abundantly rewarded in the warm reception which the people give to the gospel of Christ. May it ap pear, in the day of the Lord, that many in that country shall claim such visitors as their spiritual fathers, or as helpers of their faith and joy! There are, however, many in that place, as in all other places where the gospel is preached, who remain indifferent to it, or who turn it into ridicule; but neither of these can frustrate the gracious designs of God. His own elect shall be brought in, and be kept by his power through faith unto salvation. As the evening was wet, we were accommodated with the house belonging to the Missionaries. It was extremely crowded, and many heard at the door, or from an adjacent chamber. The attention of the people was solemn and still, while Mr Y. addressed them from these words of Paul, Gal. ii. 20. "The Son of God loved me, and gave himself for

me."

"We slept at Aucharn, two miles west from Kenmore, and were kindly entertained in a private family. We preached next forenoon to a decent congregation of about seventy persons, who assembled in a millloft.

We

The attention of the hearers was very great, and seemed to shew that the gospel has been long known and much prized in Aucharn. Mr M'Killichan, now in America, was a judicious preacher, and was long very useful in that district. proceeded to Aberfeldy, a village on the right bank of the Tay, and met with a kind reception from MrKand his family. He had announced a meeting, and we preached to a de. cently attentive congregation. The people there are taught to value the gospel of Christ; and we humbly trust that they profited by our administrations. Their pastor is active and diligent in the work of Christ. His labours are not confined to a narrow sphere, but extend far over the Highlands of Scotland. He and we sow a seed which God can bless; we plant a tree, under

the shadow of which others shall sit and be glad. Individual and social exertions are appointed by God in the great plan of his providence ; and, with his blessing, shall accomplish great things. High is the honour, and great is the reward, of working together with God in the salvation of men! There is no obstacle over which Christ cannot leap, or which he cannot remove; there is no resistance presented to his work by devils and men, which must not yield at length before the energy of his arm.

"We left Mr K- -'s family on the 29th July, with regret, and gave them our best wishes, as a small requital for their hospitality. We dined at Fortingal, and prepared to enter Glenlyon, as if to approach consecrated ground. Mr K. accompanied us on our way thither: and, on our entering the glen, a woman chid him for being so long absent. This spake something to our hearts, which encouraged us not a little in the way of the Lord. Here one of us met with a deliverance, which strikingly displayed the vigi. lance of Providence, and the reality of our Lord's character, as the keeper of his people. While entering upon a great work of Christ, we perhaps forget too often to acknowledge God in our minor concerns, and who knows but the enemy of our salvation may be permitted to injure our bodies, while we are advancing into the heart of his kingdom, proclaiming liberty to captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound. We came to Glenlyon in the evening, and found a hospitable reception in one D S's, a man whose heart had been formed for sympathy by a series of heavy trials, in the loss of all his children but one boy. 'We' went the same evening to a wood not far from our lodging, a place which the Divine presence had rendered venerable, and found about one hundred hearers waiting to hear the word of the Lord. We were strangers, but they seemed to hail

us as the friends of their souls, and as the messengers of the Lord of Hosts. They listened with great attention to Mr Y. and me, while we spake of the intercession of the Son of God in heaven, and of his kindness to sinners, from Rom. viii. 34. "It it Christ that died, yea rather that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us;" and Luke xv. 2. "And the Pharisees and Scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them." Mr K gave the substance of the discourses, and an carnest address and prayer, in the Gaelic language. It was truly a de. lightful spectacle to those who are formed to behold and enjoy it, to see a people once so indifferent to religion, now so earnest in hearing the news of salvation by Jesus Christ. There were, however, no commotions, no bodily agitations apparent among them, as had happened for. merly in some instances, but a quiet fixed attention to God speaking in his word;-an attention which seemed to absorb every affection of their minds, and to make them forget every thing but the subject before them. This, it must be granted, is liker the work of the Spirit, who generally cometh without observation, than those convulsions, in which the body does too much, and the soul too little; in which the passions predominate over the judg. ment, and which are too impetuous to be subservient to the life of faith. It must, however, be conceded, that the work in Glenlyon, even in these agitations, bore a resemblance to the work of the Divine Spirit on the day of Pentecost, when men were pricked in their hearts, when they trembled at the word of God, and when they said to Peter, and to the rest of the apostles, "Men and brethren, what shall we do?" We are not permitted to assert, that where there is something human in a work, there is nothing divine. What was deemed extravagant in the work has passed away; but

what was real, remains. Some have gone back, and some have turned again to folly, but there are many of whom we hope better things, and things which accompany salvation. In the 6th chapter of the Hebrews, to which we have alluded, there are fearful contrasts stated; but while some are described as having tasted of the good word of God, and yet have fallen away, there are others who have hope, as an anchor of the soul, sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that which is within the vail. So it has been in those places where a revival of religion lately took place. Many blossoms have disappeared and have produced no fruit; but there are individuals, who, being knit to Christ, are bringing forth much fruit, or are willing to be purged, that they may bring forth more fruit.

