WORK AMONG THE MOUNTAINS - Burns, William Chalmers

Chapter viii

1840

I shall never forget, ” says one to whom Mr. Burns “was more than any other man, “”the first time i saw him. It was at lawers, on sabbath the 16th of august, 1840. The whole country was ringing with the wonderful movement in kilsyth, Perth, and Dundee, with which his name was associated. It was rumored too that a short time before a person had died in connection with one of his services. A great multitude assembled, not only with the ordinary feelings of curiosity, but with feelings of wonder and solemnity deepening almost into fear. I can remember the misty day, and the eager crowds that flocked from all directions across hill and lake. The service was of course in the open air, and when the preacher appeared many actually felt as if it were an angel of god. There was an indescribable awe over the assembly.

Mr. Burns’ look, voice, tone; the opening psalm, the comment, the prayer, the chapter, the text (it was the parable of the great supper in luke 14), the lines of thought, even the minutest; the preacher’s incandescent earnestness; the stifled sobs of the hearers on this side, the faces lit up with joy on that; the death-like silence of the crowd, as they reluctantly dispersed in the gold-red evening the whole scene is ineffably daguerreotyped on my memory. It was the birthplace of many for eternity. Last year (1868), when a deputation from the general assembly visited the presbytery of breadline, in connection with the state of religion, a venerable minister stated that such of the subjects of that gracious work as still survive adorn the doctrines of god our saviour in all things. Most of the congregations in the district received the divine shower. mr. Burns’ labours in breadline, or the romantic district that lies along the margin of locality, took place between the periods of his first and of his second visit to Aberdeen described in the last chapter, and constituted altogether one of the most interesting and characteristic parts of his whole evangelistic course. Here he was peculiarly at home. The solemn fowns of the everlasting hills and the great shadow of the supernatural which they seemed to cast even over the spirit of the people were congenial to him. The sabbath stillness too, and the fresh and healthful upland air, contributed to restore tone and vigor to a frame on which the fevered atmosphere of city life and city work had begun sensibly to tell. Never probably at any period of his life was he more happy in the best sense than during this interval of quiet thoughtfulness and restful labour kneeling in lonely prayer in some forest thicket by the river or mountain side, or standing up before those arrested crowds that hung upon his words, silent and solemn as the mountains around. Never, probably, were the sacred impressions produced by his preaching more deep and spiritual than here, or the tendency to an unhealthy and nervous excitement less. The following graphic words from the writer already quoted were true of him at all times, but at this time emphatically so: “like the baptist he came preaching repentance, and with terrible earnestness warned the thousands that flocked to hear him to flee from the coming wrath. Like the baptist, too, he was independent of home ties lived, as it were, in the wilderness, ‘making himself grandly solitary for the work of Christ! his very eyes left their light with you after he had gone. . . . And yet there was an Isaiah like grandeur about his expositions of the gospel. When his lips were touched with the live coal, it was indeed a feast of fat things to hear him. And even when he was straitened, which he often was, owing to the incessant demands upon him, there was always something precious which stuck fast in the memory.

