nents.

the obvious and decisive reply, because it would have clashed with the prejudices or roused the wrathful fanaticism of their oppoOne of the favourite cavils of the Mohammedan priests was directed against the Sonship of Christ;"God is a spirit, how then can he have a son?" In vain was it answered that the words were not to be understood in a literal sense, as including all the human circumstances of the paternal and filial relation, this they either could not or would not understand, and quibbled on to the end of the chapter. Another method of evasion which these defenders of the Koran were exceedingly prone to employ, when closely pressed, consisted in starting off from the point at issue, and introducing some of the monstrous absurdities of their legendary lore.

"I shall mention," says Mr. Glen, "one of their legends as a specimen. Christ, they told us, was the most holy of all the prophets. His affections were almost completely withdrawn from sublunary things, insomuch that had it not been for one solitary attachment, which was not brought into proper subjection,

he would have been received into the very highest heavens. The attachment, for entertaining which he lost the place he might otherwise have secured, was— to a comb with which he was in the habit of dressing his beard!”—p. 92.

"Finding," he observes on another occasion," that we not only asserted the matter of fact that Christ was crucified, (a point which the Mohammedans are taught in their Coran to deny) but ascribed our being healed, from the disease of sin, to the efficacy of his blood; one of them asserted, with the same boldness the Effendi had discovered yesterday, that the Messiah had ascended to heaven without tasting death, and rehearsed the way in which, according to their teachers, his escape had been effected. The Messiah having been apprehended and confined in a small apartment or hole, from which there was no way of egress but one, the angel Gabriel came and asked him why he did not make his escape? He answered, that the opening was barely sufficient for his head, and far too small for his shoulders to pass. Gabriel told him to use the sign of the ross, and he would find the opening suf

ficient. He did so, and having thus effected his escape, ascended to heaven, far beyond the reach of his foes."-pp. 95, 96.

Either we have gone through the book without noticing it, or the year in which this journey was undertaken is nowhere mentioned, though the monthly date is carefully preserved. It was on the 8th of October, that Mr. Glen set out from the mission-house, Astrachan, for Georgievsk on the Russian lines, and after crossing the Volga, entered on the Calmuck Steppe. The first striking object on the route was an immense collection of "skeletons of fish," covering the shores of a considerable lake, and supposed to have been deposited there by the retiring waters of the Caspian after a tremendous inundation of that inland sea. The next

"Was a large assemblage of beautiful green tumuli, many of them entire, others in a course of demolition, and a third class distinguished from the contiguous sward, merely by a green circular ring, which, when in their glory, had constituted their extensive base. them, on the south road, we leapt out of Observing some men at work in one of our arbas; and on reaching it, we found These, in the days of yore, had formed some men employed in digging up bricks. the walls of a house, which, after having been for centuries concealed from the eyes of mortals, was on the point of being razed to its foundation. Some of the bricks were of the same size and form with those in general usc in Britain; of others the dimensions were different; forming a figure of about a foot square, the thickness of which, however, was much the same with the common ones. Made some enquiries respecting the tumuli, at the labourers employed in overturning them, and were told they were the remains of an ancient Tartar town; the buildings of which having been deserted and fallen into ruins, had, in process of time, being so enveloped in dust, as to assume the form in which they now appear. One of them, on the north side of the road, stood pre-eminent amid the surrounding group. Probably it may have been a palace. And another hard by us on the south side of it, now nearly level with the ground, is supposed by the natives, to have been a church, for this, among other reasons, that in dig

ging up its foundations and ransacking its depositions, dead men's bones' had been found among the ruins. On passing it, I observed, in the midst of its site, some large sand stones, which it is likely had made part of its foundation. By

the time we had made these obser vations, the arbatchi had got considerably a-head of us, which suggested the propriety of making up the ground we had lost; in doing which, the tumuli skirting the desert, north of the road, came successively under my eye, serving as so many monitors of the vanity of all sublunary things. Happy they who search for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God!". pp. 32, 33.

to

The third presented itself in a vision of Ailsa Craig and Benlomond amid the Tartarian steppes. The mountains which rose before the eyes of Mr. Glen, carried him back, in a species of calenture, Renfrewshire and Argyle. The summits of "cloud cap't Kaf" were rather too lofty to be mistaken for the Grampians, or we have no doubt that our worthy Missionary would have discovered in the gigantic Alburrows, the very counterpart of Ben Nevis.

