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MEMOIR 


OF  THE 


REV.  WM.  C.  BURNS,  M.A., 


MISSIONARY   TO  CHINA 


FROM  THE   ENGLISH   PRESBYTERIAN   CHURCH. 


BY   THE 

REV.    ISLAY    BURNS,   D.D., 

PROFESSOR   OF   THEOLOGY, 
FREE  CHURCH   COLLEGE,  GLASGOW. 


'  Watch  thou  in  all  things,  endure  afflictions  (or  hardships),  do  the  work  of  an  evangelist,  make 
full  proof  of  thy  ministry."— 2  Tim.  iv.  5. 


NEW    YORK: 

ROBERT  CARTER  AND  BROTHERS,   530  BROADWAY 
1870. 


EMMANUEL 


5^038 


GLASGOW: 

W.  G.  BLACKIE  AND  CO.,  PRINTERS, 
VILLAFIELD. 


PREFACE. 


THE  difficulty  I  anticipated  in  writing  the  Biography 
of  one  so  nearly  related  to  me  was  very  soon  for 
gotten  as  I  proceeded  with  my  task,  and  felt  more 
and  more  deeply  how  utterly  insignificant  are  all 
such  earthly  ties,  in  presence  of  the  higher  relations 
of  that  eternal  kingdom  in  which  my  lamented 
Brother  so  entirely  lived.  If,  while  he  was  still  with 
us,  it  was  possible  for  those  most  closely  connected 
with  him  in  some  measure  to  know  him  "  after  the 
flesh,"  one  instantly  felt  so  soon  as  he  had  passed 
within  the  veil  that  henceforth  we  could  know  him 
so  no  more. 

The  materials  from  which  the  narrative  has  been 
drawn  are — 1st,  My  own  personal  recollections  and 
those  of  other  intimate  friends ;  2d,  Private  letters 
addressed  chiefly  to  members  of  his  own  family; 
and  3d,  Copious  journals,  extending  over  the  whole 
period  of  his  home  ministry,  and  continued,  though 
in  a  briefer  and  more  fragmentary  manner,  during 
the  early  years  of  his  residence  in  China.  From 
these  last  I  have  quoted  very  largely,  but  not  more 
so  I  believe  than  those  who  are  really  interested  in 
his  work  would  wish  me  to  have  done.  Indeed,  the 
difficulty  often  was  merely  to  extract  from  a  docu- 


VI  PREFACE. 


ment,  which  many  readers  doubtless  would  have 
wished  to  possess  entire. 

To  the  many  friends  to  whom  I  have  been  in 
debted  for  valuable  materials,  I  have  made  acknow 
ledgment  in  the  course  of  the  work  at  the  places 
where  their  communications  have  been  used;  but  I 
would  here  specially  mention  the  names  of  the  late 
Rev.  Dr.  Burns,  of  Toronto,  who  contributed  the  tenth 
chapter;  the  Rev.  Duncan  M'Gregor,  M.A.,  of  Dun 
dee,  and  the  Rev.  Dr.  Kirkpatrick,  of  Dublin,  who 
furnished  the  graphic  sketches  of  my  Brother's 
labours  in  Edinburgh  and  Dublin;  and  the  Rev. 
Carstairs  Douglas,  M.  A.,  of  Amoy,  to  whose  loving 
and  painstaking  endeavours  I  am  indebted  for 
almost  all  the  precious  memorials  from  China  which 
enrich  the  closing  chapters. 

My  single  aim  has  been  to  present  a  true  and 
life-like  picture  of  him  whose  footsteps  I  had  un 
dertaken  to  trace;  and  that  thus  being  dead  he  may 
yet  speak,  just  as  he  spoke  while  he  was  with  us,  to 
the  praise  of  that  divine  grace  which  he  so  greatly 
magnified,  and  by  which  alone,  as  he  so  profoundly 
felt,  he  was  what  he  was. 

FREE  CHURCH  COLLEGE,  GLASGOW, 
December  6tk,  1869. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

PAGE 

EARLY  YEARS,    .        .        .        .        ...        .        .        .        i 

CHAPTER  II. 
PREPARATION  FOR  THE  MINISTRY,    .        .        .        .        .    t  31 

CHAPTER  III. 
OPENING  MINISTRY, 54 

CHAPTER  IV. 
REVIVAL  SCENES, 83 

CHAPTER  V. 
ST.  PETER'S,  DUNDEE, 108 

CHAPTER  VI. 
ST.  ANDREWS,  PERTH,  &c., 131 

CHAPTER  VII. 
LABOURS  AT  ABERDEEN, 159 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

WORK   AMONG   THE   MOUNTAINS, l88 

CHAPTER  IX. 
NEWCASTLE,  EDINBURGH,  DUBLIN,   .        .        .        .        .217 

CHAPTER  X. 
CANADA,  256 


Vlll  CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  XL 

PAGE 

CALL  TO  THE  CHINESE  FIELD, 289 

CHAPTER  XII. 
DEPARTURE  FOR  CHINA, 309 

CHAPTER  XIII. 
THE  FIELD  AND  ITS  PIONEERS, 326 

CHAPTER  XIV. 
BREAKING  GROUND, 340 

CHAPTER  XV. 
CANTON, 372 

CHAPTER  XVI. 
AMOY,        ' 378 

CHAPTER  XVII. 
FIRST-FRUITS,     .        .        .        .        .        .        .        .        .401 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 
SHANGHAE,  SWATOW,  &c., 426 

CHAPTER  XIX. 
OLD  SCENES  AND  NEW, 480 

CHAPTER  XX. 
PEKING  AND  NIEU-CHWANG, 505 

CHAPTER  XXL 
CONCLUSION, 541 

APPENDIX, 557 


MEMOIR 

OF  THE 

REV.  WILLIAM  C.  BURNS,  M.A. 


CHAPTER    I. 

1815—1832. 

EARLY   YEARS. 

WILLIAM  CHALMERS  BURNS,  the  subject  of 
the  present  memoir,  was  the  third  son  of  the 
Rev.  William  Hamilton  Burns,  D.D.,  minister  succes 
sively  of  Dun  in  Angus,  and  of  Kilsyth  in  Stirlingshire, 
and  was  born  in  the  manse  of  the  former  parish  on  the 
ist  day  of  April,  1815.  It  was  a  quiet  and  gentle 
spot,  full  of  stillness  and  peace,  nestling,  with  the  ad 
joining  church  and  graveyard,  close  within  the  bosom 
of  a  romantic  dell,  amid  the  shadows  of  ancient  trees 
and  the  hoarse  chorus  of  rooks  high  overhead,  which 
seemed  rather  to  increase  than  to  break  the  silence. 
A  little  beyond,  reached  by  a  rustic  bridge  across  an 
arm  of  the  ravine,  was  the  gray  mansion-house  of  the 
Erskines,  with  its  antique  garden  and  bowling-green 
and  smooth-shaven  lawn,  carrying  back  the  thoughts  into 
the  far  past,  as  associated  in  popular  tradition  with  stories 
of  "the  good  Superintendent"  and  the  brave  John  Knox. 


2  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1815-32. 

With  this  tranquil  scene,  little  suggestive  of  profound 
spiritual  experiences  or  intense  moral  struggles,  were  his 
earliest  memories  linked.  To  the  neighbouring  cathedral 
city  of  Brechin,  too,  of  which  a  paternal  uncle  was  then 
minister,  and  which  by  the  continual  coming  and  going 
of  cousins  and  common  friends  had  become  to  us  as 
another  home,  our  thoughts  in  after-days  often  recurred 
— with  the  fine  old  church  and  churchyard,  and  the  castle 
steep  and  the  castle  pool,  and  the  quaint  streets,  and  the 
fair  sunny  gardens,  and  the  scarlet-vested  town's  officers, 
the  objects  to  us  of  continual  wonderment;  and  chief  of 
all,  the  reverend  face  and  form  of  the  good  pastor,  whose 
very  look  was  a  benediction, — all  bright  for  ever  in  the 
golden  light  of  childhood.  In  his  sixth  year,  however, 
all  this  was  left  behind,  and  became  as  the  dreamy 
reminiscence  of  a  bygone  world.  In  the  year  1821  his 
father  was  translated  to  a  wider  and  more  stirring  sphere, 
where  the  family  life  developed  itself  henceforth  under 
intenser  and  more  stimulating  influences.  The  village  of 
Kilsyth,  situated  about  twelve  miles  east  of  Glasgow,  at 
the  foot  of  an  undulating  range  of  picturesque  green  hills, 
the  gentler  continuation  of  the  more  rugged  Campsie 
Fells,  contains  a  mixed  population  of  hand-loom  weavers, 
colliers,  and  shopkeepers,  which  numbered  at  that  time 
about  3000  souls,  and  formed  the  centre  of  a  parish  which 
in  its  landward  part  contained  about  2000  more.  Here 
the  wheels  of  life  moved  more  swiftly.  There  was  a 
greater  stir  of  mind,  greater  variety  of  interests,  greater 
impetus  and  force  of  existence  everyway,  intellectual, 
moral,  social.  The  chatting  groups  in  the  market-place 


JEt.  1-17.]  KILSYTH    MANSE. 


and  at  the  street  corners,  the  merry  song  often  sustained 
in  full  chorus,  blending  with  the  sound  of  the  shuttle  in 
the  long  loom-shops,  the  keen  party  politics  and  the  strong 
and  even  bitter  denominational  sympathies,  the  eager  and 
sometimes  little-ceremonious  canvassings  of  ministers  and 
sermons,  the  collisions  and  mutual  jealousies  of  class  and 
class,  with  all  the  other  well-known  incidents  of  a  south- 
country  weaving  village  in  the  neighbourhood  of  a  great 
industrial  and  commercial  centre,  formed  altogether  a 
scene  in  strong  contrast  to  the  still  life  of  our  former  home. 
A  little  to  the  south  of  this  little  busy  hive,  and  separated 
from  it  only  by  a  narrow  valley,  stands  the  manse,  with 
its  sheltering  thicket  of  planes  and  beeches,  and  com 
manding  an  extensive  and  beautiful  prospect  not  only  of 
the  village  and  the  hills,  but  over  a  long  strath,  level  as 
the  sea,  to  the  far  west,  where  the  blue  summit  of  Goatfell 
can  be  dimly  descried  from  the  parlour  window  in  a  clear 
day.  Here  our  second  home  was  established,  and  our 
deepest  and  most  lasting  home  affections  nurtured.  It 
was  to  us  a  sacred  and  blessed  spot  in  every  sense,  full 
of  quiet  pleasures,  healthy  activities,  and  gentle  charities — 
a  manse  home,  and  a  manse  home  of  the  best  type,  in 
which  cheerful  piety,  quiet  thoughtfulness,  and  a  modest 
and  reverend  dignity  of  speech  and  carriage,  formed  to 
gether  the  purest  element  in  which  the  young  life  could 
develop  itself  and  receive  its  first  impressions  of  truth  and 
duty.  Here  of  course,  as  elsewhere,  it  was  the  parent  that 
made  the  home,  and  in  this  respect  I  think  we  were  happy 
beyond  the  lot  of  most.  Our  father,  gentle,  reverend, 
gracious,  full  of  kind  thoughts,  devout  affections,  and  fresh 


4  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1815-32. 

genial  sympathies — serious  without  moroseness,  cheerful 
and  even  sometimes  gay  without  lightness,  zealous,  diligent, 
conscientious  without  a  touch  of  impetuous  haste,  and 
carrying  about  with  him  withal  an  atmosphere  of  calm  re 
pose  and  staid,  measured  dignity,  which  in  these  bustling 
days  is  becoming  increasingly  rare — he  was  the  very  model 
of  a  type  of  the  Christian  pastorate  which  is  fast  passing 
away;  the  father  alike  and  the  friend  of  his  whole  parish, 
and  the  loving  centre  of  everything  kind  and  good  and  true 
that  is  passing  within  its  bounds.  To  him  our  mother 
was  in  some  respects  the  direct  counterpart.  Of  a  nimble 
buoyant  active  frame,  alike  of  body  and  mind,  she  was 
all  light  and  life  and  motion,  and  was  as  it  were  the  glad 
sunshine  and  bright  ailgel  of  a  house  which  had  been 
otherwise  too  still  and  sombre.  There  was  not  in  those 
days  under  their  roof  much  direct  and  systematic  home 
education.  The  influence  and  teaching  of  the  place  was 
rather  felt,  or  experienced  without  being  felt,  than  visibly 
obtruded  and  pressed  upon  us.  "  My  father's  government 
was  rather  calm  and  strong,  than  bustling  and  energetic; 
he  was  a  regulating  and  steadying  power,  rather  than  a 
busy  executive.  He  was,  in  short,  felt  rather  as  a  presence 
than  seen  as  an  agency;  the  element  in  which  we  lived, 
the  atmosphere  which  we  breathed  day  by  day;  something, 
in  short,  which  was  as  it  were  presupposed,  and  in  its 
silent  influence  entered  into  everything  that  was  thought, 
felt,  planned,  enjoyed,  or  suffered  within  our  little  world. 
We  were  not  often  or  much  with  him,  not  so  much,  I  think, 
as  would  as  a  general  thing  be  desirable.  His  calm  and 
unimpulsive  temperament  here,  as  elsewhere,  fitted  him 


Mt.  1-17.]  HOME    EDUCATION. 


to  act  rather  by  continuous  influence,  than  by  distinct 
and  specific  efforts.  A  casual  rencounter  in  the  garden 
walk  or  in  the  harvest  field;  a  forenoon  drive  to  some 
neighbouring  manse  or  country  house;  half  an  hour's 
private  reading  with  his  boys  in  the  study  before  break 
fast;  above  all,  the  Sabbath  evening  hour  of  catechising 
and  prayer;  these,  with  now  and  then  the  reading  aloud 
in  the  fireside  circle  of  some  interesting  and  popular 
volume,  a  task  in  which  he  greatly  delighted  and  much  ex 
celled — were  the  chief  occasions  of  direct  intercourse  and 
influence  between  the  father  and  the  child.  Sometimes, 
too,  along  the  garden  walk  at  eventide,  or  through  a  parti 
tion  wall  at  midnight,  the  ejaculated  words  of  secret  medi 
tation  and  prayer  would  reach  our  ears  and  hearts,  like  the 
sounding  of  the  high-priest's  bells  within  the  vail."1  It 
was  in  this  way  that  the  first  touch  of  serious  thought  I  ever 
observed  in  my  brother  was  brought  to  light.  We  had 
lain  long  awake  in  our  common  sleeping  chamber  after 
some  months  of  separation,  talking  eagerly  of  all  our  ideas 
and  plans  of  life,  in  which  as  yet  God  and  heaven  had  little 
share,  when  the  well-known  sound  from  within  the  sanctu 
ary  was  heard  in  the  silence.  He  was  hushed  at  once  at 
least  to  momentary  seriousness,  and  whispered : "  There  can 
be  no  doubt  where  his  heart  is,  and  where  he  is  going."  It 
was  not  long  before  the  great,  decisive  change  took  place, 
and  may  possibly  have  been  the  first  living  seed  of  grace 
that  sunk  into  his  heart. — But  the  more  active  manage- 

1  The  Pastor  of  Kilsyth :  a  brief  biography  of  Mr.  Burns'  father, 
published  some  years  ago,  from  which  this  sketch  of  the  home  life  at 
Kilsyth  is  partly  taken. 


6  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1815-32. 

merit  of  the  household  and  of  the  home  education  was 
safe  in  the  hands  of  his  more  nimble  and  lively  partner, 
who  seemed  made,  if  any  one  ever  was,  to  make  home 
and  home  duties  happy.  "  Herself  the  very  soul  of 
springy  activity  and  elastic  cheerfulness,  she  kept  all 
around  her  alive  and  stirring;  while  by  the  infection  of 
her  own  blithesome  and  courageous  spirit,  labour  became 
light  and  duty  pleasant.  Never  was  she  so  much  at 
home  as  when,  in  one  of  those  occasional  inundations  of 
friendly  kith  and  kin  to  which  our  large  connection  and 
central  situation  exposed  us,  the  manse  became  too  nar 
row  for  its  inmates,  and  double-bedded  rooms  and  extem 
porized  shake-downs  became  the  order  of  the  day.  Was 
there  now  and  then,  amid  this  universal  quickness  and 
alacrity,  a  slight  tinge  of  sharpness  in  chiding  the  dreamy 
loiterer  and  the  handless  slut?  Perhaps  so:  yet  we 
children  scarcely  saw  it,  to  whom  she  ever  spoke  in  the 
true  mother  tones  of  gentleness  and  love.  From  her  lips 
and  at  her  knees  we  learned  our  earliest  lessons  of  truth, 
and  in  her  voice  and  face  first  traced,  as  in  a  clear 
mirror,  the  lineaments  of  that  gentle  and  loving  god 
liness  which  hath  the  promise  of  the  life  that  now  is 
and  of  that  which  is  to  come."1  Such  was  the  element 
in  which  my  brother's  earliest  years  were  spent,  and  in 
which  his  first  experiences  of  life  were  formed.  There 
was  another  household,  with  which,  second  to  our  own, 
our  most  hallowed  thoughts  of  home  and  of  home  life 
were  associated — the  manse  of  Strathblane,  situated  about 
twelve  miles  from  Kilsyth,  in  a  quiet  valley  at  the  foot 

1  The  Pastor  of  Kilsyth. 


Mt.  1-17.]  THE    MANSE    OF   STRATHBLANE.  7 

of  Ballagan,  at  the  other  end  of  the  Campsie  range. 
Dr.  William  Hamilton,  the  head  of  that  household,  and 
the  father  of  the  better  known  and  well -beloved  Dr. 
James  Hamilton  of  London,  was  my  father's  ancient 
friend,  and  in  former  days  had  been  used,  while  the 
assistant  minister  of  a  church  in  Dundee,  to  visit  us, 
especially  at  communion  times,  in  our  old  home  at 
Dun.  His  stately  form,  and  a  certain  almost  prophetic 
majesty  of  mien  and  bearing,  powerfully  impressed  us, 
and  his  image  and  voice,  as  he  paced  up  antf.  down  the 
manse  parlour,  in  eager  discourse  or  with  rapt  air  reciting 
some  favourite  snatch  of  sacred  song,  remained  ever  after 
wards  a  cherished  tradition  in  the  family.  When  in  after- 
years  the  two  friends  found  themselves  again  established 
within  easy  distance  of  each  other,  the  old  relation  was 
resumed,  and  was  kept  up  not  only  by  the  official  inter 
change  of  services  at  communion  times,  but  by  a  cordial 
intimacy  between  the  families  which  was  signalized  by  oc 
casional  comings  and  goings  in  bright  summer  days  along 
the  romantic  valley  between.  Those  visits  were  always 
seasons  of  high  enjoyment,  and  revealed  to  us  a  phase  of 
the  Christian  home  which  was  to  us  in  some  measure  new. 
Dr.  Hamilton  was  a  man  far  above  the  common  standard 
of  his  class  and  of  his  time,  alike  in  intellectual  stature 
and  in  moral  elevation  and  strength.  A  ripe  scholar,  a 
profound  divine,  and  a  minister  of  singular  fervour  and 
sanctity,  he  was  characterized  at  the  same  time  by  an 
enlargement  and  enlightened  liberality  of  view  in  regard  to 
all  public  questions  civil  and  religious,  at  once  admirable 
and  rare.  He  was  an  ardent  friend  of  the  missionary  cause 


8  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1815-32- 

while  that  cause  was  yet  in  its  infancy  and  still  suffered 
the  full  brunt  of  the  world's  scorn.  He  was  a  reformer 
at  a  time  when,  to  nine-tenths  of  his  order,  reform, 
associated  with  ideas  of  revolution  and  church  destruc 
tion,  was  a  name  of  terror.  I  remember  during  the  days 
of  the  Reform  Bill,  when  the  whole  land  was  astir  with 
the  excitement  and  the  fear  of  a  movement  which  seemed 
to  most  of  us  like  an  irruption  of  the  Vandals,  hearing 
with  dismay,  how  a  bannered  host  of  workmen  from  the 
print-fields  in  his  neighbourhood  had  actually,  at  his  own 
desire,  filed,  to  the  sound  of  drum,  past  his  manse, 
encamped  on  the  green  lawn  before  the  door,  and  received 
from  the  good  pastor  not  only  words  of  kindly  counsel 
and  encouragement,  but  "good  cheer"  also  of  another 
and  more  substantial  kind.  But  it  was  in  his  study  that 
he  was  most  at  home  and  in  his  glory.  He  had  a  hunger 
for  books,  which  fortunately  his  ample  means  enabled 
him  to  gratify  by  the  accumulation  of  stores  which  over 
flowed  far  beyond  their  proper  sanctuary  into  every 
available  nook  and  corner  of  the  house,  and  which 
seemed  to  us,  accustomed  to  more  common  things,  one 
of  the  wonders  of  the  world.  The  spirit  of  the  father 
infected  the  children,  and  diffused  through  the  place 
an  air  of  studious  application  and  still  quietude  which 
was  almost  cloistral.  Yet  was  the  house  happy  and 
cheerful  withal.  The  favourite  sports  and  pastimes, 
indeed,  were  like  everything  else  about  the  place,  of  the 
intellectual  cast,  but  none  the  less  on  that  account 
bright  and  gladsome, — a  boyish  lecture  to  the  literary 
society  at  the  neighbouring  print-fields;  an  animated 


t.  1-17.]  A  "HAPPY  HOME.' 


discussion  of  the  respective  merits  of  Wilberforce  and 
Brougham,  and  Grey,  and  Henry  Melville  and  Dr.  Chal 
mers;  or  a  mock  trial  in  the  parlour  in  the  evening,  in 
which  boys  and  girls  alike  bore  their  share,  and  the 
several  parts  of  judge,  jury,  panel,  and  pleading  counsel 
were  sustained  with  an  ability  and  gravity  which  alike 
astonished  and  confounded  us.  How  vividly  do  I  recall 
the  very  look  and  voice  with  which  a  fair  and  gentle  girl, 
"the  little  one"  and  the  favourite  of  the  family,  came  for 
ward,  with  a  blithesome  air  wrhich  sadly  belied  her  grim 
part,  shouting,  "I'm  to  be  the  panel."  James,  of  course, 
was  senior  counsel  for  the  crown,  as  well  as  the  presiding 
genius  of  the  whole  scene;  William,  his  younger  brother, 
and  now  a  respected  minister  of  the  Free  Church,  sat, 
duly  bewigged  and  gowned,  as  the  most  reverend  judge, 
while  the  remaining  parts,  I  am  afraid,  broke  sadly  down 
in  my  brother's  hands  and  mine.  Altogether  it  was  one 
of  the  brightest  and  holiest  spots  I  have  ever  known 
on  earth — a  place  which  angels  might  well  visit,  or  desire 
to  look  into  in  passing  by  on  errands  of  mercy  and 
grace;  so  that  it  seems  quite  in  the  natural  course  of 
things  that  there  should  have  proceeded  from  it  the 
author  of  the  Mount  of  Olives  and  the  Happy  Home.  We 
returned  musing  many  thoughts,  and  feeling  that  we  had 
got  a  look  into  a  world  to  which,  accustomed  to  a  more 
outward  and  muscular  style  of  life,  we  had  been  in  great 
measure  strangers.  My  brother's  bent,  especially,  was  at 
this  time  decidedly  in  the  "muscular"  direction.  He 
gave  far  greater  promise  of  becoming  a  mighty  hunter 
than  a  deep  student  bearing  the  pale  hue  of  thought. 