To this interesting period of Mr. B. ‘s labours we propose to devote the present chapter; but it will be proper before entering on it, to glance briefly at the course of his movements during the three preceding months. 302 for some weeks after he left Aberdeen, those seasons of “straitening/’ of which Mr. Mac gregor speaks, had been more than usually frequent and painful to him. The reaction of feeling and the physical exhaustion naturally succeeding a time of high excitement, produced a languor alike of mind and body, which even his vigilant self-jealousy could not avoid attributing, in part at least, to other than spiritual causes. Thus at Dundee, may 3d, at the close of a sabbath’s services, he writes, “i was tired and had not much of the lord’s comfortable presence in my work, feeling that i needed rest for the body and a season of solemn retirement to meet with the lord in personal communion. and again at Stirling, may 6th, “i did not come here with an expectation of doing much, on two grounds: 1st, that my bodily strength was much reduced; and 2d, my mind needed recreation to restore its elasticity and power. yet even then, sometimes the bow drawn at a venture, albeit by an enfeebled hand, would send an arrow of divine conviction home to some favored heart: “i was going out, ” says he, may 13 Th , “on Monday night among the people, and dropping words here and there, i somehow looked up the stair when the people were coming down, and the eye fixing on a young man, i pointed to him and said aloud, ‘will you come to Christ? on Tuesday this young man came to me in great distress, and told me that he was a smith belonging to scone, who was living there when i was in Perth, and often attended our meetings. He said he often wanted to be awakened, and wondered how he was so little moved, when so many around him were. He remained in his undecided state until these words were so remarkably directed to him. They went like a knife to his heart, and seemed to bring him to the foot of the cross! ” he struggled on in the endeavor to fulfill engagements already made, till a decided attack of illness compelled him to pause and “rest a while” under the hospitable roof of collarless manse, where his kind friends mr. And Mrs. McFarland welcomed and nursed him with an affectionate tenderness, which he never afterwards forgot. In a week or two, however, he was at his work again, preaching to large and deeply moved audiences in various places in fife shire, and meeting with unexpected encouragement and support even from some of those ministers who would have been thought least likely to favour his line of things. Dr. Barclay of kettle, the oldest minister of the church of Scotland, then in his ninety-first year, who had been always ranked amongst the moderate party, shook him now Dr. McFarland, of the free church, deathlike, warmly by the hand as he came down from the pulpit, saying, “i thank you most heartily, ” and urged him to return. Dr. Ferris of conquistador, reputed of similar views, made him free alike of his house and of his church, entered with the deepest interest into all the solemn scenes which attended his preaching, and told him that “while he was with him he was to act exactly as if he were the minister of the parish. in the neighboring parish of ans truther, then under the pastoral charge of Dr. Fame’s son, he had a like freedom of action, and a like open and effectual door of access to the consciences and hearts of the people, all the ministers of the place cordially uniting their congregations to form one deeply solemnized audience, in the midst of which “some of the most hardened sinners of the town were seen turning pale as death and shedding tears” under the preacher’s appeals. Here he was in the midst of interesting scenes and reminiscences. Mr. Fame’s manse, ” he writes, “is the same that the celebrated James Melville, minister of east ans truther after the reformation, lived in, and i spent most of my time on Saturday as also on sabbath in his study, a little room over the stair which juts out from the house on the outside. It is called ‘the watch tower, ‘ and is well suited to the name, as it has three small windows looking east, west, and south, from which one can see almost all the town and the whole firth. and again, two days afterwards, July 1 st , “i spent the day chiefly alone, seeking personal holiness, the fundamental requisite in order to a successful ministry. I was in burleigh castle for an hour on the first floor, which is arched and entire, having climbed up by a broken part of the wall. Before me i had to the right queen Mary’s island in pinochle, and to the left the lomonds, where the covenants hid themselves from their persecutors, and i stood amid the ruins of the castle of one of their leaders. The scene was solemn and affecting, and i trust the everlasting Emmanuel was with me. O that i had a martyr’s heart, if not a martyr’s death and a martyr’s crown! after rapid visits to strathmiglo, milnathort, cleish, kinross, and dunfermline, he now proceeded westward by stirling, gargunnock, and kippen, to kilsyth, and thence, after nearly a month of quiet pastoral work, which was to him almost like repose, northward