well weighed. Referring to the revolutionary year, on the Continent, of 1848, he says:

"I remembered that Adam Smith and that Gibbon had told us that there would never again be a destruction of civilisation by barbarians. The Flood, they said, would no more return to cover the earth; and they seemed to reason justly; for they compared the immense strength of the civilised part of the world with the weakness of that which remained savage, and asked from whence were to come those Huns, and from whence were to come those Vandals, who were again to destroy civilisation? Alas! it did not occur to them that civilisation itself might engender the barbarians that should destroy it; it did not occur to them that in the very heart of great capitals, in the very neighbourhood of splendid palaces and churches and theatres and libraries and museums, vice and ignorance and misery might produce a race of Huns fiercer than those who marched under Attila, and Vandals more bent on destruction than those who followed Genseric."

I cannot sit down without expressing the obligations under which, in my opinion, the Home Mission cause lies to Dr Begg and his Committee, for their valuable inquiries and labours in connexion with the social morality of the working-classes. Before I saw his Report, my attention had been drawn to those authoritative sources of information from which he has derived ris facts, and I intended at one time to have founded on them as an argument for augmented zeal and devotedness in the Home Mission cause. But Dr Begg's Report renders this unnecessary. This only, then, would I say, that while I regard the gospel as the grand specific, the radical and heaven-prescribed cure, at once for human wickedness and human wretchedness, most entirely do I respond to the sentiment, that Home Mission efforts and Social Reform must go hand in hand. And surely there are facts contained in his Report that may well unite at once the Christianity and patriotism of the country in a great and holy effort for her reformation. (Applause.) What more appalling, rather more loathsome, than to be told that in several of the counties of Protestant and Presbyterian Scotland, the rate of illegitimacy is more than 14 per cent., in one county upwards of 16 per cent., while in Popish France, in similar districts, it is only 4 per cent. ! What more appalling than to be told that the increased expense of pauperism in Scotland has been £50,000 during the currency of the last four years; and that, according to population, we have more than five paupers in Scotland to every one in Ireland! And, finally, under the head of crime, how saddening to think that our criminals have increased 10 per cent. over the number in 1857, and per cent. over the number in 1858 ! These facts, and a multitude of facts of a similar character, seem to indicate a land given over to devouring ills a prey. And surely, if they call on the Government of the country and on all social reformers to devise and apply the social checks and remedies that have become needful to save us from some great national overthrow, they no less loudly call upon the Church to consider, that merely to feed the flock already safely gathered within the fold, is to do but half her duty, and that the least important half. Necessity is further laid upon us, that we seek that which is lost, and bring again that which is driven away, like the shepherd in the parable who "goeth into the mountains, and seeketh the sheep which is gone astray; and if so be that went not astray." I conclude in the words of a venerable minister of this Church, lately addressed to me in a letter expressive of his sympathy with our Home Mission movements,-" Our only hope for our land, in the days of coming convulsion, is its being filled with God's people.

8

Blessed is that nation whose God is the Lord." (Applause.) Before making the announcement which I feel compelled to do, let me say that it would have been nothing more than courtesy to have made it first of all to the Committee over which I have had the honour to preside for three years; but really I have felt my heart so much in this work, and my intercourse with that Committee has been so delightful, that I had a difficulty in bringing myself to the point, however urgently it pressed itself upon me. And it was only last night that, after very serious deliberation, I could bring myself to communicate my intention to my esteemed friend the Secretary, which I now communicate to the House. It will be in your recollection that three years ago, when I was not a member of the House, and not in Edinburgh, the Assembly did me the honour to appoint me to the office of Convener of the Home Mission Committee, and on consulting some of my brethren, they thought it was my duty to give it a trial. I consented to do so. I have made a trial of it for three years, and I feel that the labour of making and writing addresses, of reading and digesting Reports, of attending meetings, and of carrying on a most manifold correspondence, particularly during the last six or eight months, took up half my time and attention. Though my people have never complained, and though their contributions during these three years indicate their entire sympathy with myself, and their own interest in this great work-(applause)-as in all the great enterprises of the Church, yet I feel that I can't draw upon their kindness any longer. There are pastoral and ministerial duties which have the first claim on my attention. In fact, I am somewhat like the man who, after having given his heart to one love, gets himself entangled with a second -(laughter)—until the matter comes to be seriously determined which he shall cleave to; and I have resolved to go back to my first love, even at the risk of an action being brought against me in this Supreme Court. (Loud laughter.) I don't wish to speak either too humbly or too highly, but I know there are many brethren as well qualified to discharge the duties of the Convenership as I, who am the minister of a great city congregation. With this very bungling explanation, I hope the House will receive my resignation, in tendering which I have once more to express my cordial and sincere thanks for all the kindness I have received from the Assembly, the Church, and specially from the members of the Committee, in the agreeable discharge of my duties. (Loud applause.)

