No. CCCXIII.-TO REV.

EDINBURGH, 19th March, 1843. DEAR SIR-Your letter has given me great pain—not that I see a difficulty in the question when viewed in the light of my own conscience, and according to the strength of my own confidence; but I do feel deeply for the distress of which you have presented me with so affecting a picture, and in particular my heart bleeds for poor Mrs. whose fears are so very natural, and must be so very distracting to her spirits. Suffer me first to address myself to the question as one of conscience, which I do the more readily because you speak of your own misgivings on this score, when you think of the rightful claims which your creditors have to whatever might belong to you. Do not suspect me of sitting in judgment upon another man's conscience (1 Cor., x., 29), but suffer me to state my own views. If I were compelled to abandon my stipend by that highest of all necessities (the necessity of principle), then I should not look upon it as a thing which belonged to me, and that morally I was not more responsible to my creditors for it than if it had been wrested from me by the hand of violence.

And, second, as to the strength of my confidence, I will not rest it on any other foundation than the promise of God. If we go fearlessly on in the way of duty He will make good His own declaration, that "as the day comes, the provision will come." He will not forsake the families of those who put their trust in Him. He hath said to such, “I will never leave you nor forsake you." So that we may boldly say, the Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what men can do to me. I will not at present speak of our prospects. I would not run the hazard of misleading you by presenting you with any calculations whatever upon these. I can only say that the impressive representation which you have set before me will make me all the more strenuous in behalf of our general fund for the support of the Free Church, believing, as I do,

that many, very many are our faithful clergy with whom it will form their main earthly dependence in this matter. I have had much to encourage me, and feel assured that, under God, if the friends of our Church will give it what they might and what they ought, we shall not only make out a moderate competency for all the disestablished ministers, but be enabled to extend over the whole of Scotland the blessings of a Christian education. I enter fully into the expression of your being paralyzed and unable to do aught for us in your own parish. However much we value the active co-operation of the minister, yet it is not indispensable to the establishment of a local association. We are setting up these even in parishes where ministers are hostile; and it will be far more practicable in cases such as yours where they are friendly. I am, my dear sir, yours most truly, THOMAS CHALMERS.

No. CCCXIV.-TO THE SAME.

EDINBURGH, 20th March, 1843. MY DEAR SIR-I submitted your letters to one of the leading men in Edinburgh, and will not show them to any more, as I do not think that any other conclusion can be come to than what he and I agreed upon. You are quite right in supposing that others, in this season of toil, will be placed in circumstances of great and peculiar difficulty; and accordingly a representation, similar to your own, was sent to me yesterday. I doubt not there will be more; and the just effect of them all is (in the utter hopelessness of doing much, if any thing, in the way of special adaptation of our means to special cases) to stimulate our utmost endeavors for making good the general fund, that, supplemented by the separate efforts of each congregation, might lighten, and, if so be, do away the privations consequent on the surrender of our present temporalities.

The number of our associations, I am happy to say, has now reached four hundred and five; and it is our earnest desire that no parish, however the minister might stand affect

ed, shall be without one. But human helps will prove a vain and impious reliance without a single-minded dependence on Him who can make all things work together for our good. I will not let go my confidence that He will make all to emerge in the good of His Church, and in a surpassing compensation to the faithful adherents of His cause for all their relinquishments and all their losses. I beg my best regards and sympathies to Mrs. -; and, in the earnest hope that God will clear up a way of comfort both for yourself and your family, I ever am, my dear sir, yours most truly,

THOMAS CHALMERS

No. CCCXV.-TO ANDREW JOHNSTON, Esq.

EDINBURGH, 20th April, 1843.

MY DEAR SIR-I return you many thanks for your munificent and truly encouraging donation of £100 for our Free Church. You say in aid of the New Endowment Scheme. Unless forbid me, you I will assign it to the Building Fund; as in the first instance we shall chiefly look to the yearly produce of our subscriptions and associations for the sustentation of the ministry. These associations now amount to four hundred and five, and with the fair prospect of being doubled in the course of the summer.