to those scenes amongst the “sabbath hills, ” where we have now to trace his footsteps. He had left kilsyth on the 12 th august, and after spending two days of incessant labour in Glasgow, proceeded northward via chlorination and glen falloch to lawers, where he commenced his labours on sabbath the 16 th , the day 303 referred to by mr. Macgregor, and thence advanced gradually eastward to fortingall, aberfeldy, logierait, moulin, tenandry, kirkmichael, as god in his providence opened the way, welcomed everywhere by a solemnly expectant and willing people. Our space will only admit of a very few characteristic extracts from a journal which we would gladly give entire: “inveterate, Friday, august 14 th i traveled to inverarnan, at the head of chlorination, where i slept. Nothing particular occurred by the way, except that i spoke to one or two of my fellow-travelers, wandering in quest of pleasure, and was generally in such a dead frame of soul that i had to remain below, and could not dare to open my mouth in the lord’s name. At inverarnan i spent much of the afternoon in wandering about and admiring the grandeur of the lord’s works in this mouth of the highlands of perthshire. I noticed two things among the people as affording an index to the nature of the privileges they had enjoyed. Some seemed to have full knowledge of a kind that is only to be got by hearing the most spiritual and systematic of our Scottish preachers, and one woman i met on the road who seemed to me a perfect specimen of a groaning hypocrite (perhaps i am doing her injustice the lord pardon me if i am); as soon as i began to speak to her, she wrung her hands and twisted her features as if trying to manufacture the symptoms of repentance, &c. This agreed well with what i know had been the lord’s dealings with this part of the country. They have had under some ministers the very best preaching, and some of the people retain not only the mould of the doctrine taught them, but the recollection of the deep and overpowering emotions which it produced in the hand of the spirit upon many minds at a former period; particularly about twenty years ago, when breadalbane, &c, was signally blessed of the lord, under the preaching of mr. M’donald and other godly ministers. Evening, i had a meeting in the toll-house adjoining the inn, with about twenty persons, chiefly men, who seemed solemnized. The innkeeper was not very anxious for this meeting when i spoke of it to him. He had much scriptural knowledge, and many of his expressions put me in mind of mr. MC donald’s phraseology, but his attachment to his trade seemed stronger than his theology. His family i was much interested in, and they upon the whole received me well, though i did not spare the publican’s trade even when mrs. M’callum was present. I this forenoon traveled by the dunkeld coach from inverarnan to lawers, up glen falloch, down glen dochart, and by killing along the side of loch tay, a splendid route for a great part of the way. I did little on the way but sigh occasionally over the poor people whom we passed, and to wish them an interest in Emmanuel. I also gave away one or two little books to highland boys in their kilt, who hung upon the coach from time to time. Dear boys, they looked surprised and pleased! At killin i breakfasted along with two young gentlemen on a fishing excursion, who seemed to eye me suspiciously with my black clothes and white neck cloth, and took care to allow me to begin breakfast before them, i thought, in order that i might not ask a blessing aloud. When leaving them i said, ‘i am a fisher too. ‘ they looked grave, and one of them said, ‘ oh ! A fisher of men, i suppose. ‘yes, ‘ i said, ‘but like other fishers we have often to complain of a bad fishing season. ‘ they smiled, and so we parted. I arrived at lawers at one p. M. , and found mr. Campbell a truly pious and very kind man. His partner equally so evening, i walked up the hill, and prayed for the outpouring of the holy ghost. I had, however, to walk by faith and not by sense. lawers, Tuesday, august 18 th we had a prayer-meeting at twelve, when the church was three-fourths filled. Mr. M’kenzie began, and was followed by mr. Campbell, both in Gaelic. This occupied nearly two hours, and when i went to the pulpit i found it my duty to dismiss the people without detaining them any longer, offering, however, to converse with any individuals who might desire it. From one hundred and fifty to two hundred waited about the door, and with these i engaged in prayer. During the prayer the spirit of god was mightily at work among us, so that almost all were deeply moved, and one man cried aloud. Mr. M’kenzie said that he almost never felt in the same way as at this time. After prayer i addressed the people in a series of miscellaneous remarks tending to bring them immediately to surrender to jesus. Many i saw in tears and among these a number of fine stout young highlanders. We then prayed again, when the impression continued, and concluded by singing psalm 31:5. in the evening i preached at six o’clock to a crowded and most solemn audience from isaiah 45:22, and enjoyed some degree of assistance, i think. We concluded about