or responsibility, towards his Maker; any habits,-without feeling and without refear of the consequences of sin, or any morse, who "glory in their shame,”—who desire of future happiness, than if laugh away all virtue, ridicule every Atheism were his creed, or the Christian noble sentiment, scoff at religion, invent revelation a dream! The man I speak oaths,-who care neither for God nor man, of possesses possibly many points of great nor any creature but themselves, and out attraction; he may have refined manners of whom everything pure and generous and tastes; is fond of reading the current seems to have departed! These, as lowlight literature of the day; is probably a bred artisans, are the rude, riotous, and good sportsman, and sufficiently well in- drunken, in mobs, or "pleasure excurformed to be an agreeable companion in sions,"-as clerks and shopmen, are seen general society. He is never openly gross by their companions in their true colours, or offensive in word or life, and is capable of after ten at night on the streets, or in warm attachments and loyal friendships. taverns, -as rich men's sons, are the Yet there is wanting in him all depth or leaders on the fashionable promenades of force of character. He is impulsive, self- ultra puppyism,—the boasters of all vilewilled, and readily yields to the influences ness in private, the free and easy in bilwhich surround him, if they harmonise liard rooms, the loungers in the saloons at all with his bent. He has no idea of an of theatres,-the tempters of the weak, attempt even at vigorous self-control, but and the despisers of the good, men makes a soft easy self-pleasing the end whose highest ambition is to be thought of his existence, with as little annoyance knowing on the turf, to be of authority to others as possible. Dislikes church; in sporting matters, familiarly acquainted though he may go occasionally "to please with Tom this the famous jockey, or Jack his mother" or 66 aunts," yet prefers a that the well-known huntsman or whipperlong sleep and a long walk; is always late in; and who covet greatly to be well up in for family prayers, when there are any, their information about all wickedness takes everything easy, and "likes a quiet in general, but to be profoundly ignorant life." Yet such a man, I doubt not, of everything thoughtful and serious as has his moments of reflection, when unworthy of a "fast man!" If the reader questionings are put to him by con- understands my hero, I think he will science, which disturb his peace, and agree with me in my opinion, that could make him uneasy; and times of great I address such an one with all the depression of spirits, with a keen sense of arguments which might be supposed the nothingness of things which he would capable of stirring the heart of man, and be glad some one would explain to him, of gaining the soul to God, it would be and help him to remove,-hours of sober with as much chance of success-huthought, when even an anonymous manly speaking, as if they were addressed writer might gain a kindly hearing from to the swine, or to the devils that entered him. There are various shades of this into them! So I shall suppose all such species of character, all of whom are "too young men, from the gambling halfgood," as the phrase is, "to be wicked," tipsy collier, to his worthy brothers in but who, alas! are also too wicked to be the grand stand, or at Baden-Baden, as good; yet who may not scorn friendly excluding themselves from my audience, counsel, and become what they ought with most supreme contempt for all I to be. could say to them, if by any accident they could hear or read my words. But there is a class common to all ranks, from the most vulgar Manchester or Glasgow workshop, to the most fashionable London or Paris Club, which I would expect no hearing from could I ever address them. Men young in years, but old in sin,-cold, cunning, selfish; gross in their passions, and debauched in their But if I can hope to be heard by all the others I have hinted at, how much more by the many thoughtful, sincere, and moral, who have greater knowledge of religion, truer convictions, more serious aims, higher aspirations, but who, to their own pain, are uneasy and restless in their minds, irresolute of purpose, weak in practice, not knowing whither they are going, yet wishful to go along the path of duty; not miserable, yet not happy; not "bad," yet not pious; not unbelievers, yet so weak in faith as to seem without it; seeking, yet not finding; and if finding, soon again losing and forgetting. How many dear to Christian families and friends, amiable, affectionate, promising, are among this number, whose great want is decision. Here I should bless God, if I could be helpful to them; for I am