my reverend informer) the ex- 
 ample of his energy and public spirit provoked to a praiseworthy 
 emulation." 
 
 " During his very latest years, though nominal on the honoured 
 emeritus list, he yet was liberal in his exertions, and constant in his 
 solicitude for the good of Knox College, When he prelected less, 
 he conversed as often or more. If we had his autumnal decay, we 
 had also his autumnal ripeness, and the benefit of his large expe- 
 rience. His affectionate interest in studious youth secured to them 
 
 at all times ready access to his counsels We shall miss his 
 
 well-known form, and well-remembered voice, within the walls 
 where he loved to linger, and within which he died. May the 
 spirit of Elijah rest on many of our young Elishas, in the influence 
 of his example of zeal, and laboriousness, and prayerfulness withal ! 
 Like other men he had his imperfections ; but his excellencies stood 
 out prominent, commanding respect and engaging esteem. Those 
 who differed from him, and contended with him, loved the man. 
 It was not his least praise that by affectionate blandness of manner, 
 united to remarkable powers of conversation, he made himself an 
 ever welcome guest in the humblest Christian abode : while he knew 
 and respected those conventional courtesies of reflned society, by 
 attention to which he could command the respect of the highest 
 class. And I can testify to another kindred disposition being con- 
 spicuous, one of the best tests of a superior mind, that, on questions 
 affecting the public interests, he was ready to receive light from 
 whatever quarter ; and on matters strictly professional, I have 
 known few who welcomed more cordially the unrestrained inter- 
 change of thought with friends or colleagues. I'ather — patriarch I 
 might say — of Canada's Presbyterian Church — rest in thy bed ! We 
 know who said, ' he is not dead, but sleepeth.' Sleep on a while ; 
 thou shalt stand in thy lot at the end of the days . Mourning rela- 
 tives may find joy in the thought, that the first morning 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 triumph from the grave, 
 and shedding so blessed a light on its darkness. 
 
 " Death, take your part : king of terrors, do your worst. We 
 know the limits of your power. It is not much you can do : it is 
 not long. Each returning Sabbath assures us of the completion, in 
 his people, of the triumph over the grave the Saviour has won in 
 Ms 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 trumpet, even they shall not prevent them who are asleep ! 
 * The dead in Christ shall rise first ;' not separate, but together 
 shall they ascend to meet their Lord, and enter with like joy on 
 their common inheritance." 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 I. Eaelt Histoky of Knox Church, Toronto. 
 
 My venerable friend, the Rev. James Harris, who is 
 enjoying a green old age, has kindly sent me the follow- 
 ing "Memoranda of the early history of the first Presby- 
 terian congregation of the town of York, now known as 
 Knox's Church, Toronto : 
 
 "The undersigned, a Licentiate of the Presbytery of Mona- 
 ghan, in connexion with the Secession Church in the north of 
 Ireland, having received the usual testimonials of good stand- 
 ing, as a probationer, sailed from Belfast, for Canada, on the 
 6th day of June, 1820. He, through the good providence of 
 God, reached Brockville about the 10th day of August, said 
 year. He was cordially received by the Rev. Wm. Smart, then 
 pastor of the Presbyterian Church in that town. He was urged by 
 Mr. Smart to proceed to the town of York, now Toronto, with as 
 little delay as possible, as the few Presbyterians residing therein 
 were anxious to be supplied with the preaching of the Gospel 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 whom he was recommended 
 by Mr. Smart. From said parties he learned that they had not 
 enjoyed, at any time previous, a regular supply of preaching — 
 that they had received occasional visits from the Kev. Mr. Jenkins, 
 at that time supplying the congregations of Richmond Hill and 
 Scarborough ; and the prospects, on the whole, were not encourag- 
 ing. 
 
 "There were, at that time, only two churches in the town of 
 York— one Episcopalian, under the pastoral charge of the Rev. Dr. 
 Strachan, late Bishop of Toronto. It was a neat frame building, 
 occupjdng the site of the present St. James' Cathedral, King 
 Street. 
 
448 LIFE OF KEV. DR. BUENS. 
 
 ' ' The other was a Methodist Church, a frame building, situated 
 at King Street West, large and commodious for the time. 
 