10  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1815-32. 

Strong  of  limb  and  of  sanguine  temperament,  his  heart 
was  in  the  open  fields  and  woods,  and  in  all  manner 
of  manly  and  athletic  exercises.  He  spent  long  days 
with  his  fishing-rod  on  the  Carron  water  on  the  other 
side  of  the  hills,  along  with  a  congenial  friend  from  the 
village.  He  wandered  for  hours  along  the  hedges  and 
through  the  fields  with  an  old  carabine,  borrowed  from 
the  village  blacksmith,  in  search  of  sparrows  and  crows. 
He  was  famous  for  lifting  up  his  axe  upon  the  thick 
trees,  at  one  time  clearing  the  whole  precincts  of  the 
superfluous  growth  of  years  by  his  unaided  strength. 
He  did  yeoman's  service  on  occasions  in  the  hay  or  corn 
fields,  and  was  in  great  request  by  the  "minister's  man" 
when  a  sudden  emergency  called  for  the  aid  of  a  volun 
teer  force.  I  do  not  remember,  at  that  time,  any  books 
which  greatly  interested  him  except  these  two — the 
Pilgrim's  Progress,  which  he  read  over  and  over  again 
during  a  time  of  confinement  occasioned  by  an  accident, 
and  the  Life  of  Sir  William  Wallace,  bought  with  a 
half-crown  given  him  when  a  very  little  boy  by  Dr. 
Hamilton.  There  were,  however,  few  books  then  fitted 
to  arrest  the  attention  and  stir  the  minds  of  the  young, 
and  especially  of  boys.  There  were  no  Martin  Rat 
tlers,  or  Old  Jacks,  or  Tom  Browns.  Even  such 
as  there  were  had  in  their  outward  appearance  a  most 
uninviting  aspect.  The  rude  engravings  of  former  days 
had  just  been  banished,  in  the  interests  of  high  art  and 
good  taste,  and  the  more  graceful  illustrations  of  present 
times  had  not  yet  come  in.  Thus  the  most  enchanting 
of  books  had,  just  at  that  particular  juncture,  a  most 


JEt.  1-17.]  SCHOOL    DAYS.  1 1 

repulsive  aspect.  The  Pilgrim's  Progress  was  without 
an  effigy  even  of  Giant  Pope  or  the  Shepherds  on  the 
Delectable  Mountains.  Robinson  Crusoe  was  without  the 
shaggy  umbrella  and  the  footprint  on  the  shore.  Even 
the  Scots  Worthies  and  the  Book  of  Martyrs  were 
mere  acres  of  black  type,  without  one  solemn  gleam 
of  the  gathered  faggots  and  the  aspiring  flames,  and  of 
the  clasped  hands  and  uplifted  eyes  of  martyr  faith  and 
victory.  Thus  there  was  comparatively  little  then  to 
allure  or  to  keep  within  doors  a  stirring  boy,  urged  by 
a  strong  physical  impulse  toward  the  open  fields  and 
woods.  Meanwhile,  however,  the  essential  matters  of  a 
common  school  education  went  on  satisfactorily.  He 
attended,  all  the  time  of  his  residence  at  home,  the 
parish  school  of  the  place,  then  under  the  care  of  the 
Rev.  Alexander  Salmon,  afterwards  of  Paisley  and  Sydney, 
a  teacher  of  rare  intelligence  and  skill,  who  was  among 
the  first  Scottish  schoolmasters  to  avail  himself  of  the 
modern  improved  methods  of  tuition,  and  to  substitute 
an  intellectual  interest  for  the  old  iron  sway  of  the  ferula. 
I  have 'myself  a  most  vivid  recollection  of  the  very  time 
when  the  grim  reign  of  terror  came  to  an  end,  and  the 
halcyon  days  of  lively  questioning  and  kindly  moral 
influence  began.  Here  my  brother  did  his  work  well, 
and  kept  a  good  place  in  all  his  classes.  He  became  a 
good  reader,  a  good  arithmetician  and  accountant,  and 
learned,  at  least  in  a  certain  rough  way,  the  elements 
of  Latin;  without,  however,  any  kindlings  of  desire  after 
further  attainments  in  the  higher  learning.  His  thoughts 
were  still  all  outward,  and  his  highest  ambition  and 


12  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1815-32. 

declared  resolution  to  be  a  country  farmer,  like  the 
fathers  of  most  of  his  school  companions  and  friends. 
And  yet,  even  then,  a  touch  of  deeper  feeling  would  now 
and  then  betray  itself,  which  revealed  the  hidden  fire 
that  slumbered  within.  A  touching  instance  of  this  I 
very  vividly  remember.  The  population  of  a  dovecot 
which  he  owned  as  his  special  property,  had  become 
redundant,  and  the  decree  had  gone  forth  from  the 
higher  powers  that  some  of  his  favourites  should  fall  a 
sacrifice  to  the  public  good.  Yielding  reluctant  to  the 
stern  necessity,  he  undertook  himself  the  office  of  execu 
tioner,  which  he  deemed  would  be  more  mercifully  dis 
charged  by  his  own  hand  than  by  any  other;  and  planting 
himself  carabine  in  hand  at  the  corner  of  a  wall  at  a  little 
distance,  took  his  aim  resolutely  but  tremblingly  at  one 
of  the  devoted  flock  perched  on  the  ridge  of  the  house, 
between  him  and  the  sky.  The  shot  missed  its  mark, 
but  unhappily  only  partially.  The  poor  bird  was  sorely 
wounded  in  the  foot,  but  not  killed;  and  gathering  up 
the  broken  and  bleeding  limb  beneath  its  wing,  stood  on 
the  other,  silent  and  motionless,  a  spectacle  of  agony. 
Instantly  his  heart  smote  him  for  the  deed  he  had  done; 
he  was  now,  to  his  own  sense,  no  more  the  executioner, 
but  the  cruel  murderer;  and  he  stood  there  rooted  to 
the  spot  for  hours  together,  as  in  bitter  penance,  gazing 
up  with  streaming  eyes  to  the  hapless  victim,  which 
seemed  in  its  turn  to  look  down  reproachfully  upon  him. 
The  whole  scene,  which  is  distinctly  before  me  now, 
might  almost  have  reminded  one  of  Rispah,  the  daughter 
of  Aiah,  in  her  long  watch  beside  the  bodies  of  her 


JEt.  1-17.]  ABERDEEN    GRAMMAR-SCHOOL.  13 

slaughtered  sons,  "when  she  took  sackcloth  and  spread 
it  for  her  on  the  rock,  from  the  beginning  of  harvest, 
until  water  dropped  upon  them  out  of  heaven."  A  cir 
cumstance,  however,  which  now  transpired,  changed  at 
once  the  whole  course  of  his  thoughts,  and  opened  a 
new,  and,  as  the  event  proved,  a  most  momentous  chap 
ter  in  his  life.  A  maternal  uncle,  a  respected  lawyer  in 
Aberdeen,  who  happened  to  visit  us  at  this  time,  not  ap 
proving  of  the  farming  project,  kindly  invited  William,  then 
in  his  thirteenth  year,  to  spend  a  winter  with  him,  and 
take  advantage  of  the  higher  training  of  the  grammar- 
school  of  that  city,  then  at  the  very  height  of  its  fame, 
under  the  distinguished  rectorship  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  James 
Melvin.  I  must  here  indulge  myself  with  a  passing  tri 
bute  to  the  memory  of  a  revered  teacher,  to  whom  my 
brother,  with  myself  and  many  others,  owed  much — then 
well  known  within  his  own  sphere,  but  since  his  death 
far  more  widely,  as  one  of  the  first  classical  scholars  of 
his  day,  and,  more  perhaps  than  any  other  man,  the 
reviver  in  modern  times  of  exact  scholarship,  and  especi 
ally  of  Latin  scholarship,  in  Scotland.  In  doing  so,  I 
avail  myself  of  the  graphic  pencil  of  a  distinguished 
alumnus  of  the  school,  who  has  with  fond  and  loving 
hand  drawn  the  portrait  of  his  revered  master: — "I  have 
known  many  other  men/'  says  the  editor  of  Macmillaris 
Magazine,  "since  I  knew  him — men  of  far  greater  cele 
brity  in  the  world,  and  of  intellectual  claims  of  far  more 
rousing  character  than  belong  to  Latin  scholarship — but 
I  have  known  no  one,  and  I  expect  to  know  no  one,  so 
perfect  in  his  type  as  Melvin.  Every  man  whose  memory 


14  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1815-32. 

is  tolerably  faithful  can  reckon  up  those  to  whom  he  is 
himself  indebted;  and  trying  to  estimate  at  this  moment 
the  relative  proportions  of  influence  from  this  man  and 
from  that  man  encountered  by  me,  which  I  can  still  feel 
running  in  my  veins,  it  so  happens  that  I  can  trace 
none  more  distinct,  however  it  may  have  been  marred 
and  mudded,  than  that  stream  which  as  Melvin  gave  it 
was  truly  'honey  wine.'  ....  During  our  three 
years  in  the  under-classes  we  saw  Melvin  only  incident 
ally,  and  on  the  weekly  gathering  of  the  whole  school  in 
the  public  school-room;  while  the  fact  that  he  wore  a 
gown  and  kept  his  hat  on,  while  the  other  three  masters 
were  without  gowns  and  had  their  hats  off,  greatly  im 
pressed  the  young  ones.  His  authority  over  the  other 
masters  was  never  made  in  the  least  apparent,  but  it  was 
felt  to  exist;  and  there  was  always  an  awful  sense  of  what 
might  be  the  consequence  of  an  appeal  to  him  in  a  case 
of  discipline.  No  such  appeal  in  my  day  ever  ended  in 
anything  more  serious  than  a  public  verbal  rebuke;  but 
that  was  terrible  enough.  For  the  aspect  of  the  man — 
then  in  the  prime  of  manhood,  lean,  but  rather  tall  and 
well-shouldered,  and  with  a  face  of  the  pale-dark  kind, 
naturally  austere,  and  made  more  stern  by  the  marks  of 
the  small-pox — -was  unusually  awe-compelling.  The  name 
'Grim,'  or  more  fully,  'Grim  Pluto,'  had  been  bestowed 
upon  him,  after  a  phrase  in  one  of  the  lessons,  by  one  of 
his  early  classes;  and  this  name  was  known  to  all  the 
school.  When  he  entered  the  school  gate  the  whisper  in 
the  public  school  would  be,  'Here's  Grim;'  and,  as  he 
walked  through  the  school  into  his  own  class-room,  look- 


Mt.  1-17.]  DR.    JAMES    MELVIN.  IE; 

ing  neither  right  nor  left,  with  his  gold  watch-chain  and 
seals  dangling  audibly  as  he  went,  all  would  be  hushed. 
And  yet,  with  all  this  fear  of  him,  there  was  an  affection 
and  a  longing  to  be  in  his  classes,  to  partake  of  that 
richer  and  finer  instruction  of  which  we  heard  such 
reports. 

''When  one  did  come  fnto  the  rector's  immediate 
charge,  one  came  to  know  him  better.  The  great  awe  of 
him  still  remained.  Stricter  or  more  perfect  order  than 
that  which  Melvin  kept  in  the  two  classes  which  he 
taught  simultaneously,  it  is  impossible  to  conceive.  But 
it  was  all  done  by  sheer  moral  impressiveness,  and  a  power 
of  rebuke,  either  by  mere  glance  or  by  glance  and  word 
together,  in  which  he  was  masterly.  As  a  born  ruler  of 
boys,  Arnold  himself  cannot  have  surpassed  Melvin. 
And  though  there  were  wanting  in  Melvin's  case  many  of 
those  incidents  which  must  have  contributed  to  the  com 
plete  veneration  with  which  the  Rugby  boys  looked  at 
Arnold — the  known  reputation  of  the  man,  for  example, 
in  the  wide  world  of  thought  and  letters  beyond  the  walls 
of  the  school — yet,  so  far  as  personal  influence  within  the 
school  was  concerned,  there  was  in  Melvin  some  form  of 
almost  all  those  things  that  we  read  of  in  Arnold,  as  tend 
ing  to  blend  love  more  and  more,  on  closer  intimacy,  with 
the  first  feeling  of  reverence.  Integrity  and  truthfulness, 
conjoined  with  a  wonderful  considerateness,  were  charac 
teristic  of  all  he  said  and  did.  His  influence  was  so 
high-toned  and  strict,  that,  even  had  he  taught  nothing 
expressly,  it  would  have  been  a  moral  benefit  for  a  boy  to 
have  been  within  it.  It  did  one  good  even  to  look  at 


1 6  LIFE    OF   REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1815-32. 

him  day  after  day  as  he  sat  and  presided  over  us.  As  he 
sat  now,  in  his  own  class-room,  always  with  his  hat  off, 
one  came  to  admire  more  and  more,  despite  his  grim  and 
somewhat  scarred  face,  the  beauty  of  liis  finely-formed 
head,  the  short  black  hair  of  which,  crisping  close  round 
it,  defined  its  shape  exactly,  and  made  it  more  an  ideal 
Roman  head  than  would  have  been  found  on  any  other 
shoulders  in  a  whole  Campus  Martius  of  the  Aberdonians. 
One  un-Roman  habit  he  had,  that  of  snuff-taking.  But 
though  he  took  snuff  in  extraordinary  quantities,  it  was,  if  I 
may  so  say,  as  a  Roman  gentleman  would  have  taken  it — 
with  all  the  dignity  of  the  toga,  and  every  pinch  emphatic. 
"In  that  teaching  of  Latin  which  Melvin  perseveringly 
kept  to  as  his  particular  business,  a  large  portion  of  the 
work  of  his  classes  consisted,  of  course,  of  readings  in  the 
Latin  authors,  in  continuation  of  what  had  been  read  in 
the  junior  classes.  Here,  unless  perchance  he  began  with 
a  survey  of  the  grammar,  to  see  how  we  were  grounded, 
and  to  rivet  us  afresh  to  the  rock,  we  first  came  to  perceive 
his  essential  peculiarities.  Accuracy,  to  the  last  and 
minutest  word  read,  and  to  the  nicest  shade  of  distinction 
between  two  apparent  synonyms,  was  what  he  studied 
and  insisted  on,  and  this  always  with  a  view  to  the  culti 
vation  of  a  taste  for  pure  and  classic,  as  distinct  from 
Brummagem  Latinity.  .  .  .  The  quantity  read  was  not 
large — seldom  more  than  a  page  a  day — but  every 
sentence  was  gone  over  at  least  five  times — first  read 
aloud  by  the  boy  that  might  be  called  on — then  translated 
word  for  word  with  the  utmost  literality,  each  Latin  word 
being  named  as  the  English  equivalent  was  fitted  to  it — 


JEi.  1-17.]  A    SCOTTISH    ARNOLD.  1 7 

then  rendered  as  a  whole  somewhat  more  freely  and 
elegantly,  but  still  with  no  permission  of  that  slovenly 
practice  of  translation  which  is  called  'giving  the  spirit 
of  the  original,'  then  analyzed  etymologically,  each 
important  verb  or  noun  becoming  the  text  for  an  ex 
ercise  up  and  down,  backwards  and  forwards,  in  all 
appertaining  to  it;  and  lastly,  construed  or  analyzed 
in  respect  of  its  syntax  and  idiom,  the  reasons  of  its 

moods,  cases  and  what  not Of  course  in  the 

readings,  whether  from  the  prose  writers  or  the  poets, 
occasion  was  taken  by  Melvin  to  convey  all  sorts  of 
minute  pieces  of  elucidative  historical  and  biographical 
information,  in  addition  to  what  the  boys  were  expected 
to  have  procured  for  themselves  in  the  act  of  preparation, 
and  in  this  way  a  considerable  amount  of  curious  lore 
about  the  Roman  calendar,  the  Roman  wines  and  the 
way  of  drinking  them,  &c.,  was  gradually  and  accurately 
acquired.  Never  either  did  Melvin  leave  a  passage  of 
peculiar  beauty  of  thought,  expression,  or  sound,  without 
rousing  us  to  a  sense  of  this  peculiarity,  and  impressing 
it  upon  us,  by  reading  the  passage  himself,  eloquently  and 
lovingly,  so  as  to  give  effect  to  it.  Over  a  line  like 
Virgil's  description  of  the  Cyclopes  working  at  the  anvil : 

Illi  inter  sese  magna  vi  brachia  tollunt, 

he  would  linger  with  real  ecstacy,  repeating  it  again  and 
again  with  something  of  a  tremble  of  excitement  in  his 
grave  voice.  Perhaps,  however,  it  was  in  expounding  his 
favourite  Horace  that  he  rose  oftenest  to  what  may  be 
called  the  higher  criticism.  It  was  really  beautiful  to 


1 8  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1815-32. 

hear  him  dissect  a  passage  in  Horace  and  then  put  it 
together  again  thrillingly  complete." 

But  it  was  in  the  matter  of  prose  composition  most  of 
all,  that  the  Aberdeen  grammar-school  then  stood,  and  I 
believe  still  stands,  ja:ile  princeps  among  the  higher  schools 
in  Scotland.  The  great  charm  of  this  part  of  the  work 
was  the  rigid  and  absolute  accuracy  which  was  exacted 
throughout,  and  the  perfect  confidence  that,  all  being 
done  in  the  school,  beyond  the  reach  of  surreptitious  aid 
from  tutors  and  friends,  everything  was  fair  and  square 
between  one  competitor  and  another.  I  believe  that  the 
universal  adoption  of  this  principle,  instead  of  the  present 
loose  practice  of  giving  exercises  home  to  be  manu 
factured  any  way  which  the  lax  consciences  of  tutors  and 
pupils  may  acquiesce  in,  would  do  more  than  any  one 
thing  to  revive  the  spirit  of  thorough  scholarship  in  our 
Scottish  schools.  If  any  justification  were  needed  of 
Dr.  Melvin's  method  in  this  respect,  it  might  be  found  in 
the  universal  interest,  rising  in  all  the  better  boys  even  to 
enthusiasm,  which  this  part  of  the  school  work  excited. 
"Two  entire  days  in  every  week  were  devoted  to  'the 
versions,'  and  these  were  the  days  of  keenest  emulation. 
In  anticipation  of  them  it  was  our  habit  to  jot  down  in 
note-books  of  our  own,  divided  alphabetically,  and  with 
index  margins  for  the  leading  words,  any  specialties  of 
phrase  or  idiom,  any  niceties  about  #/,  quumt  quod  and 
quid)  ille  and  iste,  liter  and  quiz,  situs  and  ejus,plerique  and 
plurimi  and  the  like,  upon  which  Melvin  dwelt  in  the 
course  of  our  readings.  With  these  manuscript  'phrase- 
books'  and  'idiom-books'  (containing  doubtless  much 


JEt.  1-17.]  A    SCOTTISH    ARNOLD.  19 

that  might  be  found  in  print,  but  precious  as  compiled  by 
ourselves)  and  with  Ainsworth's  Dictionary  ...  we 
assembled  on  the  morning  of  every  'version  day,'  and 
sure  enough  in  the  piece  of  English  which  Melvin  then 
dictated  to  us,  which  was  always  a  model  of  correct  style 
and  punctuation,  and  generally  not  uninteresting  in  matter, 
there  were  some  of  the  traps  laid  for  us  against  which  he 
had  been  recently  warning  us.  We  sat  and  wrote  the 
version — those  who  were  done  first  (generally  the  first 
faction  boys)  going  up  to  Melvin's  desk  to  have  them 
examined — who  then  became  his  assistants  in  examining 
the  other  versions  so  as  to  clear  them  all  within  the 
day.1  .  .  .  The  system  of  marking  was  peculiar.  You 
were  classed,  not  by  your  positive  merits  of  ingenuity, 
elegance  and  such  like,  but  as  in  the  world  itself,  by  your 
freedom  from  faults  or  illegalities.  Only  between  two  ver 
sions  coequal  in  respect  of  freedom  from  error  was  any  posi 
tive  merit  of  elegance  allowed  to  decide  the  superiority. 
....  There  were  three  grades  of  error — the  minimus,  or 
as  we  called  it,  the  mime,  which  counted  as  i,  and  included 
misspellings,  wrong  choices  of  wrords,  &c. ;  the  medius,  or 
midie,  which  counted  as  2,  and  included  false  tenses  and 
other  such  slips;  and  the  maximus,  or  maxie,  which 
counted  as  4,  and  included  wrong  genders,  a  glaring 

1  This  does  not  exactly  agree  with  my  recollections.  In  my  time 
it  was  only  versions  from  the  lower  regions  of  the  class  that  were 
committed  to  such  'prentice  hands.  Every  pupil  who  had  the 
slightest  pretensions  to  scholarship,  or  capacity  for  scholarship,  had 
his  exercise  examined  and  appraised  by  the  rector  himself,  either 
publicly  before  the  class  at  the  afternoon  meeting  or  at  home  over 
night. 


20  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1815-32. 

indicative  for  a  subjunctive,  &c.  On  a  maxie  in  the 
version  of  a  good  scholar,  Melvin  was  always  cuttingly 
severe.  '  Ut  .  .  .  dixit]  he  would  say,  underscoring 
the  two  words  in  a  sentence  where  the  latter  should  have 
been  diceret;  *ut  .  .  .  dixit]  he  would  repeat,  re 
freshing  his  frown  with  a  pinch  of  snuff;  lut  .  .  . 
dixitj  he  would  say  a  third  time,  with  a  look  in  the  cul 
prit's  face  as  if  he  had  murdered  his  father;  'O  William, 
William!  you  have  been  very  giddy  of  late;'  and  William 
would  descend  crestfallen,  and  be  miserable  for  half  a 
day." 

There  is  not  an  old  Melvinian  in  all  the  world  who 
will  not  recognize  this  picture,  or  fail  to  authenticate 
with  a  thrill  of  pleasure  every  line  and  shade  of  it.  If 
"William"  is  still  alive,  he  will  have  felt  that  look  still 
upon  him  as  he  read  these  lines,  as  we  ourselves  can  at 
this  moment  recall  with  a  shudder  just  such  another. 
My  brother  at  once  felt  the  fascination  of  the  place  and 
of  the  man,  and  caught  the  breath  of  a  new  existence,  in 
which  all  his  old  dreams  of  farming  and  of  a  country  life 
vanished  out  of  sight.  He  fought  his  way  steadily  up 
the  class  till  he  reached  the  genial  and  exhilarating  air 
of  the  highest  "faction,"  and  closed  the  session  as  one 
of  the  rector's  best  and  most  trusted  scholars.  When 
he  returned  home,  even  after  the  interval  of  a  college 
session,  his  talk  was  still  of  Melvin  and  of  the  grammar- 
school,  and  was  of  such  an  enthusiastic  kind  as  to  kindle 
in  me  an  irrepressible  longing  to  explore  the  same 
Eldorado  of  golden  knowledge  and  pure  classic  lore. 
The  effects  of  the  mental  discipline  thus  acquired  were 


Mt.  1-17.]  CHOICE    OF    A    PROFESSION.  21 

lasting,  and  had  an  important  influence  on  the  whole 
course  of  his  future  life,  forming  in  him  once  for  all 
those  habits  of  rigid  accuracy,  thorough  work,  and  con 
scientious  regard  for  rule  and  law  which  ever  afterwards 
distinguished  him;  while  at  the  same  time  awakening  and 
training  that  remarkable  faculty  for  the  study  of  language 
which  stood  him  in  such  good  stead  in  the  missionary 
labours  of  later  years.  From  the  school  he  passed  to 
the  University,  standing  fifth  on  the  list  of  bursars  or 
open  scholars  in  Marischal  College,  from  among  more 
than  a  hundred  competitors;  and  after  two  successive 
sessions,  in  which  he  obtained  honourable  distinction  in 
all  his  classes,  returned  home  in  the  spring  of  1831, 
having  completed,  as  was  then  thought,  his  education  and 
full  preparation  for  the  work  of  his  life.  The  nature  of 
that  work  he  had  already  chosen.  His  residence  with 
his  uncle  at  Aberdeen  had  had  naturally  enough  the  same 
effect  upon  him  as  the  companionship  of  farmers'  sons 
at  the  Kilsyth  parish  school,  and  he  was  now  accordingly 
as  decidedly  set  on  the  profession  of  the  law,  as  before 
on  a  country  life.  His  father,  who  had  earnestly  desired 
his  dedication  to  the  Christian  ministry,  gave  his  reluctant 
consent,  and  a  few  months  afterwards  he  was  settled 
with  his  uncle,  Mr.  Alexander  Burns,  a  writer  to  the 
signet  in  Edinburgh,  with  the  view  of  being  bound  as  an 
apprentice,  so  soon  as  the  necessary  certificates  from  his 
college  professors  could  be  obtained. 