nine o’clock, but just as the people were going away ‘a woman that is a sinner‘ cried out vehemently, and we had to stay and pray again. Many of 304 the people were in tears, and among these some stout hardy men. Praise to the lord! It is sweet to see how the people show their kindness when their hearts are opened to jesus. During these few days there have been four fat lambs sent as presents, some to mr. Campbell and some to me, with many other articles, such as butter, &c. “bread al bane, for tingall, Friday, august list. . . . The people were met at the tent, but the wind being high we adjourned to the church. I spoke with assistance at the outset from psalm 72:16-18, and had considerable enlargement in prayer. The subject was conversion; text, Matthew 18:3, and in discoursing upon this i experienced more assistance in attempting to speak home to the very marrow of men’s souls than at almost any other time (a few occasions excepted). Two wicked men could not stand it, as we supposed, and retired from their seats. Many others, and among these the stoutest men, were in tears. At the conclusion, when i had pronounced the blessing, i sat down in the pulpit in secret prayer as usual, but to my amazement i heard nobody moving; and waiting a full minute i rose and saw them all standing or sitting, with their eyes in many cases filled with tears, and all fixed on the pulpit. It was indeed a solemn moment, the most solemn mr. M’kenzie and mr. Campbell said they had ever seen. I asked them what they were waiting for, and whether they were waiting for Christ. I prayed again, when there was the utmost solemnity, and then spoke a little from a psalm which we sung, and then parted at four p. M. The people retired slowly and most of them in tears. We dined at the manse; when all were very serious, and came away immediately in order to hold a meeting in this parish at six o’clock. As we came along the road we overtook some men and women in deep distress, as their tears and sober countenances indicated, and their iron grasp when we shook hands with them. Many also came to their doors and recognized us with evident concern. At six we had a meeting for an hour and half in a house at the east end of this parish, when about a hundred were present. Praise to the lamb! “breadatbane, ardeonaig, sabbath, august 23d. This morning i crossed the loch at a quarter past eleven, along with hundreds of the people, to preach at the missionary station of ardeonaig, under the charge of a most primitive christian minister, Mr. M’kenzie, a nephew of lachlan m’kenzie, late minister of loch carron, a very remarkable and eminently honoured minister of Jesus. The tent was placed on the hillside behind the manse, very nearly on the spot where it stood in the days of the former revival under Mr. M’donald of urquhart, and the minister who then was placed here, the eminently godly Mr. Findlater, whose memory is sweet in this neighbourhood. There was an immense assembly, collected from a circuit of from twelve to twenty miles, which could not amount to less than 3000. Mr. M’kenzie began in gaelic at eleven. I succeeded him in English at one, preaching from Ezekiel 33:11. I felt a great- uplifting of the heart in pride before god, and though i was enabled so far to get over this as to be able to speak boldly and strongly upon the ‘evil ways’ of men from which they are called to turn, yet i could make nothing of the display of Jehovah’s love which is made in the words, ‘as i live, i have no pleasure, ‘ &c; and though i stopped and prayed with the people for assistance, yet i had to conclude abruptly, having nothing to say but what would profane and degrade in the eyes of the hearers these marvelous words. I came into the house at four o’clock, much cast down on account of the reigning vanity and pride, and self-seeking of my desperately wicked heart, and was driven to my knees, when i found the lord very gracious, and had a sweet anticipation given me of the lord’s presence in the evening, when we were to meet in the church. Accordingly we met at six o’clock. I did not discourse on any set subject, but was led to speak upon the psalm which we were to sing (psalm 102:11-14), and in this i felt so much enlarged, that both people and preacher were tenderly moved with a view of emmanuel’s love. After we had prayed i made a few additional remarks of a miscellaneous kind, which seemed also to come home to the heart. When we were separating, some individuals began to cry aloud. I tried to quiet them, as i am always afraid that they are in danger of drawing the attention of many who are less affected away from considering the state of their own souls. However, they could not be composed, and when i went up to the gallery, where the most of them were, i found to my joy that they were persons from fortingall, who had i suppose been impressed on Friday. We took them along with a number of other persons in the same state into the manse, and after prayer sent them away, though not in the best state for going to so great a distance. Praise! I saw a number of men in the church much affected, but they did not come so prominently forward, being better able to restrain their feelings. . . .