 " Although, at that time, Presbyterians were pretty numerously 
 scattered throughout most, if not all, the settlements then formed, 
 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 
 Ernestown, 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 was 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 
 Ketchum, 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 proceed with the ordina- 
 tion. The committee consisted of the Messrs. Smart and Boyd, 
 ministers. Mr. Boyd not having arrived in due season, Mr. Smart, 
 Mr. Jenkins, and Mr. Scholfield, 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 office of the 
 eldership on the 10th of August following. Mr. Mcintosh filled 
 the office about five years, when 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 take 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 which he had been, 
 for many years a zealous and faithful office-bearer. 
 
 ** The first communion was dispensed to the first Presbyterian 
 
REV. JAMES HARRIS'S NARRATIVE. REV. W. BELL. 449 
 
 congregation, on the 14th of September, 3823, to twenty-eight 
 members. Mr. Jenkins assisted on the interesting occasion. 
 
 " Thus he, who in much weakness, commenced his labours in the 
 town of York in 1820, was permitted, through God's infinite mercy 
 in Christ Jesus, through many infirmities 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 the two congregations, into which ar- 
 rangements the undersigned cordially entered, he demitted his 
 charge to the then recently formed Presbytery of Toronto, 
 
 *' It is now twenty-five years since the two congregations united, 
 taking the name of " Knox's Church," and the writer of these 
 notes records his decided conviction, that said union has, by God's 
 blessing, tended largely to promote the interests of Presbyter- 
 ianism, and in connection therewith of vital godliness in the city of 
 "^^^^^^^^ "James Harris. 
 
 John Iloss, Malcom McLellan, and Edward Henderson were or- 
 dained to the eldership in May, 1827. J. H. 
 
 II. Presbyterian Pioneers. 
 
 The Eev. 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 sailed on the 5th of April, 181 7. 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. Bell was treated with great kindness 
 by the Governor, Sir John Sherbrooke, and promised a free passage 
 to Perth, After waiting some days for the steamer Malsham, to be 
 ready to sail, they left Quebec on Saturday evening, 7th June, ar- 
 riving at Montreal on Monday morning, horses being employed to 
 help the steamer up the current St Mary into port ! 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 whole day through the forest, 
 swarming 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. Thom 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 : 
 " Some 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 
 patience 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 being 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 affairs — 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 affairs of the congregation. 
 
I 
 
 MR. bell's diary — EARLY STRUGGLES. 451 
 
 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 
 ^i'ented 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 Kev. 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. I set out for the K-ideau, 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 journeys on foot, part 
 oi 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 ofl&cials, it was refused on technical grounds, and three 
 months after he 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 the 
 purpose of trying to reconcile two parties of Presbyterians — Scotch 
 
452 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNa 
 
 and American — who were desiroiis 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 school-house had been built with money collected at Quebec 
 ;and other places, on a subscription list " for erecting a school-house 
 &i Perth, IJ.C., for the use of the Pev. William Bell." It had been 
 erected under the direction of the worthy secretary mentioned 
 above, on the public reserve, and by much diligence and sacrifice 
 of time on Mr. Bell'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 more than a year, until the church was ready for 
 use. About that time an Episcopal clergyman came to the settle- 
 ment, and Mr. Bell was unceremoniously ordered to give up the 
 school to him. The absurdity of this was so apparent that he re- 
 sisted for a time, but at length gave it up, observing in his journal 
 *' It is not safe living in Borne and plea-ing with 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 e\ery 
 house, shanty and tent, in the village and neighbourhood, spoke of 
 the sin of profaning the Sabbath, and requested the aid of all in 
 preventing it. This had the desired effect, and from this time for- 
 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 persecution, 
 which for violence of personal abuse, insults and legal prosecutions 
 would scarcely be credible if fully described in our happier days. 
 
 In 1829, afier a persecuting 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 
 
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 morning, the cold being intense, he wa* 
 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 casOj but it illustrates one class 
 of difficulties a minister meets in a new settlement, and among a 
 mixed population. 
 
 Numerous cases occurred in which the minister was expected 
 to settle disputes about property, to settle difficulties in families, 
 quarrels among neighbours, &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 the 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 GaeUc 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 congrega- 
 
454« LIFE OF REV. DE. 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 generally 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 already 
 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, ] 7th September (1820) our neigh 
 bour, Mr. Brizee, called to tell us that Elder Steven, from Bastard, 
 had just come in from Brockville with 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 
 blessings bestowed. 
 