Principal CUNNINGHAM said he had felt much gratified when his excellent friend the Convener asked him to say a few words on the Report, but he confessed that in the discharge of his duty he was very much at a loss what to say or do that would be at all suitable to the circumstances. The conclusion of Dr Roxburgh's address, intimating his intention of resigning his place, came home at once to all of them with feelings to which none of the members of the Court could avoid giving expression. He could not proceed to say anything in connexion with the Report without in the first place expressing his profound regret at the announcement-a regret in which he was sure the House cordially concurred-(applause)— and he believed that all the members shared with him the opinion that, for this year at least, the resignation must not, and could not, be accepted -(laughter and applause)-unless reasons were adduced much stronger even than those given by the reverend Doctor. He did feel, and their esteemed friend must himself feel, that unless some very urgent necessity

arose, by God's hand upon him unfitting him for the work, he could scarcely desire, and could scarcely expect, to be relieved from his peculiarly interesting and particularly excellent presidency of this scheme. (Applause.) They had had what was very properly designated by Professor Gibson of Belfast a year of grace; and which, in connexion with Ireland, the learned Professor had brought before the Christian public in a singularly interesting way. They had also had a year of grace in Scotland, -a year of grace in connexion with the Home Mission work. Dr Roxburgh had said enough to assure them of this; and there was still greater promise of yet greater grace. He thought they could count with some confidence that the year on which we were entering would be still more abundantly a year of grace. If the Lord's people continued, as he trusted they would, to abound in prayer and increased devotedness, furnishing all the means and appliances for carrying on Home Mission work, they might confidently expect to see results yet more astonishing than those of which they had been hearing. There would be a peculiar propriety in Dr Roxburgh continuing to prosecute the work he had so well begun. The whole House looked forward in the strong desire, the confident hope, and the earnest expectation to find, if spared to next Assembly, Dr Roxburgh again reporting, as Convener of the Home Mission, the success of great and extraordinary efforts, a success greater and more extraordinary than crowned his labours now. (Applause.) Much had been done, but much remained to be done; and from what they had heard in connexion with the state of religion, there was a good deal to encourage the hope that much would be done. Surely, all who had been honoured to do something in this work had much reason to praise God, and could not but be constrained to abound more and more in every duty for which God might have rendered them competent. The Assembly was called upon to realise what the Lord had been doing, by His special, immediate, and supernatural presence in the outpouring of the Spirit, in converting sinners, and edifying the body of Christ. Men might assert and believe that this had been the case; but they all needed to realise it more fully. It was partly for this reason that he did not feel called upon to occupy the attention of the Assembly, as he had not been brought much into contact with the indications of God's special presence, and could do little to furnish information on that matter; but he hoped many members who had personally witnessed these glorious scenes of revival and evangelistic work would contribute to swell the impression made by the statements already before the House as to the state of religion, and the necessity of growing and more extensive efforts. He should simply refer to some of the lessons that had forcedthemselves on his mind while listening to these statements. They were called first to improve what they had heard that day and evening, as indications of what really true religion was, in the way of judging of themselves, and in forming an estimate of their characters. with many more professors than believers, there was a great danger of conventional religion growing up, as well as a defective and inadequate standard of what religion is, as lately manifested by various influences, some good and some bad; and of giving way to a tendency to obscure notions, lowering the standard of faith and the character that faith produces. In studying Home and Foreign Mission Reports, the vividness of the cases mentioned brought out the nature of true religion better than