"On the 29th of July, we came to Balnahainet in Glenlyon. The spot is beautiful, and we found in our landlord and his sisters the simplicity and fervour of primitive hospitality. The scenes of the 30th were highly interesting. In the wood where we met the evening preceding, and in which we had announced that there would be sermon that day, there were seven ministers of the Gospel at once,—two Burghers, two Antiburghers, two Independents, and one Baptist! These, though belonging to different denominations of Christians, came hither from the same motive and with the same design. Who knows but this meeting forbodes something to be transacted in some future age, on a larger scale, for the benefit of the Highlands of Scotland? The writer of this article began the service of that day by prefacing a part of the 103d psalm. Mr MKof D- prayed, and Mr B I preached a sweet and impres sive sermon from 1 John iii. 16. on the love of Christ in dying for sinners: Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren."

of

The attention of the people seemed suitable to the importance of the subject. The love of Christ is a subject the most calculated, of all subjects, to win and to subdue the heart. If it is believed and felt, the heart must yield; indeed nothing else can melt, or captivate, or restrain the mind. Mr M'L of C summed up the whole by an earnest address in the Gaelic language; and the work was concluded by the institution of a Library for Gleniyon. Upwards of sixty

persons gave their names, as befriending and supporting the institution. The ministers promised a donation of books as a commence. ment, and we are in hopes that the Library shall be of permanent advantage to that part of the Highlands. The people seemed glad to see so many ministers interested in their welfare; not in a transient service only, but in providing a source of instruction for them and for their children, when our personal presence cannot be enjoyed."

DOMESTIC.

ITINERANT LABOURS IN SCOTLAND.

Ar the request of the Edinburgh Association for the Diffusion of Evangelical Truth in the more Destitute Parts of Scotland, Mr M'LAUCHLAN of Paisley lately spent several weeks itinerating in the Stewartry and Shire of Galloway, and the account which he gives of the low state of religion in these parts corresponds with those we have formerly received.

In order to interest our readers in that hitherto much neglected quarter of Scotland, we shall make a few extracts from Mr M'L.'s journal.

"There are many populous villages along the south coast, that are very destitute. They are far from the Parish Church, and are seldom visited. The people live and die in ignorance. Those in the interior, especially those who dwell in an insulated state, at the extremities of a Parish, are in a deplorable condition. They very seldom have an opportunity of hearing a stran. ger, and a very trifle operates as an excuse to prevent them from go

ing to the stated place of worship. In winter, it is too cold, &c. &c. and in summer they are so much employed that the Lord's-day is literally required as a day of rest. The aged and the infirm cannot go; and the young and the vigorous too frequently are unwilling. Messrs M. and S. have been very laborious and indefatigable in forming and establishing Sabbath Evening Schools in many parts around the places where they live, and much good, through the blessing of God, is expected to result from them, in after periods.

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Throughout the whole of Galloway and Kircudbright Shire, there is little, so far as I could learn, of faithful evangelical preaching. Often the gospel is completely superseded by science falsely so called.-Yet the preachers seem to spend their strength in vain; for however ignorant and indifferent the people may be, their minds are not fortified against the truth by the sophistry which they regularly hear. From the perusal of the Bible, and the few religious books they possess, and I may add, the visits of itinerants, many of the people have acquired more religious knowledge

than one could have expected from the circumstances in which they are placed. "On Saturday

I went to

where I continued over Sabbath. This place is said to have been long distinguished for religious apathy. Family worship is altogether unknown among the inhabitants. On Lord's day morning, I had a congregation of about 100, and in the afternoon about 190. They listened with much apparent attention. A Sabbath School has been commenced here lately. It has met with opposition from a quarter where it should have received encouragement. It is however well attended, and appears to be in a promising state. Here I conversed with the teachers and some of the inhabitants. They are beginning to appretiate the excellency of the gospel, and to be sensible of their wants.

"In

I was informed by one who professed religion, that she did not believe that family worship was attended to in the whole town. Here they have no Sabbath Evening School, and no attention whatever is paid to the religious instruction of the young. Attempts were lately made to form a school, but no person could be found properly qualified for conducting it. They had a Bible Society; but its directors, &c. were not actuated by principle, and the example of others not having sufficient influence, it died away. "In K I preached to about 90 persons. There is only one Sabbath School in this town, which is nothing to the extent of the population.