 The Rev. George Cheyne, a laborious and faithful 
 Pioneer in the West, sends me these interesting items as 
 to his earlj 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 
 
AMHERSTBURG. MR. GALE. SCENE AT COMMUNION. 455 
 
 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 Aldborough, who, 
 however, was not present. I was sent 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 some measure of success, 
 for nearly twelve years. 
 
 "An incident, worthy of note, might be mentioned. In the 
 autumn of 1832 I 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 the 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 j)reach 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 EpiscopaHans, bat 
 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. DR. BURNS. 
 
 there was the place for one or more services. On the Sabbath 
 there was a good congregation, but where they came from I could 
 not see. Being the only Presbjrterian 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 f ulhlled on 
 my return. 
 
 " In 1836 I set out in the beginning of January, preached on 
 Sabbath, in the township of Mersia, and in the course of the week 
 proceeded to Tilbury East, on my way to Chatham, where T had 
 arranged to preach on Sabbath. T 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 tilled — some from six miles with 
 children to baptize. They had no way of travelling but on ox- 
 jsleighs or foot. 
 
 *' 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 kindly remarked I should be 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 jmt 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 abundantly 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. C. GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF 1868. 457 
 
 Scotland, is reaping the benefit of it. But • wh;it a friend gets is 
 not lost' you know. 
 
 "Geo. Cheynk.** 
 
 P. S.— From the great distance I was never able, while at Am- 
 herstburg, to attend meetings of Presbytery, except at the meeting 
 of Synod. 
 
 III. Dr. Burns' Addresses before the General As- 
 sembly OF THE Free Church of Scotland in 
 1868 and 1869. 
 
 We have made reference to Dr. Bums' last appear- 
 ance before the Free Church General Assembly in 1869, 
 when he was greeted with what the Edinhurgh Daily 
 Review describes as " loud and long continued applause ;" 
 and received what Dr. Guthrie styles a complete "ovation." 
 The Eev. W. Cochrane, of Brantford, then accompanied 
 him. His reception the year previous was not the les» 
 cordial, when he a{)peared 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 j^merican Possessions, comprehends what 
 is known under the name of the Dominion of Canada, together with 
 some colonies not embraced in that Dominion, Ontario, Quebec, 
 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 off 
 and placed in circumstances unfavourable to its progress, still we 
 have had every cause of gratitude to God for the encouragement 
 given in respect to the planting of churches and settlement of minis- 
 ters, and the diffusion of the gospel generally through these colo- 
 
458 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. 
 
 nies, Twenty-two years ago the number of Presbyterians in Can- 
 ada was small. The number of ministers that adhered to the 
 principles of the Free Church in 1844, was only twenty. Since that 
 time we have got large accessions from young men trained in the 
 country, and by those sent out by yourselves and others, and by 
 the union that has lately been realised between the branch of the 
 United Presbyterian Church in Canada, and the branch of the Free 
 Church planted there ; so that we have now 260 ministers — (applause) 
 — 13 presbyteries, 2 colleges, one of them — Toronto — in existence for 
 now twenty-two years, and has sent forth about 170 ministers, most of 
 whom are still labouring in the field, though a considerable num- 
 ber have ceased by reason of death. There are 42,000 members in 
 full communion, and a body of elders in proportion. We thank 
 God for what has been done in that Province. Lower Canada, pro- 
 perly speaking, is a very limited portion of the field allotted to us, 
 because you all know that Popery was established in that country 
 nearly a hundred years ago, and when the number of adherents to 
 that system is 900,000 out of a population of little more than a 
 million. Still, in Montreal we have a large representation of our 
 views in congregations and able ministers ; and so also in Quebec. 
 But our principal field is in Canada West, now known as Ontario, 
 and we rejoice in the impression on our minds that God has owned 
 us in this field, and given us cause to hope for greater progress. 
 We have also a considerable number of seminaries, for the prelimin- 
 ary training of young men preparing for the ministry. In Nova 
 Scotia, we rejoice in the gratifying progress and in the union that 
 has taken place. The Dalhousie college, founded originally by a 
 highly respected relative of a noble lord, a member of this Assem- 
 bly, after being kept back from the full exhibition of its blessed 
 results, by circumstances beyond our control, has of late years been 
 placed in circumstances exceedingly favourable for the instruction 
 of all the young men of difierent denominations, exclusive only of 
 those connected with the High Church Episcopal party. In con- 
 nection with Dalhousie College, we have the theological seminary, 
 so long under the charge of Professor King and others ; and there 
 is another college for the training of teachers, under the charge of 
 Dr. Forrester. There are circumstances very favourable to the ad- 
 vancement of religion. In New Brunswick and Newfoundland we 
 have also cause to thank God and take courage. Perhaps the most 
 important feature in these churches is the high-toned missionary 
 spirit elicited, particularly in Nova Scotia, including New Bruns- 
 wick and Eastern and Western Canada. The maritime provinces 
 have done much in foreign missions, and our Canada church has aid- 
 ed them in that way. Vancouver's Island and British Columbia 
 have been in a sense committed to our church, and have sent forth 
 devoted ministers, to whom you have been kind enough to give 
 support. I hope the attention of the Colonial Committee will be 
 more and more directed to this point of the British dominions and 
 
