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"What folly it is to reason against revelation, because man is an atom in creation, therefore he is unworthy of the notice of the Great God? He is so; but how dignified is his soul ! even his natural powers are transcendant. And how ennobled is his moral nature, when these powers are sanctified by divine grace? he was made a little lower than the angels;' his renewed nature is now raised above theirs; for Jesus, who is not ashamed to call them brethren, is a Man; and in heaven they shall be like him, conformed to him in all his imitable parts. How glorious will men be when adorned with the full excellence, and all the beauties of holiness? they will be the friends of God, yea, they shall be his children; 'heirs of God, and joint- heirs with Jesus Christ.

"And when we think of man, whilst he lives without God in the world, alienated from him, and having his understanding darkened; how marvellous, that the spark of divine grace, lighted up in his soul, should rise to the brilliancy of noon-day splendour! for the righteous shall shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their father.' And that the most wretched of the human family may be 'plucked as a firebrand out of the burning;' separated from a world that lieth in wickedness; introduced to the Highway of Holiness, and there acquire that holiness which shall make him the germ of a glorified spirit, more dignified than the angels!

"Surely there is nothing within God's universe more valuable than the human soul; then, certainly, there can be no folly equal to his, who trifles with its destinies; and if God hath constructed a High-way of Holiness, a 'work honourable and glorious,' where he meets with man in his abundant grace, and man walks with God in holy fellowship, then, there can be no greater danger than declining to walk therein.

"And now, considering, that God hath in his wisdom and goodness prepared this path-way to heaven; that it is in every respect suited for training us up for the inheritance of the saints in light; that from this way of holiness, the unclean are excluded; that we are prepared to walk therein by the gracious agency of the Divine Spirit, who worketh in us all the good pleasure of his goodness, and the work of faith with power; that we are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses who have trodden this path, many of whom have preceded, and others who are with us; that God hath given us every encouragement to follow them even as they followed Christ—whilst he hath warned us of the dangers with which we are beset, should we deviate from the High-way of Holiness? And withal, described to us the blessedness of those whose God is the Lord, even whilst they sojourn here. "Finally, that he hath drawn aside the vail, and given us a glimpse of the glories of the rest which remaineth for his people, who have terminated their pilgrimage, returned from their exile, finished their course, and triumphantly entered the joy of their Lord. O! then, let us be up and doing, working whilst it is called to day."

Prayer for the Removal of Calamity, Reasonable and Scriptural. A Discourse by W. H. Alexander, D.D.

Dr. Alexander is well known as a scholar and theologian. The present publication contains a very satisfactory view of the arguments that may be brought forward in support of the duty and the direct efficacy of prayer, in answer to the objections that have not unfrequently been urged-founded on the divine immutability. These, however perfect, any of them may seem, so far as regards logical construction, are directly at variance with in

numerable passages of Scripture, and opposed to the instinctive promptings of the human spirit. While the exact mode in which the supplications men offer become instrumental to the reception of blessings asked, or the deprecation of evils dreaded-may be hid in mystery, as everything pertaining to the Divine essence in a great degree is; it is very properly argued by the author of this sermon, that abundant reasons may exist-some of them unknown to mortals-which should lead them thus devoutly to acknowledge the Divine hand. From the clear method in which Dr. Alexander treats subjects like that embraced in the present sermon-we think that by occasional publications on similar disputed topics pertaining to the credentials and requirements of revelation, he is capable of doing good service, especially to the young and the inquiring.

ECCLESIASTICAL INTELLIGENCE.

Rev. Dr. Liddell-The Board of Trustees of Queen's College, Canada, have invited the Rev. Dr. Liddell, formerly minister of Lady Glenorchy's Church in this city, again to enter on his functions, as Principal of that seat of learning. The Rev. Dr. has accepted the invitation thus flatteringly made, and is expected immediately to resume the duties of his office.

Induction to Moffat.-The Rev. J. R. Currie, of Hatton, having preached an eloquent and impressive sermon to a crowded congregation, the Rev. John Stewart, Newton-onAyr, was inducted as Assistant and Successor in the church and parish of Moffat. At the dismissal of the congregation Mr. Stewart was cordially welcomed by all those pre

sent.