"In our progress up the Cuma, one of the most magnificent prospects open. ed on our view, that my eyes had ever witnessed in any country; the lofty mountains of Caucasus, covered with eternal snow, and towering above the adjacent mountains and hills, in an attitude which seemed to bespeak something analogous to a consciousness of the refulgent majesty in which they meet the eye, as they reflect the sun beams on the abodes of mortals, as well on the confines of the Calmuc steppe, as in the neighbouring valleys. The mountain which first appeared in sight, was the Alburrows; the snowy sides of which became visible about ten o'clock, through the interstices of the intervening clouds-in a manner which gave birth to emotions, which, though I shall long remember them, I despair of being able to describe. Its apparent elevation and magnitude, as seen through the broken clouds, so far exceeded my anticipations, great though they were, that I could scarcely believe my eyes, suspecting that, like those assemblages of clouds which had sometimes figured before us as mountains on our way to the Cuma, might turn out to be all an illusion." p. 39.

At the

This magnificent elevation is described by the natives as impossible to be scaled. edge of the cap of snow which perpetually rests upon it, a strong wind constantly prevails, drifting the snow in such a manner as to place all adventurers in imminent peril. The rugged surface, tremendous chasms, and frequent avalanches of the region of congelation, make it altogether inaccessible. The rocks are said to be distinguished from all others in the chain by their metallic lustre, a circumstance which induces the neighbouring inhabitants to suppose them impregnated with precious ore, and excites an excessive jealousy of strangers.

On the 18th, Mr. G. reached Georghievsk, the capital of the Russian Government of Caucasus. On the following day the first part of his journey terminated at Karass, where he was greeted by Messrs. Galloway and Paterson. A few days after his arrival, Mr. Glen, accompanied by Mr. Galloway, set out on a visit to the Naiman village, a place of considerable population, where they had much conversation on religious subjects with two or three Mohammedan priests. Other excursions of a similar kind were made, and the Missionaries were desirous of making an effort to penetrate the recesses of the Caucasus. It was, however, ascertained that this would be an attempt of unjustifiable hazard, and they determined on visiting certain tribes of Tartars within a prescribed range. During this tour they had many interesting conversations with men of different ranks, and though there was a prevalent indifference to their " report," among the peo ple, they had occasion to infer that, but for the opposition of the priests, there was no general disinclination, at least, to give a hearing to the bringers of “ strange things." In one instance they

and importance, and require the undivided talents and labours of the most diligent individual.3dly. Because the union of the two offices will be injurious to religion and literature in the city and university, and is perfectly unnecessary, as each is well provided for, having ample funds.-And 4thly. Because the minister of the High Church is, ex-officio, one of the three visitors of the College, having to examine and doquet its accounts, which cannot be performed with delicacy by the Principal of the College, he being a party in those accounts. These points were strongly pressed on the Presbytery by Drs. Burns and Chalmers; but Dr. M'Gill on this occasion was their most eloquent and successful advocate. The speech of the Rev. Doctor, who is also Professor of Theology, extends through 40 pages, and is decidedly the most interesting part of the pamphlet. An extract or two will give our readers an idea of his eloquent and impassioned manner, but will in course fail to impress them with the evidence amounting to demonstration which it possesses as a whole, and which, it is confessed, produced the happiest effects on the minds of some of the Presbyters who heard it.

The following masterly sketch of the duties of the pastoral office may be read with advantage by every minister.

"Here, then, we are brought to the important question-Can the duties of the Principal of the College of Glasgow, and the duties of the minister of the High Church parish, be fully and effectually discharged, at the same time, by the same person ?--For the purpose of judging on this question, let us, Moderator, call to our recollection, the number and the nature of those duties, which, in this church, are required of a minister of the Gospel. Let us think of the ministrations of the sanctuary, and the widely diversified field of instruction and admonition adapted to the state of our people, and the infinitely varied

characters and condition of individuals: -let us think of the important duties of

visiting and catechising the various familes committed to our charge; acquainting ourselves with the spiritual state and character of the individuals of our flock; and communicating to them consolation and encouragement, warning and reproof, in a manner suited to their characters and their circumstances: let us think of our visits to the house of

