So still the air, each note was audible,
Making the silence felt in its lone sound.
I watched the scene with a delighted eye,
Whose appetite did grow on what it fed:
A feeling not unmixed with national pride
Was mine; for I, in youth, had travelled far,
The spirit of my thought companion sole;
And memory told me with her inward voice,
She could revive no fairer scene than this,
From all her past.

The vicar guessed my thoughts :-
"We travel far, yet where find we a land
So beautiful as England? where the sun
Invigorates, yet scathes not the seared ground,
Baring it of its natural robes of green;

Where winter leaves not its enduring snows;
Where spring, though coy, yet lingers to the last ;-

Where autumn's glory hath no parallel ;

Where the rich noble rears his stately seat,
Yet careful sheds upon the poor around
His planetary influence of good; -
Where the secluded village, 'midst woodlands
Emerging, makes the passing traveller yearn
To end his days there; where the hamlets grey,
Buried in depths of trees, reveal their spires,
Pointing their heavenward tendencies;
The lowliest cot by patch of garden bound,
Upon its time-worn venerable face,

Bears stamp of honourable poverty!"

where even

I heard, well pleased, and answer needed none :
We passed the gate, that, opening on the woods,
Descended gradually from the heights,

Into the sylvan solitary scene.

The sun scarce glinted through the foliage;
Nought look'd in on us, save the all-seeing sky;
Yet was no sameness here: the granite crag
Rose, 'midst the depths, in splinter'd pinnacles,
Ivy-wreath'd, grey, like tower of feudal days:
Deep fissures hollowed in the yawning hill,
Spake of the inscrutable past; eras of wreck,
Of deluges, or fires; or the scathed pine,
Upshooting suddenly its spectral boughs,
Spoke to the heart of death, or slow decline;
Vain warning to the green youth shooting round it,
Conscious but of their own abounding life!

As downward to the lowest paths we plunged,
The war of waters deepen'd, till we stood

'Midst granite fragments hurled from extreme heights, Crowding the strand, through which the arrowy Dart,

Like a perturbéd spirit, goaded on
By its own wild remorse, rushed hastily by,
Gleaming a light as flashed from maniac eyes,
Shot beneath matted brows: on, on it swept,
Forcing its course, or crushing, or evading;
Driven by self impulses and nature's laws.

Here paused the FATALIST, who still had been Our guide through the dim paths, and pointed where In the short distance rose a low grey cot,

Of granite hewn, and fashion'd like a tower

That lack'd not narrow casements. It seemed built
To assimilate with the scene, for, reared amidst
The granite rocks, it look'd of them a part; -
The very altar formed of Solitude;

Or, as while basking in the sun, it rose
Like some huge mass of torpid life inert,

Which, as the blue smoke mounted from its roof,
Seemed like its palpable breath slow oozing forth,
Heavily rising on the pulseless air!

He turned to us, as one who set himself

A self-imposéd duty to fulfil;

A task from which, even now, he would have shrunk,
Had self-respect allowed. His features were
Cast as from iron, and his lips compressed,
Rigid, and pale; on his contracted brow
The inquiring spirit of the restless mind

Seemed ever wakeful, while the thoughtful eyes
Reposing seemed on truths which it had found:
No human sensibilities were seen

In their grey depths - a cold serenity
Manifest there a passionless repose:

Each lineament was rock-like, as impressive,
As fixed, and quiet; - grave, but not repellant.
Oppression would have sought him 'midst the crowd,

Reading the impress of inflexible right

Stamped on his brow; unsympathising justice

Done from the rule of duty's discipline;

The fixedness of regard in his calm look,

And earnestness of manner, proved his will,
Where hollower sounding courtesies had failed.
He turned to us, and with a sadden'd tone,
Yet welcoming, he spoke :-" Here let us rest;
There is my anchorage, the haven found,

Where prove your welcome; then, beside this stream,
Which images so well my course of youth,
Therefore
my
And you shall hear the history of my life."

chosen seat, we will adjourn,

THE

MONTHLY CHRONICLE.

THE SCOTTISH CHURCH QUESTION.