But  "man  proposeth,  God  disposeth."  "My  thoughts 
are  not  your  thoughts,  neither  are  your  ways  my  ways, 
saith  the  Lord:  for  as  the  heavens  are  higher  than  the 


22  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1815-32. 

earth,  so  are  my  ways  higher  than  your  ways,  and  my 
thoughts  than  your  thoughts."  God  had  "girded"  him 
for  a  far  higher  and  nobler  work  than  that  which  he  had 
chosen  for  himself,  though  as  yet  "he  did  not  know 
Him."  Before  all  the  certificates  had  arrived,  and  while 
yet  the  last  of  them  was  impatiently  waited  for,  a  change 
had  taken  place  in  the  spirit  of  his  mind,  which  translated 
him  at  once  as  into  a  new  world  and  gave  a  new  direc 
tion  to  his  whole  after-life.  The  extant  memorials  of  the 
memorable  event  are  not  abundant,  but  explicit  and 
deeply  interesting.  "While  William  was  at  Aberdeen," 
writes  an  elder  sister,  "a  great  change  had  come  over  our 
eldest  sister,  who  from  a  life  of  gaiety  in  Edinburgh 
during  two  winters,  was  turned  most  decidedly  with  her 
face  Zionwards,  and  left  Edinburgh  for  ever.  She  returned 
to  our  quiet  manse,  desiring,  whatever  others  did,  that  she 
might  serve  the  Lord;  and  from  this  service  she  never 
drew  back,  but  her  path  was  as  the  shining  light  shining 
more  and  more  until  the  perfect  day — at  Pesth,  iSth 
February,  1865— when  she  passed  into  glory.  I  think 
the  year  1831  was  a  year  of  grace  in  our  family.  I  re 
member  we  began  a  practice  of  reading  aloud  between 
dinner  and  tea  some  religious  book.  Bridges  on  the 
IIQ///  Psalm  was  with  our  sister  a  special  favourite,  and 
means  of  grace.  On  these  occasions  dear  William,  to 
our  sorrow,  without  saying  a  word  always  slipped  out,  and 
he  was  to  our  view  the  least  likely  subject  of  grace  in  the 
family.  He  always  vehemently  rejected  the  idea  of  being 
a  minister,  and  said  he  wished  to  be  a  lawyer,  because  he 
'saw  lawyers  rich  and  with  fine  houses.'  Oh!  what  a 


JEt.  1-17.]  THE   GREAT    CHANGE.  23 

contrast  his  after-life  was  to  this !  for  one  more  conformed 
to  his  Saviour,  in  self-denial  and  in  voluntary  poverty,  the 
world  has  never  seen — at  least  one  who  was  all  this, 
without  false  asceticism  or  self-righteous  pride. 

"When,  in  this  spirit,  William  went  to  Edinburgh  to  be 
bound  apprentice  to  our  uncle  A.  with  the  view  of  being 
a  W.S.,  we  mourned  over  him  as  one  going  to  be  'bound' 
to  the  world;  and  this  view  seemed  to  have  come  over  his 
own  mind  when  he  found  the  different  kind  of  society  he 
was  thrown  into,  from  what  he  left  behind  in  the  manse. 
A  joint  letter  we  wrote  him,  to  which  he  often  afterwards 
referred  as  one  of  the  chief  means  of  awakening  him,  has 
passed  from  my  mind,  and  a  single  sentence  quoted  from 
it  in  a  letter  of  his  which  still  remains  is  all  that  is  left. 
The  first  dawn  of  hope  regarding  him  is  to  be  found  in  a 
letter  of  date  5th  December,  1831,  in  which  the  following 
for  him  remarkable  words  occur,  'I  am  extremely  obliged 
to  you  for  your  excellent  letter,  also  to  papa,  and  I  look 
forward  to  our  correspondence  as  a  thing  that  shall  afford 
me  great  pleasure  when  I  am  fairly  settled  away  from  that 
dear  home  where  I  have  enjoyed  so  many  happy  days, 
and  where  in  all  likelihood  I  shall  never  be  resident 
again.  I  wish  you  would  recommend  me  to,  or  send  me 
some  good  religious  reading.'  This  request  astonished 
us,  and  I  think  we  sent  him  Boston's  Fourfold  State. 
Very  soon  after  this  he  suddenly  and  unexpectedly  walked 
in  one  evening  into  the  dining-room  at  the  old  manse, 
with  a  graver  look  than  was  his. wont;  and  in  answer  to 
our  mother's  exclamation,  Oh!  Willie,  where  have  you 
come  from?  his  answer  was  gravely,  'From  Edinburgh.' 


24  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1815-32. 

'How  did  you  come?'  'I  walked'  [a  distance  of  36 
miles].  There  was  then  a  silence,  and  standing  on  the 
hearth-rug,  with  his  back  to  the  fire,  he  said,  'What 
would  you  think,  mamma,  if  I  should  be  a  minister  after 
all?'  His  countenance  showed  that  he  was  speaking  in 
earnest,  and  he  then  told  openly  how  the  Lord  had 
arrested  him,  and  that  he  had  no  rest  in  his  spirit  till  he 
should  come  home  and  obtain  his  parents'  consent  to 
relinquish  the  law  and  give  himself  to  the  service  of  Jesus 
in  the  ministry  of  the  gospel.  The  inner  history  of  this 
wonderful  change  you  have  in  his  own  diary — this  is  as  I 
saw  it;  and  far  distant  as  is  the  day,  I  remember  it  vividly, 
and  my  feeling  was  that  I  was  standing  in  the  presence 
of  a  miracle.  I  could  not  contain  my  feelings,  but  rushed 
along  the  long  passage  which  led  to  our  father's  study,  and 
shutting  the  door  threw  myself  on  my  knees  and  wept. 
After  being  a  short  time  at  home,  he  returned  to  Edin 
burgh  with  our  parents'  joyful  consent  to  his  being  what 
they  had  long  wished  and  prayed  for — a  minister  of  the 
everlasting  gospel.  By  a  singular  providence  he  was  free 
to  do  so.  He  had  not  been  bound  apprentice,  owing  to  a 
delay  in  the  arrival  of  one  of  his  certificates  of  attendance 
at  college;  and  it  was  during  this  interval  that  the  whole 
current  of  his  life  was  changed.  It  may  be  right  to  add 
that  William  had  been  all  along,  so  far  as  ever  known  to 
me,  perfectly  free  from  all  outward  vice.  I  never  knew 
of  an  act  of  duplicity  or  a  bad  word.  This  I  think  is 
important  to  be  mentioned,  as  from  his  deep  views  of  sin, 
he  during  all  the  course  of  his  spiritual  life  spoke  of  him 
self  in  such  terms  of  self-loathing,  that  those  unacquainted 


JEt.  1-17.]  THE    GREAT   CHANGE.  25 

with  the  facts  might  naturally  suppose  that  he  had  been 
turned  to  God  from  a  life  of  open  sin,  as  indeed  is  broadly 
hinted  in  an  Aberdeen  document  recently  given  to  the 
world."1 

Such  was  the  event  so  far  as  it  could  be  seen  from  the 
outside,  even  by  those  who  stood  the  nearest  to  it. 
Happily  we  have  another  and  still  more  authentic  record 
of  it  from  his  own  hand — a  solemn  deposition  as  before 
God,  in  regard  to  a  sacred  secret,  over  which  before  man 
he  ever  cast  the  veil  of  a  deep  and  reverent  reserve.  It 
was  drawn  forth  by  a  sudden  gush  of  reminiscence,  when, 
ten  years  afterwards,  and  after  his  own  new  life  had  be 
come  the  germ  of  similar  life  to  thousands  of  other  souls, 
he  unexpectedly  found  himself,  in  the  course  of  a  solitary 
evening  walk,  in  the  midst  of  those  scenes  which  were 
linked  to  him  with  such  infinite  and  deathless  memories: — 

"Edin.,  Tuesday,  Nov.  16,  1841. — To-day  I  was  chiefly 
occupied,  as  far  as  business  is  concerned,  in  preparing  for 
the  press  the  letters  I  sent  some  time  ago  to  the  Greenside 
Place  school.  In  taking  the  air  I  walked  over  scenes  which 
were  indeed  fitted  to  speak  aloud  of  mercy  to  my  favoured 
soul.  1  walked  along  York  Place,  and  looked  up  to  the 
windows  of  the  room  (No.  41,  west  side,  upper  flat)  where, 

1  It  may  be  of  more  importance  for  me  to  state  that  my  own 
thorough  belief  is  in  entire  accordance  with  that  here  expressed.  As 
a  brother  nearly  of  the  same  age,  I  had  been  constantly  with  him  and 
shared  his  inmost  thoughts ;  and  I  always  understood  from  him  that 
he  had  begun  to  tread  those  paths  of  folly  which  often  lead  to  open 
sin,  but  never  passed  over  the  verge  of  the  precipice.  On  the  con 
trary,  he  seemed  to  regard  it  as  a  singular  mercy  from  the  Lord,  that 
the  effectual  call  of  grace  had  come  just  in  time  to  save  him  from  a 
ruin  otherwise,  as  it  seemed  to  him,  inevitable. 


26  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1815-32. 

when  reading  Pike's  Early  Piety  on  a  Sabbath  afternoon,  I 
think  about  the  middle  of  December,  1831,  an  arrow  from 
the  quiver  of  the  King  of  Zion  was  shot  by  his  Almighty 
sovereign  hand  through  my  heart,  though  it  was  hard  enough 
to  resist  all  inferior  means  of  salvation.  Who  can  under 
stand  the  feelings  with  which  I  again  revisited  the  spot. 
Alas !  the  windows  in  the  roof  above  met  my  eye,  as  the 
place  where  a  few  months  afterwards  (in  1832)  poor  Uncle 
Alexander  died  in  one  day  of  cholera !  Oh  !  what  a  contrast 
between  the  scenes  of  mercy  and  judgment  exhibited  by  God 
in  places  so  near  each  other !  From  this  I  walked  down  and 
revisited  my  old  lodgings,  No.  69  Broughton  Place,  where  my 
earliest  days  as  a  child  of  grace  were  spent,  and  where  first 
the  Spirit  of  God  shone  with  full  light  upon  the  glory  of 
Jesus  as  a  Saviour  for  such  as  I  was.  This  was,  I  think, 
about  the  7th  of  January,  1832.  Although  it  was  then, 
I  remember,  that  the  light  of  God  first  shone  fully  and 
transportingly  on  his  word,  and  into  my  heart,  I  was  never 
from  the  beginning,  three  weeks  before,  in  utter  darkness, 
but  felt  that  God  had  been  always  willing  to  save  me,  that 
I  was  a  self-murderer,  and  that  now  He  was  in  his  own 
sovereignty  touching  my  heart  and  drawing  me  to  himself  for 
his  own  glory ;  and  again,  though  about  the  time  mentioned, 
I  remembered  to  have  beheld  transporting  wonders  in  God's 
law,  yet  my  peace  following  on  this  was  far  different  indeed 
from  a  settled  quiet  frame  of  mind.  I  had  many  fears  and 
many  awful  struggles  with  sin  and  Satan,  and  many  sleepless 
nights  of  mingling  joy  and  fear,  and  faith  and  hope,  and 
love.  Ebenezer!  Halleluiah!  Halleluiah!  Amen. 

"  Wednesday.—  Yesterday  morning  I  breakfasted  with  Mr. 
Bruce,  and  this  morning  with  Mr.  Brown  (C.  J.  B.);  on  both 
occasions  we  had  interesting  conversations.  Mr.  Bruce 
seemed  pleased  to  be  reminded  of  old  events,  and  pro 
mised  to  give  me  the  dates  of  several  sermons  which  I  was 
benefited  by  when  preached.  The  means  by  which  my 
change  of  heart  was  brought  about  were  these,  I  think — Mr. 


jEt.i-17.]  "REMEMBERING  THE  WAY."  27 

Bruce's  preaching,  which  engaged  me  much,  and  the  fear  of 
sudden  death  from  the  approach  of  cholera,  were  preparatory. 
A  letter  from  my  sisters  at  home,  in  which  they  spoke  in  a 
single  sentence  of  going  as  pilgrims  to  Zion,  and  leaving  me 
behind,  proved  a  word  in  season  and  touched  my  natural 
feelings  very  deeply ;  for  when  sin  had  rendered  me  dead  to 
every  other  feeling,  I  could  not  think  of  my  Christian  parents, 
and  my  godly  home  with  all  its  sweet  and  solemn  privileges, 
without  an  awful  conflict  of  soul  at  the  thought  of  parting 
with  them  for  ever.  I  could  think  of  parting  with  Christ,  for 
I  knew  him  not — alas!  do  I  yet  know  him? — but  to  part 
with  them  was  too  much  for  me  to  bear.  In  this  way  the 
way  was  prepared,  but  as  yet  I  am  fully  conscious  that  my 
heart  was  spiritually  dead.  However  the  set  time  came.  I  sat 
down,  with  solemn  impressions  arising  from  the  causes  now 
mentioned,  to  read  a  part  of  Pike's  Early  Piety,  which  my 
dear  father  had  given  me  at  leaving  home ;  (Ah !  little  did 
he  know  what  use  God  was  to  make  of  it,  little  did  the 
author  of  that  solemn  treatise  know  one  of  the  purposes  for 
which  he  wrote  it ;)  and  in  one  moment,  while  gazing  on  a 
solemn  passage  in  it,  my  inmost  soul  was  in  one  instant 
pierced  as  with  a  dart.  God  had  apprehended  me.  I  felt 
the  conviction  of  my  lost  estate  rushing  through  me  with 
resistless  power ;  I  left  the  room  and  retired  to  a  bedroom, 
there  to  pour  out  my  heart  for  the  first  time  with  many  tears 
in  a  genuine  heart-rending  cry  for  mercy.  From  the  first 
moment  of  this  wonderful  experience  I  had  the  inspiring 
hope  of  being  saved  by  a  sovereign  and  infinitely  gracious 
God ;  and  in  the  same  instant  almost  I  felt  that  I  must  leave 
my  present  occupation,  and  devote  myself  to  Jesus  in  the 
ministry  of  that  glorious  gospel  by  which  I  had  been  saved. 
From  that  day  to  this,  blessed  be  Jehovah,  I  have  been  con 
scious  more  or  less  deeply  of  the  possession  of  a  new  and 
holy  principle,  leading  me  to  live  by  the  faith  of  Jesus  to  the 
glory  of  God,  and  in  the  communion  of  the  Holy  Ghost. 
Salvation  unto  our  God,  who  sitteth  on  the  throne,  and  unto 
the  Lamb!" 


28  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1815-32. 

The  only  other  extant  memorial  of  this  eventful  time 
is  contained  in  the  following  letter  to  his  sisters,  written 
soon  after  his  unexpected  visit  to  Kilsyth,  and  which  is 
the  first  surviving  blossom  of  the  new  life  that  had 
dawned  upon  him: — 

"Edinburgh,  February  2otk,  1832.— MY  DEAR  SISTERS,— 
.  .  .  .  I  feel  it  often  a  great  encouragement  to  me  to 
persevere  in  that  life  upon  which  I  have  entered,  that  I  do 
not  make  for  heaven  alone;  but  though  there  be  few  that  find 
'the  strait  gate'  and  the  'narrow  way,'  yet  that  my  nearest 
and  dearest  friends  upon  earth  are  my  fellow-pilgrims  to  the 
'heavenly  Canaan.'  Let  us  encourage  and  exhort  one  another 
in  following  and  trusting  in  the  Lamb  who  was  slain,  and 
who  now  intercedes  for  all  who  trust  in  him,  at  the  right 
hand  of  the  Father.  I  have  been  apt,  as  is  I  believe  the 
case  with  many  young  Christians,  to  make  my  safety  depend 
upon  my  feelings,  and  consequently  to  feel  miserable  when 
not  engaged  in  religious  exercises,  and  to  despise  in  some 
degree  the  ordinary  business  of  life ;  but  I  have  for  some 
time  past  been  coming  to  juster  and  more  stable  views. 
I  had  another  conversation  with  Mr.  Bruce  about  a  week 
ago;  I  was  as  much  as  on  the  former  occasion  delighted 
with  him,  and  I  trust  edified.  He  had  two  admirable  dis 
courses  last  Sabbath  (yesterday),  the  one  a  lecture  from  the 
7th  and  8th  verses  of  the  6th  of  Matthew,  and  the  other  from 
Ephesians,  3d  chapter  and  I2th  verse,  'In  whom  we  have 
boldness,'  &c.  They  were  both  very  much  suited  to  my 

state,  and  I  trust  I  was  much  benefited  by  them 

Mr.  Moody  and  I  are  on  the  most  intimate  terms ;  he  is  one 
of  the  few  that  live  near  to  God.  .  .  . 

"If  the  Lord  spare  us  all,  I  look  forward  to  the  happiest 
meeting  that  ever  we  have  had.  We  are  now,  my  dearest 
sisters,  linked  together  by  a  new  tie,  being  members  of  the 
same  body,  and  the  children  of  the  Almighty,  our  Father  in 
heaven  :  but  till  then  let  us  pray  daily  to  Him  for  one  another, 


JEt.  1-17.]  FIRST    LOVE.  29 

and  seek  a  nearer  communion  with  Him  to  whom  we  have 
access  with  confidence  by  the  blood  of  Jesus.  Let  not  the 
question  be  with  us,  'How  near  must  we  be  to  him  in  order 
to  insure  our  safety?'  but  how  much  communion  can  we  pos 
sibly  attain  to  while  here  on  earth.  This  is  not  our  home, 
'for  we  are  dead,  and  our  life  is  hid  with  Christ  in  God.' 
'When  He  who  is  our  life  shall  appear,  then  shall  we  also 
appear  with  Him  in  glory.'  What  a  hope  is  this,  That  our 
eyes  shall  see  Him,  and  that  we  shall  dwell  with  Him  for 
ever  and  ever!  He  now  makes  intercession  for  us  at  the 
Father's  right  hand.  May  we  be  'kept  by  the  POWER  of 
God  through  faith  unto  salvation.'  Let  us  have  but  one 
object  in  view,  the  kingdom  of  heaven,  and  all  other  neces 
sary  things  shall  be  added  unto  us.  All  things  shall  work 
together  for  the  eternal  good  of  them  that  love  God,  and  we 
must  wait  upon  the  Lord  that  he  may  give  us  this  love. 
There  is  no  object  in  this  world,  the  contemplation  of  which 
is  an  adequate  employment  for  that  immortal  and  divine 
principle  in  us — 'the  soul,'  except  the  character  of  the  'Lord 
of  Hosts;'  with  the  contemplation  of  which,  although  we 
were  to  devote  our  entire  lives,  yet  would  we  be  compelled 
to  exclaim,  'Thou  art  past  finding  out;'  and  this  is  the  God 
to  whom  we  approach  with  so  little  humility  and  contrition 
of  soul.  How  wonderful  that  he  should  not  only  listen  to  us 
when  we  call  on  Him,  but  condescend  to  work  in  us  by  his 
Holy  Spirit  exciting  us  to  draw  near  unto  Him.  We  ought 
to  strive  to  bring  our  fellow-creatures  to  a  knowledge  of  their 
state,  and  of  the  mercy  that  is  freely  offered  them :  it  is  truly 
an  awful  thought,  that  any  one  to  whom  the  gospel  is  pro 
claimed  should  go  down  to  that  lake  that  burneth  with  fire 
and  brimstone  for  ever.  People  are  apt  to  think  themselves 
independent  creatures,  and  that  none  has  a  right  to  their 
services ;  but  if  we  do  not  take  God's  mercy  in  Christ  Jesus, 
we  must  take  His  wrath.  I  pity  most  of  all  those  whom  we 
call  decent  people,  who,  although  they  will  hardly  believe  it, 
are  in  as  unsafe  a  state  as  the  openly  profligate,  as  they 


30  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1815-32. 

do  not  build  on  Christ  as  the  foundation.  .  .  .  The 
cholera  is  going  on  here  though  slowly,  and  I  hope  we  mry 
all  be  mercifully  spared ;  but  let  us  endeavour  to  say  from 
the  heart,  'The  will  of  the  Lord  be  done.'  I  have  a  letter  to 
ready,  which  I  expect  to  have  an  opportunity  of  for 
warding  this  week.  Let  us  pray  earnestly  for  him,  that  the 
Lord  would  open  his  heart  to  the  truth ;  that  we  may  go  all 
on  togetJier  to  that  blessed  country  to  which  Christ  has 
purchased  an  admittance  for  all  who  trust  in  and  follow  Him. 
I  cannot  tell  you  all  nor  any  of  my  thoughts  on  paper,  but 
wait  for  a  meeting  with  you,  if  the  Lord  will.  Till  then  fare 
well. — I  remain,  my  dearest  sisters,  your  truly  affectionate 
brother, — WM.  C.  BURNS." 

He  remained  still  for  a  short  time  in  the  office  of  his 
uncle,  who  had  already  formed  an  exalted  estimate  of  his 
ability  and  aptitude  for  business,  and  of  his  prospects  of 
future  success,  and  who  parted  from  him  with  unfeigned 
regret. 

In  the  "course  of  the  summer  he  returned  to  Kilsyth, 
and  by  the  beginning  of  November  he  was  once  more  in 
Aberdeen,  to  resume  the  broken  thread  of  his  studies, 
with  a  view  to  the  ministry  of  the  Church  of  Scotland. 


CHAPTER     II. 
1832—1839. 

PREPARATION    FOR   THE    MINISTRY. 

