Andrew's had, for many years, approached nearer to the freezing than to the boiling point. The first attempt, therefore, to rouse and kindle the flame, could not fail to produce a certain degree of commotion. This, however, our young friend and his associates met in a christian manner, and overcame by their prudence and good sense. Dr. Chalmers was early engaged in its support; and others of the professors also came afterwards to encourage it. His friend Mr. Duff gives the following account of the progress of John's religious views and feelings at this time, and of his exertions in forming the missionary society among the students:

"At the beginning of the session of 1824-5, the traces of a gathering and growing piety were very observable. Out of the fulness of the heart the mouth speaketh;' and, accordingly, religious subjects became with him the great, the constant, the delightful theme of conversation. Christianity was not now with him a mere round of observances ;— a matter of cold and heartless formality. It engrossed all his thoughts,—it gave a direction to all his actions; and his chief concern was, how to promote the cause of his Redeemer. One evening early in the session, a few of his companions met in his room. The main topic of conversation was the blindness of the understanding, and the hardness of the heart, with its entire alienation from God. This led to a discussion upon the influences of the Spirit in removing the various obstacles

that oppose the reception of the truth as it is in Jesus. On this subject, Mr. Urquhart's thoughts were striking, and his views luminous. Our attention was then directed to the resistance made to the offers of the gospel by the men of the world, and the want of universality in its propagation. The efforts of enlightened christians in publishing the glad tidings of salvation, and the operations of missionary societies, were then largely spoken of. The next, the paramount importance of this ob-/zast ject as involving the interests of time and eternity, was acknowledged by all. The question was suggested, Is it not possible to form a missionary society among the students? By some the idea was reckoned chimerical, from the coldness and apathy well known to prevail among the members of the university. By others, among whom was Mr. Urquhart, it was strenuously urged that a vigorous effort should at least be made, for the purpose of forming an association for the promotion of so good a cause. I cannot now state the precise amount of influence which Mr. Urquhart's arguments had on those present;-only he was most urgent and impressive in maintaining the propriety of the scheme and its probability of success. Paper was accordingly produced, and the prevailing sentiments stated: the object being to procure a sufficient number of subscribers friendly to the missionary cause, to justify the formation of a society. A small association of divinity students had met on the preceding year, in a private room, with the intention of reviewing

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and supporting missions. It was suggested, therefore, that a union might be formed between the divinity and philosophy students, (in the event of the latter coming forward), so as to form an active and efficient body of members. The whole scheme, so ably advocated by Mr. Urquhart, succeeded far beyond the most sanguine expectations. And thus originated the St. Andrew's University Missionary Society, which now ranks among its friends and supporters more than one-third of all attending the university."

As this society occupied so much of his thoughts, and was, in fact, productive of some very important results to himself and others; and as the mode of conducting its affairs was somewhat peQulier, I am glad that I can give some account of

* from the pen of its founder. It was furnished

to the St. Andrew's University Magazine, a small monthly work, published by those of the young men attending the theological and philosophy classes; and to which Urquhart was an occasional contributor. Though written the following year, it may be read appropriately in connexion with the present period of my young friend's life. It is entitled

DR. CHALMERS.

ST. ANDREW'S MISSIONARY SOCIETY.

Perhaps an apology may be necessary for again calling the attention of our readers to a

subject which may be supposed by some of them to have already occupied too prominent a place in the pages of the University Magazine. It is not, however, to the general subject of missions that the following observations refer; but to an institution which, for several reasons, is highly deserving of our attention. The meetings of the St. Andrew's Missionary Society are conducted by one of the most distinguished men of the present age; and one who is both an elève and a professor of our own university. After alluding to Dr. Chalmers, it is scarcely necessary to add, that the perfect originality of the plan of procedure in the public meetings of this society, furnishes the subject with an additional claim upon our regard. We feel quite ashamed, indeed, that we have not ere now given a more detailed account of these highly interesting meetings. Our only excuse is, that we have felt unequal to the task. When any subject is treated in an ordinary manner, a brief summary of leading ideas may be sufficient to suggest a pretty accurate conception of the whole; as a well executed sketch may give a just enough idea of a common painting. But should we attempt to give any adequate conception of the rich and expressive diction, and the living imagery of Dr. Chalmers's style, by a meagre outline of his ideas, it were something as if a mere dabbler in the fine arts should hold up his own rude and imperfect sketch of some masterpiece of the pencil, and pretend thereby to afford a just representation of that original in which every lineament gave grace

and beauty, and every touch gave life. This, therefore, we shall not attempt. Our object in these remarks is to give some account of Dr. Chalmers's plan of procedure, which we think might be extensively adopted in meetings of a similar nature, with very considerable advantage.

Dr. Chalmers is, in the widest sense of the word-a philosopher; and Philosophy is his companion wherever he goes. He has here succeeded in introducing her into a place where it must be confessed, she has but seldom appeared hitherto, and where her friends expected least of all, perhaps, to find her, the meeting of a missionary society. If we have been at all able to guess at the scope of Dr. Chalmers's general plan from the few of these meetings we have had the pleasure of attending, he appears to us to have taken a most interesting view of missionary operations. He seems to regard the history of christian enterprise among the heathen, as a wide field of observation from whence we may gather, by induction, some very important truths in reference to the christian religion. Accordingly, while interesting selections are read from the periodical accounts of different missionary societies, the inferences that may be legitimately drawn from the facts there recorded are set forth by Dr. Chalmers in paragraphs of his own composition, occasionally interspersed with extemporaneous explanation. These serve to connect together the extracts that are read, and thus give to the whole the air of a continuous and well arranged discourse, where some important