In a land

those cases which occur in the more private and ordinary operation of the means of grace. In short, in connexion with these revivals there had been many striking specimens of strong faith, ardent love, and devoted attachment to Christ, and the love of one to another,—all manifested in a way in which they did not often appear among those whom we were accustomed to regard as real believers. Something might be owing to the peculiar circumstances of these cases, and something to the blessing of God on His special work; but we ought to examine ourselves, and find if we were not coming far short of our profession; if the work of faith had been begun; if we had been brought under the power of Divine truth; and if our eyes had been opened to see God in His true character, and Christ in His true excellency and adorable all-sufficiency. We should see what were the fruits of the Spirit in early times, and bring them to bear in judging of ourselves. There was an equally obvious official lesson to be learned from the same source,—that these special tokens of God's power should forcibly impress on the minds of the clerical members of Assembly what they ought to be aiming at in the whole work of the ministry. There was a great danger to which they were all exposed, the danger of merely doing their work as ministers, in a routine, mechanical way. (Hear, hear.) He believed, because of the deceitfulness of sin and of the human heart, they were familiar with the idea that a man might go on preaching the gospel, discharging the duties of the ministry in a fair, respectable way, while he had scarcely anything of real, earnest, heartfelt desire to see the great ends of the ministry. (Applause.) A man might so become, to a large extent, indifferent about the conversion of sinners, and hardened, so that day after day, and year after year, he was satisfied in discharging his duties in such a creditable way, as if he thought he would save his own soul, and have very little of a heartfelt, conscious desire to see sinners converted, and Christ's people comforted. God had seen meet to visit us with a season of refreshing which should stir up every minister of the Church to an earnest desire to see men born again, and turned from darkness to light, and from the power of sin unto God. He hoped, therefore, if they wished to see the work of the Lord prospering in their hands, that they would one and all bring out what they professed to aim at, and would no longer be content with merely discharging the duties of their sacred office in a round of respectable routine. Then there was another obvious lesson that should come home to them ecclesiastically. There was a great deal to encourage the Church to prosecute Home Missionary work, by labouring and praying more and more, seeing that there were many proofs that the Lord was working in their midst, and shewing them what He could do, and was doing at once, speedily, immediately, and thoroughly, in answer to prayer, and through the simple exposition of Divine truth. They must take care that they did not lose the present opportunity of bringing all means and appliances, public and private, to bear on the whole population around them, so far as lay in the direction of bringing before men's minds the great discoveries of the gospel, the way of salvation, the character of God, and the person and work of Christ. They ought to be desiring to extend their operations by leavening the whole population with scriptural truth, by collective addresses and individual appeals. There was a great responsibility in listening to God's voice, in diligently improving the time of His visitation, and in entering fully into His pre

sent plans and purposes. The door was now open, and they must enter before it was again shut. They were specially called upon to give this a high place in their desires and prayers, in their sacrifices and efforts. Let them have the best convener, the best auxiliaries, and the best agents; let their Christian people contribute liberally, and pray fervently for success, and they might indulge the confident expectation that the Lord would bless their labours still more abundantly. Thus, too, they would strengthen the hands of the Convener, and all engaged with him, and they would yet hear from Dr Roxburgh greater results than they had yet heard from him, and from those other brethren who were honoured instruments in forwarding the good and great cause. The reverend Principal concluded by moving the adoption of the Report, and thanks to the Convener.

Professor MILLER, in seconding the motion, said, he would desire to add his voice to that of Principal Cunningham, in requesting this Assembly to enjoin that the resignation of the worthy Convener of this Committee should certainly not be accepted. (Hear, hear.) He stated that his apology, or rather his explanation, for resigning he felt to be a bungled affair, and he (Professor Miller) almost inclined to concur in that sentiment. (A laugh.) During the whole time that he (Dr Roxburgh) had held his honourable office, he had commanded the admiration as well as the gratitude of the whole Church-(cheers)-for the admirable way in which he had discharged his duties. He had shewn again and again, year after year, and Assembly after Assembly, the best possible reasons why he should be continued in the office, and his special capacity for discharging the duties of it. But when he came to try to make out a case that he should cease from that office, he gave them a demonstration of his utter incapacity for such a task. (Laughter.) On his own shewing, it seemed to him perfectly inevitable that he must continue as he was, and that if he really wished to resign at some future date, he might take lessons in the art; for in his present condition he could not apply to himself, neither could anybody else apply to him the saying, "Nothing so became him in his Convener's life as did the leaving it." As he (Dr Roxburgh) was stating the reason why he should resign, he (Professor Miller) always expected to hear some good and solid reason given. He always expected that he would give something a little in his own line (a laugh) such as health declining, or something of that kind; but he never touched upon that point, and he (Professor Miller) was thankful that he did not do so, for the best of reasons,—that instead of being anything the worse bodily of the great labours in which he had been engaged, he had experienced something, and not a little, of what exacted of a man, by God's providence, strength would be given to him the medical men called the law of tolerance, that whatever duty was for the right and due performance of it. (Applause.) Before he proceeded one bit further, he would seek to modify, at the suggestion of a brother, a member of this House, one statement that the Convener made. dealt hardly with Scotland in regard to one point-as to illegitimacyin drawing a comparison by statistics between certain portions of Scotland-Protestant, or professing to be so-and France-Papal, or professing to be so. There was a fallacy there.

He

There was no true or real

parallel between the two cases; for the very reason why the number of illegitimate births appeared so very small in Papal France was known by