necessarily commanded their love. You never heard him utter a harsh or unbecoming expression; you never saw him break forth into violent passion;-you never had to reprove him for associating with bad companions, nor for engaging in improper amusements. In every innocent pastime for promoting health, in every playful expedient for whetting the mental powers, none more active than he: but in all the little brawls and turmoils that usually agitate youthful associations, there was one whom you might safely reckon upon not having any share. And yet, with all his talents, and amiableness, and simplicity, I cannot venture positively to affirm that there was at that time, any thing like a decided appearance of vital christianity in the heart. One thing I can affirm, that in our daily and longcontinued conversations, religious topics did not form a considerable, or rather, any part of them. The love of what was good, and abhorrence of what was evil, had been so habitually inculcated from childhood, that the cherishing of these feelings might seem to have acquired the strength of a constitutional tendency; and the abandonment of them would have been like the violent breaking up of an established habit; still at this very time, the hand of God might have been silently, though efficaciously, working. It is not for us to decide on those secret things that belong to the Lord. But at whatever period the life of faith truly commenced, I believe it to be the fact that his progress in it was so gradual and imperceptible as to elude observation."

JOHN URQUHART.

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Being still too young to be trusted alone at a university, and at a distance from his father's house, it became a question, how to dispose of his time for at least a year longer. After consulting with other friends and myself, his father determined on sending him to the Perth Academy for one session. Here, under the instruction of Mr. Adam Anderson, a gentleman well known for his high scientific attainments, and Mr. Forbes, now the successor of the Rev. Dr. Gordon, in Hope Park Chapel, Edinburgh, he prosecuted those studies in the mathematics, natural philosophy, chemistry, and other branches, which have been long and successfully taught at that respectable seminary. He received at the end of the session, the first prize in the second class; and another prize for the best constructed maps.

This last circumstance induces me to mention that there was great neatness in every thing which was done by my young friend. He possessed the love of order and elegance in a very remarkable degree. It appeared in the arrangement of his little library, in the keeping of all his things, in attention to his person, and, in short, in all that was capable of evincing the possession of a mind perspicacious, well balanced, and sensitively alive to every thing ridiculous or offensive.

Hitherto no serious impressions on his mind had become apparent. That he was not altogether without them, appears from references made to this period of his history at a future time. His constant association with religious people, the

preaching of the gospel which he regularly attended; these, in connexion with his peculiarly impressible mind, must have subjected him to occasional convictions which, though not permanent, prepared him in a measure for the deep impressions which were afterwards made upon him. The death of Mr. Moncur, the Master of the Grammar School, under exceedingly painful circumstances, appears also to have deeply affected him. But the time had not yet come, when the full view of his own character, and of the grace and power of the gospel, were to be experienced.

Few persons have been placed in the same circumstances with young Urquhart, without feeling certain religious emotions; though, alas! in a vast majority, those feelings are subsequently entirely lost, or only remain in a very faint and inefficient remembrance. Association with the world; the pursuits of business or pleasure ;— or, what the Scriptures admirably denominate, "The lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of life," cause many a fair "blossom to go up as dust," and destroy hopes of the most flattering nature. But when it pleases God to cause these early convictions to take root and ripen, the future life of the individual is often remarkably blessed. His earliest and best years are devoted to the enjoyment and service of Christ: if cut off soon, it must be matter of rejoicing that his youth was given to God; if spared long, he has the delightful privilege of obtaining a full reward.

The period had now come when it was necessary to determine the future career of this interesting boy. Various objects presented themselves to the minds of his anxious parents. They thought of the profession of the law and of medicine, and perhaps of another profession also, though they feared to avow it, especially to himself. It is not improbable that his own mind was directed to the ministry; but as he had given no decided indications of piety, neither his father nor myself encouraged him to think of it. Convinced of the deep injury done to religion, by the education of men for the ministry who afford no evidence that they themselves know the truth as it is in Jesus, I consider the encouragement of such persons, the greatest wrong which can be done to their own souls, and to the church of Christ. In some instances, it is true, the salvation of the gospel is afterwards received by them; in numerous instances it is altogether and finally rejected, though the most solemn obligations are submitted to, to preach it; and in many cases there is reason to fear, a cold orthodoxy is all that is ever attained. Under the influence of these causes, christianity has sustained more injury than from all other things. The ruin of any church may be dated from the time that it commences the training of men avowedly for the ministry, from their infancy.

This is a different matter from a christian parent devoting, in his own mind, to the work of God, a promising youth, provided he shall become a partaker of divine grace. In that case, it will be his duty

to give him such an education as his circumstances admit, and which may eventually further the object of his wishes. Such were the views with which I tendered my advice to the elder Mr. Urquhart, respecting the education and prospects of his son. I was powerfully convinced that, should it please God to call him to the knowledge of himself, he had all the elements of an accomplished and attractive preacher. He had a fine voice, a pleasing address and appearance, besides being remarkably fond of knowledge, and diligent in its pursuit. To himself I said nothing; but I pointed out these things to his father, and convinced him of the importance of giving his son such an education as might suit any of the professions in which the knowledge of literature is required. To every thing except study, he always manifested great reluctance or aversion; so that the path of duty to send him to St. Andrew's became at length clear.

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The high satisfaction which this afforded to John was very evident. The buoyancy and vivacity of youth, no doubt appeared in the prospect of going new scene, especially as that scene was a university. But he was to be placed among those to whom he was almost an entire stranger,-to be separated from his own family, which he had never before left except for a few days together,-and to be made, in a great measure, his own master. These considerations could not fail to make on his delicate mind, some painful impression.

His parents, too, could not but feel the risk to