THE question to which in this article we beg leave to draw the attention of our readers has been for the last year and a half, though thought of by few out of Scotland, the all-absorbing topic throughout that country. All political questions have, before the "non-intrusion question," sunk into insignificance. The agitation has not been confined to one class, but has been joined in by all classes. Among "high and low, rich and poor," it has excited the deepest interest; and, without doubt, it must soon excite great interest in England. Indeed it has been for some time past much discussed in the columns of some of our most widely-circulated newspapers and periodicals; and we therefore think we owe no apology to our readers for drawing their attention to it, and giving an exposition of our own views on a subject on which all who take a part in politics must very soon form an opinion.

Many of our readers are no doubt aware that in Scotland the church is divided into two parties - the "Evangelical" and the "Moderate." Almost all the working clergy belong to the "Evangelical" party, and almost all the idlers among the clergy belong to the "Moderate" party. Far be it from us to assert that all among the "Evangelicals" are working men and good men, and it is as far from our intention to assert that all among the "Moderates" are idle; but, generally speaking, the working clergy are "Evangelicals," and the idle clergy "Moderates." The Evangelical party have for their great leader one who can indeed be called great, and whose name and character are known throughout the civilised world-Dr. Chalmers; and his staff numbers among its members men whom we feel ourselves perfectly justified in styling the most learned, the most pious, the most laborious, and the most popular of Scotland's ministers. The Moderate party, on the other hand, are led by Dr. Cook, professor of moral philosophy in the university of St. Andrew's (perhaps some few of our readers may have heard of him); and his staff consists of men equally, nay more unknown to fame, than their great leader. The Evangelical party consists of the great majority of the ministers, elders, and people of the Church of Scotland, and those not all holding the same political views; for there are among them Conservatives, Whigs, and Radicals. The Moderate party consists of a small minority of the ministers, elders, and people of the church, among whom the great majority are Tories; but their views are favoured by the great majority of the Tory landed gentry, by the great majority of the voluntaries, and by the Chartists. All party feeling is merged in this question of questions. The press has teemed with pamphlets without number, by far the greater part of them being favourable to the views of the Evangelicals; and fresh newspapers have been started for the express purpose of advocating the cause of the church, without taking any part in party politics, and which, in a very short time, have secured a circulation equal, if not superior, to the

most widely-circulated journals in their respective localities. Such being the interest evinced in this question in Scotland (and, as a still further proof of it, we beg to observe, that, in 1833, when an agitation on a large scale was commenced under the auspices of Sir George Sinclair and Mr. Colquhoun for the repeal of patronage, the signatures to the petitions to parliament scarcely numbered 80,000, the signatures to the non-intrusion petitions last year numbered above 260,000, and this year the signatures to the anti-patronage petitions will probably amount to many more; for, in Edinburgh, the signatures to the last year's petition were about 13,000, and to the anti-patronage petition this season the signatures are more than 25,000-as many as were adhibited to the great petition in favour of the Reform Bill), we should have failed in our duty had we longer delayed laying a state of the case before our readers. Before, however, proceeding to do so we feel it necessary, for the information of those of our readers who are unacquainted with the peculiarities of our northern establishment, to give a brief account of

THE HISTORY AND CONSTITUTION OF THE KIRK OF SCOTLAND.