MY  brother's  remaining  years  of  study  at  Aberdeen 
present  nothing  particularly  worthy  of  record, 
except  a  visibly  heightened  tone  of  earnestness  and 
energy  in  all  his  work,  due  to  the  higher  motives  and 
principles  which  now  inspired  him.  A  true  Christian,  he 
became  more  than  ever  an  earnest  student.  Having 
learned  to  be  faithful  in  that  which  is  much,  he  became 
faithful  as  never  before  in  that  which  is  least.  The 
result  was  seen  in  the  higher  place  taken  by  him  in  all 
his  classes,  and  in  the  University  distinctions  which  began 
more  than  ever  to  crowd  upon  him.  In  his  third  year  he 
was  awarded  the  first  place  of  honour  in  the  senior 
mathematical  class,  and  in  the  next  following  session  he 
gained  by  public  competition,  along  with  another  who 
was  bracketted  with  him,  the  mathematical  scholarship, 
then  and  for  long  afterwards  the  highest  attainable 
distinction  in  the  University;  while  in  all  the  other 
branches  of  study  he  held  a  distinguished  place.  In 
other  and  higher  matters  meanwhile,  he  held  on  his 
constant  way — not  of  course  in  a  path  of  unclouded  sun 
shine  and  uninterrupted  progress,  but  consistently  and 


32  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1832-39. 

steadfastly.  The  fresh  and  blessed  experience  which  had 
attended  his  entrance  on  the  spiritual  life  had  indeed 
passed  away,  and  been  succeeded  by  an  ebb  of  feeling 
over  which  he  bitterly  mourned;  but  the  holy  stream, 
fed  by  an  inexhaustible  spring,  was  never  dried  up,  or 
ceased  to  flow  in  a  strong  and  steady  current.  His 
religion,  indeed,  at  this  time  was  rather  calm,  serious, 
strict,  and  resolutely  conscientious,  than  specially  ardent 
and  exalted;  characterized  rather  by  unflinching  deci 
sion  and  strength  of  principle,  than  by  any  peculiar 
elevation  of  feeling  or  depth  of  spiritual  experience.  His 
life  was  more  of  the  usual  type,  and  moved  more  in  the 
customary  channels  of  Christian  profession  and  obedi 
ence,  than  in  after-years.  There  seems  even  to  have 
been  in  him  a  certain  tinge  of  the  artificial  and  the  legal 
—a  tendency  not  uncommon  with  young  disciples  when 
called  openly  to  confess  Christ  in  the  presence  of  those 
who  have  known  them  before  in  the  days  of  their 
ignorance,  to  maintain  a  higher  standard  of  outward 
profession  and  observance  than  is  fully  sustained  by  the 
state  of  the  heart  within.  Of  this  he  bitterly  accuses 
himself  in  his  first  letter  to  his  sister  after  his  return  to 
Aberdeen,  and  which  is  the  only  surviving  fragment  of 
his  correspondence  belonging  to  this  period  of  his  life : 

Aberdeen,  Friday,  Nov.  16,  1832. — .  .  .  "In  regard  to 
my  own  state  of  mind,  I  can  say  little  that  is  pleasing. 
When  I  came  here  my  spiritual  state  was  very  low,  but  I 
hoped  that  the  necessity  which  I  knew  there  was  of  my 
walking  carefully  would,  by  God's  blessing,  have  had  a 
beneficial  effect,  making  me  seek  nearness  to  Him  and 
strength  for  all  my  emergencies;  but  I  lament  to  say,  I 


JEt.  17-24.]  SPIRITUAL    PROGRESS.  33 

have  been  disappointed.  During  the  first  few  days  after 
my  arrival,  I  am  sensible  of  having  been  guilty  of  much 
hypocrisy,  striving  to  make  it  appear  that  I  was  indeed 
converted,  while  I  felt  myself  to  be  far  from  God,  and  acting 
I  fear  rather  for  the  upholding  of  my  own  reputation  than 
with  a  view  to  the  glory  of  God.  I  might  say  much  on  this 
subject,  but  feel  at  this  moment  that  although  my  entering 
on  it  is  calculated  to  be  beneficial  to  me,  in  bringing  it  more 
immediately  before  my  own  mind,  and  calling  forth  your 
earnest  prayers  in  my  behalf;  yet  the  very  feeling  o£  having 
expressed  my  mind  upon  this  subject  may  prove  a  snare  to 
me,  leading  me  to  suppose  that  I  have  retraced  my  steps  to 
the  Cross  of  Christ,  while  I  remain  in  reality  unwilling  to 
become  His  wholly  and  His  only.  May  the  Lord  in  His 
great  mercy  teach  me  my  real  character,  and  lead  me  to 
some  just  conception  of  His  perfect  holiness  and  hatred  of 
sin,  that  I  may  prize  as  I  ought  that  salvation  which  He  has 
provided,  and  be  made  to  count  all  things  but  loss  for  the 
excellency  of  the  knowledge  of  Christ  Jesus !  The  counsel 
and  sympathy  of  dear  friends  are  then  especially  effective 
when  they  are  absent;  for  as  we  delight  to  think  of  again 
meeting  after  being  for  a  time  separated,  our  views  are 
directed  to  that  blessed  abode  where  alone  there  is  a 
security  of  -our  dwelling  in  sweet  and  uninterrupted  com 
munion." 

The  state  of  mind  thus  expressed  will  not  be  difficult 
of  comprehension  to  any  who  like  him,  after  a  spiritual 
crisis  of  more  than  usual  decisiveness,  have  descended  all 
at  once  to  the  common  level  of  ordinary  practical  life. 
Clearly  the  views  and  convictions  which  then  opened  on 
his  soul  remained  unchanged,  but  the  fresh  impressions 
and  strong  emotions  which  had  given  life  and  force  to 
them  had  for  the  moment  passed  away.  He  still  thought 
as  justly,  but  he  felt  less  intensely,  and  therefore  moved 


34  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1832-39. 

and  acted  less  buoyantly.  He  was  faint,  but  he  was  still 
pursuing  the  same  high  end,  and  held  his  face  unswerv 
ingly  in  the  same  direction.  They  who  thus  wait  on  the 
Lord,  even  though  they  may  for  a  season  faint  and  be 
weary,  shall  renew  their  strength.  Though  like  the 
moulting  bird  they  may  droop  as  if  ready  to  die,  a  new 
life  will  soon  stir  within  them,  and  bear  them  upwards  as 
on  eagles'  wings.  Even  in  the  dead  calm  and  when  the 
loose  sails  hang  idly  down,  let  us  remember  still  the 
haven  whither  we  are  going,  and  turn  our  eyes  ever  wist 
fully  thither,  and  the  heavenly  gales  will  surely  soon 
return.  How  eminently  this  was  so  in  the  case  of  the 
subject  of  this  memoir  we  shall  in  the  sequel  see.  Even 
now  the  declension  over  which  he  mourned  was  more 
apparent  than  real — rather  the  mere  transition  from  the 
flush  of  the  morning  to  the  light  of  common  day,  than 
any  actual  retrogression  or  even  obscuration  of  the  Sun. 
Meanwhile  the  light  that  was  in  him,  dim  and  feeble  as 
it  seemed  to  himself,  was  not  darkened,  and  could  not  be 
hid  from  others.  "  My  mind,"  says  Dr.  Murray  Mitchell, 
an  old  class-fellow,  and  now  missionary  of  the  Free 
Church  of  Scotland  at  Calcutta,  "goes  back  to  Aberdeen, 
and  1829,  or  rather  November,  1828,  when  I  first  became 
acquainted  with  your  brother.  We  were  class-fellows,  at 
school  and  college,  for  three  years.  He  then  discon 
tinued  attending  college  for  a  year,  with  the  intention 
I  think  of  giving  himself  to  the  study  of  law.  When  he 
returned  to  Aberdeen  he  was  an  altered  man.  He  came 
back  full  of  holy  earnestness,  having  in  the  meantime 
sustained  the  greatest  revolution  of  which  the  spirit  of 


JEt.  17-24.]  UNIVERSITY    OF    GLASGOW.  35 

man  is  susceptible,  and  seeking  now  every  opportunity 
to  converse  with  his  old  companions  regarding  Christ 
and  His  salvation."  With  this  statement  my  own  re 
collections  of  this  period  entirely  accord.  It  was  a  time 
with  him,  I  think,  of  steady,  though  not  of  marked  or 
conspicuous  progress.  He  was  earnest  and  decided  in 
his  Christian  profession  beyond  the  standard  of  most, 
but  still  according  to  the  ordinary  style  of  the  Christians 
of  that  time;  nor  had  that  overmastering  sense  of  eternal 
things  and  of  the  infinite  worth  of  souls,  which  at  an  after 
period  carried  him  beyond  all  the  barriers  of  conventional 
rule,  and  could  be  bound  by  no  restraints  but  the  clear 
and  eternal  laws  of  God,  yet  manifested  itself. 

Taking  his  degree  with  honourable  distinction  in  1834, 
he  proceeded  in  the  winter  of  that  year  to  the  University 
of  Glasgow,  with  the  view  of  prosecuting  his  further  studies 
for  the  ministry  there.  The  intellectual  life  of  that  ancient 
and  famed  seat  of  learning  was  in  those  days,  so  far  at 
least  as  the  public  teaching  was  concerned,  rather  more 
conspicuous  in  the  literary  than  in  the  theological  depart 
ment.  The  revered  professor  of  divinity,  Dr.  Stevenson 
Macgill,  had  by  that  time  fallen  into  the  "sere  and 
yellow  leaf,"  and  no  longer  exercised  that  effective 
influence  over  the  minds  of  his  pupils  which  he  had  done 
in  earlier  years.  The  air  of  the  church  history  class 
was  indescribably  slumbrous,  and  reminded  one  now 
of  Spenser's  Cave  of  Morpheus  and  now  of  Bunyan's 
Enchanted  Ground;  while  our  Hebrew  studies  were 
superintended  by  a  professor  of  much  intelligence  cer 
tainly,  but  who  knew  almost  nothing  of  Hebrew,  and 


36  LIFE    OF   REV.    WILLIAM   C.    BURNS.  [1832-39. 

opened  his  course  rather  significantly  by  an  elaborate 
refutation  of  the  vowel-points.  In  the  literary  and  philo 
sophical  departments  again  all  was  life  and  energy;  and 
there  was  altogether,  I  think,  about  the  place  more  of  a 
true  academic  spirit  than  existed  at  that  time  anywhere 
else  in  Scotland.  In  the  Greek  class-room,  especially, 
under  the  most  fascinating  and  eloquent  of  teachers,  Sir 
Daniel  K.  Sandford,  there  was  an  element  of  high  enthu 
siasm  which  no  one  then  at  the  University  can  have  for 
gotten,  and  of  which  old  pupils  still  speak  with  a  rapture 
that  almost  looks  like  extravagance.  The  very  music  of 
his  voice  as  he  read  the  sounding  lines  of  Homer,  apart 
even  from  the  brilliant  translation  and  the  rich  feast  of 
illustrative  commentary  and  apt  quotation,  was  a  thing  to 
go  and  hear.  Within  this  charmed  circle  my  brother  was 
soon  drawn,  and  supplemented  by  two  successive  sessions 
in  Sandford's  senior  class  the  more  elementary  studies  of 
his  undergraduate  course.  At  the  same  time  the  more 
proper  work  of  the  divinity  hall  was  not  neglected.  If 
there  was  little  life  in  the  class-room  there  was  great  life  in 
the  library,  and  around  it.  There  were  men  at  the  hall  at 
that  time  who  were  not  likely  to  suffer  any  society  of  which 
they  were  members  to  sink  into  stagnation  and  ennui — 
such  as  James  Halley,  James  Hamilton,  William  Arnot, 
Norman  Macleod,  with  others  of  kindred  spirit,  though  less 
widely  known.  No  doubt,  however,  the  systematic  study 
of  scientific  theology  must  have  suffered  greatly  from  the 
want  of  the  due  direction  and  stimulus.  What  was  done 
in  the  way  of  special  lines  of  reading,  in  connection  with 
a  class  exercise  or  a  University  prize  theme,  was  rather 


Mt.  17-24.]  COLLEGE    FRIENDS.  37 

occasional  and  spasmodic,  than  methodical  and  sustained. 
Such  incidental  calls,  however,  to  studious  application 
my  brother  promptly  obeyed,  and  improved  most  strenu 
ously.  Returning  from  Aberdeen  about  the  middle  of 
April,  after  completing  my  own  undergraduate  course,  I 
found  him  still  in  his  rooms  in  Glasgow,  working  at  the 
last  of  a  long  series  of  prize  essays  on  Old  Testament 
subjects  for  the  Hebrew  class,  in  which  he  had  main 
tained  a  strenuous  competition  with  another  student 
throughout  the  entire  winter;  and  either  in  this  or  in  a 
subsequent  session  he  devoted  much  thought  and  labour 
to  an  essay  on  the  characteristics  of  Hellenistic  Greek 
for  a  University  medal,  which  he  was  fortunate  enough 
to  obtain.  Altogether  it  quite  struck  me,  that  the  atmos 
phere  of  student  life  in  which  he  was  now  living  was 
decidedly  of  a  more  living  and  stimulating  kind  than 
that  which  I  had  left  behind.  In  the  higher  matters  of 
the  spirit  it  undoubtedly  was  so.  Not  only  was  there 
a  higher  tone  of  religious  earnestness  among  the  better 
part  of  the  students  generally,  but  there  were  among 
them  individual  instances  of  eminent  devotedness  and 
rare  elevation  of  character,  which  could  not  fail  to  tell 
with  quickening  effect  on  others,  and  especially  on  one 
whom  divine  grace  had  made  so  susceptible  to  such 
impressions.  Amongst  these,  besides  James  Hamilton,  I 
would  particularly  mention  the  names  of  James  Dennis- 
ton,  a  fellow-student  of  his  own  in  the  divinity  hall,  and 
Charles  Birrel,  then  an  undergraduate  in  the  University, 
and  since  an  eminent  minister  of  the  Baptist  communion 
in  England.  With  these,  and  with  other  junior  students 


38  LIFE    OF   REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1832-39. 

whom  in  after-years  he  gathered  more  and  more  around 
him,  he  spent  many  hallowed  hours  of  sweet  communion  in 
conference  and  in  prayer,  at  once  provoking  and  himself 
provoked  to  love  and  unto  good  works.  Other  influences 
there  were  working  towards  the  same  result,  and  which 
contributed  to  render  this  period  an  era  in  his  spiritual 
progress,  two  of  which  I  would  especially  commemorate. 
The  one  was  the  peculiar  and  powerful  ministry  of  the 
Rev.  John  Duncan,  then  of  Milton  Church,  Glasgow,  and 
subsequently  professor  of  oriental  languages  in  the  New 
College,  Edinburgh,  which  during  the  two  last  years  of 
his  residence  took  a  more  and  more  fast  hold  of  him,  and 
opened  to  him  deeper  views  of  divine  truth  and  more 
solemn  aspects  of  the  Christian  calling  and  discipleship 
than  he  had  known  before.  "One  soweth  and  another 
reapeth;"  one  forges  the  weapon  of  steel,  another  gives  it 
its  last  tempering  and  its  keen  sharp  edge.  And  so  it  was 
ordered  of  God  that  this  singular  instrument  of  his  grace, 
who  at  the  beginning  and  further  progress  of  his  spiritual 
course  had  been  helped  onward  by  other  able  ministers 
of  the  word,  should  receive  his  last  touch  of  preparation 
for  his  great  work  from  that  scribe  well  instructed  in  the 
kingdom  of  God.1  Certainly  at  least  it  seems  to  me,  in 
the  retrospect  of  those  days,  as  if  every  Sabbath  spent  by 
him  in  Milton  Church  had  been  as  a  day  in  Patmos,  and 
every  sermon  almost  as  an  opening  of  the  gate  of  heaven. 

1  Besides  Dr.  Brace,  he  had  attended  and  much  valued  the  ministry 
successively  of  Dr.  John  Murray,  of  the  North  Church,  Aberdeen, 
Dr.  Nathaniel  Paterson,  of  St.  Andrew's  Church,  and  Dr.  John 
Forbes,  of  St.  Paul's  Church,  Glasgow. 


jEt.  17-24.]        STUDENTS'  MISSIONARY  SOCIETY.  39 

The  other  influence  was  that  of  the  Students'  Missionary 
Society  in  the  University  of  Glasgow,  of  which  he  was 
throughout  an  active  and  zealous,  and  latterly  a  leading  and 
influential  member.  That  was  a  sort  of  focus  and  rallying 
point  of  everything  that  was  most  earnest  and  Christian 
both  in  the  divinity  hall  and  in  the  undergraduate  classes  of 
the  University;  drew  good  men  together,  and  placed  the 
weak  side  by  side  with  the  strong;  brought  home  to  us 
by  essay  or  discussion,  or  through  the  well-worn  volumes 
of  our  library,  the  shining  examples  of  missionary  faith 
and  heroism — the  Martyns  and  Brainerds  of  the  past, 
the  Marshmans  and  Duffs  of  the  present — till  our  hearts 
burned  within  us,  and  we  longed  to  go  forth  and  mix 
ourselves  with  life,  in  the  great  battle  that  was  going  on 
in  the  church  and  in  the  world  around.  Here  my 
brother  was  ever  peculiarly  at  home,  and  breathed  an 
element  which  was  to  him  more  than  any  other  con 
genial  and  inspiring.  It  was  here,  and  especially  while 
listening  to  the  weighty  and  earnest  words  of  a  missionary 
about  to  sail  for  China,1  that  he  first  rose  to  the  full  idea 
of  that  entire  and  absolute  consecration  of  his  whole 
being  and  life  to  the  service  of  Christ,  which  in  his  sub 
sequent  ministry  so  remarkably  distinguished  him,  as  well 
as  formed  his  first  definite  purpose  of  devoting  himself  to 
the  missionary  field. 

Almost  the  only  written  memorials  of  this  period  are 
contained  in  a  brief  correspondence  with  one  of  those 
sisters  who  stood,  as  we  have  seen,  in  so  close  a  relation 

1  Dr.  James  Kalley,  who  was  however  prevented  by  the  state 
of  his  health  from  fulfilling  his  purpose. 


40  LIFE    OF   REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1832-39. 

to  the  beginning  of  his  spiritual  life;  but  these  will  be 
read  with  interest,  both  as  illustrating  some  of  the  state 
ments  now  made,  and  as  marking  generally  the  growing 
earnestness  and  solemnity  of  his  views  and  feelings. 
Most  of  them  are  without  date,  except  that  of  the  day 
of  the  week;  but  I  arrange  them  as  far  as  possible 
chronologically,  as  they  seem  to  me  by  internal  indica 
tions  to  date  themselves.  The  first  was  written,  as  the 
date  shows,  in  the  first  year  of  his  residence  in  Glasgow. 
The  rest  probably  all  belong  to  the  last : — 

"DEAR  JANE, — The. accompanying  packet  arrived  a  few 
days  ago  from  Paisley.  Expecting  it  some  time  previously,  I 
had  prepared  a  few  lines  for  you,  to  accompany  it ;  but  I 
waited  in  vain — and  this  among  other  causes  has  prevented 
me  from  sooner  writing  you.  I  am  obliged  to  do  so  at 
present  very  hurriedly,  but  perhaps  the  principal  interest  of 
anything  I  might  say  would  be  owing  to  its  coming  from 
a  brother  who  remembers  you  and  a  brother  at  homej^  and 
the  merest  note  may  serve  this  purpose. 

"Dr.  Macgill,  after  an  illness  that  confined  him  nearly  four 
weeks,  resumed  his  labours  a  few  days  ago,  and  is  now  pro 
ceeding  with  all  the  vigour  that  is  compatible  with  advanced 
age  and  great  weakness.  But  we  are  not  just  dependent  on 
his  lectures  for  a  profitable  employment  of  our  time,  and  the 
loss  we  sustained  by  his  temporary  absence  is  not  so  material 
as  a  stranger  might  imagine.  I  am  attending,  besides  Dr. 
Macgill,  the  professor  of  Hebrew  Dr.  Fleming,  an  interesting 
and  excellent  teacher.  And  in  addition  to  this,  I  am  study 
ing  French  under  Dr.  Gerlach  of  the  high-school.  I  should 
consider  him  a  very  admirable  teacher,  and  I  hope  I  am 
making  some  progress  under  him 

Glasgow p,  December  24^,  1834. 

1  His  sister  was  then  in  London. 


j£t.  17-24.]  CORRESPONDENCE.  41 

"  MY  DEAR  JANE, — I  am  sorry,  as  usual,  to  be  obliged  to 
despatch  the  basket  in  so  great  a  hurry  as  to  prevent  me 
answering  as  I  could  have  wished  your  very  pleasing  note. 
It  is  indeed  hard  to  be  truly  serious  and  interesting,  while  it 
is  easy  to  be  morose  and  dull,  in  the  service  of  God ;  yet  still 
we  must  not  desist  from  an  ardent  pursuit  of  our  high  and 
holy  calling,  because  of  the  difficulties  which,  from  an  utterly 
depraved  heart  and  blinded  understanding,  it  is  encompassed 
with.  Let  us  in  this  as  in  all  things  commit  in  humble  but 
earnest  faith  our  way  to  the  Lord,  and  he  will  direct  our 
steps — not  thinking  on  the  one  hand  that  we  can  have  too 
deep  an  impression  of  the  value  of  immortal  souls,  and  the 
danger  in  which  we  all  naturally  are,  if  it  is  counterbalanced 
on  the  other  by  a  view  of  the  glorious  remedy,  and  the  full 
ness  and  certainty  of  the  Christian's  inheritance.  O  that 
we  might  live  nearer  to  God,  and  then  indeed  if  our  manner 
may  appear  for  a  little  less  natural,  it  will  become  at  length 
naturally  serious  and  heavenly !  I  have  had  a  very  dull  and 
unfruitful  week,  have  been  conscious  of  more  heart-atheism 
than  I  remember  of  feeling,  but  am  now,  I  trust,  desiring  in 
some  measure  that  this  discovery  of  my  utter  depravity  may 
by  God's  sovereign  and  precious  grace  be  blessed  to  make 
me  more  humble  and  more  grateful  to  the  adorable  Redeemer, 
who  for  such  vile  creatures  as  we  descended  so  infinitely  low 
and  bore  so  much. 

"  I  think  highly  of  your  scheme  of  Sabbath  teaching,  and 
hope  that  you  will  be  greatly  honoured  and  supported  in  it. 
Your  affectionate  brother, — WAI.  C.  BURNS. 

"Rothesay,  Thursday.  MY  DEAR  JANE,  —  1  have  from 
various  causes  delayed  till  this  time  writing  home,  in  expecta 
tion,  before }s  arrival,  of  every  day  seeing  some  of  you;  and 

since  then,  waiting  the  opportunity  of  his  return  home.  And 
now  when  the  time  has  arrived,  I  am  disappointed  to  find 
that,  owing  partly  to  other  engagements  in  the  evening,  and 

partly  to  a  doubt  whether  or  not  would  go  to-morrow 

morning,  I  must  take  to  my  desk  when  I  should  retire  to  rest. 


42  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1832-39. 

I  cannot  however  think  of  allowing  him  to  go  without  some 
little  supplement  to  the  intelligence  which  I  have  no  doubt 
he  will  retail  among  you  for  days  to  come. 

