in proportion as churches become careless and indifferent to these they will cease to have spiritual prosperity.

FIRST TOUR TO THE NORTH.

In one town

In the autumn of 1797, Messrs James Haldane and John Aikman made a journey to the northern counties of Scotland and the Orkney Isles, accompanied by Mr Rate as far as Inverness, for the purpose of preaching the gospel and ascertaining as far as possible the state of religion. On that tour they saw that many parts of the country were in a most deplorable state of destitution of the pure gospel. they went to church and heard sermon. The minister represented the gospel as a contract between God and man, of which the equitable condition, he said, was repentance and sincere although imperfect obedience, which God, he added, was too just and too good not to accept. (See "Journal of Tour," 16th July.)

Statements equally erroneous and dangerous they heard on their journey from many pulpits in the Establishment, which caused them much grief, and roused their spirits in publishing the glad tidings of salvation to the people. Since the days of Whitefield this was a new undertaking, faithfully executed and remarkably blessed; and perhaps it was more extensive than any other tour of the kind except by the same persons or some of their immediate brethren.

When they returned to Edinburgh they reported what they had seen, and heard, and done. Their report induced some of the friends of the Redeemer to consider whether anything could be done more effectually to enlighten the dark parts of our native land with the light of life, and awaken greater attention in the minds of the people to the concerns of eternity.

HOME SOCIETY.

Accordingly, on the 28th December 1797, a meeting of a few friends took place in Edinburgh, to consult regarding the state of religion in Scotland, when a plan was digested for sending the gospel to the more destitute parts of it; and it was then agreed to form a Society for that purpose, which was to be called "The Society for Propagating the Gospel at Home." The first General Meeting of this Society was held on the 11th of January 1798, when a committee was appointed, and a statement containing an account of its rise and progress was ordered to be published.

The plan and rules of the Society will be found in the Missionary Magazine for 1798, p. 60. Its object was by every proper means to promote religious knowledge at home. For this purpose it was proposed to employ approved men as itinerant preachers, to whom a certain district should be assigned; to encourage schools, especially Sabbath schools, throughout the country; to promote the reading of the Scriptures; to circulate pious tracts; to establish libraries of books on practical

religion, and to defray the expenses of such ministers or others approved by the Society as were found willing to preach in towns and villages in their neighbourhood on Sabbath or week days. In short, to adopt any approved plan of religious instruction.

AGENTS OF SOCIETY.

The Society employed two classes of agents. First, catechists, pious young men, whose duty it was to plant, superintend, and teach evening schools in the villages, confining the attention of the children to the subject of religion. The second class of agents were ministers of known character, brought from England, such as Messrs Rowland Hill, Bennet, Slaterie, Burde, Parsons, Hay, Bogue, Loader, Taylor and Rate, besides those who had been raised up in Scotland, as Messrs Aikman, Haldane, Ewing, Cleghorn, Ballantyne, Innes, and Ward, minister of an Episcopal Chapel at Old Deer, Aberdeenshire.

In consequence of such a novel state of things, an alarm was sounded from the pulpit and press throughout the length and breadth of Scotland, and not a few Presbyterian dissenters were as loud in denouncing the new sect, as those agents were called, as were the Established clergy.. Struthers, in his "History of the Relief Church," p. 402, tells us that "the Missionary Ministers, in their preaching tours, drew around them immense crowds, and that before the close of 1799 nearly forty catechists were travelling throughout the length and breadth of the land; that thirty or forty thousand tracts had been distributed; and the whole of the north of Scotland was thrown into a blaze. The Established clergy complained that the world was going out of its place, and the old landmark of things, both civil and sacred, was fast disappearing."

MISREPRESENTATIONS.

It was said by those who opposed the plans respecting religion which were then being pursued, that "they were the effects of a deep-laid design, in which every circumstance was previously arranged." But nothing could be more false, for, on the contrary, like most things in human affairs, they arose one out of another, frequently without the agents in them perceiving the next step they were to take.

When the Messrs Haldane and others commenced operations in connection with the "Society for Propagating the Gospel at Home," none of them had left the Established Church, nor did it seem to themselves, for a while, so obvious as it did to others, that such a step was likely to be the result of the line of conduct which they had begun to pursue, and the sentiments which they had for some time entertained. Even when the Circus was opened by Mr Rowland Hill, on the 29th of July 1798, as a place of worship, and sermon kept up in it by a rotation of ministers from England for some time thereafter, no idea was entertained of forming another religious party, their sole aim was the conversion of souls and a revival of religion.

SABBATH SCHOOLS.

The Sabbath School Society was also looked upon by the clergy with suspicion and jealousy. That Society was considered and opposed by them, as but a modification of lay preaching. One argument used against Sunday Schools by the Seceders of the north was, "that some of the teachers pronounced the Apostolic benediction at the close of the service, and that this was a function to be performed by no one but a regularly ordained presbyter." A Sabbath School teacher, who had been summoned to appear before the Presbytery of Turriff, to give an account of the circumstances which had induced him to violate the statutes obligatory upon those who become teachers of religion, and by which they were compelled to obtain licence, and to take certain oaths of allegiance to Government, received a letter from Mr Cowie of Huntly, saying, "it is my opinion that you should not go near the presbytery nor mind their summons. They cannot imprison you, as they have no civil power. And if any of them call upon you, you may tell them you have commenced to be a preacher, and this will free you from all trouble from the law. Only you must exhort as well as examine, in order to act up to your new character as a preacher. And if questioned, I shall give you a licence to preach." In the same letter it is stated, that "three of the ablest advocates in Edinburgh, after searching diligently into the Scotch law on the particular question, gave it as their opinion that Sabbath Schools are of the nature of religious exercises, and come in under the Toleration Act, which in Scotland is very ample and full; and that the law does not even require the teachers to take the oaths to Government unless they please. The Act which the Kirk of Scotland builds upon, was made on the back of the rebellion in 1745, against Papists, to keep them from teaching schools, and it refers only to schools for reading, writing, arithmetic, languages," &c.-(" Memoirs of John Morison," pp. 139, 140). In the Memoirs of Mr Morison there is an excellent satire on clerical bigotry, in the form of sermons. The first text is John vii. 49, “But this people, who knoweth not the law, are accursed." The second text is Acts ix. 34, "All with one voice, for the space of two hours, cried out 'Great is Diana of the Ephesians,'" (pp. 143, 184.)