Lowers, Tuesday, august 25 th we had a meeting here at one o’clock, of thanksgiving to Jehovah for his glorious work in the souls of the people here during the past days. It was conducted chiefly in gaelic by mr. Campbell and Mr. M’kenzie. I spoke a few words at the end, from psalm 149:1-4. The people seemed in a very solemn frame. As we came from the ferry-boat, we looked into the old church on the loch side, now used as a barn, and joined in giving the lord praise for the marvelous displays of his saving grace made in it to many who are now in heaven! Evening, we had a public meeting at six. The evening was fine, and the audience could not be much under 700, i think. Many had come a distance of 8 miles. I was, as yesterday, brought under a deep sense of my inability to say anything to the lord’s glory previous to our assembling, but i was aided in my extremity in no less a degree. I read mark 9:41-50, and preached from luke 16:16. I believe i never spoke more faithfully in the pulpit than at this time from these three particulars: he that presses into the kingdom of god i. Sets his whole heart on Christ. Ii. He gives up all that would prevent his following the lord fully. Iii. He fights his way to heaven through the opposition of his enemies. 1. The devil. 2. The world. 3. The old man, &c. &c. There was very little visible emotion among the people, but the most affecting solemnity and most riveted attention.

It was as if the veil that hides eternity had become transparent, and its momentous realities were seen appearing to the awe-struck eyes of sinners. We parted at a quarter-past nine, after pressing on the people to retire directly home to the throne of grace. I am told to-day (Wednesday) by Mr. Campbell that for a quarter of a mile from the church every covered retreat was occupied by awakened souls pouring out the heart to god. He seems to think, from all that he saw and has heard to-day that last night was the most solemn season that we have had at this time. Praise, praise! O humble me, good shepherd, and be thou exalted over all! Amen. “lawers, &c, Saturday, august 29 th i left my dear and kind friends at half-past twelve by the coach, after visiting a young man on his sick-bed, a son of the baptist minister. Many of the people recognized me as we went along. Mrs. M’n or Mary m’g, who was on the road, burst into tears and threw herself down upon the dyke. We had a delightful drive. At kenmore a gentleman in clerical dress, who had been on the front of the coach, addressed me and said, you have very affectionate hearers; i am glad to see it. I am a minister of the church of England, and have under my care fifteen thousand souls in the heart of London/ &c. Another English gentleman who was standing at the inn said to me, that is one of the excellent of the earth, his name is Mr. W. He was a missionary, but had to come home from bad health, and is now traveling from the same cause. ‘ he had a livery servant with him. He left us at elderberry, and i went down and spoke to him while the horses were changing. He seemed a sweet, humble christian man. ‘oh ! he said, ‘that is a heavenly scene, if we had only a heaven within; at least i want that/ &c. We parted with christian salutations. The lord’s people are indeed one in him, though separated in the world. . . . Wednesday, September 9 th i rode up in the forenoon to b. , the property of Mr. S, Perth, where he and his family at present are; with the view of preaching at tenantry church, near which they are. The scene is the most sublime that i have almost ever seen, including the pass of killiecrankie, &c. &c; but i have no time, even had i the power, to describe the grandeur of the lord’s works in nature. I felt the temptation to be unfaithful to the ‘rich man’ with whom i was called to live, and through this compliance unfaithful also to the poorer classes around. If we are unfaithful to the rich and great all our faithfulness to others must be more or less hypocritical. This i felt, and being made to cry to the lord for help, i got so completely over it that when preaching in the evening at tenandry, with the s. ‘s, mrs. H. Of s. , the builder of the church, &c, present, i spoke boldly and openly of many things that the rich alone could understand, and which they would find it hard to bear unless they would unreservedly submit to Christ and his cross. We met at five o’clock; i spoke from Hebrews 4:7. At first i had assistance enough to expound, but not enough to reach the conscience with keen exhortation and reproof. However, after praying, i got this for a considerable time, and the people were so much affected that all were riveted in their looks, and some were weeping audibly. The plan followed was this: i considered the meaning of, ist. Hearing god’s voice. 2d. Hardening the heart. 3d. The arguments against this sin. (a) our losing the promised rest; (b) our having been long called already ‘after so long a time; ‘ (e) our being called ‘to-day. after i had prayed i sought to improve these truths by selecting a few passages of god’s word, such as ‘ye must be born again, ‘ &c; ‘come now and let us reason together; ‘ and pressed the people by the arguments of the text to hear and 306 obey these immediately as the voice of god. It was this part that seemed to come chiefly home. We had an after-meeting with the anxious, who seemed to be numerous. ‘ . . . (“this service, ” says one who was present, “lasted from five o’clock till nine, beginning early for the convenience of those who had long distances to walk home, and continued late because the hearers hung upon the preacher’s words until the sun had set and the full moon had arisen. It was a memorable night in the history of many. “) “logicality, sabbath, September 13 th the morning was fine, and an immense congregation assembled at twelve o’clock in the churchyard, with whom i continued uninterruptedly until five p. M. , singing, praying, and preaching the word of life. The subject was 2 Corinthians 5:19-6:2. The people were very solemnly affected, indeed more visibly so than on any previous sabbath that i have been in the highlands; at one time many were crying aloud in agony, and tears were flowing plentifully throughout the audience. One of the addresses that seemed most signally blessed originated in a somewhat remarkable way. As i was about to engage in prayer at the middle of the service, i noticed two young gentlemen looking down upon the audience from a little eminence a few hundred yards distant from us; and feeling a strong desire to say something that might arrest them in their carelessness at so awfully solemn a time, i called on the people of god to join me in praying for them, and spoke so loud that they could easily hear me.