South Church, Dundee.-On Monday evening, the 12th ult., a numerous meeting of this congregation was held, at which it was agreed to request the Town Council, as patrons, to present the Rev. Andrew Taylor,

preacher of the gospel, to be minister of the South Church.

The Rev. Robert Turner, Assistant to the Rev. John Kinross, Minister of Largs, has received a presentation as Assistant and Successor to the Rev. Robert Lunan, Minister of Kinnettles, Presbytery of Forfar.

Parish of Echt.-The Right Honourable the Earl of Fife has issued a presentation in favour of the Rev. Maxwell Wright, Assistant to the Rev. Dr. Glover, Edinburgh, to the church and parish of Echt.

Moderatorship of the General Assembly.— We learn from authority on which we can rely, that the Rev. Dr. John Graham, Minister of Killearn, in the Presbytery of Dumbarton, will be proposed as a candidate for the Chair of next General Assembly, with the general assent of the Old Moderators.

Died,-At the Manse of Udney, on the 1st ult., the Rev. John Leslie, in the 77th year of his age, and the 37th of his ministry.

WILLIAM MACPHAIL, PRINTER, 2 GREENSIDE PLACE, EDINBURGH.

MACPHAIL'S

EDINBURGII ECCLESIASTICAL JOURNAL.

No. XLVIII.

JANUARY 1850.

PROFESSOR AYTOUN'S "APPENDIX."

Professor Aytoun is in earnest-in downright, sober earnest, in worshipping the memory of the saintly Claverhouse, and redeeming his name from the wicked aspersions of Scotch fanaticism and injustice. In sober earnest? Nay, he sets about his task of burning incense at the shrine of this famous hero-martyr with a soberness so intense and a homage so devout, that we would really be not a little affected by it, were it not that that little witch, in heaven yclept Euphrosyne, is making such a racket about our heart-strings, that for the life of us we cannot help laughing. The mirthful little nymph, too, with a roguish mockery of the Professor's devotion most provokingly disrespectful, passes her fairy fingers over the diaphragmatic chords all the more rapidly, for the solemnity with which the devotee turns up his eyes; so that by the time the Professor's devotion has reached its climax, we find ourselves unconsciously copying the example of Milton's friend, who, for the special safety of his overstrained muscles, was fain to hold both his sides. Most people consider the transformations and comical errors which our Shakespere has dealt in so largely in his Midsummer Night's Dream to be such stuff as dreams are made of, or playful extravaganzas meant only for laughter; but there is a most sage moral there nevertheless; and when we find our way through the grotesque figurations of the surface, we find the immortal seer, calm, contemplative, deep-musing, with eyes of heavenly blue, at his own chosen work of holding the mirror up to nature. The devoted adoration lavished upon the ass's head of the accomplished Bottom, pictures to us the vile dance which a misplaced affection may lead a man, and how completely his moral perceptions may be perverted to the acknowledgment of stocks and stones, and things more vile than these, as

his angels and divinities. The graceful Titania calling Bottom her gentle joy, and "sticking musk roses in his sleek smooth head," is not a whit

more absurd than the learned Professor of Rhetoric and Belles Lettres standing by the tomb of Claverse, and inditing versicles to his memory. Could the shade of that redoubtable hero utter an articulate voice in our ears, it would discover pretty much the same appreciation of the Professor's favours, as Bottom did of the gentle Titania's love. The transformed weaver preferred having his donkey head scratched, and getting a humble bee's honey-bag to all dalliance, and sent his airy servitors, Cobweb, Peas-blossom, and Mustard-seed to do his will; and we daresay that Claverse would be gratified to see a learned Professor putting whole armies of spiders to rout in searching through old dusty parchments for his sake, employing the airy muse upon the uncongenial taskwork of glorifying a name of such villanous odour, and ignoring the strongest historic testimony to accomplish his design. Dark John of the Battles, like Bottom, would call for Mustard-seed to "help Cavalero Cobweb to scratch," but whether the Bar could furnish the assistant as well as the Cavalero, we are not in circumstances to say. Meanwhile, whatever Peas-blossom and Mustard-seed are about, Cavalero Cobweb has come boldly to the scratch, and is doing all the service he can to the manes of the chivalrous Graham.