"On Thursday, 1st September, I preached at C to about 60 persons. They were remarkably at. tentive, and very grateful for the sermon. Some of them earnestly requested me to give them another visit before I returned home. agreed to spend part of the Sabbath with them. There is a Sabbath Evening School here, but on a very limited scale, and very few attend it."

I

Notwithstanding the unfavourable season at which Mr M'L. made this tour, his audiences in general were better than he expected, and on the Lord's day particularly he had always good meetings. We hope that the Committee of the Edinburgh Association will, if possible, commence their operations at an earlier period next season; and we beg to suggest to them the propriety of sending their Missionaries two and two, according to the example of the Lord of the harvest.

Memorial on the Religious State of the Highlands of Scotland, presented to the Associate Burgher Synod, at their meeting in Edinburgh, upon Tuesday the 7th day of September, 1819.

THAT it is the duty of every Christian to exert himself, as far as in his power, to communicate the means of grace and of salvation to those who are destitute of them, is a statement which we appreheud none will question; seeing it is a command which the Saviour has addressed to all his followers, to go and preach the Gospel to every creature. It is pleasing to observe the exertions which Christians of every denomination are at present making, in order to carry into effect this command of the Saviour. In almost every quarter of the heathen world, to which we turn the eye, we behold missionaries labouring. They are busy sowing the seed which, we trust, shall at no distant period spring up, and bring forth an abundant and glorious harvest. "There is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard. Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world." The field of missionary ex. ertions which foreign regions present is vast; we had almost said it is boundless. Before this field can be properly cultivated, numerous labourers and vigorous exertions will be necessary. From the present spirit of the age, we are led to hope that these will not be awanting: and

we cannot certainly be charged with -being extravagant or visionary in our expectations, when we express our belief that the commencement of that auspicious era is not far distant, if it be not already arrived, when, in the most extensive sense of the promise, "The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad, and the desart shall rejoice and blossom like the rose."

It is not, however, to the subject of foreign missions that we wish at present to direct the attention of this Reverend Court. While we express ourselves decidedly friendly to these, and think that they ought to receive every possible encouragement, yet we are afraid that the minds of many in this country, on account of their being almost exclusively directed to the grand and extensive operations which are carrying on abroad, are not sufficiently impressed with the necessity of missionary exertions at home. It is too easily taken for granted, that in a country which is called Christian, there are none who do not enjoy the Gospel. It is too easily taken for granted, that all who live in such a country, are well informed with regard to those things which belong to their peace; and that if they do not improve the means of grace with which they are favoured, the fault is entirely their own. These things, we say, are by the great bulk of people taken for granted, while those who have given themselves trouble to investigate the matter, have found that these statements are far from being correct. The object then of the present memorial, is to direct the attention of the court to the two following questions :-First, Whether or not there be any part of our country where missionary exertions are necessary? And, Secondly, Whether this court ought to take any steps toward providing and sending well qualified individuals to labour in these places?

With regard to the first question, viz. Whether or not there be any parts of our own country where

?

missionary exertions are necessary We do not profess ourselves competent to give information with regard to all the districts of the country. We have little doubt that there are many places even of the highly favoured Lowlands, where the people are sitting in comparative darkness, and where the labours of pious and zealous individuals might be productive of the very happiest effects. In supplying the spiritual wants of such places there can be little difficulty; seeing that on account of the same language being spoken in them that we ourselves make use of, a small donation, occasionally given from the fund, will enable us now and then to send amongst them labourers who may be of use in promoting their spiritual interests.

It is, however, the religious state of the Highlands of Scotland that we wish at present to bring particularly under the consideration of this court. This interesting portion of our native country has, with shame we say it, been too much neglected by Christians in general, even while all the accounts agree in stating, that throughout the greater part of it, much ignorance and much darkness have long prevailed. We have lately been traversing the breadth, and nearly the length, of it. We have had an opportunity of examining whether or not the accounts which we had received of its destitute condition were correct; and from what we observed and heard, we have been confirmed in the opinion, that the means of religious instruction enjoyed by the great bulk of the Highlanders, are lamentably deficient. When we speak thus, we do not refer merely to the extent of the parishes, to the fewness of the churches, and the ruggedness of the country, which renders the communication somewhat difficult; but we have also in view the nature of the ministrations enjoyed. We do not mean to condemn any untried and unheard. We do not mean to bring a railing accusation against any who are invested with the sacred office of the