"I  have  been  enjoying  Rothesay,  since  I  saw  you,  in  an 
unusual  degree,  the  weather  being  so  fine,  and  my  health,  in 
the  great  kindness  of  God,  unimpaired.  Nor  can  I  reckon 
among  the  least  of  the  present  sources  of  pleasure  the 
duties  in  which  of  course  my  time  is  a  good  deal  occupied. 
I  have  an  interesting  little  charge  here,  and  one  which  I 
think  I  have  increasing  cause  to  feel  at  once  responsible  and 
engaging.  I  have  this  season  the  privilege,  obtained  by 

request   from   Mr. ,    of  joining  with  my  pupils  in  the 

morning  exercise  of  reading  a  portion  of  Scripture  and 
prayer,  which  gives  a  new  facility  for  bringing  to  bear  on 
their  minds  and  hearts  the  religious  influence  which  God 
may  enable  me  to  employ,  and  accustoms  them  by  practice 
to  a  duty  which,  imperative  and  fundamental  as  it  is,  they 
are  unfortunately  not  yet  otherwise  acquainted  with.  I  have 
many  pleasing  tokens,  had  I  time  to  enter  into  particulars, 
of  such  an  interest  in  all  my  pupils  in  those  truths  which 
must  decide  their  eternity,  as  hang  one  between  hope  and 
fear  on  their  account,  and  demand  on  my  part  a  diligence 
and  prayerfulness,  which,  now  that  I  record  this  truth  before 
me,  I  find,  more  than  ever,  I  grievously  want.  O  that  I  had 
grace  to  occupy  my  present  little  talent,  instead  of  looking 
forward  to  a  larger  sphere,  for  when  may  I  expect  to  be  faith 
ful  if  not  now,  and  may  I  not  here  be  privileged  in  Jehovah's 
infinite  loving-kindness,  if  ever  I  shall  be  so  honoured,  to 
tend  the  lambs  of  the  fold  of  Jesus  ?  it  is  unbelief  and  not 
faith,  I  find,  that  discourages  the  ambition.  Let  us  provoke 
one  another,  my  dear  sister,  to  love  and  to  good  works ;  let 
us  be  steadfast  in  our  efforts  and  instant  in  our  prayers,  and 
never  forget,  for  your  encouragement  in  the  service  of  our 
Divine  Master,  that  if  I  have  ever  yet  known  the  precious  faith 
of  God's  elect,  it  was  a  letter  from  you  and  Margaret,  in 
which  I  remember  you  spoke  of  being  'pilgrims  to  a  better 


JEt.  17-24.]  PRESSING    FORWARD.  43 

country/  that  was  first  blessed  to  rouse  me  from  the  uncon 
cern  of  an  ungodly  state. 

"  I  wrote some  time  ago  and  have  had  a  letter  in  reply. 

His  circumstances  appear,  from  his  account,  in  many  re 
spects  very  favourable  for  his  improvement. 

-  appears  to  have  enjoyed  his  short  stay  with  me 
exceedingly,  and  we  have  been  very  happy  together.  He  is 
a  boy  of  very  warm  heart,  solid  and  in  the  main  thoughtful ; 
a  hopeful  subject  of  grace  he  appears  to  me  when  I  contrast 
his  character  and  impressions  of  truth,  as  far  as  I  can  see 
these,  with  my  own  at  a  similar  age.  May  the  Lord  make 
him  his  own,  and  prepare  him,  if  it  be  his  holy  will,  for 
important  service  in  the  advancement  of  his  cause ! 

"We  have  been  thinking  of  you  in  the  enjoyment  of  your 
New  Testament  feast.  In  the  strength  of  this  food  may  you 
have  grace  to  go  many  days.  And  now  farewell,  my  dear 
Jane,  and  give  my  filial  and  brotherly  regards  to  all  at  home 
and  at  Croy.  Ever  yours,— WM.  C.  BURNS. 

"  Wednesday,  i6th  Sept.  1838. — MY  DEAR  JANE, — I  hope 
you  will  not  misinterpret  my  conduct  in  not  answering  your 
note  on  Saturday.  The  subject  to  which  it  referred  was  of 
too  important  and  solemn  a  nature  to  be  lightly  and  hastily 
noticed,  and  I  desired,  first,  to  give  special  thanks  to  the 
Lord  for  his  inviting  us  to  correspondence  on  such  topics; 
and,  next,  to  seek  by  prayer  and  fasting  to  obtain  light  from 
his  Word,  expounded  by  the  Holy  Spirit,  to  guide  me  in 
regard  to  them.  The  time  to  write  you  has  arrived,  and  my 
conscious  deadness  and  spiritual  blindness  form  a  new  argu 
ment  to  convince  me  of  the  need  I  have  of  using  more 
vigorous  and  regular  means  for  obtaining  that  advancement 
in  the  knowledge  of  Christ  which  can  alone  fit  me  to  be  an 
instrument  in  his  hand  for  the  advancement  of  his  kingdom 
in  the  world. 

"I  am  almost  afraid  to  speak  of  some  things,  which,  I 
believe  in  common  with  yourself,  my  convictions  have  for 
some  time  approved  of  as  indispensable  means  of  our  growth 


44  LIFE    OF   REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1832-39. 

in  grace — my  practice  of  these  has  been  so  irregular,  and,  at 
best,  so  far  behind  even  my  own  dark  and  partial  views 
regarding  them.  Yet  it  is  the  spirit  of  pride  and  legal  hope, 
I  am  aware,  that  makes  me  shrink  from  these  as  if  from  a 
broken  covenant,  instead  of  casting  myself  again  as  an 
undone  transgressor  on  the  free  covenant  of  promise;  that 
in  me  henceforth  Christ  may  live,  and  regulate  all  things 
according  to  his  own  good  pleasure,  and  for  his  own  glory ! 

"The  great  fundamental  error  then,  as  far  as  I  can  see,  in 
the  economy  of  the  Christian  life,  which  many,  and  alas!  I 
for  one  commit,  is  that  of  having  too  few  and  too  short 
periods  of  solemn  retirement  with  our  gracious  Father  and 
his  adorable  Son  Jesus  Christ.  It  is,  we  well  know,  when 
meditating  in  secret  on  his  Word,  when  examining  our 
hearts  in  his  holy  and  omniscient  but  fatherly  and  gracious 
presence,  when  pouring  out  our  complaint  before  him,  and 
seeking  to  utter  the  praises  of  his  glorious  character  and 
works — it  is  in  these  exercises  that  we  come  to  know,  through 
the  teaching  of  the  Spirit,  our  natural  darkness,  depravity, 
and  vileness,  and  that  the  glorious  Sun  of  Righteousness 
arises  upon  our  souls  with  healing  in  his  wings,  giving  light 
to  us  who  sit  in  darkness  and  in  the  region  and  shadow  of 
death.  The  communion  of  the  saints  in  Christian  converse 
is  indeed  important,  nay,  indispensable  to  the  growth  of  the 
new  man  when  it  can  be  obtained,  but  when  is  it  sweet  and 
soul-reviving  but  when  each  brings  out  into  the  common 
store  something  of  the  heavenly  food  which  he  has  been 
gathering  in  the  closet?  Whenever  the  holy,  heavenly  light 
of  a  Christian  deportment  is  seen  in  any  one,  when  we  hear 
him  bringing  forth  from  a  full  heart  some  of  the  glorious 
things  of  the  kingdom,  we  ought  then  to  learn  the  lesson 
that  'he  has  been  with  Jesus,'  and  to  go  in  like  manner  to  Him 
that  we  too  may  obtain  this  living  water  to  be  in  us  as  a  well 
of  water  springing  up  unto  everlasting  life.  I  have  alluded 
to  this  subject  in  connection  with  your  proposal,  which  I 
would  hail  with  joy,  for  '  united  prayer,'  because  it  strikes  me 


JEt.  17-24.]  UNIONS    FOR    PRAYER.  45 

from  what  I  have  felt  that  our  object  will  be  best  attained  by 
our  stimulating  each  other  to  greatly  increased  fidelity  in 
these  regular  and  acknowledged  means,  instead  of  first 
adopting  any  special  measure,  which  is  only  a  burden  and 
an  impediment,  except  when  it  is  like  an  additional  channel 
dug  for  the  conveyance  of  the  waters  which  are  overflowing 
their  ordinary  banks.  O  that  our  private  and  personal 
covenanting  with  the  Lord  were  more  frequent  and  regular ! 
This  would  form  some  basis  for  united  efforts  in  his  service ; 
but  without  it  I  fear  we  are  in  danger  of  neglecting  the  Lord's 
own  ordinance  for  means  of  our  own  devising.  For  myself 
then,  dear  Jane,  I  intend  to-morrow,  D.V.,  solemnly  to  review 
my  duty  in  the  private  exercises  of  God's  worship,  in  the 
light  of  his  Word ;  and  may  he  grant  it,  of  his  Holy  Spirit, 
that  I  may,  by  his  promised  grace,  be  humbled  before  him 
for  past  neglect  of  his  blessed  appointments,  and  resolve,  in 
his  strength,  henceforth  'to  keep  his  statutes,'  not  as  a 
servant  for  his  wages,  but  as  a  son  from  love  to  his  Father's 
presence  and  his  Father's  laws.  It  will  serve  the  end  of 
these  lines,  dear  sister,  if  they  be  a  link  in  a  chain  of 
correspondence  between  us  regarding  the  work  of  God  in  our 
own  hearts,  and  around  us.  Such  a  correspondence  I  much 
desire,  and  much  more  need ;  and  I  am  satisfied  that  had  I 
been  earlier  thus  engaged,  I  would  have  been  more  fruitful 
in  the  glorious  work  of  the  Lord,  and  have  written,  not  as 
now  I  do  to  my  shame,  about  the  things  of  God  with  so 
ignorant  a  mind  and  so  cold  a  heart.  O  may  the  love  of 
Christ  constrain  us  to  live  no  more  as  our  own,  but  as 
manifestly  his!  This  is  the  motive  that  will  carry  us  with 
a  rejoicing  heart  through  tribulations  and  distresses  for  his 
name's  sake ;  and  make  us  count  all  things  but  loss  that  we 
may  win  Christ  and  be  found  in  Him,  clothed  upon  with  his 
spotless  righteousness,  and  filled  with  his  Holy  Spirit.  And 
now,  desiring  that  the  Lord  Jesus  may  manifest  himself  to  you 
in  his  surpassing  beauty  and  matchless  grace  and  love, 
I  remain  your  affectionate  brother, — WM.  C.  BURNS. 


46  LIFE    OF   REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1832-39. 

"P.S.  I  expect  to  hear  from  you  soon.  Let  us  be  free, 
faithful,  and  affectionate,  and  seek  to  taste  the  excellence  of 
living  habitually  what  we  -write  from  time  to  time, — W.  C.  B. 

'•'MY  DEAR  JANE, — I  would  not  write  you  so  paltry  a  note, 
were  it  not  that  writing  to  -  -  has  exhausted  my  time,  and 
I  cannot  let  another  opportunity  pass  without  thanking  you 
for  your  kind  and  interesting  letter,  which  I  have  not  yet 
acknowledged ;  and  expressing  my  desire  that  your  mid-day 
period  of  solemn  retirement  may  be  specially  regarded  of  the 
Lord,  and  that  you  may  obtain  new  and  remarkable  com 
munications  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  all  his  vivifying  and  com 
forting  power.  I  enjoyed  my  late  visit  very  much,  though, 
had  we  been  alone,  it  might  have  been  spent  in  closer  inter 
course  on  the  things  of  .the  Spirit,  and  in  special  approaches 
to  the  throne  of  divine  grace,  and  thus  have  been  rendered 
more  stimulating  to  us  all.  Mr.  Denniston,  I  hope,  will  see 
you  on  Friday,  and  I  hope  that,  through  the  presence  of  the 
Lord,  his  parting  visit  may  be  eminently  blessed  to  your 
growth  in  the  excellent  knowledge  of  Christ. 

"  I  am  asking,  though  alas !  with  little  becoming  solicitude, 
whether  the  present  is  to  be  added  to  the  list  of  our  almost 
Christless  sacraments.  Would  that  the  Lord  would  pour 
out  on  us  the  Spirit  as  in  former  days,  and  bring  his  saints 
into  close  and  ravishing  fellowship  with  himself!  'Whither 
is  our  beloved  gone?;  'Why  tarry  the  wheels  of  his 
chariot?'  'Wilt  thou  not  revive  us  again,  that  thy  people 
may  rejoice  in  thee?; 

"In  earnest  expectation  of  his  coming,  let  us  wait  day  and 
night,  and  he  will  at  last  arrive  to  our  infinite  amazement 
and  eternal  rejoicing. 

"My  love  in  Christ  Jesus  to  dear  Charlotte,  and  believe  me, 
your  affectionate  brother, — WM.  C.  BURNS. 

"Wednesday  ijth,  1838. — MY  DEAR  JANE, — I  would  have 
sent  the  basket  sooner,  but  could  not  find  the  time  necessary 
for  despatching  it ;  and  I  hope  that  we  shall  get  it  returned 
not  later  than  this  day  week. 


JEt.  17-24.]  "IRON    SHARPENETH    IRON." 


47 


"None  of  us  have  been  able  to  get  out  to  Paisley  as  yet,  but 
I  heard  of  them  yesterday.     They  are  all,  it  would  seem,  well, 

with  the  exception  of  Aunt  ,  who    I   hear  is  confined 

to  bed  with  cold,  and  is  still  troubled  with  her  arm,  which 
does  not  seem  to  mend  rapidly.  I  paid  a  most  delightful 

visit  to   Uncle    I  slay's  the  other  evening,  when  Mr. , 

their  new  minister,  was  there,  and  expounded  in  a  manner 
remarkably  interesting  and  impressive.  He  seems  indeed 
a  very  uncommon  Christian,  and  has  made  me  feel  in  some 
degree  my  own  miserable  ignorance  in  the  excellent  know 
ledge  of  the  Son  of  God.  O  that  I  might  know  Him,  and 
the  power  of  his  resurrection,  and  the  fellowship  of  his 
sufferings,  being  made  conformable  to  his  death !  God  for 
bid  that  we  should  glory  save  in  the  Cross  of  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  by  whom  the  world  is  crucified  to  us,  and  we  to  the 
world !  I  trust,  my  dear  sister,  that  you  are  obtaining  some 
advancement  in  the  knowledge  of  your  own  vilcness  and 
misery,  and  of  the  glorious  righteousness  and  atonement  of 
Emmanuel,  our  elder  brother.  Of  such  precious  knowledge 
I  can  say  little,  but  I  would  desire,  I  trust  by  the  grace  of 
the  Holy  Spirit,  to  fix  the  eye  continually  on  Jesus,  who  is 
the  finisher  as  well  as  the  author  of  faith,  and  who  will,  as 
he  is  the  faithful  God,  perfect  for  his  own  glory  that  which 
concerned!  us.  I  am  approaching,  as  you  know,  an  era  of 
my  history,  if  we  except  the  time  of  conversion,  the  most 
important  that  can  occur  to  a  human  being  in  this  world — 
soon  must  I  offer  myself,  miserable  as  I  am,  to  the  Church 
of  God  as  a  candidate  for  the  work  of  an  evangelist ;  and 
still  more,  that  Church  must  decide,  so  great  is  the  honour  I 
have  in  prospect,  whether  in  this  land  or  among  the  perish 
ing  heathen  it  shall  be  my  lot  to  preach  to  sinners  the 
unsearchable  riches  of  Christ  crucified.  In  the  meantime, 

O  pray  for  me,  and  our  dear  brother ,  as  I  now  again 

resolve  to  pray  for  you,  that,  in  our  present  respective 
spheres,  we  may  be  always  living  epistles  of  Christ,  that  may 
be  known  and  read  of  all  men,  and  be  even  now  the  means, 


48  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1832-39, 

in  the  hand  of  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord,  of  converting  sinners 
and  edifying  believers !  Especially  for  our  dear  brother 

let  us  plead  unitedly,  that  he  may  be  speedily  given 

to  the  Church  of  God,  and  thus  preserved  safe  unto  the 
heavenly  kingdom  from  those  sins  and  snares  of  youth  which 
have  drowned  so  many  in  destruction  and  perdition! 

"We  had  the  privilege  of  being  lately  addressed  in  our 
missionary  society  by  Dr.  Kalley  of  Kilmarnock,  'a  good 
physician/  who  is  leaving  his  present  practice,  which  I 
understand  is  excellent,  to  consecrate  his  medical  skill  to  the 
promotion  of  the  cause  of  Christ  in  China,  a  channel  which 
seems  at  present  almost  the  only  one  open  among  that 
benighted  people,  so  puffed  up  by  their  imagined  knowledge 
in  almost  every  branch  of  science  and  religion.  Though  a 
member  of  our  own  cnurch,  he  goes  out  supported  by  the 
London  Missionary  Society,  as  the  Committee  of  the  General 
Assembly  did  not  judge  it  expedient  to  extend  the  field  of 
their  operations  farther  east  than  India.  He  appears  a  most 
superior  man,  calm,  but  resolved  and  eager;  and  being  one 
who  I  am  informed  was  converted  some  years  ago  from  a 
life  of  vanity,  he  seems,  especially  in  prayer,  to  have  obtained 
peculiarly  deep  views  of  man's  sin,  and  of  the  glorious  grace 
of  God.  But  I  am  forced  abruptly  to  conclude,  and  am,  I 
trust,  your  affectionate  brother  in  Christ,— WM.  C.  BURNS." 

It  was  with  such  views,  longings,  and  deep  preparation 
of  heart  that  he  approached  the  period  of  his  public 
dedication  to  the  service  of  Christ  in  the  gospel  of  his 
grace.  The  more  secret  exercises  of  his  soul,  in  the 
immediate  prospect  of  that  event,  may  be  still  further 
gathered  from  the  following  jottings  in  a  diary  which  he 
began  at  this  time,  and  continued,  with  occasional  inter 
ruptions,  until  the  year  1853: — 

"September  igt/i,  1838. — Here,  if  God  spare  my  life,  I  intend 
to  record  from  time  to  time  the  most  memorable  incidents 


/Et.  17-24.]  BEGINNING    OF    DIARY.  49 


in  my  life  and  in  the  experience  of  my  heart  before  God,  my 
Judge.  Grant  me,  O  my  covenant  God  and  Father  in 
Christ  Jesus !  that  it  may  be,  through  the  light  and  guidance 
of  the  Holy  Spirit  within  me,  a  faithful  copy  of  the  truth; 
and  that  I  may  be  enabled  to  look  on  its  contents  with  those 
judgments  and  feelings  which  a  sight  of  the  unerring  record 
of  thy  book  of  remembrance  will  produce  within  my  soul  in 
the  day  of  the  Lord  Jesus.  Amen.  This  day  I  had  the 
great  pleasure  and  profit  of  meeting  at  breakfast  in  his  lodg 
ings,  Mr.  Davidson  of  the  Training  School,  Inverness,  a  sin 
gularly  advanced  and  amiable  Christian,  whose  labours  have 
been  remarkably  honoured  of  the  Lord  in  the  island  of  Coll, 
and  for  the  last  twenty  years  in  his  present  situation.  I  have 
done  very  little  to-day,  but  I  have  seen,  I  trust,  through  the 
light  of  the  Spirit,  that  I  am  especially  deficient  in  the  know 
ledge  of  the  love  of  Christ,  and  am  mournfully  defective  even 
in  attempting  to  set  this  before  the  unconverted.  Yet  surely 
this  is  the  truth,  the  exhibition  of  which  is  of  all  most  fitted 
to  beget  the  confidence  of  an  appropriating  faith,  and  to 
manifest  the  glory  of  the  Lord's  justice  in  visiting  with  a 
more  awful  damnation  those  who  perish  with  Christ  in  their 
offer.  O  Lord !  teach  thou  me  to  grow  daily  and  hourly  in 
the  apprehension  of  thy  unspeakable  and  sovereign  love  to 
me,  a  miserable  sinner,  that  I  may  be  constrained,  out  of  the 
abundance  of  an  overflowing  heart,  continually  to  commend 
thee  to  others  who  need  thy  love  as  much  as  I,  and  deserve 
it  just  as  little! 

"2U/.  These  two  days  have  been  spent  much  as  usual,  and 
with  nothing  very  remarkable,  except  that,  which  is  most 
extraordinary  because  most  uniform,  when  we  notice  it  least, 
the  continued  and  unchanging  love  of  God  in  my  preservation 
and  support  under  an  hourly  increasing  load  of  hell-kindling 
guilt.  How  needful  to  be  daily  plunged  anew  under  the 
crimson  tide  of  Emmanuel's  blood,  that  I  may  walk  in  the 
light  as  God  is  in  the  light !  I  have  studied  Hebrew  chiefly  to 
day,  which  Mr.  Duncan  teaches  with  great  skill  and  activity. 

D 


50  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1832-39. 

Wm.  M'D 's  and  W 's  lessons  take  a  long  time  at 

present.     I  saw  Mr. 's  brother,  a  spirit-seller  in  Calton, 

in  bed ;  conversed  and  prayed  with  him.  He  seemed  very 
ignorant  of  sin.  May  the  Spirit  convince  him !  None  other 
can  awaken  truly  either  him  or  any  other.  The  work  of 
grace  is  indeed  Cod's  from  beginning  to  end,  and  all  the 
glory  will  be  his.  To  his  blessed  name  be  praise,  through 
Christ  Jesus.  Amen. 

"23^,  Sabbath. — This  morning  rose  at  20  minutes  to  7 
and  met  my  young  men's  class  from  8  to  9.  The  attendance 
is  increasing,  and  the  prospect  interesting.  Mr.  Duncan 
lectured  in  the  forenoon  on  James  ii.  12.  Afternoon  I  ad 
dressed  Mr.  Patrick's  little  flock  in  St.  Enoch's  school,  from 
John  iii.  14,  15  ;  and  may  well  learn  several  important  lessons 
from  my  experience.  Last  time  I  addressed  the  same  meet 
ing,  a  fortnight  ago,  I  had  made  mere  mental  preparation, 
but,  as  I  thought,  was  in  some  degree  supported,  and  spoke 
with  some  force  and  fulness  from  Hebrews  x.  19-22.  En 
couraged  by  this  imagined  success,  I  was  content  with  a 
similar  preparation  to-day;  and  if  the  former  case  encouraged 
presumption,  this  does  not  less  favour  despondency.  I  felt 
little  alive  to  the  subject,  my  faith  almost  failed,  and  I  was 
left  devoid  of  conscious  love  to  Christ  and  compassion  for 
perishing  souls — the  affections  which  would  have  given  fresh 
interest  to  the  subject  in  my  own  mind,  and  have  stimulated 
me  to  go  through  with  its  exposition  and  enforcement ;  as  it 
was,  I  lost  heart  after  discoursing  for  some  time  on  our 
state  as  dying  under  the  poison  of  the  serpent's  sting,  and 
I  stammered  out  some  other  scraps  upon  the  remaining 
glorious  topics  of  the  subject,  and  came  to  an  end,— con 
cluding  the  whole  service  in  an  hour  and  a  quarter,  instead 
of  the  two  hours  of  the  preceding  day.  Oh!  it  is  indeed 
an  arduous  thing  to  preach  from  supernatural  views  of  divine, 
supernatural  truths.  The  Lord  must  give  these,  or  they 
cannot  be  attained.  Yet  notwithstanding,  arduous  prepara 
tion,  in  dependence  on  his  power,  in  the  closet  and  study,  is, 


JEt.  17-24.]  THE   LOVE   OF   CHRIST.  5 1 

J  am  more  fully  than  ever  convinced  from  to-day's  experience, 
absolutely  indispensable,  at  least  for  me,  to  prevent  contempt 
•being  thrown  upon  glorious  truths  from  circumstantials  of 
looseness  and  superficiality  which  are  easily  avoided  by 
•accurate  composition.  My  classes  in  the  evening  were  fully 
.as  pleasant  as  usual.  In  explaining  to  my  young  class  the 
first  three  verses  of  the  i6th  of  John,  and  to  the  more 
advanced  one  the  subject  of  divine  providence  from  the 
'Catechism,  I  felt  more  than  usually  my  faith  realizing  the 
truth,  and  in  particular  experienced  something  like  freedom 
in  discoursing  of  the  love  of  Christ  and  the  freeness  of  the 
gospel,  the  subjects  which  I  think  I  am  least  of  all  acquainted 
with,  but  which  it  is  most  important  to  understand  exactly, 
and  discourse  on  with  fulness  and  affection.  I  speak  of 
knowing  something  of  the  love  of  Christ;  where  is  that 
knowledge  now? — now,  when  my  soul  seems  to  sink  back  into 
unbelief  and  carnal  ease?  Oh  Holy  Spirit,  who  dwellest  in 
me,  if  indeed  I  am  a  child  of  God,  awaken  my  soul,  and  keep 
thou  it  awake !  Manifest  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  within  me, 
and  grant  that  his  love  may  continually  constrain  me  to  live 
henceforth  no  more  to  myself  but  to  Him  who  died  for  me, 
.and  rose  again.  Amen. 