sure they would give me a hearing. In the hope of again meeting, and again being permitted to address you, without formality, but as a brother to brothers, with such thoughts as come from the heart, and such words as come to the pen, to give them meaning, I bid you farewell at present. One word before we part, read Mark x. 17-31. SKETCHES OF SCOTTISH ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. THE first object distinctly recognized, in | The authorities for the History of Ninian are-Bede, Ecclesiastical History, B. iii., C. iv. vol i 271, 272. Usher, Britannicarum Ecclesiarum Antiquitates; the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, Monumenta Historica Britannica, 303; and Aelred, Abbot of Rievaux, Vita Niniani Pictorum Australium Apostoli, published by Pinkerton in Vita Antique Sanctorum qui habitaverant in ea parte Britanniæ nunc vocatae Scotia. The work of Aelred, written between 1153 and 1166, was founded on an earlier bio. graphy. Vita Niniani, 3. Lives of English Saints, Ninian, 9. The memory of Ninian lives in the churches and chapels dedicated to him in various parts of Scotland. Ancient British Church, 169, 170. Chalmers' Caledonia-i. 315, 316. + Fidei regulas. Vita Niniani, 4. him. He desired to behold in the land of vision the glory of Him whom his soul loved.§ He left his father's house, and renounced the hopes of earthly wealth and power which, as the scion of a noble family, he was entitled to cherish. Visiting Italy, he resided for sixteen years in Rome.|| In that city, which he had been taught to regard as "the Metropolis of Religion," he studied the writings of the Fathers. He would learn from Jerome the principles of Biblical interpretation. The Apologies of Justin Martyr would prepare him to give to every one that asked him a reason of the hope that was in him; Athanasius would confirm his attachment to the orthodox creed of the Council of Nice; whileGregory of Nazianzen would enable him to detect, under a specious veil of sophistical reasoning, the heresy of Apollinaris respecting the incarnation. He would find, in the works of Ambrose, the depravity Aestuabat. Vita Niniani, 4. § Vita Niniani, 4. Lives of English Saints. No. VIII. 42, 77. The churches planted in the great cities of the Roman Empire claimed, in the age of the Apostles, no ecclesiastical jurisdiction over other churches. The bishops of Rome began in the fourth century to entertain the opinion that, as the successors and representatives of St. Peter, they were entitled to exercise spiritual authority over the world. The progress which they had made in realizing this monstrous fancy is described by Neander. Church History, L. 294, 298. III. 235, 247. of human nature distinctly recognised; kindred, who hid himself from the eyes and must have made some approach of men in a little cell, wearing a few palm toward the comprehension of the doctrine leaves round his loins, and wasting his of the atonement, if he read that fine flesh by fasts and vigils, was pronounced Epistle to Diognetus,* in which we are by Basil, by Athanasius, by Chrysostom, told that God "gave His own Son as a by Jerome, to be the special favourite of ransom for us; the holy one for the un- heaven. The Apostles had instructed holy, the sinless for the sinful, the just their converts to draw near to the Father for the unjust, the incorruptible for the in reliance on the mediation of His Son. corruptible, the immortal for the mortal. The leaders of the Nicene Church exFor what could cover our sins but His horted the people to avail themselves of righteousness! In whom could we the the intercession of the glorified saints wicked and ungodly be justified but in with God. The Thessalonians had been the only Son of God? O sweet exchange! taught to expect that the coming of the O unsearchable contrivance! O benefi- man of sin should be after the working cence exceeding all expectation! That of Satan, with all power, and signs, and the guilt of many should be hid in one lying wonders. The sacred orators of righteous being, and that the righteous- Cæsarea, of Alexandria,. of Milan, enness of one should justify many transgres-couraged their hearers to believe that sors." He might enjoy the privilege of the relics of martyrs could heal diseases, hearing, from the lips of Augustin, an restore the dead to life, and "keep hosts earnest testimony borne in favour of the of barbarians at bay." We cannot doubt truth that the Spirit of God is the only that the heathenish notions which were Being who can regenerate the corrupted maintained by the greatest preachers and heart of man. Eusebius, Tertullian, and polemics of the age affected injuriously Cyprian would present to him a beauti- the character of the young Novantian ful portraiture