EEVIEW OF CANADA PRESBYTERIAN MISSIONS. 459 
 
 the Red River Settlement. There are not fewer than from 350 to 400 
 trained in the colleges of Halifax and Canada since their commence- 
 ment. We have also had to impart spiritual aid to seven or eight 
 stations in the United States where Scotchmen are settled, and our 
 arrangements with the United States Presbyterian churches about 
 these stations have been of a very agreeable kind. (Applause.) Both 
 in the maritime provinces and in Canada an important union was 
 lately consummated between the Presbyterian churches more imme- 
 diately in alliance with you and the brethren of the United Presby- 
 terian Church in Canada — (applause) — and the brethren of the 
 church in Nova Scotia not marked exactly by the same designation, 
 but still substantially part and parcel of the same great body. In 
 regard to both these unions a considerable period has been permitted 
 to elapse before the consummation took place. Now that that con- 
 summation has been completed, the results are advantagous, and one 
 reason is that both in the one country and the other, our impression 
 is that the great principle which for some years had separated the 
 brethren, has been arranged in such a way as was consistent with 
 the leading principles that we, as members of the Free Church 
 entertained, and do entertain. (' Oh, oh,' from Dr. Begg.) The 
 principle on which we set a high value, not higher than it was en- 
 titled'.to, stands with us still. I am quite aware that there has been 
 ft feeling in certain quarters that there has been some ambiguity in 
 the terms employed. That feeling was cherished by some at the 
 time of the union. I have always maintained that in both unions 
 the principle is substantially the same. ' Hear, hear,' from Dr. 
 Begg and the left of the chairman .) And we have gone on in the 
 spirit of love. Many points there are unquestionably of mutual 
 forbearance. (Loud cries of ' Hear, hear.') We agreed together 
 in holding the great principle of the Headship of Christ over the 
 nations — (cheers and counter cheers) — comprehending in that a 
 general and vague idea of certain Christian influences to be difi'used 
 over the whole masses. We have not been satisfied with that. 
 ('Hear, hear,' from the left of the chair.) We have maintained 
 that nations as such, and the rulers of this world in their legislative 
 and executive capacity, are bound to act under the laws of Christ, 
 and to give their influence in helping on the cause of Christ. (Re- 
 newed applause from the left of the chair.) At the same time, in 
 regard to the question of the time and circumstances and mode in 
 which financial aid is to be given, we did allow forbearance. (Loud 
 applause from the right of the chair and all parts of the house.) On 
 that subject liberty was given in both Provinces to hold varied 
 opinions. (Renewed applause.) But in regard to the great obliga- 
 tion laid on rulers to own the authority of Christ in all things, and 
 when circumstances in providence call for it, to consecrate their in- 
 fluence and substance — (' hear, hear,' from Dr. Begg, and laughter) 
 — that principle we hold — only at the same time we allow a latitude 
 of opinion as to the way in which that principle may be developed. 
 
460 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. 
 
