the pouring out of the Spirit. Thus, in order to the revival promised Ezek. xxxvi. God says, ver. 27, "I will put my Spirit within you." John xvi. 8. Christ says, "When he the Spirit of truth is come, he will convince the world of sin," &c. These, with many other passages that might be named, shew, that the conversion of sinners to God is entirely the work of the Spirit. Nor is this all. The progress of sanctification in the souls of God's children, depends as entirely on the work of the Spirit, as their conversion did. Hence is he represented, Rom. viii. 9. as dwelling in them; John xiv. 16, abiding with them for ever; John xvi. 13, guiding them into all the truth; Eph. i. 17, opening the eyes of their understanding; 1 Cor. vi. 11. 2 Thes. ii. 13. 1 Pet. i. 2. washing and sanctifying them; Gal. v. 22---24. producing the fruit of heavenly and holy dispositions; Gal. v. 16, 17. Rom. viii. 13. opposing and subduing the corrupt propensities and passions of depraved nature; Rom. viii. 14. Gal. v. 18. Psalm cxliii. 10, lead ing and guiding the saints in their pilgrimage journey, to their Father's house; Rom. viii. 15, 16. Gal. iv. 6, inspiring them with holy confidence and freedom in their approaches to God, as their heavenly Father.---Now, Betsy, I would have you to mark all these passages in your Bible, and to examine them at your leisure, one after another, in their proper connection, with fervent prayer to the Father of lights, to guide you into all the truth, and you will find reason to believe that Mrs FRIGID'S system is not drawn from the Bible, that the power

and influence of the Holy Spirit, is all in all in the conversion of sinners, and the sanctification of believers. As I would dissuade you from taking Mrs FRIGID'S word for granted, I would be just as far from wishing you to take mine. Search the Scriptures, and be satisfied for yourself, that your faith and practice may not depend on the word of man, but on the testimony of God. This is the only way to enjoy the satisfaction and comfort of true religion.

B.---But are there not some passages that ascribe conversion and sanctification to the Word of God, such as, James i. 18. John xvii. 17. &c.?

T.---I am glad you have mentioned that subject, for it is of much importance to understand the distinction between the Word and the Spirit of God, in the work of salvation. Conversion, sanctification, &c. are ascribed to the Word of God, merely as the means or instrument in the hand of the Spirit, by which he produces these effects. Hence Paul calls the Word, "The sword of the Spirit." See Rev. i. 16.

Heb. iv. 12. Eph. vi. 17. The Spirit carries on the work of conversion and sanctification, not by means independent of or apart from the Bible; not by making any new revelation, but by inclining the mind to the contemplation and belief of those great truths already revealed, Hence

our

duty is, to search, believe, and obey the revelation that God has graciously given us, and thus depend on the Spirit to do his own work, according to his promise.

B.---There is a Mrs WORLDLY, who frequently comes into our house to light her pipe, and talk

T.---Peter speaks of men who wrest the Scriptures to their own destruction! This is never more frequently, nor more effectually done, than by an appeal to the great truth of human inability, to cover that criminal aversion to the concerns of the soul and eternity, so natural to depraved man. Do you not think, Betsy, that if people believed themselves perishing, and unable to help themselves, it would fill them with anxiety, distress, and alarm.

B.---I think it would, and I have always considered the absence of every thing like this, in the case of Mrs WORLDLY, as an evidence that she did not believe what she said, not cared about its consequences.

T.---Very true. And if you have paid any attention to the

Bible, you must have observed, that it teaches something very different from Mrs WORLDLY'S doctrine. It sets before the sinner his helpless condition,---it sets before him the remedy that God has provided in the death of his Son. But in place of encouraging him to wait a moment, it commands, it urges, it be seeches him by all the terrors of JEHOVAH'S wrath,---by all the endearments of his love,---by all the solemnities of eternity,---by the infinite importance of salvation, to be reconciled to God, to flee for refuge to the hope of the gospel. Its language is, Behold now is the day of salvation; today if you will hear his voice, harden not your hearts. In fact the main thing awanting with sinners to induce them to embrace God's salvation, is the hearty conviction that they can do nothing for themselves. I trust that you will always remember, that the Spirit is not promised to drag, or drive people in opposition to their inclinations, but to incline them to believe what he has revealed, and to obey what he has commanded.....

K.

Good News from the Highlands: or a Short Sketch of a Mission to the Highlands of Perthshire, by Messrs GILFILLAN of Comrie, and YOUNG of Logiealmond; in July and August 1819. Under the Appointment of the General Associate Synod. pp. 42. Price 6d.