A new edition of the "Lays of the Scottish Cavaliers" is published, with an appendix to an "Examination of the Statements in Mr. Macaulay's History of England regarding John Graham of Claverhouse, Viscount of Dundee." By way of motto, the following extract from the preface to the Burial-march of Dundee is prefixed to the examination: :-

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Discarding modern historians who, in too many instances, do not seem to entertain the slightest scruple whilst dealing with the memory of the dead." And as this appeared in the first edition before Macaulay's history had seen the light, it must of course be viewed as somewhat of the nature of an augury; so that the author of the Cavalero Lays has proved himself to be really more of a veritable vates than most people gave him credit for. The prophetic text above quoted, if applicable to other modern historians, has at least found its final and grand fulfilment in Macaulay. The conduct of the greatest historian of modern times is the illustrative comment upon the foregoing scintillation of inspired genius, and has doubtless gone far to secure the favourable reception of all the future creations of the Professor's muse. But how will Mr. Macaulay look at being "discarded" so cavalierly, and that too by a Professor of Rhetoric, in which the historian of England has himself been deemed no mean proficient, and by the author of Lays, done into the same metrical cadences, if not inspired by the same fire, as the Loys of Ancient Rome. We would with much deference do Mr. Macaulay to wit, that if he writhes at being thus summarily discarded, he has himself wholly to blame; for we would infer from the Professor's knightly courtesy, and the reluctancy visible in the terms used in "discarding," that the historian would not have been discarded had he "entertained the slightest scruple in dealing with the memory of the dead." Whither a "scruple" would have

guided him, had he had grace enough to entertain one, or what influence the scruple would have exercised upon his narrative, Mr Ayton saith not,-he only explains how the "scruple" would have served the good Claverhouse. It would not have been of any use to others. Of this he has himself in his immortal Appendix convinced us thoroughly. This singular scruple would obviously never think of shaming the Prince of evil, whose blushes are all reserved for the speakers of truth and we take upon us to affirm, that when Mr. Ayton called Claverse a pious man and an honourable, the swarthy visage of the evil One betrayed no shame. Nor would it show any partiality for the principle Nil de mortuis nisi bonum; for Mr. Ayton, who must be supposed to have the scruple in perfection, says anything but good of the dead Wodrow, and says a great deal of evil of the martyred Presbyterians. The scruple, therefore, for not entertaining which Macaulay is discarded, would have led him, had it been treated hospitably, to indite a ballad in honour of Claverhouse, or to address to that “beautiful" saint the prayer, Ora pro nobis. We fear the country, however, will not follow the example set them by discarding the historian, but will, on the contrary, discard his critic and his very questionable scruple along with him.

The following is the first passage in Macaulay's History on which Professor Ayton comments:

"Those shires in which the Covenanters were most numerous were given up to the license of the army. With the army was mingled a militia, composed of the most violent and profligate of those who called themselves Episcopalians. Pre-eminent among the bands which oppressed and wasted these unhappy districts were the dragoons, commanded by James Graham of Claverhouse. The story ran that these wicked men used in their revels to play at the torments of hell, and to call each other by the names of devils and damned souls. The chief of this Tophet on earth, a soldier of distinguished courage and professional skill, but rapacious and profane, of violent temper and of obdurate heart, has left a name, which, wherever the Scottish race is settled on the face of the globe, is mentioned with a peculiar energy of hatred."

Mr. Macaulay's mistake in calling Claverhouse James instead of John is viewed as a very serious one by our Professor-so serious, indeed, that a suspicion is hinted of Macaulay's fitness to write on Scottish affairs, in consequence of a blunder so extraordinary and unpardonable.

"There never was any such person as James Graham of Claverhouse. We know indeed of one James Graham who was conspicuous in Scottish history, and his name has ere now been exposed to as much calumny and vituperation as is still lavished on his gallant relative; but loyalists venerate him as the great Marquis of Montrose.' No man really familiar with the history of Scotland could have committed such a blunder. He might just as well have talked of the good Sir Joshua of Douglas, or of Tobias Randolph, Earl of Moray."-P. 326.

Not quite. The unfamiliar collocation of these appellatives in all probability would have startled him into a suspicion of their accuracy:

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