of the purity, gentleness, Prince. and self-sacrificing love which the early Christians were accustomed to display. If a thoughtful man, acquainted with the system of theology unfolded in the Scriptures, had visited Rome or Constantinople in the fourth century, he would have seen corruptions, dogmatical and ethical, pervading the Christian community. A bishop, Paul had said, must be blameless, the husband of one wife. The marriage of the priesthood was regarded by the Nicene Fathers as incompatible with an elevated order of Christian excellence. The believer had been described by John as a faithful servant of God who lived in the world, boldly facing its trials, earnestly striving to ameliorate its condition. The enthusiast who left his home, who broke the ties that bound him to his This Epistle is found among the works of Justin Martyr. "Its language, its thoughts, and the silence of ancient writers," prove that it was not written by him. "The Christian simplicity which everywhere pervades it is an evidence of its high antiquity." Neander's Church History, II. 425. + Justin Philosophi et Martyris Opera Epistola ad Diognetum, 9. p. 238. Ninian received episcopal consecration, at Rome. He visited Martin of Tours, whose ascetic life had awakened the admiration of the Western Church. He returned to Galloway in 397.§ He erected a church of white stone, to which the name of Candida Casa was given, in the neighbourhood of the Loucopibia of Ptolemy, the modern Whithorn. Under the shadow of this structure, which bore but a slight resemblance to the splendid basilicas of Rome, he organized a small society of monks, who assisted him in instructing the young and performing the offices of religion. His labours produced a considerable impression on the Novantian people.** The diocese assigned Ancient Christianity, and the Doctrines of the Authors of the Oxford Tracts for the Times. Neander's General Church History, iii. 207-211, 316-393, 471-485. § Lives of English Saints. Ninian, 77. ¶ Vita Niniani, 6, 11, 16. Wilson's Archæology, 481. Scottish Ecclesiastical Journal, June 1852, 122. • Vita Niniani, 7, 8, 9. SPEAK GENTLY. Speak gently! It is better far To rule by love than fear,- him by Pope Siricius included a large | Whithorn, on 16th September 432, and portion of Caledonia. In the territory of was buried, amid the sighs and tears of the Southern Picts,* extending from the his people, in Candida Casa.§ Firth of Forth to the Grampian mountains, he preached the Gospel of the grace of God. Temples are represented as falling, and churches as rising, before him. We dream not of putting a literal interpretation on the hyperbolical expressions employed by his mediæval biographer. We are satisfied, however, that, under the florid drapery furnished by the imagination of the Abbot of Rievaux, there lies "the reality of a great success." We know that the doctrines published by Ninian, mingled as they were with the superstitions of the Nicene age, possessed a life-giving power. We are warranted to assert that these essential truths of our religion were made by the Holy Spirit the means of purifying and refining the characters of thousands of the Southern Picts. Ninian died at • The term Peithi signified, in the British language, the inhabitants of the open country. Chalmers' Caledonia, i. 203. + Vita Niniani, 18, 19. Lives of English Saints, Ninian, 139. Pilgrimages were undertaken by men of all classes to the tomb of Ninian. Ancient British Church, 172, 173. + Skene's Highlanders, i. 24, 25, 34, 35, 36. Pinkerton's Enquiry, i. 74, 314, 315. Speak gently to the little child! It's love be sure to gain; Speak gently to the young, for they Will have enough to bear; Pass through this life as best they may, "Tis full of anxious care. Speak gently to the aged one, Grieve not the careworn heart; Let such in peace depart. Speak gently, kindly to the poor- Speak gently to the erring-know § Scottish Ecclesiastical Journal, June 1852, Ninian, 123, THE CHURCH OF SCOTLAND IN GLASGOW. CONTENTS.-(1.) City Churches-(2) Parish Churches-(3.) Chapels-(4) Church Extension(5.) Contributions to Missions—(6.) Sabbath Schools-(7.) Education-(8.) Other Agencies. for we remember that all that has been attained is by the grace of God, and that had we to speak of efforts and of results, even tenfold greater, we feel that all is little compared with what we are bound to accomplish, and nothing, when compared with what has still to be accomplished. THE thought has occurred of endeavouring | vaunt ourselves which now possesses us; to ascertain the exact position that is occupied by the Church of Scotland in some one of the fields of her operations. The field we have selected for review in our present article, is the city of Glasgow. What has