When i was doing this a third young man ascended to my view, and joined his companions. The three put me in mind of the three young men who were so remarkably converted at the kirk of shotts, when going to edinburgh to be present at some scenes of public amusement. I told this anecdote, enlarging upon many things which it suggested with much liberty, and the impression seemed to be deeply affecting. The young men in my view, as soon as they heard me speaking of them, and had the eyes of the congregation turned upon them, withdrew from their position and came near; concealing themselves behind the church, where they no doubt heard what was said. The rich people, with very few exceptions, remained to the end; and some of them i thought seemed solemnly affected, at least for the time. Some of the most pointed appeals were addressed specially to them. Mr. B. Seemed satisfied, and gave me encouragement to come to him again. Both he and Mr. C, of moulin expressed themselves as agreeably disappointed, having expected to hear something very exciting, and not solid and sober. “Monday, September 14 th this day i spent chiefly alone, in letter-writing, &c, having no meeting in the evening. Oh! How sweet and profitable to my soul i find a day on which i have no public duty! Would that i had more such, if it were the lord’s holy will ! In ordinary cases they would be absolutely indispensable, but when the lord moves in so mighty and sovereign a manner as he is doing now, the mountains become a plain. “wednesday, september 16 th . . . During the time of our meeting i noticed a farmer of the name of m’g. Of h of grandtully, come in and stand listening with the most riveted attention to what was said. He was a rough-looking man, and one whom i noticed in this character the first night that i was at grandtully, saying to myself, ‘ how wonderful it would be to see that man brought under conviction of sin. From his appearance at logierait on sabbath, and now at this meeting, i entertained a hope that this might be the case. When i came out and met him, my hope was agreeably confirmed. Having to go from home on business, and being anxious to be at our meeting at grandtully in the evening, he had set out very early, and was now returning in the utmost haste. When he heard that i was at balnaguard he sent home his horse that he might be present and accompany me home. We accordingly had a good deal of solemn converse on the way. He seemed under deep concern, and pressed me to go in, though my time was nearly gone, and pray with them. I did so, and hardly had i entered when the room was filled with old and young, collected from the harvest-field. Without saying a word we joined in prayer, and so remarkably was the presence of god granted that all were in tears, and some cried aloud. After prayer i left this scene, which was certainly one that displayed the finger of god as much as any one in which i ever was, and walked home in company with r. D. , a stepson of m’g. s, and the boy who cried out in the church at gratefully on the first night that i was there. He seems to continue under deep concern, and has got some comfort since that time. He went, dear boy, with me to carry my bag. When we had got to a considerable distance, a number of those who had been affected in the house came running across the fields to meet us again, weeping bitterly; but i did not encourage this, and sent them to secret prayer. I arrived at gratefully by five o’clock, and hardly conscious of fatigue. the lord will give strength to his people/ ‘as thy days, so shall thy strength be!