In regard to your important suggestions, it is very certain that both the government sanction of our veto and the queen's oath of protection to our constitutional rights have been much insisted on in the course both of our debates at home and of our correspondence with London. I do not see that any farther delay should be incurred for the sake of a formal restatement of these, more especially as we are now declared, both by the legal courts and by Parliament, to be on the ground of rebellion against the law, if we do not implement their decisions in every such spiritual matter as they might choose to take under their cognizance and control. The sooner we make ourselves off from that ground the better.

Let it be our stay and our confidence that the Lord reign

eth; and that He will make all to issue in the extension of His Son's kingdom, and the establishment of His own glory.

Perhaps you could suggest how it is that the sympathy and fellow-feeling of the evangelical public in England could be rendered most available for the promotion of our common cause in this country.

Remember me in the most cordial and affectionate manner to dear Mrs. Johnston, and to the respected families of Sir Thomas F. Buxton, Mr. Gurney, and Mr. Hoare. Ever believe me, my dear sir, yours most gratefully and truly, THOMAS CHALMERS.

No. CCCXVI.-TO ANDREW JOHNSTON, Esq

EDINBURGH, 3d May, 1843. MY DEAR SIR-I can not lay my hand on any copy of the speech to which you refer; but the matter respecting which you inquire may be shortly stated thus:

I never doubted the perfect competency and power of the Church to pass the veto law, and the obligation under which all its courts lay to regulate their procedure by its provisions. When this ecclesiastical law was found not to quadrate with the civil law, I never counted on any other effect from this want of harmony than the forfeiture of the temporalities of the benefice-in itself a very serious evil. To avert this evil, I recommended the repeal of the veto, but in conjunction at the same time with the condition, which I held to be indispensable, that the Strathbogie ministers should retrace their steps, for that it was of prime necessity to vindicate the authority of the Church over her refractory members. These ministers, instead of making reparation for their disobedience, proceeded onward in their course to the ordination of Mr. Edwards, for which glaring outrage they were most righteously deposed. On this I instantly withdrew my recommendation, not of one measure, but of several measures, which behooved to stand or fall together-to be adopted or rejected, not singly, but simultaneously.

It was in deference to the good of a National Establishment, or of a legal provision for the clergy, that I wished to bring our law into accordance with the law of the state. But when I found that the interpretation put on my proposal was that I deferred to the legal authority of the state in things spiritual, and also that the Strathbogie ministers proceeded on this interpretation, instead of submitting to the discipline of their ecclesiastical superiors, I gave up the attempt to secure the Establishment principle till it should be freed from the principle of Erastianism. For on any other footing than that of entire spiritual independence, I should hold a National Church to be a moral nuisance.

I know not if I have made myself intelligible.

Certain it

is that I have now given up all faith in the efficacy of arguments. It is by deeds, not arguments, that the truth will become manifest at last.

You will be delighted to hear that our associations for the support of the Free Church now amount to five hundred and fourteen; and we expect by the time of the General Assembly to have more than the half of Scotland organized.

I had a letter this morning from the munificent William Campbell, of Glasgow, who now despairs of the government being brought to reason upon our question, and tenders £2000 for our Building Fund.

With earnest prayer for God's best blessings on you and yours, ever believe me, my dear sir, yours most gratefully and truly, THOMAS CHALMERS.

[Durness by Golspie, 20th July, 1843.-MY DEAR SIR-From several causes, which I need not state particularly, I could not possibly leave the manse till a fortnight ago-waiting an opportunity of conveying my furniture and part of my family by sea, from near the shores of Cape Wrath to Thurso, and my wife and the younger branches of the family by land, being a distance of at least 70 miles; not a house or hut could be got nearer for their accommodation. I have taken a room in the only inn in the district where I at present sojourn, in the midst of a poor and afflicted but sympathizing people-some of whom,