the Church of Scotland done in this city? What is she now doing? And what, from all that has been already done, may be hoped for in time to come? We would not be misunderstood as to the motives that lead to the present sketch. It is no desire to exalt or to Nor is it any party motive by which we are now actuated; we disclaim the presence or influence of such a thing; and unless we are guilty of cherishing and loving party feeling, when we speak of the doings of ourselves as distinct from those of the Church at large, we are not aware that it has lent even the slightest colouring to what we have now to state. The persons for whom we write, and whose instruction we have in view, are those especially who are members and adherents of our Church; for their sakes we desire to walk about this part of Zion, and to explore, though it may be but slightly, this part of the ancient citadel. We are aware of the largely prevailing evil, that the knowledge of church-doings possessed by the greater number of Christians, is almost wholly denominational; and yet we think that there are many who have, or seem to have, a knowledge of much that is going on without, and who yet are in great measure ignorant of what and of how much, or if anything, is really going on within their own Church. That there are such we do not require to prove; and who, because of their ignorance, are fancying, or have actually come to the conclusion that she is doing little or nothing. For the information of such chiefly we are writing; to instil also into them a little more self-respect; and to awaken within their hearts a little more consideration for the Church to which they profess to belong. The field which we have selected for review is large, and the subjects it presents to notice are numerous. (1.) We begin with the places of worship connected with the Church of Scotland of Glasgow, and of these, the first that attract our notice, are those which occupy the position of City Churches. These are the property of the corporation, and are under their management and control. They are ten in number, and are situated in all parts of the city, but, for the greater part, in those which are now the poorest districts, and remote from those which are now inhabited by the better class of the population. A few years ago, seven of these were at one time vacant, and that caused by an event which cannot cease to be deplored by all right thinking men. The scene was melancholy, the prospect dark, and in the view of some, it was even a hope less one. But charge after charge was filled, and where pastors and people were then alike wanting, both pastors and people are now to be found. The position occupied by these churches is not inferior to what they have ever held; and in many respects they stand now in a higher position than at any former period of their history. The number of sittings let is little short of what it was in what some would term their better days, while some of them have filled and crowded pews, which till recently never were filled before. And let it be borne in mind, that in others, the number of sittings let do not by any means represent the numbers who form the regular congregations. There is only wanting, to bring some, at all events, of these churches into a better state, a system of better management : with the letting of seats in the hands of those who have no interest in the work of the several churches, and with the high rates that are levied upon them at the present time, these are excluded from the many for whom they should be available, and who, by what we have stated, are cut off completely from the privilege of availing themselves of them.* But while so much can be said for the general prosperity of these churches, an erroneous estimate would be formed of the Church of Scotland in Glasgow, if it were to be judged by these alone. And it is of the more importance that we should allude to this; for these City Churches, so called because they are corporation property, have (shall we call it?) the privilege of year by year being brought into public notice in connection with annual statements of the City accounts, and are thus subjected to public scrutiny. Many, we know, judge of the state and condition of the Church in the City of Glasgow, by the statement which there appears, and many, we are aware, at St. John's, for example, the church of Dr. Chalmers and the saintly Dr. Brown, was almost swept empty at the Secession of 1843. There were only 70 communicants at the first sacra. ment thereafter. The number of communicants now is upwards of 1,000-and hearers nearly 1,40. The Sabbath schools were also entirely broken up at the same time. Now the congre gation has 100 teachers and about 900 scholars in its Sabbath schools. |