Struthers, in his history, page 402, says, "In the year 1797 a new Sabbath School Society was also originated in Edinburgh, independent of clerical superintendence, which had for its object to set up Sabbath Schools in destitute localities. Connected with each teacher there was to be a committee, who were to aid him in the devotional exercises, and one of them, in rotation, was to deliver a short address to the children, parents, and any poor destitute persons that could be induced to attend. It was just a modification of lay-preaching, and was intended, at little expense, as no salaries were to be given, to diffuse the gospel and make private Christians useful to each other. All around Edinburgh the plan met with much public favour, and was soon introduced into the principal towns in Scotland.

In the year 1798 the Relief Synod unanimously decreed "That no minister belonging to this body shall give or allow his pulpit to be given to any person who has not attended a regular course of philosophy and divinity in some of the Universities of the nation; and who has not been regularly licensed to preach the gospel." This was evidently designed to exclude from their pulpits English ministers and others engaged at the time in itinerances in Scotland. This illiberal act of the Synod was, in 1811, allowed to drop out of the code of their regulations, as something they were ashamed of. The General Associate Synod, on the 2d May 1798, passed a similar act, in the following terms :-"The Synod, therefore, agree in declaring, that as lay-preaching (or preaching by persons not invested with any ecclesiastical office) has no warrant in the Word of God, no person in the communion of the Secession Church ought to countenance the public ministrations of such persons." It is added, “And they appoint, that if any person in our connexion shall be found to do so, the presbytery or session shall deal with them according to the degree of their offence."

In the course of the following year, the Antiburgher Session in Perth exercised discipline on Mr William Glimmon for hearing his own son preach, who was a godly minister in the Relief connexion. This man, rather than confess that he had committed sin, left the connexion in the eighty-third year of his age, after having been with them above half a century. ("Glimmon's Narration," printed by Ritchie, Edinburgh.)

In the same spirit, the Cameronian Church at Glasgow, in 1796, pronounced the conduct of certain of their members" sinful and offensive, in having attended a missionary sermon, preached by Dr Balfour in behalf of the Glasgow Missionary Society. As they would not submit to censure, the process terminated in their expulsion from the denomina tion." (Struthers, p. 403.)

The General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, somewhat in imitation of the example of these dissenters, on the 28th of May 1799, unanimously prohibited all persons from preaching, in any place under their jurisdiction, who were not licensed by some presbytery, and also those from England, or any other place, who had not first been educated and licensed in Scotland. And resolved that a "Pastoral Admonition" be addressed by the Assembly to all the people of their charge.

At this period prayer-meetings were so discountenanced by the clergy that the members of them, in order to keep out spies and informers, were admitted by tickets.—(“ Memoir of Mr Douglas," Cong. Mag. 1839, p. 260.)

Copies of the pastoral letter were sent to the Sheriff of every county and the chief Magistrate of every borough. The Procurator of the Church was authorised to proceed legally against unauthorised teachers of schools, on some old Acts of the Scottish Parliament against Papists and Malignants.

GREVILLE EWING'S RESIGNATION.

On Wednesday, May 29, a reference from the Synod of Lothian and Tweeddale was brought forward in the Assembly, against a sentence of the Presbytery of Edinburgh. Mr Ewing, minister of Lady Glenorchy's Chapel, in December last, gave in to the Presbytery a letter of resignation of his charge as a minister of the Church of Scotland, which they accepted. No protest followed against this decision, but a member of Presbytery brought the matter before the Synod, and the Synod referred it to the Assembly. After a short debate, it was unanimously agreed to adopt the same sentence as was pronounced in the case of Mr Bayne in 1766, namely, that Mr Ewing be no longer considered as a minister of this Church, nor allowed to accept a presentation to any parish or living in it; and that no clergyman employ him in any manner, unless this sentence shall be taken off by a future General Assembly.-(Edinburgh Advertiser of same date.)

The Society immediately put forth a reply, denying all and every one of the accusations brought against them in the Assembly's Pastoral Admonition, and referring, for their vindication, to their previous publications, and to the conduct of their agents.

Mr Ewing also replied without delay, by publishing in the principal newspapers a letter on the subject, addressed to the editor of each respectively. Mr Rowland Hill published a series of letters in answer to the same Pastoral Admonition, as also remarks on their attempt to suppress the establishment of Sabbath Schools. And Mr Burden published his reply in the newspapers of the day. All these replies will be found in the Miss. Mag. for 1799.

NOTES OF THE MONTH.

THE MAGAZINE.

Ir is but due to some of the churches to mention that we begin this year with an increased circulation. As an example of what can be done, one church has increased the number by two-thirds; another that took twentyseven copies now takes thirty-six. But there is still very considerable room for improvement. A further increase of two hundred would make it what the committee want it to be. The Publisher has handed us several letters of commendation and encouragement from subscribers ; one from a brother, or rather father, who says, "I have been a reader of the Magazine, under its different names, more or less, for the last sixty years," but, while thankful to the writers for their courtesy and kindness, we refrain from publishing such extracts.