" October  z$th.  (Glasgow  sacrament  and  fast-day.) — Since 
last  date  I  have  had  considerable  varieties  of  outward  cir 
cumstances  and  of  inward  spiritual  experience.  The  dealings 
of  the  Lord's  providence  have  been  uniformly  prosperous, 
and  demand  the  most  fervent  and  unceasing  gratitude,  which, 
alas  !  I  have  not  given,  and  cannot  give,  till  I  receive  it  of  his 
infinite  and  sovereign  grace.  I  have  few  remarkable  dis 
coveries  by  the  Spirit,  either  of  myself  or  of  'the  glory  of  God 
in  the  face  of  Jesus  Christ/  but  I  think  I  have  still  had  some 
advancement,  displaying  itself  in  a  more  staid  waiting  upon 
'God,  and  finding  the  mysteries  of  the  gospel  more  natural  to 
>my  soul  in  worship,  and  in  teaching  my  classes.  To-day  I 
have  been  in  some  degree  waiting  for  the  manifestations  of 
God,  but  with  little  enlargement  of  spirit  in  prayer,  either  for 


52  LIFE    OF   REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1832-39. 

myself  or  others.  At  worship  I  was  enabled  to  speak  more 
fully,  boldly,  and  sweetly  for  the  Lord  than  usual ;  but  where 
again  is  that  experience  now?  It  is  gone !  Alas  !  the  fogs  of 
unbelief  and  carnal  affection  seem  to  be  gendered  almost  by 
the  beams  of  divine  glory  coming  into  contact  with  the  marshy 
putrid  soil  of  corrupted  nature.  That  which  is  born  of  the 
flesh  \sflesh,  that  alone  which  is  born  of  the  Spirit  is  spirit. 
I  am  dependent  for  every  acting  of  gracious  affection  on  the 
power  of  the  Spirit,  as  well  as  for  the  first  production  of  the 
new  nature.  How  sovereign  then,  and  uncaused  by  anything 
in  me,  is  the  ineffably  gracious  and  blessed  love  of  the 
Godhead !  My  classes  appear  (especially  the  young  women's) 
to  be  in  rather  a  hopeful  state,  but  ah  !  where  is  my  travailing 
in  birth  till  Christ  be  formed  in  them?  Grant  me  this,  O 
Lord,  and  then  bestow  a  blessing  above  all  that  I  can  ask 
or  think,  to  the  praise  of  the  glory  of  thy  grace  in  Jesus  the 
beloved.  Amen." 

Thus  was  he  passing  more  and  more  within  the  deep 
shadow  of  that  great  work  to  which  he  had  devoted  his  life, 
and  the  commencement  of  which  was  now  so  nearly  ap 
proaching.  How  solemnly  that  shadow  fell  upon  him 
may  be  partly  gathered  from  an  incident  which  was  related 
to  me  recently  by  one  who  of  all  others  knew  him  the 
earliest  and  the  best.  She  had  gone  in  to  Glasgow, 
unknown  to  him,  on  some  domestic  errand,  and  was 
passing  through  the  narrow  covered  street  called  the 
Argyle  Arcade,  when  she  saw  him  turn  the  corner  in 
front,  and  advance  slowly  towards  her  from  the  opposite 
direction  as  in  deep  reverie.  Though  she  went  up 
straight  to  him,  he  was  quite  unconscious  of  her  pres 
ence,  and  started,  when  addressed,  as  from  a  dream.  "  O 
mother,"  said  he  with  deep  emotion,  "  I  did  not  see  you : 


Mt.  17-24.]  LICENSE.  53 

for  when  walking  along  Argyle  Street  just  now,  I  was  so 
overcome  with  the  sight  of  the  countless  crowds  of  im 
mortal  beings  eagerly  hasting  hither  and  thither,  but  all 
posting  onwards  towards  the  eternal  world,  that  I  could 
bear  it  no  longer,  and  turned  in  here  to  seek  relief  in 
quiet  thought."  The  great  deep  had  been  stirred  up 
once  more,  but  by  a  mightier  and  more  sacred  impulse 
than  in  former  days. 

He  was  licensed  to  preach  the  gospel  by  the  presby 
tery  of  Glasgow  on  the  2yth  day  of  March,  1839. 


CHAPTER    III. 

1839. 

OPENING   MINISTRY. 

IN  the  report  of  the  University  Missionary  Association 
for  the  year  1838,  the  seventeenth  from  its  institution, 
I  find  the  following  interesting  notice : — "  Gratifying  as 
the  preceding  facts  must  be  regarded,  it  is  with  deeper 
•gratitude  and  far  higher  pleasure  that  your  committee 
intimate  the  fact  that  two  of  their  own  number,  the  one 
for  two,  and  the  other  for  four  years  a  member  of  this 
society,  have  during  the  present  session  publicly  offered 
themselves  to  the  church  of  Christ  as  missionaries  to  the 
heathen,  and  have  been  accepted.  This  society  has  num 
bered  among  its  members  not  a  few  who  were  devoted 
to  the  same  high  calling,  and  it  is  perhaps  probable 
that  it  has  contributed  in  other  cases  to  foster  convic 
tions  which  afterwards  led  to  a  similar  dedication;  but 
in  the  present  instance  it  has  formed  the  principal,  if  not 
the  only  special,  instrument  which  the  Lord  of  the  vine 
yard  has  employed  in  calling  his  professed  disciples  to 
engage  in  this — the  noblest  department  of  his  service 
upon  earth." 

Of  the  two  here  mentioned  the  subject  of  this  memoir 
was  one,  the  other  being,  I  think,  a  member  of  one  of  the 


JEt.  24.]  DEDICATION    TO    MISSION   WORK.  55 

nonconformist  communions  in  England,  then  resident  at 
the  University,  as  a  scholar  on  the  Williams'  foundation. 
To  his  own  case  my  brother  makes  brief  but  pregnant 
reference  nine  years  afterwards  in  a  retrospective  notice 
in  his  diary,  while  at  sea  on  his  way  to  China:  "At 
Glasgow  University,  during  the  winter  1837-8,  I  was  led, 
from  my  connection  with  the  College  Missionary  Associa 
tion,  to  feel  so  deeply  my  personal  responsibility  in  regard 
to  the  spread  of  the  gospel  among  the  heathen,  that  after 
much  prayer  and  many  solemn  exercises  of  soul,  I  took 
the  solemn  step  of  writing  to  my  father,  to  request  that,  if 
he  thought  good,  he  should  communicate  with  Dr.  Gordon, 
the  convener  of  our  India  committee,  and  let  him  know 
that,  should  the  Church  deem  me  qualified,  I  would  be 
ready  to  go  as  a  missionary  to  Hindustan.  He  did  this, 
and  the  committee  having  given  me  encouragement  in 
the  matter,  I  looked  upon  myself  as  publicly  devoted  to 
the  missionary  field.  In  my  own  soul,  and  in  all  my 
public  duties  connected  with  missionary  meetings,  &c.  &c., 
I  felt  from  that  time  forward  a  greatly  enlarged  measure 
of  the  presence  and  blessing  of  God,  tending  to  confirm 
me  more  deeply  in  my  cherished  hope  and  purpose. 
This  was  the  last  session  which  I  needed  to  spend  at 
College  to  complete  my  curriculum;  but,  partly  because  I 
found  myself  profitably  engaged  in  study,  and  still  more, 
I  believe,  because  I  waited  in  expectation  of  a  call  to  the 
missionary  field,  I  remained  at  College  during  the  following 
winter,  and  in  the  spring  of  1839  a  proposal  was  made  by 
the  colonial  committee  that  I  should  go  out  for  a  season 
to  fill  a  charge  at  St.  John's,  New  Brunswick,  and  proceed 


56  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1839. 

direct  from  America  to  India  when  the  India  committee 
should  require  me.  It  was  expected  that  the  India  com 
mittee  would  accede  to  this  proposal,  but  they  refused, 
wishing  that  their  agents  should  be  free  to  go  when 
wanted,  and  so  the  matter  ended.  This  was  at  the  very- 
time  when  Mr.  M'Cheyne,  about  to  set  out  for  Palestine, 
wrote,  asking  me  to  take  his  place  at  Dundee.  I  found 
myself  unexpectedly  free  to  do  this,  and  being  speedily 
licensed  I  entered  on  my  duties  in  that  memorable  field. 
This  was  at  the  beginning  of  April.  In  the  month  of  June 
or  July  I  received  the  call  that  I  had  long  looked  for, 
being  asked  by  the  India  committee  to  go  to  Poonah  in 
the  presidency  of  Bombay.  My  engagement  at  Dundee 
stood  in  the  way  of  my  at  once  complying,  and  another 
call  which  the  Jewish  committee  gave  me  to  go  to  Aden 
in  Arabia  increased  the  difficulty.  While  asking  guidance 
in  regard  to  my  duty  I  went  to  the  communion  at  Kilsyth 
in  July,  when  the  Lord  began  to  employ  me  in  a  way  so 
remarkable  for  the  awakening  of  sinners,  that  in  returning 
to  Dundee,  and  finding  myself  in  the  midst  of  a  great 
spiritual  awakening,  I  was  obliged  to  make  known  to 
both  committees  that,  while  my  views  regarding  missionary 
work  remained  unchanged,  yet  I  found  that  I  must  for 
the  time  remain  where  I  was,  and  fulfil  the  work  which 
God  was  laying  upon  me  with  a  mighty  hand." 

In  giving  this  extract  I  have  somewhat  anticipated  the 
course  of  events  in  that  part  of  the  narrative  on  which  we 
are  now  entering;  but  it  was  necessary  to  do  so,  in  order 
to  present  in  a  clear  light  the  relation  in  which  my 
brother  at  this  time,  and  for  several  years  thereafter, 


^Et.  24.]  THE    OFFERING   DEFERRED.  57 

stood  towards  that  great  work  to  which  he  had  solemnly, 
and  as  he  deemed  irrevocably,  dedicated  himself.  He  had 
given  himself  deliberately,  and  in  some  sense  publicly, 
before  God  and  His  church,  to  the  service  of  Christ  in 
the  field  of  heathen  missions,  and  he  believed  the  offering 
had  been  accepted.  Having  thus  lifted  up  his  hand  unto 
the  Lord,  he  felt  the  vows  of  the  great  Master  upon  him 
ever  after,  and  he  never  drew  back  or  dreamed  of  draw 
ing  back.  Their  performance  was  deferred  only,  not 
relinquished,  and  deferred  not  by  himself,  but  by  Him  to 
whom  they  had  been  made,  and  at  whose  disposal  he  had 
wholly  and  unreservedly  placed  himself.  And  so,  when 
nine  years  afterwards  the  long-expected  summons  sud 
denly  came  to  him,  it  found  him  with  the  unchanged 
purpose  still  fresh  upon  his  soul,  and  ready  to  march  at 
a  moment's  warning  at  the  great  Captain's  bidding. 
Meanwhile  the  field  immediately  before  him  was  white 
unto  the  harvest,  and  he  was  thrust  forth  into  the  midst 
of  it  by  a  high  and  mighty  hand.  A  great  work  was  laid 
upon  him  which  could  neither  be  evaded  nor  postponed, 
and  he  had  no  choice  but  to  give  himself  wholly  to  it, 
and  to  do  it  with  his  might.  The  door  opened  to  him 
was  wide  and  effectual,  beyond  probably  what  he  had 
ever  dreamed.  He  had  indeed,  as  I  distinctly  remember, 
very  exalted  views  of  what  might  be  expected  even  in 
these  latter  days  from  the  outpouring  of  the  Spirit,  in 
answer  to  the  earnest  prayers  of  a  reviving  Church.  His 
mind  had  dwelt  much,  in  common  with  many  others  about 
that  time,  on  the  divine  promises  to  that  effect,  and  on 
the  grand  typical  fulfilment  of  them  on  the  day  of 


58  LIFE    OF   REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1839. 

Pentecost.  That  memorable  scene  he  regarded  not  as  an 
isolated  event,  but  as  a  pattern  of  what  the  Church  might 
hope  in  any  age  to  see,  it  might  be  even  still  more 
gloriously.  Even  some  of  the  most  startling  outward 
manifestations  of  the  Spirit's  working  then  displayed  he 
regarded  not  as  exceptional  circumstances,  but  as  what 
might  be  repeated  any  day  before  our  eyes.  The  cloven 
tongues,  and  the  gift  of  many  languages,  had  indeed 
passed  away,  with  the  age  of  miracle  to  which  they 
essentially  belonged;  but  the  cries  of  stricken  consciences 
and  the  loud  sobs  of  broken  hearts  belonged  not  to  that 
age,  but  to  every  age,  and  would,  he  believed,  be  heard 
more  or  less  wherever  in  a  congregated  multitude  of 
sinful  men  the  arrows  of  the  mighty  King  are  sharp  in 
the  hearts  of  his  enemies.  I  remember  having  a  discus 
sion  with  him  on  this  very  subject  in  the  course  of  a 
quiet  walk  from  Glasgow  towards  our  home  at  Kilsyth, 
shortly  before  he  commenced  his  work  in  Dundee.  I 
ventured  to  question  whether,  even  though  the  working 
of  the  divine  Spirit  in  the  bosom  of  a  Christian  congrega 
tion  were  as  powerful  and  profound  as  in  pentecostal 
times,  the  habitual  reserve  and  self-restraint  of  modern 
life,  especially  amongst  the  more  educated  classes,  would 
not  prevent  such  unrestrained  expression  of  inward  feel 
ings,  as  that  there  displayed.  To  this  view  he  demurred, 
deeming  that  if  the  mighty  rushing  wind,  which  bloweth 
where  it  listeth,  should  indeed  come  with  power,  we 
should  hear  the  sound  thereof,  so  that  even  the  world 
itself  should  not  be  able  wholly  to  close  its  ears.  Little 
did  I  think  that  within  a  month  or  two  of  that  time, 


-jEt.  24.]  ST.  PETER'S,  DUNDEE.  59 

and  in  the  parish  church  of  that  very  place  to  which  we 
were  then  bending  our  steps,  I  should  myself  witness 
what  seemed  so  remarkable  a  verification  of  his  words. 
Probably  he  himself,  even  while  arguing  the  possibility 
of  such  a  thing,  little  dreamed  that  it  was  in  truth  so  near 
at  hand. 

He  entered  on  his  labours  at  Dundee  on  the  first  or 
second  Sabbath  of  April,  taking  as  his  text  Romans  xii.  i, 
— the  same  words  on  which  he  had  preached  his  first 
sermon  in  his  father's  pulpit  at  Kilsyth  a  short  time 
before,  and  which  were  in  truth  prophetic  of  the  whole 
spirit  and  character  of  his  future  life  and  ministry.  The 
work  he  now  undertook  was  indeed  an  arduous,  and  to 
one  so  young  and  inexperienced,  a  peculiarly  trying  one. 
Robert  Murray  M'Cheyne,  whose  name  has  since  become 
a  household  word  throughout  the  universal  Church,  was 
already  widely  known  throughout  Scotland  as  one  of  the 
most  gifted,  holy,  and  successful  ministers  of  recent  times; 
and  it  was  no  light  or  easy  thing  for  any  one  to  enter, 
even  for  a  season,  into  his  labours.  An  overflowing  con 
gregation,  of  every  class  and  degree  in  life,  drawn  together, 
many  of  them,  from  considerable  distances  in  the  town 
and  country  round,  accustomed  to  the  charm  of  a  peculiar 
ministry  which  would  be  apt  to  render  any  ordinary 
teaching  tame  and  common-place,  and  above  all,  throb 
bing  throughout  with  a  high  tone  of  spiritual  excitement 
which  it  was  difficult  to  meet  and  to  sustain,  presented 
altogether  a  sphere  of  labour  from  which  the  young  evan 
gelist,  profoundly  conscious  of  his  own  insufficiency,  might 
well  recoil.  But  it  was,  in  truth,  that  very  consciousness  of 


60  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1839. 

insufficiency,  and  consequent  utter  abnegation  of  all  trust 
in  himself,  that  made  him  strong.  Feeling  in  the  depths 
of  his  soul  that  without  Christ  he  could  do  nothing,  but 
that  through  his  grace  strengthening  him  he  could  do  all 
things,  there  did  not,  after  all,  seem  to  him  so  much 
difference  in  point  of  mere  difficulty  between  one  duty 
and  another.  Without  the  immediate  presence  and  help 
of  his  divine  Master  he  could  not  speak  even  to  a  hand 
ful  of  little  children  in  a  Sunday-school ;  with  that  presence 
and  help  he  could  stand  unabashed  before  the  mightiest 
and  the  wisest  in  the  world.  It  will  be  seen  from  con 
stant  entries  in  his  journal  how  perpetually  present  was 
this  thought  to  his  mind,  and  how  it  formed  the  master 
principle  of  his  whole  life  and  ministry;  and  it  seems  to 
me  to  have  been  so  in  a  very  remarkable  degree  from  the 
beginning.  And  hence,  no  doubt,  it  was  that  on  the  very 
first  day  of  his  ministering  before  that  great  congregation, 
and  when  many  anxious  eyes  were  turned  on  the  youthful 
face  and  form  of  one  who  seemed  to  them  all  too  weak 
for  such  a  burden,  he  appeared  conspicuously  calm  and 
self-possessed,  as  one  visibly  standing  in  the  shadow  of 
the  Almighty,  and  consciously  speaking  the  words  that 
were  given  him  of  the  Lord.  I  have  heard  old  members 
of  the  congregation  tell  how  their  hearts  trembled  for 
him,  when  they  saw  what  seemed  to  them  a  mere 
stripling  standing  up  in  the  place  of  one  whom  they  so 
revered  and  honoured,  and  how  almost  at  the  first  sound 
of  his  voice,  as  he  led  with  such  deep-toned  spirituality 
and  power  the  prayers  of  the  sanctuary,  their  fears 
vanished,  and  they  seemed  to  hear  only  the  sound  of  his 


JEt.  24.]  STYLE    OF    PREACHING.  6 1 

Master's  feet  behind  him.  Accordingly  he  seems  from 
the  first  to  have  taken  a  singularly  fast  hold  of  the  con 
gregation,  and  to  have  filled  to  a  degree  which  one 
would  scarcely  have  thought  possible,  alike  in  authority 
and  spiritual  power,  the  place  of  their  absent  pastor. 
Young,  inexperienced,  measured  and  slow  of  speech, 
gifted  with  no  peculiar  charm  of  poetry  or  sentiment  or 
natural  eloquence  or  winning  sweetness,  he  bore  so 
manifestly  the  visible  seals  of  a  divine  commission,  and 
carried  about  him  withal  such  an  awe  of  the  divine 
presence  and  majesty,  as  to  disarm  criticism  and  constrain 
even  careless  hearts  to  receive  him  as  the  messenger  of 
God.  If  his  words  were  sometimes  few,  naked,  un 
adorned,  they  were  full  of  weight  and  power,  and  went 
home,  as  arrows  directed  by  a  sure  aim,  to  the  hearts  and 
consciences  of  his  hearers.  Literally  it  might  be  said  of 
him,  that  his  speech  and  his  preaching  were  not  with 
excellency  of  speech  and  man's  wisdom,  but  in  demonstra 
tion  of  the  Spirit  and  of  power.  The  result  accordingly 
was  soon  seen  in  a  visible  increase  of  spiritual  inquiry 
amongst  the  people,  and  a  generally  heightened  tone  of 
solemnity  and  earnestness  in  the  congregation  at  large. 
In  the  words  of  an  esteemed  member  and  office-bearer 
of  the  congregation,  who  has  been  able  to  recal  with 
singular  distinctness  the  scenes  of  those  days: — "Scarcely 
had  Mr.  Burns  entered  on  his  work  in  St.  Peter's  here, 
when  his  power  as  a  preacher  began  to  be  felt.  Gifted 
with  a  solid  and  vigorous  understanding,  possessed  of  a 
voice  of  vast  compass  and  power — unsurpassed  even  by 
that  of  Mr.  Spurgeon — and  withal  fired  with  an  ardour  so 


62  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1839. 

intense  and  an  energy  so  exhaustless  that  nothing  could 
damp  or  resist  it,  Mr.  Burns  wielded  an  influence  over 
the  masses  whom  he  addressed  which  was  almost  without 
parallel  since  the  days  of  Wesley  and  Whitfield.  Crowds 
flocked  to  St.  Peter's  from  all  the  country  round;  and 
the  strength  of  the  preacher  seemed  to  grow  with  the 
incessant  demands  made  upon  it.  Wherever  Mr.  Burns 
preached  a  deep  impression  was  produced  on  his  au 
dience,  and  it  was  felt  to  be  impossible  to  remain  uncon 
cerned  under  the  impassioned  earnestness  of  his  appeals. 
With  him  there  was  no  effort  at  oratorical  display,  but 
there  was  true  eloquence ;  and  instances  are  on  record  of 
persons,  strong  in  their  self-confidence  and  enmity  to  the 
truth,  who  fell  before  its  power — who, 

"  'Though  they  came^to  scoff, 
Remained  to  pray.'" 

As  already  hinted,  nothing  could  be  more  different  than 
the  whole  style  and  character  of  his  mind,  from  that  of  him 
whose  place  he  yet  so  worthily  filled.  Of  the  rich  aroma 
of  sanctified  poetry  and  pathos  which  imparted  their  dis 
tinctive  charm  to  the  life  and  writings  of  M'Cheyne,  he 
had  none.  His  characteristic  was  strength,  not  beauty, 
clearness  and  force,  rather  than  freshness  and  fulness  of 
thought  and  diction ;  and  it  was  not  even,  except  when  he 
was  profoundly  stirred  by  strong  spiritual  influences,  that 
one  became  conscious  of  the  deep  fountain  of  enthusiasm 
and  of  intense  emotion  that  was  within  him.  In  the  words 
of  Mr.  Moody  Stuart,  who  intimately  knew  him  from  the 
very  first  days  of  his  spiritual  life,  and  who  seems  to  me 
to  have  formed  a  singularly  just  estimate  of  his  character 


JEt.  24.]  STYLE    OF   PREACHING.  63 

and  gifts,  "the  hard  plodding  for  a  great  object,  the  saga 
cious  intellect,  the  quick  linguistic  apprehension,  common 
sense,  mother  wit,  coolness  and  presence  of  mind  in  every 
variety  of  circumstance,  were  more  his  natural  character 
istics,  than  the  elements  which  go  to  constitute  the  enthu 
siastic  and  exciting  preacher.  In  the  midst  of  the  revival 
at  Kilsyth  he  would  sometimes  relieve  the  tension  of  his 
mind  by  reading  the  Greek  classics ;  and  he  possessed  the 
bodily  strength,  the  courage,  and  all  the  other  qualities 
that  would  have  enabled  him  to  cross  the  continent  of 
Africa,  like  Dr.  Livingstone,  if  he  had  set  his  heart  on 
such  an  object.  No  man  was  less  a  fool  by  nature,  yet 
no  man  in  modern  times  did  more  entirely  become  a  fool 
for  Christ's  sake.  His  preaching  was  in  a  most  peculiar 
manner  by  the  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  '  in  demonstra 
tion  of  the  Spirit  and  in  power,'  and  'mighty  through 
God  to  the  pulling  down  of  strongholds.'  He  had  no 
pathos,  no  fancy,  little  natural  enthusiasm,  and  not  much 
that  could  be  called  natural  eloquence,  but  he  had  a  firm 
grasp  of  gospel  truth,  a  capacity  for  clear  and  forcible 
statement,  and  a  voice  capable  of  commanding  any  audi 
ence,  however  large,  in  the  church,  in  the  street,  in  the 
field;  and  when  the  power  of  the  Spirit  rested  upon  him, 
there  were  the  thunders  of  Sinai  in  all  their  terrors,  the 
still  small  voice  of  the  gospel  in  much  of  its  tenderness, 
the  fervent  fluency  of  a  tongue  touched  with  a  live  coal 
from  the  altar,  the  irrepressible  urgency  of  one  standing 
between  the  living  and  the  dead,  the  earnest  pressing  of 
salvation  that  would  accept  no  refusal;  himself  standing 
consciously  and  evidently  in  the  presence  of  the  great 


64  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS. 