The Reformation in England was supported by the king and a great majority of the nobles, and flourished accordingly, and met with few obstacles. Far otherwise was it in Scotland: there, for a long series of years, the sovereign and many of the nobles were its bitter and powerful opponents, and it had to fight its way, and it did fight its way despite of their opposition; and even after they found that their opposition was fruitless, and when they did join in the work of reformation, it was not a reformation of the doctrine they wanted, but a distribution among themselves of the property of the Roman Church. They succeeded. The temporalties they did get; and many a long year passed away ere even a remnant was rescued from their ruthless hands for the benefit of the reformed clergy. In a parliament held 1560 a demand was made by the reformers to have popery abolished, the Reformation established by the authority of Parliament, and a portion of the revenues of the Popish Church given over for the providing of religious education for the poor. Popery was abolished, and a demand was made upon the reformers for a statement of their faith; the result of that demand was the production of the first "Confession of Faith of the Kirk of Scotland." That confession was ratified by Parliament; but this, in their opinion, was quite enough: the demand for a portion of the temporalties was not discussed; Parliament was dissolved, and the demand was not heeded. In the same year was held the first General Assembly of the Kirk of Scotland, and the First Book of Discipline, or ecclesiastical polity, was framed. In the First Book of Discipline there was a difference among ministers, some being superintendants, and some ordinary ministers: the superintendant had, however, very little more power than the ordinary minister; he had to preach three times a week at the least, and his conduct could be reviewed by the clergy of the province. The reformers did not think that this office was of Divine origin, or that it was necessary in all cases. reason for instituting it was that preachers were very rare; and, therefore, superintendants were required to go through the country "planting kirks," and administering the ordinances of religion, where there were no resident ministers. The First Book of Discipline was never ratified by Parliament, the great objection entertained against it being, that it required the whole of the revenues of the Popish Church to be applied to pious purposes; but, nevertheless, the church acted agreeably to its dictates. Here it may be proper to mention shortly the enlarged views of Knox and his coadjutors.

Their

For every thousand inhabitants a minister was required; in every parish a school was to be endowed; in every large town a college was to be founded --thus providing alike a religious and a general education for all classes. How unlike the system which had preceded it! Popery required darkness -Protestantism light. Popery suffered the poor to remain unenlightened and uneducated - the great aim of the Protestants was to spread religion and education among all classes. What a different tale could Scotland this day have told if that scheme had met with the sanction of Parliament; but it was defeated the hopes of the reformers were blighted by a Papist sovereign and a greedy grasping aristocracy. The Second Book of Discipline was framed in 1578, and by it the Presbyterian form of church government was finally settled; and it continues to this day to be the book of discipline of the Church of Scotland. In 1592 Parliament passed an act, entitled "Ratification of the Liberty of the true Kirk," &c., by which the general assemblies were ratified and approved; and it "also ratifies and approves the synodical and provincial assemblies," and "ratifies and approves the presbyteries and particular sessions appointed by the said kirk, with the haill jurisdiction and discipline of the same kirk." The act then declares the matters to be entreated in provincial assemblies and presbyteries, in the precise words of the Book of Discipline. Farther on in the same act it is declared that his highness and estates "has abrogated and annulled whatsomever acts, laws, and statutes made at any time before the day and date hereof against the liberty of the true kirk, jurisdiction, and discipline thereof, as the same is used and exercised within this realm." Now, as the forms prescribed in the Book of Discipline were practised throughout the country, the discipline therein set forth was "the discipline used and exercised within the realm;" and therefore, in effect, the Second Book of Discipline has been ratified and approved by Parliament. This being the case, and having now arrived at the time when the "great charter" of the Church of Scotland was granted, it may be proper to give at this place a brief account of the constitution of that kirk.

In every parish there is a resident minister, and he, along with a number, averaging four, of the most religious men in the parish, and who are called elders, composed the Kirk Session-the lowest church court in Scotland. The duty of the elder is to visit the bounds assigned him once a month at least, "and to report what scandals and abuses there are therein." He should also visit the sick within his district. But the most important part of his duty is the acting as a member in church courts. At meetings of sessions the minister is "moderator;" but he has no greater voice in the decisions of the court than any of the elders. This court decides who shall be admitted to partake of the Lord's Supper, and who shall be kept back. An elder may be censured by the session, but the minister cannot be censured by any court below the presbytery.

The Presbytery consists of all the ministers within its bounds and an elder from each session, a minister being moderator. To this court is intrusted the granting of licences to preach; the ordaining, suspending, and deposing of ministers; the general superintendance of all the parishes within the diocese; the examination of parish schoolmasters and parish schools; the hearing of appeals from the sessions situated within the bounds of the presbytery, along with certain civil powers to which it is unnecessary now to refer. The average number of parishes within the bounds of a presbytery is about fourteen; but when a presbytery may become inconveniently large, owing to the increased population of the parishes rendering a division of them necessary, the general assembly is in the habit of dividing it.