It is much to be regretted that we are in possession of so little authentic information respecting the moral and religious state of the Highlands. The information which we possess is just sufficient to produce a general impression of the greatness of their necessities, but for want of a detail of

particulars, shewing at once their circumstances in regard to the means of moral and religious instruction which they actually possess, and pointing out the measures which should be adopted to relieve their wants, the impression, we fear, is neither so vivid nor so powerful, as to induce us to make a great and persevering effort for their relief. The man who shall give to the public a detailed and correct account of all things relative to the Highlands and Islands of Scotland, fitted to awaken the dormant zeal of the friends of true religion in the Lowlands, will do a signal service to our Caledonian neighbours. We are happy to inform our readers, that something of this kind will soon be submitted to the friends of religion, by a Gentleman every way competent to the important undertaking.

"No

In the mean time, we are anxious to call the attention of our readers to every exertion by any denomination of Christians, to dissipate the moral darkness in which that interesting portion of our countrymen have been so long enveloped. Great certainly must that darkness be, when it is considered, that it is only of late that the Holy Scriptures have been printed in their language. translation of the Holy Scriptures, or any part of them, existed in the Gaelic language, previous to the version of the New Testament by the Rev. James Stewart of Killin, Perthshire, which was printed in 1767, at the expense of the Society for Propagating Christian Knowledge." At that period, 10,000 copies of the New Testament were thrown off. In 1796, by the same Society, a 2d edi

VOL. VI.

tion, 21,500; in 1802; Old Testament, 3 vols. 8vo, by the same Society, 5,000; in 1807, 2 vols. or in one, by the same Society, 20,000; in the same year, by the British and Foreign Bible Society, the Bible, in small size, consisting of 20,000 copies, the New Testament, 18mo, 10,000; in 1810, in 12mo, by the same Society, 10,000 Testaments, and in the same year, by the Society for Propagating Christian Knowledge, 10,000 New Testaments,-in all, 106,500 Bibles and Testaments. In the Highlands and Islands, there are 400,000 persons who speak the Gaelic language; and, when it is considered that a great number of the copies of the Holy Scriptures which have been circulated, have been carried out of the country by emigrants to America, and the Highland soldiery to the

colonies in the East and West Indies, we may conclude with cer tainty, after all that has been done, that the Bible is comparatively a rare book in the Highlands.

Again, it is well known, that many of the Highland parishes are of immense extent; some of them 60 miles in length, by 40 in some parts in breadth! Were an apostle stationed in such a district, burning with all the zeal of Paul for the salvation of men's souls, his exertions could not meet the wants of the people. What must be the state of the people, when the minister happens to be a man of a very different descrip tion-a man who takes things easy, and who, if he officially performs what he conceives to be incumbent upon him, is perfectly satisfied! The parochial minister of Jura, has in that single island 1200 souls under his care; but 3 H

this is only one of six islands connected with his parish. We mention these particulars, to give our readers some idea of the manifest insufficiency of the parochial establishment to supply the spiritual wants of the Highlanders. It should likewise be remembered, that the parishes in that part of the country are frequently intersected by arms of the sea, lofty mountains and deep rivers, so that for a great part of the year the attendance of the people at the parish church is absolutely impracticable.

To remedy these evils, an itinerant ministry seems to be absolutely necessary. There are now in operation a great number of itinerating schoolmasters, whose labours we doubt not will be productive of the greatest advantages to the Gaelic population. The same causes which have suggest ed to the friends of religion the idea of ambulatory schoolmasters, should impress upon them the importance of an itinerant ministry.

The Congregational Union, for a number of years past, have enabled no fewer than nine ministers of their connection to visit diffe

rent parts of the Highlands regularly every summer.

It is with great pleasure that we observe, that other bodies of professing Christians have begun

to exert themselves in this most important field of missionary labour. For several years our Baptist brethren have had several itinerants regularly employed, particularly in the West Highlands, and in the Islands; and now the two great branches of the Secession have taken up the subject with some degree of spirit. The

Associate Synod sent two minisa ters for several weeks during last summer, to visit Inverness-shire and other parts; and the sketch which we lay before our readers contains an account of a tour undertaken by Messrs Gilfillan of Comrie, and Young of Logiealmond, deputed by the General Associate Synod to visit the Highlands of Perthshire.

The Narrative is well written; contains a great variety of pious and judicious reflections; and can hardly be perused, we think, without leaving in the mind of the reader a desire to do what he can for the spiritual advantage of the poor Highlanders; and, at the same time, an impression of the loveliness of true religion. We recommend this little Tract to our readers, not only on account of its intrinsic worth; but because, in purchasing it, they will contribute to the establishment of a library for the use of the people in Glenlyon.

We conclude our remarks with. the following extracts :

"A desire for hearing the gospel has long existed in Breadalbane. The work of Christ has put on many appearances in that district. It has flourished, and it has declined. It has again been revived about three years since; and at this moment, there are many who fear God, and ardently love the gospel of Jesus Christ, in that part of the Highlands. It is perhaps for a lamentation, that the controversy about baptism has had the tendency to hinder the operation of the gospel upon a large scale, or at least to excite prejudices in the minds of those who wait for

an occasion of rejoicing in the divisions of good men.

This desire of hearing the gospel in Breadalbane, different denominations, who pay has been gratified by ministers of them a visit, and who find themselves