 (Loud cheers from the right and other parts of the house.) This was 
 peculiarly necessary in our case from the difference of opinion 
 that prevailed, and the fact that a great number of us coming out 
 of Scotland felt that we could not accept aid from a State that had 
 virtually rejected evangelical principles. We published our views 
 on that subject twenty years ago, and while we held fast to the 
 principle T have alluded to, we have, at the same time, declared 
 that for us to accept of endowments in circumstances in which we 
 were placed might have the effect of rendering our testimony some- 
 what ambiguous — (laughter) — looking like a change of sentiment 
 from the views of the Free Church, and necessarily interposing an 
 obstacle in the way of a vital and substantial union with other de- 
 nominations. On these grounds we acted on the principle of for- 
 bearance in regard to the specific application of the principle, while 
 we hold that principle in a firm and unambiguous manner. No 
 doubt a number of years elapsed before that. Had there been any 
 disposition to surrender that great principle, the union would have 
 been consummated sooner. But we thank God for what has been 
 done to present a more powerful front to the common enemy, and 
 I believe, by a late computation made, the Presbyterians of all de- 
 nominations, including those, of course, belonging to the Establish- 
 ed church, form the first in point of number of all the Protestant 
 denominations in the whole Dominion of Canada, and even in 
 Prince Edward's Island and Newfoundland, where they have not 
 seen meet to fall into the Confederate track. We wished to live in 
 love ; yet we could not but feel that there were hindrances to the 
 progress of religion and Presbyterianism. We find also that Pres- 
 byterianism is peculiarly adapted to the genius of the people, and 
 recommends itself even to those who do not come under the desig- 
 nation of Presbyterians. But there is every reason to think, if our 
 colleges are well supplied, and able ministers are sent forth, from 
 time to time, standing firm and fast by the standards of the church 
 — there is no question at all that, by the blessing of God, we may 
 expect not only peace and harmony, and progress among ourselves, 
 but the extension of the Gospel in districts beyond those immedia- 
 tely allotted to us. (Much applause.) When we think of the Indian 
 mission, which is now going on most successfully — when we think 
 of the French mission, in connection with which there are six stations 
 — we are encouraged to hope that our Colonial churches will be one 
 of God's instruments of great and growing usefulness in building up 
 the walls of Zion, which are salvation, and setting up its gates, which 
 are praise. I rejoice that it is again permitted me, after having 
 passed my fourscore years, to visit the land of my fathers, and to 
 rejoice with you in the bright prospect set before us." 
 
 The following, extracted, in substance, from the same 
 source, gives but an inadequate idea of his last address 
 
RED RIVER AND OTHER MISSIONS. 461 
 
 before the Free Church General Assemby in 1869, which 
 
 excited a very deep interest : 
 
 ** Dr. Bums, who was received with loud and prelonged applause, 
 said he rejoiced to have another opportunity given him to say a few 
 words in regard to the great interests of the land of his adoption. 
 He had not been in Canada since he last addressed the General 
 Assembly, though if God spared 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 his labours for the past 
 twenty-four years with something of renewed relish, springing from 
 what he had seen and heard in that Assembly, and also in friendly 
 private intercourse with brethren. But though he had not been in 
 €anada since he last addressed them, he had been in regular cor- 
 respondence with the official 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 Presbyterian 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 back somewhat 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 appeals in any quarter. 
 At the Disruption, instant application was made from the Selkirk 
 settlement in the Hudson's Bay region to be furnished with minis- 
 ters. The Colonial Committee 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. With these there have also been sent two 
 missionaries to the aborigines, and application has been received for 
 a sixth minister. Now, surely, it is very interesting to find that 
 such a number of congregations, holding by Presbyterian order, 
 and appearing by their representatives in the Synod of the Presby- 
 terian Church in Canada, have been fixed in that colony — a field 
 never touched before. And this has been occupied by the Cana- 
 dian church without aid in men or money from any other source 
 whatever. And now he was instructed to bring earnestly under the 
 notice of the Free Church Colonial Committee the desire of the 
 Canadian church to have some help in regard to the mission to the 
 aborigines in the Red River Settlement. The second point to which 
 he was instructed to call attention was in regard to British Colum- 
 
462 LIFE OF REV. DR. BURNS. 
 
 bia, including Vancouver's Island and the great Saskatchewan 
 Valley, 1,000 miles long and 300 miles wide, now laid open to set- 
 Uers from all parts of the British empire. It was gratifying to have 
 been able to send out three missionaries io 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 missionaries. 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 his 
 instructions, to call attention to the claims of tritish 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 lauguage 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 beha'.f 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, concluded his address, amid warm applause, by a touch- 
 ing and eloquent peroration.'' 
 
 THE END. 
 
SECOND SERIES. 
 
 Extract from the Preface. 
 
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 leading doctrines and the practice of our Church are stated, illus- 
 trated, and defended, yet in such a manner that the themes never 
 fail of earnest personal application." 
 
 Edited by the Rev. William Gregg, 
 Professor of Apologetics , Knox College. 
 
 Same size as the "Pulpit." 
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