God,  with  heaven  and  hell  and  the  souls  of  men  open 
before  him,  with  Jesus  Christ  filling  his  heart  with  his 
love,  and  pouring  grace  into  his  lips,  and  with  multitudes 
before  him  weeping  for  sorrow  over  discovered  sin,  or  for 
joy  in  a  discovered  Saviour." 

His  first  impressions  of  the  place  and  of  his  work  will 
be  partly  gathered  from  the  following  letter  to  a  sister : — 

"Dundee,  Seafield  Cottage,  April  io//z,  1839.  ...  I  would 
gladly  fill  my  sheet  in  narrating  what  I  have  been  able  to 
ascertain  of  my  situation  and  circumstances  here,  were  it 
not  that  I  must  husband  every  moment  of  my  time  for  my 
engagements  in  visiting  the  sick  and  dying,  examining  intend 
ing  communicants,  and  preparation  for  the  Sabbath  that  is 
approaching.  I  am  not  left  without  many  circumstances  to 
encourage  me  in  my  arduous  labours;  not  a  few  hearts  seem 
in  a  good  measure  prepared  to  hear  the  gospel  as  the  Word 
of  God,  and  some  I  have  met  with  whose  experience  in  the 
spiritual  life  affords  the  strongest  stimulus  to  my  own  growth 
in  grace,  and  whose  ideas  of  Christian  ministrations  will,  I 
fear,  make  me  to  appear  among  them  as  an  ignorant  babbler. 
They  appear,  however,  a  very  kind  and  not  uncharitable  class 
of  people,  as  far  as  I  can  discover;  they  will,  I  hope,  pray  for 
as  well  as  censure  me;  and  as  I  have  had  a  clear  call  from 
the  Lord,  without  my  own  interference,  to  come  among  them, 
I  desire  to  cast  all  my  burden  upon  his  blessed  shoulders,  and 
to  wait  with  earnest  wrestlings  until  he  appear  among  us  in 
his  glory  to  build  up  Zion.  Let  us  go  on  to  know  the  love  of 
Christ,  which  passeth  knowledge,  that  we  may  be  filled  with 
all  the  fulness  of  God." 

In  another  letter,  dated  about  two  months  after  (June 
1 8),  addressed  to  a  deeply  revered  aunt  at  St.  Andrews, 
he  declines  an  invitation  to  preach  there  on  a  Sabbath, 
on  the  ground  that  "the  people  are  in  that  interesting 


Mt.  24.]  TOKENS    OF    BLESSING.  65 

state  of  hopeful  movement  and  inquiry,  in  which  it  is 
least  of  all  the  duty  of  their  appointed  teacher  to  be 
absent  from  them;"  and  then  proceeds  in  that  intense 
strain  of  ardent  aspiration  which  had  already  become 
characteristic  of  him,  and  which  seems  almost  prophetic 
of  what  was  so  soon  to  come : — 

"  It  is  my  earnest  desire  and  prayer,  dear  aunt,  that  the 
Lord  may  lock  down  in  his  infinite  mercy  and  grace  on  St. 
Andrews,  which  in  ancient  times  he  so  highly  honoured,  but 
from  which,  alas !  is  not  his  glorious  presence  greatly  with 
drawn?  Oh!  for  a  Rutherford  or  a  Halyburton  to  awaken 
slumbering  sinners  at  ease  under  the  wrath  of  an  angry  God, 
and  to  stir  up  the  true  people  of  God  to  abound  in  the  love 
and  in  the  praise  of  Jesus  !  'Wilt  Thou  not  revive  us  again, 
that  thy  people  may  rejoice  in  Thee.'  Oh !  may  the  Lord 
grant  to  that  remnant  that  serve  him  in  the  Spirit  to  be 
'zealous,  and  strengthen  the  things  which  remain,  and  are 
ready  to  die/  to  plead,  yea,  to  besiege  the  throne  of  grace 
with  their  unceasing  and  importunate  pleadings,  that  He  may 
appear  in  his  glory,  and  build  up  Zion,  giving  ear  to  the 
prayer  of  the  destitute  and  the  groaning  of  the  prisoners.  Oh ! 
what  a  plea  is  the  name  of  Jesus !  how  omnipotent  to  move 
the  heart  of  the  Father,  who  loveth  the  Son,  and  hath  given 
all  things  into  his  hands !  None  of  God's  people  have  yet 
proved  the  power  of  that  matchless  name  in  the  presence  of 
Jehovah.  Let  us  henceforth  do  so  in  the  strength  of  Jesus, 
and  we  may  yet  see  before  we  leave  the  kingdom  of  grace  for 
the  kingdom  of  glory,  such  a  plenteous  rain  as  will  refresh 
God's  heritage  which  is  weary.  The  time  is  short !  Behold ! 
the  Judge  standeth  before  the  door.  Come,  Lord  Jesus,  come 
quickly ! " 

It  is  at  this  point  that  the  detailed  journals  of  his 
life  and  labours,  which  he  began  in  September,  1838, 

become  for  the  first  time  fully  available.     These  will  form 

E 


66  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1839. 

the  main  substance  of  our  narrative  during  the  whole 
period  which  they  cover,  supplemented  only  here  and 
there  by  such  illustrative  light  as  the  recollections  of 
others  or  any  surviving  fragments  of  correspondence  may 
throw  upon  them.  They  will,  I  am  sure,  be  far  more 
acceptable  to  all  really  interested  in  his  work,  than 
anything,  however  highly  and  even  truthfully  coloured, 
which  could  possibly  proceed  from  any  other  hand.  To 
any  one  in  the  slightest  degree  acquainted  with  the 
character  of  the  writer,  and  who  knows  how  jealously 
guarded  and  almost,  as  one  might  say,  penurious  he  was 
of  his  words  in  anything  relating  to  himself  or  his  work 
these  simple  but  pregnant  annals,  written  as  in  the  presence 
and  under  the  very  eye  of  God,  will  have  an  impressiveness 
and  a  meaning  beyond  the  reach  of  eloquence.  At  first 
they  are  occasionally  somewhat  broken  and  fragmentary, 
but  they  increase  in  fulness  and  freedom  as  they  proceed, 
and  in  parts,  albeit  naked  and  unadorned  as  ever,  have 
all  the  vividness  and  force  of  a  record  written  in  the  field, 
and  amid  the  thick  of  battle.  The  following  extracts 
relating  to  the  same  period  to  which  the  letters  just 
quoted  belong,  will  still  further  illustrate  the  nature  of  his 
work,  and  the  inner  workings  of  his  soul  in  connection 
with  it,  during  the  first  months  of  his  ministry  in  Dundee, 
as  well  as  form  a  fitting  introduction  to  the  more  stirring 
scenes  which  will  form  the  subject  of  the  next  chapter: — 
"  April  17,  1839. — Met  with  two  young  communicants, 

M.  W and  E.  W ,  by  appointment   at   twelve 

o'clock.       Prayed  with  them,  and   conversed  with  each 
separately.      They  both  appear  hopeful  converts  to  the 


JEt.  24.]  A   YOUNG   DISCIPLE.  67 

Lord  Jesus.     M.  W doubts  the  evidence  of  her  faith 

from  want  of  love  to  Christ,  hardness  of  heart,  &c.,  and 
was  exhorted  to  come  to  Christ  for  these  and  all  other 
fruits  of  the  Spirit.  E.  W—  —  appeared  to  think  she  was 
a  true  believer,  and  gave  an  interesting  account  of  her 
supposed  conversion  under  Mr.  M'Cheyne's  ministry;  she 
is  very  intelligent,  well  acquainted  with  Scripture,  and 
really  appears  to  have  known  something  of  genuine 
spiritual  exercise.  I  prayed  with  them  at  parting,  and 
bade  them  farewell  with  mixed  feelings  of  joy  at  the 
tokens  of  God's  work  which  I  thought  I  saw,  and  sorrow 
that  I  should  feel  so  little  in  dealing  with  cases  so  inter 
esting  and  encouraging.  O  Lord,  keep  these  dear  young 
disciples  from  the  devil,  the  world,  and  the  flesh ;  perfect 
thy  love  in  their  hearts,  thine  image  in  their  souls,  and 
grant  to  me  in  thine  infinite  grace  to  experience  more 
pure  and  tender  love  for  the  lambs  of  the  flock.  This  I 
ask  in  the  name  of  my  Lord  Jesus.  Amen. 

"Fast-day,  i8//$. — In  coming  from  the  evening  discourse 
I  was  met  by  the  father  of  James  Wallace,  Paton's  Lane, 
a  boy  of  twelve,  whom  I  had  previously  called  to  see, 
and  found,  on  my  entrance,  to  my  astonishment  and 
delight,  such  a  specimen  (if  all  signs  do  not  deceive  me) 
of  the  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit  as  I  have  I  think  never 

before  witnessed  on  a  sick-bed,  except  in  the  case  of , 

Rothesay.  James  was  lying  placidly  on  his  couch,  pale 
and  sickly,  but  his  eye  beaming  with  intelligence  and 
inexpressible  joy.  He  told  me  at  once  that  he  had  been 
afflicted  for  his  profit.  I  asked  him  what  he  needed  from 
Christ.  He  said,  'Redemption.'  Q.  Tell  me  some  of  the 


68  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1839. 

particular  things  you  need.  A.  A  new  heart  and  right 
spirit,  deliverance  from  temptations,  the  world,  and  the 
devil.  Q.  Can  Christ  give  you  these  great  things?  A.  Yes. 
Q.  Why  can  he  do  so?  A.  He  is  the  Saviour  of  sinners. 
I  then  led  him  back  to  the  pre-existent  state  of  Christ  as 
the  eternal  Son  of  God,  and  then — Q.  What  did  he  be 
come?  A.  A  man.  Q.  What  did  he  do?  A.  He  suffered 
persecution,  he  sweated  great  drops  of  blood,  he  was 
nailed  to  the  Cross  that  he  might  redeem  sinners.  This 
I  said  was  wondrous  love.  A.  Yes.  Q.  Do  you  love 
Christ?  A.  Yes.  Q.  WThy?  A.  Because  he  loved  me. 
Q.  When  did  you  get  these  views  of  Christ?  A.  Since  I 
lay  down  here.  Q.  Who  has  taught  you?  A.  The  Holy 
Spirit.  Q.  Did  you  seek  him  first,  or  did  he  seek  you? 
A.  He  sought  me ;  '  I  am  found  of  them  that  sought  me 
not.'  Q.  Can  you  ever  praise  Christ  enough?  A.  No. 
Q.  Would  you  like  to  sing  his  praise  in  heaven?  A.  Yes, 
for  ever.  I  said,  There  is  a  song  which  they  sing  in 
heaven:  'Holy,  holy,  holy  is  the  Lord  of  hosts,  the 
whole  earth  is  full  of  his  glory;'  and  they  say  also,  'Worthy 
is  the  Lamb.'  A.  Yes;  that's  the  four  beasts.  Q.  What 
do  you  chiefly  desire;  is  it  to  get  better?  A.  No;  to 
depart  and  be  with  Christ,  which  is  far  better.  Q.  What 
would  you  wish  for  all  those  about  you?  A.  That  they 
should  know  Christ,  and  love  Christ,  for  he  teaches  us  to 
desire  that  all  should  know  him.  Q.  Do  you  pray  much? 
A.  Yes;  he  commands  us  to  pray  always.  Q.  Can  we 
pray  ourselves?  A.  No;  the  Holy  Spirit  helpeth  our 
infirmities,  with  groanings  which  cannot  be  uttered. 
Q.  Would  you  like  us  to  pray?  A.  Yes,  very  much. 


yEt.  24.]  A   YOUNG   DISCIPLE.  69 

When  we  had  done,  I  said  I  would  come  soon  again. 
He  said,  'Yes;  He  has  promised  that  where  two  or  three 
are  gathered  together  in  his  name,  there  he  will  be  in  the 
midst  of  them  to  bless  them  and  do  them  good,'  These 
are  a  few  of  the  precious  and  spiritual  sayings  of  this 
dearly  beloved  boy,  not  in  the  order  in  which  they  were 
uttered,  for  that  I  cannot  recall.  He  also  said  of  himself, 
that  out  of  the  mouth  of  babes  and  sucklings  God  gets 
perfect  praise.  He  said  he  had  heard  Mr.  M'Cheyne  with 
great  pleasure;  and  that  his  father  had  one  day  told  him 
something  that  he  had  said,  '  When  water  is  spilt  upon 
the  ground,  it  cannot  be  gathered  up  again,  and  yet  the 
sun  gathers  it  up;  and  so  Christ  draws  sinners  to  himself 
when  they  are  lost.'  I  came  away  with  mingled  feelings 
of  astonishment  at  the  work  of  the  Spirit,  and  desires  for 
gratitude  to  him  for  his  wondrous  love  in  calling  me  to 

behold  his  marvellous  works I  went  from 

this  to  Mr.  M'Cheyne's,  and  spent  a  few  minutes  with 
Mr.  Moody,  who  goes  off  to-morrow  at  7.  Came  home 
tired;  had  worship,  and  went  to  bed  at  eleven.  Unspeak 
able  mercies,  unspeakable  unfruitfulness  and  ingratitude. 
The  glory  will  be  all  the  Lord's,  for  the  mercy  and  the 
grace  are  his.  '  Bless  the  Lord,  O  my  soul,  and  forget 
not  #//his  benefits.'  Amen. 

« i^th. — Rose  at  eight,  breakfast  at  Mr.  Thorns';  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Parker  from  Aberdeen,  &c.,  present.  Copied  the 
first  of  Mr.  M'Cheyne's  pastoral  letters;  into  town;  walked 
home  with  Mr.  Neilson ;  studied  treatise  on  Rejoicing  in 
Christ.  Visited  two  poor  sick  people — no  decided  indi 
cation  of  spiritual  life;  met  communicants  at  seven— 


70  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1839. 

spoke  to  them  on  the  nature  of  the  Lord's  Supper  from 
the  questions  on  that  subject  in  the  Shorter  Catechism — 
had  some  freedom  and  a  little  degree  of  light  on  the  glory 
of  Christ's  love  in  his  obedience  and  sufferings — concluded 
at  nine,  and  found  a  dear  brother  in  Christ  waiting  me, 
Mr.  M 'Donald,  of  Blairgowrie — walked  with  him  to  Mr, 
Thain's,  and  entered  into  a  proposal  that  I  should  ex 
change  pulpits  with  him  before  the  Assembly,  and  preach 
on  missions.  Came  home  and  prepared  for  bed  at  a 
quarter  past  eleven. 

"2o/£ Public  worship  at  two.     Mr.  C , 

Bridge  of  E ,  discoursed  on  Acts  vii.  54  to  the  end, — 

the  martyrdom  of  Stephen.  A  very  interesting  style  of 
lecturing;  a  spiritual  man,  and  much  fitted  to  edify; 
admirable  prayers  with  great  variety.  Met  afterwards 
with  young  communicants  to  serve  them  with  tokens. 
Dinner  at  Mr.  M'Cheyne's;  present,  Mr.  Cumming  and 
Mr.  Grierson  of  Errol ;  instructive  conversation  on  Popery 
and  the  signs  of  the  times.  Met  at  half-past  six  P.  B.  and 
R.  N.,  young  communicants;  conversed  with  them  sepa 
rately  till  8.  P.  I  found  better  informed  than  I  expected, 
and  I  think  rather  serious.  R.  N.  was  very  ignorant  of 
himself,  and  sour  when  taken  cross-ways;  was  found  to 
think  that  he  loved  God,  and  might  be  saved  by  works; 
tried  to  show  him  his  state  and  the  necessity  of  conversion. 
Gave  P.  B  a  token,  and  sent  R.  N.  home  to  his  closet,  to 
meet  me  at  a  quarter  past  ten  to-morrow,  and  see  if  he 
then  wants  a  token.  Oh !  what  need  of  the  powerful  pres 
ence  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  without  whom  a  free  Saviour  will, 
and  must  be,  a  Saviour  despised  and  rejected  of  men. 


JEt.  24.]  FREE    OFFER   AND    HUMAN    INABILITY.  7 1 

How  hard  it  is  to  unite  in  just  proportions  the  humbling 
doctrine  of  man's  inability  to  come  to  Christ  without 
regeneration,  and  the  free  gospel  offer  which  is  the  moral 
means  employed  by  God  in  conversion!  Oh!  Spirit  of 
Jesus,  my  Saviour,  lead  me,  a  poor,  ignorant,  and  self- 
conceited  sinner,  to  the  experience  of  this  great  mystery 
of  grace,  that  I  may  know  how  I  ought  to  declare  thy 
glorious  gospel  to  perishing  fellow-sinners !  Amen. 

"April  z$d  (Communion  Sabbath). — On  Sabbath  Mr. 
Sommerville  officiated;  action  sermon  from  Ephesiansi.  6, 7. 
Mr.  Cumming  preached  in  the  evening,  but  I  was  absent, 
having  been  called  to  preach  for  Mr.  Baxter,  Hiltown, 
instead  of  Mr.  M'Donald,  of  Blairgowrie,  whose  brother 
died  at  Perth  on  Saturday  morning.  I  heard  Mr.  Baxter's 
address,  excellent  and  solemn;  went  home  with  him,  and 
spent  the  interval  chiefly  in  prayer,  and  was  more  than 
usually  helped  in  public  duty.  I  went  home  again  with 
Mr.  Baxter,  had  tea  and  edifying  converse;  joined  with 
him  in  prayer,  and  departed  at  half-past  nine. 

"Monday Warned  by  Mrs.  P against 

the  danger  to  which  young  ministers  are  exposed;  home 
to  my  studies  at  a  quarter  past  eight;  got  some  humilia 
tion,  or  rather  some  discovery  of  pride  in  prayer.  The 
Lord  is  indeed  infinite  in  mercy  when  he  bears  with  me; 
to  his  name  shall  be  the  praise. 

"24^/2 Home  at  a  quarter  past  eight;  studies 

till  a  quarter  past  ten,  interesting  and  profitable,  especially 
reading  from  Fleming's  remarkable  and  precious  Fulfilling 
of  the  Scripture  regarding  the  strength  afforded  to  God's 
saints  under  trials  and  for  difficult  duties.  Praise  the 


72  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1839. 

Lord.  But  O  for  a  revival  of  that  experimental  deep-laid 
religion  which  Fleming  valued  and  exemplifies  so  fully  in 
his  pages!  'Awake,  awake,  O  arm  of  the  Lord!  awake 
as  in  the  ancient  days,  in  the  generations  of  old.' 

" Evening  of  '2  ^th Discoursed  on  i  Cor.  i. 

26  to  the  end,  not  much  freedom,  but  a  measure  of  faith 
in  the  truth;  then  read  No.  3  of  the  Revival  Tracts  about 
Baldernock.  Discovered  through  grace,  an  awful  hungering 
after  applause  from  man,  and  came  home  fearing  that  God 
may  utterly  forsake  me  in  consequence  of  my  self-seeking 
in  his  service ;  this  He  would  have  done  long  ago  had  not 
his  love  been  free  and  unchanging  in  Christ  Jesus.  O  for 
a  spirit  of  humble  wrestling  prayer  for  the  outpouring  of  the 
Holy  Spirit,  that  sinners  may  be  awakened,  and  saints 
greatly  edified  and  advanced !  I  wrote  something  more, 
had  worship,  and  am  now  about  going  to  rest.  The  Lord 
give  me  a  song  in  the  night  to  his  glorious  praise ! 

"29^/2.  I  have  found  no  time  these  past  few  days  to 
keep  a  note  of  memorabilia,  and  must  now  shortly  review 
the  facts  that  have  occurred  in  the  interval.  I  have  been 
rising  regularly  a  little  after  six  except  to-day,  when  I  lay 
till  eight.  On  Friday  and  Saturday  I  wrote  and  com 
mitted  my  discourses  on  Psalms  xxiii.;  Ixxi.  16.  Con 
siderably  assisted  in  preparing.  On  Sabbath  had  great 
calmness  and  composure,  but  I  think  a  great  want  of 
holy  thirstings  after  God.  I  had,  however,  more  than 
usual  liberty  in  prayer  and  preaching,  especially  in  the 
afternoon.  O  that  Christ  were  exalted  and  man  for 
gotten  among  this  people !  Come  from  the  four  winds,  O 
breath,  and  breathe  on  these  slain  that  they  may  live.  .  .  . 


JEt.  24.]         THE  PRIDE  OF  THE  HEART.  73 

"  April  $oth. — Called  on  M L ,  in  distress  since 

the  time  of  the  cholera — reading  Rutherford's  Letters — 
seemed  a  really  experienced  child  of  God — said  many 
striking  things:  e.g.  'The  ways  of  God  are  strange;  we  maun 
just  wait  to  see  what  airt  he  taks.'  She  said  among  other 
things,  'Ministers  shudna  use  big  words,  they  micht  as 
weel  speak  Erse1  or  Latin;  it's  weel  we  dinna  need  sic 
big  words  at  a  throne  o'  grace.'  .... 

'•'•May  ist.  .  .  .  .  Studied  during  all  the  day  my 
sermon  on  Matthew  xi.  28.  James  Hamilton  called. 

.  .  .  .  At  six  at  tea,  Mr.  N ,  Mr.  C ,  Mr. 

C ,  Mr.  J ,  Mr.  M ,  to  consult  about  Sabbath- 
schools  and  the  formation  of  a  parochial  missionary 

society.  Mr.  T came  in  accidentally  at  eight  and 

remained  till  ten,  when  we  separated  with  prayer — a 
pleasant  meeting;  but  I  had  an  affecting  disclosure  to 
myself  of  the  pride  and  vanity  of  my  heart,  which  praise 
of  late  has  awfully  stirred  up;  none  but  an  omnipotent 
and  infinitely  gracious  Saviour  will  suit  my  case.  Blessed 
be  the  Lord,  Jesus  is  such  as  I  need,  and  he  has  said  to 
me,  '  Come,  ye  labouring  and  heavy  laden,  and  I  will  give 
you  rest.'  I  want  rest  from  the  dominion  of  sin.  O 
that  I  wished  it  with  an  eye  to  the  glory  of  God ;  this  also 
I  look  to  Jesus  for.  'It  is  the  Spirit  that  quickeneth, 
the  flesh  profiteth  nothing.'  No  man  can  come  to  Christ 
except  the  Father  draw  him.  Draw  me,  O  Father! 
effectually  to  the  praise  of  thy  glory  in  Christ  Jesus. 
Amen. 