--

mourning, and our duties to the sick and the dying; or to the poor and the destitute, the ignorant and the doubting, who come to us for direction, and seek superintendance and care of numbers, so various in disposition and in circumstances; the different means which they require, and the different treatment which they demand, that we may save them from the miseries of a state of sin, train them to holiness, and prepare them for heaven --let us add to these, the consideration of our personal duties, our own need of farther improvement, and more extended knowledge, that we may up. hold and promote the great cause of God among our people, and among mankind; that we maintain even our port that place in the community which own respectability and honour, and supit is important we hold--let us think of these, or a few only of these, in all their bearings, and in all their difficulties; and then say, if they are not enough, and more than enough, to engage the undivided attention of the most favoured

our instruction:--let us think of our

individual. But, oh! what shall we say, Sir, when we consider not only spiritual frame and temper which they their number and difficulty, but the require of us--when we think of their infinite importance to that people who

are committed to our care-when we think of the dreadful consequences attending our negligence, and the blessed effects attending our success-what shall we say, when, with all this, we justly estimate ourselves, our weaknesses, our corruptions, and our sins,--what shall we say, but that all our time, and talents, and labours, are too little for the greatness of that work which is given us to do--that it becomes the best of us to humble ourselves under a sense of our insufficiency; to lament our unprofitableness, and past neglects of duty; and, with renewed resolution and diligence,

and more entire devotedness to the service of our Master, to redeem the time which we have lost."--pp. 26, 27.

There are several other passages equally worthy of citation, which we must omit, but there is one paragraph, at the close of his answer to the argument, that the united emoluments of the two

situations will give weight and dignity to their possessor, which breathes the spirit of apostolic times.

"Without inquiring into the necessity of this kind of dignity and stimulus; without enlarging on the injustice of effecting these at the expense of particular parishes; or on the weakness of a contrivance, which would, as we have seen, destroy those very interests which it seeks to promote--without enlarging on these, and other topics of infinite importance in this question, I would answer--that this scheme will diminish, instead of raising the dignity of the Principal and College; and will never prove a proper stimulus to the exertions of the clergy. I mean not to dispute, that a great income brings with it a certain degree of influence. But even that influence, such as it is, will bring little dignity and respect, unless the great emoluments on which it is founded, are derived from proper sources; the office be highly estimated; and the duties, for which that income is bestowed, be discharged with ability, diligence, and success."--pp. 43, 44.

"But, indeed, all this high-sounding < language about the dignity arising from great emolument, is exaggerated and misapplied. No man of sense will despise the advantages of wealth, nor the comforts which it brings. But let not the teachers of youth, and still less the ministers of the Gospel, look to this quarter for their honour and estimation in society. In this course we shall soon be outstripped by very inglorious competitors. If there be an aristocracy of wealth and fortune, so also is there one of a much higher order--that of learning and religion. To conduct and character, men of every class in society must chiefly look, but especially those whose pursuits and duties withdraw them from the ordinary business of men. Let the qualities and endowments of the mind,—above all, the elevation and disinterestedness, the meekness and affection, the holiness and heavenly-mindedness, becoming Christian ministers, manifested in a life of usefulness and diligence in our spiritual duties--let these be the great objects of ambition; and, in the voluntary tribute of esteem and. affection, we will receive a reward, which no wealth, or glare of external show, can procure; and all that honour, which either the general interest de mands, or a well-disposed mind will be

anxious to receive"

Drs. Taylor, Rankine, Lockhart, Gibb, and others, supported the presentation of Dr. M'F., but if their speeches are fairly reported, and two or three were revised for the press by themselves, it is evident they were conscious that their opponents had the strength of the argument with them. The settlement was rejected in the Presbytery by a majority of four; though we regret to add, that the ministers were equally divided, and that it was the votes of the layelders, that saved, for a season, at least, the Kirk from the disgrace of a plurality, which could only be justified on the grovelling principles of this world. Oh, when will all the ministers of religion exhibit that disinterestedness in their high vocation which would silence their enemies, and give confidence to their friends.

The question, however, is not set at rest; it will be discussed before the Synod of Glasgow and Ayr in November, and probably before the General Assembly in May 1824.

By

Thither we shall follow Dr. M'Gill and his brethren with much interest, and we exhort them to persevere in opposing the progress of that secular leaven in their church which has so lamentably corrupted its sister establishment south of the Tweed. such conduct they will show to a shrewd and sceptical age, that they are sincere in their holy ministry, and guided by those Christian principles which they commend to others. The thanks of every friend of the Church of Scotland are surely due to men, who thus dare to assert her independence, and to promote her purity; and we freely offer our acknowledgments, not indeed as the advocates of their ecclesiastical establishment, but as the friends of nonconformity to this world, let it be found where it may.