Here we must reluctantly break off this remarkable and deeply interesting itinerarium. Remarkable and interesting i cannot doubt that it will be regarded by every christian mind, however differently men may judge in regard to some of the points which it naturally raises for consideration. It brings indeed into the strongest relief at once that in him which in the view of all was most admirable, and that which was most peculiar, and, in the view of some, opens to question. In particular the predominantly, sometimes almost exclusively subjective character of his ministry stands out in the broadest light. He spoke, apparently could speak, only what he felt, and that only while he felt it, and so far as he felt it. He must utter the very present experience and conviction of his soul, or be silent altogether. Out of the abundance of the heart alone could his mouth speak. The declaration of a mere intellectual belief, or remembered conviction of the past, seemed to him a mockery, and almost a falsehood. His preaching was thus in the strictest sense a cardiphonia the voice of an instrument that could sound only as the breath of the eternal spirit of god swept over it. Truths merely known, believed, arranged in logical sequence in the mind or in written discourse, was to him no message from god to human souls; but only truth “quick and powerful, ” and glowing in living fire within the heart. Most significant in this point of view are such expressions as these found in his journal: “i could not speak at that time for the whole world. he said afterwards to a friend (referring to an occasion at moulin), “that the adversary of souls had been at his right hand the whole time; and that each statement which he sought to make from the word of god seemed to be contradicted by a voice within as soon as made. at another time he felt as if the people might see through his very eyes the hypocrisy and falsehood of his heart, while he uttered mechanically the sound of words, the life and power of which he did not feel. I offer no opinion now in regard to the profound question here involved: whether the principle on which he acted was in itself just; or whether, if just for him, the course of action to which it led were a fit precedent and example for other men. The question is not even properly raised in this form, for his whole ministry during those remarkable years was so plainly exceptional that no warrantable inference can be drawn from his case to that of others. His function and vocation was rather that of the old prophets uttering from time to time the message and the “burden” given to them under the immediate impulse of the spirit who gave it, than that of the priests whose lips ought at all times to keep knowledge, and to impart its sacred lessons to others even when for the time they enjoy not the full sweetness of it themselves. Even those who may think that the principle on which he acted was carried out by him to too extreme a point will scarcely deny the general truth, that however it may be with the other functions of the pastoral office as of instruction, admonition, counsel, persuasion, consolation for the special work of awakening souls an awakened and immediate sense of eternal realities is of all things most essential. It may be possible enough to explain a doctrine or enforce a duty without anything more than a general and habitual conviction of the truth involved, yet surely if we would make others weep we must weep our- selves. At least if in this matter he erred, he erred on a safer side than that of those who would divorce altogether the message of the preacher from the experience of the man, and who can discourse of the deepest and most sacred exercises of the soul with an equally free and fluent speech, with a cold and with a burning heart. Better a single word spoken in the spirit, than a thousand words of mere sounding breath; better to utter in a few broken sentences a real message from god, than to speak with the tongue of men and of angels a heartless, soulless message of our own. After all it can scarcely be doubted that the extreme fluctuation of feeling and of consequent freedom of utterance manifested in these journals was in great measure owing to that exhaustion of the vital powers, and that lack of opportunity for studious meditation which the incessant labours of this period entailed; and that in more favourable circumstances his spiritual experiences might have been more equable, and his power in the pulpit more constant. It would appear from expressions which occur here and there in the journals that this was occasionally at least his own impression, and there is much in their general tenor which goes strongly to confirm that view. It is observable how often his times of deepest depression immediately succeeded his times of highest elevation, as though the one were at least in large measure the reaction of the other. The temporary quiescence of the feelings, equally with the corresponding languor of the bodily frame, was but the inevitable and even salutary result of the sudden unbending of the bow 308 which had been too long and too tightly bent; and it was his trial rather than his error that he could, during these three remarkable years, so seldom obtain that needful restorative repose. It was in circumstances such as his that the gracious master, who knoweth our frame and remembereth that we are dust, said to his disciples, when they were worn out with the greatness of their labours and with those manifold distractions which left them no leisure even to eat, “come ye yourselves apart into a desert place and rest awhile/’there was no such interval of retreat permitted to him now; but the enjoyment of that precious boon was reserved for another and not distant day.