"May  2d.    .    .    .    .     Studied  during  the  day  Matthew 

1  i.e.  Gaelic. 


74  LIFE   OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1839. 

xi.  28,  and  read  over  several  of  the  Revival  Tracts.  In 
prayer  for  the  evening  sadly  dead  and  dark.  I  have  not 
seen  the  King's  face  these  many  days.  Visited  James 
Wallace  at  six,  and  found  him  rejoicing  and  advancing  in 
knowledge  as  well  as  experience.  He  said  he  was  ten  days 
nearer  death  than  when  I  last  saw  him,  and  this  with  joy. 
I  asked  him  if  he  was  not  sorry.  A.  No ;  to  me  to  live  is 
Christ  and  to  die  is  gain.  He  said  he  had  found  out 
many  wonderful  passages,  and  when  I  got  his  Bible  it  was 
all  folded  down  at  the  most  striking  texts.  He  alluded 
to  a  number  of  them: — 'All  our  righteousness  is  as,'  &c. 
Isaiah  xii.  he  said  was' sweet.  I  consulted  him  upon  the 
meaning  of  many  experimental  passages,  among  others 
my  present  text,  Matthew  xi.  28,  and  found  great  light 
from  his  Spirit-taught  knowledge.  Who  teacheth  like 
God?  His  work  is  perfect.  Met  at  half-past  six  with 
the  tract-distributors  in  the  vestry;  said  a  few  words  and 
prayed.  At  the  prayer-meeting  I  read,  and  shortly  spoke 
on  Isaiah  liii.,  and  then  read  parts  of  No.  3  of  Re 
vival  Tracts — was  helped  considerably — many  anecdotes 
brought  to  mind — great  attention.  'Awake,  awake,  O 
arm  of  the  Lord !  awake,  as  in  the  ancient  days,  as  in  the 
generations  of  old !'  Glorify  Christ,  O  Holy  Spirit !  in  our 
hearts  and  throughout  the  whole  world.  Amen. 

"  *]th. — Had  a  letter  on  Friday — sweet  and  comforting 
— from  R.  M 'Donald,  Blairgowrie;  wrote  him  in  answer. 
Sabbath  forenoon  I  was  ill  prepared,  and  was  not  sensibly 
so  much  assisted  as  on  former  occasions — felt  regret,  but 
alas !  chiefly,  I  fear,  from  a  regard  to  my  name  as  a  preacher, 
not  to  Christ's  as  a  Saviour.  In  the  afternoon  exchanged 


t.  24.]  A   SABBATH   AT    BLAIRGOWRIE. 


75 


with  Mr.  Roxburgh,  and  was  more  than  usually  supported 
to  declare  the  truth.  .  .  .  Yesterday  spent  the  morn 
ing  in  prayer.  Walked,  and  read  Boston's  life — A 
precious  monument  to  the  praise  of  grace — noble  standard 

of  ministerial  character !    .    .    .    .    Dined  at ;  I  felt 

not  at  home  in  the  atmosphere  of  this  world's  carnal 
security,  which  is  so  generally  breathed  at  dinner-parties. 
Off  at  six  to  a  meeting  in  the  vestry  on  church  exten 
sion — class  at  seven — the  school-room  quite  full — very 
interesting  opportunity — subject,  John  i.  1-14,  along  with 
Genesis  i. — Christ's  supreme  Godhead;  how  glorious  the 
doctrine — how  conclusive  the  evidence !  The  Lord  was 
with  me  more  than  usually. 

"8M.  .  .  .  On  Friday  I  went  to  Blairgowrie — spent  the 
remainder  of  the  day  and  the  morning  of  Saturday  most 
pleasantly  and  profitably  with  my  dearly  beloved  brother 
R.  M'Donald,  and  also  his  fellow-labourer  Mr.  Smith — 

we  had  two  seasons  of  special  prayer,     Mr.  M'D 

having  left  me  on  Saturday  for  town  (Dundee)  after  we 

had  dined  together  at  Mr.  T 's,  I  remained  there  over 

Sabbath Mrs.   T is,   I  think,   a   truly 

pious  woman,  and  both  she  and  Mr.  T with  all  the 

family  are  most  kind  and  interesting.     Dear  A was 

taken  ill  of  scarlet  fever  on  Saturday,  and  this  excited  us 
all  a  good  deal.  On  Sabbath  night  he  was  very  anxious 
to  see  me  regarding  the  state  of  his  soul;  however,  we 
were  afraid  to  increase  the  fever,  and  I  only  stood  at  his 
bedside  and  repeated  a  few  of  the  invitations  to  come  to 
Christ  for  all.  I  was  brought  by  this  event  nearer  to 
eternity,  and  felt  more  of  the  reality  and  awfulness  of 


7 6  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1839. 

perdition  than  I  remember  ever  having  before.  O  that 
the  Lord  would  sustain  me  in  a  constant  and  prevailing 
sense  of  the  fearful  guilt  and  danger  of  sinners  remaining 
at  a  distance  from  Christ,  and  his  free  and  offered  gift 
to  perishing  sinners.  On  Sabbath  I  preached  thrice — i 
twice  in  the  church  on  Matthew  xi.  25,  26,  and  in  the 
evening  in  Mr.  Smith's  chapel  from  Psalm  Ixxi.  1 6.  After 
coming  out  in  the  evening  I  went  up  to  Mr.  M' Donald's 
Sabbath-school,  in  the  church,  and  spoke  a  little  before 
concluding  with  prayer.  This  is  a  most  engaging  assem 
bly  of  young  people,  and  I  have  reason  to  think,  from 
what  I  saw,  that  God  is  doing  some  gracious  work  among 
them.  Yesterday  (Monday)  ....  the  class  in  the 
evening  was  full  to  the  door — subject,  Mr.  McDonald's 
forenoon  sermon,  "They  glorified  God  in  me;"  very 

interesting 

"  2isf. — I  composed  and  committed  two  discourses  on 
Matthew  xi.  27,  first  clause,  and  was  more  than  ever  sup 
ported  in  the  pulpit,  especially  in  the  afternoon,  when  I 
was  enabled  to  plead  with  sinners  to  submit  to  the  King 

of  Zion.     In  the  evening  I  visited  J.  W ,  where  I  met 

K.  B ,  the  woman  who  sits  in  the  pulpit  stair.     She 

said  all  head-learning  could  not  enable  a  man  to  feed  the 
lambs;  there  must  be  first  repentance,  as  in  the  case  of 
Peter.  She  exhorted  me  with  spiritual  earnestness  to 
watch  for  individual  souls,  saying,  '  You  may  lose  a  jewel 
from  your  crown;  though  you  do  not  lose  your  crown,  you 
may  lose  a  jewel  from  it.'  She  appeared  to  recognize  the 
work  of  God  in  my  soul,  and  spoke  with  great  pleasure  of 
the  discourses  of  that  day.  Praise  all  to  God !  I  am  vile, 


JEt.  24.]        DEEP    HUMILITY   AND    HIGH    ASPIRATION.  77 

vile,  vile O  that  the  Lord  would  give  me 

the  skill  of  a  Brainerd  or  a  Dickson,  for  my  present  diffi 
cult  and  most  precious  duties !  '  Establish  the  work  of 
our  hands;  yea,  the  work  of  our  hands  do  thou  establish 
it.'  How  various  are  God's  ways  of  dealing  with  the 
soul;  how  much  does  he  display  his  sovereign  hand  in 
bringing  souls  under  conviction  and  into  the  peace  of 
believing.  One  of  the  class  came  upon  Monday  night 
when  we  were  dismissing,  and  asked  if  I  could  tell  her 
anything  she  could  do  for  Christ.  O  what  a  precious 
question,  when  put  in  the  spirit  of  Paul — What  wilt  thou 
have  me  to  do?  Among  other  things  I  told  her  to  be 
sure  to  ask  the  Lord  himself,  and  to  leave  the  matter  in 
his  hands." 

On  hearing  of  one  awakened  under  his  sermon  on  Psalm 
Ixxi.  1 6,  he  writes:  "O  marvellous  grace,  that  the  Lord 
should  regard  at  all  my  carnal,  self-seeking  ministry;  to 
him  be  the  glory  eternally!  ....  Lord  Jesus,  the 
good  Shepherd,  lead  this  wandering  sheep  to  thy  fold; 
even  now  do  thou  fan  into  a  flame  by  the  quickening 
breath  of  thy  Spirit  that  smoking  flax  which  thou  hast 
touched  with  the  heavenly  fire  of  thy  matchless  grace,  and 
give  rne  grace — the  grace  of  the  indwelling  Spirit  to  fit 
me  for  feeding  the  lambs  and  tending  the  sheep.  Thy 
blood  and  obedience  freely  offered  to  sinners  of  the 
deepest  dye,  are  all  my  pleas  with  the  Father.  Come, 
Lord  Jesus,  come  quickly,  and  cause  many  to  say  with 
hearts  smitten  with  the  rod  of  thy  strength,  '  We  would 

see  Jesus.'     Amen On  Sabbath  I  preached 

in  the  forenoon  from  Matthew  xviii.   2,  '  Except  ye  be 


7 8  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1839. 

converted/  &c. ;  and  in  the  evening  from  Psalm  ex.  3, 
'Thy  people  shall  be  willing  in  the  day  of  thy  power/ 
when  a  collection  of  ;£8,  los.  6d.  was  made  to  assist  in 
establishing  a  parochial  library.  I  was  more  than  usually 
assisted  of  the  Lord  all  day.  O  how  much  I  would 
wonder  and  adore  his  long-suffering  and  grace  in  bearing 
with  me,  and  in  still  preventing  me  with  his  tender  mercies. 
It  is  all  to  the  praise  of  the  glory  of  his  grace.  '  Not  for 
your  sake  do  I  this.'  Truth,  Lord.  '  The  wages  of  sin  is 
death,  but  eternal  life  is  the  gift  of  God  through  Jesus  Christ 

our  Lord.'  On  Monday  Mrs.  T ,  Mrs.  L ,  and 

M.  L called  and  presented  me  with  a  Bible,  Eusebius' 

History,  and  Dr.  Duff's  Missions  the  Chief  End  of  the 
Christian  Church,  from  my  female  class.  I  returned 
thanks  with  them  on  my  knees.  I  am  vile,  vile,  vile,  and 
feel  myself  most  so  when  thanked  for  serving  him.  May 
He  return  their  kindness  in  enabling  me  to  give  them  back 
with  '  demonstration  of  the  Spirit  and  power/  the  word 
contained  in  the  blessed  volume  they  have  given  me.  It 
is  Bagster's  English  Polyglot,  with  index  and  concordance, 
and  is  finely  bound  in  morocco. 

".  .  .  .  I  had  a  sweet  note  the  other  day  from  W. 

U ,  in  which  he  asks  me,  '  How  is  it  with  your  soul? 

Is  the  glory  of  God  ever  in  your  view?  Do  you  desire 
above  all  things  to  glorify  him  upon  earth?  Is  this  the  grand 
centre-point  in  all  your  wishes?'  Thanks  to  God  for  these 
questions  thus  faithfully  put  by  his  dear  young  servant. 

"June  6th.—  ....  A.  M came  with  joy  to 

tell  me  that  she  had  found  her  own  case  all  opened  up 
the  last  two  Sabbaths,  and  that  she  now  found  herself  as 


Mt.  24.]  INTERESTING   INCIDENT.  79 

under  Mr.  M'Cheyne's  ministry.  I  told  her  not  to  cast 
sparks  from  hell  into  my  inflammable  heart — to  give 
thanks  to  God,  and  to  beware  of  commending  man.  On 
Monday  I  had  a  visit  from  an  interesting  old  woman, 

Jean  D ,  who  in  her  youth  was  a  parishioner  of  my 

father's  at  Dun,  while  servant  with  Mr.  M ,  Somershill, 

and  whose  mother,  Jean  M ,  lived  at  Arat's  Mill,  and 

was  often  visited  by  my  father  in  her  last  illness.  She  told 
me  many  interesting  facts,  among  others  the  following: — 

While  a  servant  with  Mr.  M ,  my  father  came  round  and 

catechised  her,  and  she  told  me  the  questions  he  put,  and 
the  kind  manner  he  spoke  to  her.  She  requested  to  be 
allowed  to  attend  his  Sabbath-class;  he  objected  that  she 
was  too  old;  but  she  was  so  anxious,  that  though  twenty- 
five,  she  was  admitted.  Her  parents  were  both  godly 
people,  who  prayed  much,  and  on  the  Sabbath  afternoons 
they  used  to  sit  in  the  summer  time  upon  a  green,  and  go 
over  all  that  had  been  said.  She  said  then  more  would  have 
been  got  over  at  such  a  time  than  now  was  learned  in  a  year, 
when  people  left  almost  all  behind  them  at  the  church. 
Her  father,  when  he  could  not  through  sickness  rise  to 
pray  with  them,  knelt  and  prayed  in  his  bed.  She  had  a 
brother  who  went  to  Brechin  to  learn  a  trade,  and  went 
astray;  but  was  hurt,  became  ill,  and  then  came  home 
and  was  brought  under  convictions  of  sin.  He  had  very 
dark  and  despairing  views  of  himself  for  a  long  time,  and 
would  often  cry  like  a  child.  One  day  he  had  been  a 
good  while  out  of  sight,  and  her  mother  said  to  Jean, 
'Where  is  your  brother?'  He  soon  after  appeared,  rising 
from  the  green  where  he  had  been,  as  she  thought,  at  prayer, 


8o  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS. 


and  came  into  the  house  with  a  smiling  countenance.  They 
were  amazed,  and  asked  the  reason;  he  said,  '  O  mother, 
I  see  that  there  is  more  merit  in  the  blood  of  Jesus  than 
there  is  guilt  in  my  sins,  and  why  should  I  fear?'  This 
brought  tears  of  joy  into  all  their  eyes.  He  afterwards 
died  in  great  peace,  the  peace  of  God  in  believing  the 
gospel.  This  woman  told  me  many  interesting  facts 
regarding  Mr.  Coutts  and  our  uncle  at  Brechin — what  were 
their  texts,  particularly  at  communion  seasons,  and  many 
things  that  they  said.  Regarding  her  later  history  also, 
since  she  came  to  this  neighbourhood,  she  gave  me  a  full 
account,  in  many  respects  remarkable.  One  of  her  sons 
now  comes  regularly  to  St.  Peter's,  from  Longforgan,  a 
distance  of  five  miles.  The  origin  of  this  is  very  remark 
able.  One  day  in  winter,  he  and  another  man  were  work 
ing  in  a  quarry,  and  happened  to  be  beside  a  fire,  when  a 
person  came  up  on  a  pony,  and,  for  what  reason  they  did 
not  know,  came  off,  and  went  up  to  them.  He  entered 
into  conversation  on  the  state  of  their  souls,  drawing  some 
alarming  truths  from  the  blazing  fire.  The  men  were  sur 
prised,  and  said,  l  Ye're  nae  common  man.'  '  Oh  yes,' 
says  he,  'just  a  common  man.'  One  of  the  men,  how 
ever,  recognized  him  as  Mr.  M'Cheyne,  and  they  were  so 

much  impressed  that  Jean  D 's  son  resolved,  as  soon 

as  the  weather  would  allow,  to  come  in  to  hear  him.  The 
consequence  has  been,  that  he  has  continued  to  come 
regularly.  She  hopes  that  he  is  really  a  converted  man, 
and  told  me  that  he  has  been  for  some  time  a  member  of 
a  prayer-meeting.  What  a  striking  lesson  to  be  '  instant 
in  season  and  out  of  season.' 


^Et.  24.]  "AS    IRON    SHARPENETH    IRON."  8l 


"July  zd. — My  manifold  engagements  have  prevented 
me  from  recording  the  multiplied  and  wonderful  doings 
of  God  towards  me  in  this  book  which  have  occurred 
during  the  past  month.  I  can  now  only  note  a  few.  I 
went  to  Edinburgh  on  the  8th  of  June,  at  Mr.  Moody's 
request,  and  preached  for  him  on  Sabbath  afternoon, 
from  Matthew  xviii.  2,  '  Except  ye  be  converted,'  &c. 
On  the  Saturday  I  saw  Mr.  Candlish  and  other  friends 
relative  to  the  mission  to  Aden.  That  day  the  Lord 
directed  me  most  marvellously  to  meet  with  several 

remarkable  saints  whom  I  had  not  before  seen 

On  my  way  home  I  called  on  Mr.  M'Cheyne,  and  finding 
that  they  were  dividing  a  sheet  among  them,  and  sending 
a  letter  to  Constantinople  for  Mr.  R.  M.  M'Cheyne,  I 
was  kindly  allowed  to  occupy  part  of  the  remaining  space. 
This  was  a  wonderful  day  to  my  soul, — a  day  fitted  to 
humble  me  very  low  before  Him  under  whose  teaching  I 
have  so  little  profited  in  comparison  of  many  others, 
and  to  exalt  in  my  eyes  more  than  ever  the  riches  and 
sovereignty  of  the  grace  of  a  redeeming  God.  Since  I 
came  home,  three  Sabbaths  have  elapsed.  On  the  first 
(June  1 6),  I  preached  all  day  from  Matthew  xi.  28. 
Owing  to  my  many  engagements  I  had  nothing  written 
but  a  few  sentences  of  the  forenoon  sermon;  but,  thanks 
be  to  Jesus,  on  whose  strength  I  was  enabled  in  some 
degree  to  rely,  I  never,  perhaps,  preached  with  greater 
liberty  and  power.  Next  Sabbath  (23d)  I  was  upon  the 
following  two  verses.  In  the  forenoon  I  was  considerably 
deserted  of  God,  and  was  much  weighed  down  in  the 
interval  owing  to  my  having  nothing  written  for  the  after- 


82  LIFE    OF   REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1839. 

noon,  and  my  fears  that  God  was  about  to  make  me 
ashamed  before  the  congregation  that  I  might  thencefor 
ward  prepare  more  carefully.  I  cried  to  the  Lord  in  my 
distress,  and  he  heard  me,  and  in  the  afternoon,  as  soon 
as  I  began  to  speak  upon  these  words,  "  I  will  give  rest 
to  your  souls,  for  my  yoke  is  easy  and  my  burden  is  light," 
I  felt  most  sensibly  the  quickening  breath  of  the  Holy 
Ghost  upon  my  soul,  and  was  enabled  to  preach  in  a  way 
more  affectionate,  full,  and  earnest,  than  almost  ever 
before.  I  resolved,  however,  in  future  to  prepare  more 
carefully  if  possible.  Last  Sabbath  (soth)  I  began  in  the 
forenoon  to  lecture  through  the  Colossians,  taking  the  in 
scription  and  salutation  as  the  first  subject,  and  in  the 
afternoon  I  commenced  a  series  of  discourses  on  Psalm 
cxxx.,  taking  the  help  of  the  great  Owen.  I  was  much 
supported  all  day,  and  had  nearer  views  of  the  holiness 
of  Jehovah  than  ever  before  in  the  pulpit.  There  are 
some  favourable  symptoms  of  the  presence  of  God  among 
the  flock.  Two  prayer-meetings  have  begun  among  the 
young  women,  those  among  the  older  people  are  becom 
ing  larger  and  more  lively."  .... 

Already  had  the  fond  anticipation  of  the  absent  pastor 
in  behalf  of  his  youthful  assistant  begun  to  be  realized: 
"  You  are  given,"  he  had  said,  "  in  answer  to  prayer,  and 
these  gifts  are,  I  believe,  always,  without  exception, 
blessed."  Thus  far  he  had  proved  faithful  in  keeping 
the  vineyard  of  another;  but  he  was  now  on  the  eve 
of  being  called  to  enter  on  a  field  and  line  of  service 
peculiarly  his  own. 


CHAPTER    IV. 
1839. 

REVIVAL   SCENES. 

THE  subject  of  the  revival  of  religion  as  the  great 
want  of  the  times  had  been  already,  and  for  a  long 
time,  much  in  the  minds  both  of  the  pastor  and  the 
people  of  Kilsyth.  The  memorable  scenes  of  the  years 
1742-3,  when,  under  the  ministry  of  the  Rev.  James 
Robe,  this  parish  shared  with  that  of  Cambuslang  in  so 
remarkable  an  effusion  of  the  Spirit  of  grace,  still  lived 
as  a  cherished  tradition  in  the  hearts  of  the  people,  and 
there  were  still  here  and  there  little  companies  of  praying 
souls,  "who  spake  one  to  another"  of  the  good  days  of 
the  past,  and  who  "sighed  and  cried"  over  the  subse 
quent  times  of,  declension  and  backsliding.  There  was, 
I  believe,  at  least  one  society  for  religious  fellowship 
which  had  survived,  in  the  uninterrupted  succession  of 
its  members,  all  through  the  intervening  period,  and 
whose  lamp  of  faith  and  prayer  was  still  found  faintly 
burning,  when  the  light  of  a  new  morning  broke  upon 
them,  and  the  whole  parish  seemed  to  awake  as  "from 
a  dream  of  a  hundred  years."  Into  those  sacred  re 
miniscences  and  aspirations  my  father  entered  most 
profoundly  from  the  first  day  of  his  ministry  here  in 


84  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1839. 

1821,  and  laboured  unceasingly  thenceforward  to  keep 
them  alive  both  in  his  own  heart  and  in  those  of  his 
people.  In  the  words  of  his  own  biography,  "his  public 
instructions  as  well  as  private  conversation,  at  visita 
tions  and  elsewhere,  abounded  with  allusions  to  those 
happy  days  of  the  past,  and  with  expressions  of  ardent 
longing  for  their  return;  and  to  this  point  might  the 
whole  course  of  his  ministry  be  said  more  or  less  to 
turn.  In  1822,  the  second  year  of  his  ministry,  we  find 
him  along  with  another  congenial  spirit,  the  humble 
and  godly  Dr.  George  Wright  of  Stirling,  bending  over 
the  old  records  of  the  kirk-session  bearing  on  the  dates 
1742-9,  and  with  solemn  interest  deciphering  the  dim 
and  fading  lines  that  referred  to  the  incidents  of  the 
work  as  then  in  progress.  Towards  the  close  of  the 
same  year  (Dec.  1822),  on  two  successive  Sabbaths,  he 
preached  directly  and  fully  on  the  subject,  taking  for  his 
text  those  singularly  appropriate  and  impressive  words 
in  Micah  vii.  i — 'Woe  is  me,  for  I  am  as  when  they 
have  gathered  the  summer  fruits,  as  the  grape-gleanings 
of  the  vintage;  there  is  no  cluster  to  eat;  my  soul  desired 
the  first  ripe  fruit:' — bringing  the  whole  case  of  past 
attainment  and  subsequent  declension  before  the  con 
gregation,  and  calling  upon  them  again  to  arise  and  seek 
the  Lord.  In  1830,  in  consequence  of  some  unusual 
outbreaks  of  sin,  in  connection  with  drunken  brawls, 
a  parochial  day  of  fasting  and  prayer,  in  the  view  of 
prevailing  sins  and  backslidings,  was  appointed  by  the 
kirk-session,  and  observed  with  marked  seriousness  and 
solemnity.  In  1832  the  near  approach  of  the  cholera, 


Mi.  24.]      STRENGTHENING  THE  THINGS  THAT  REMAIN.      85 

which  fell  heavily  on  the  neighbouring  village  of  Kirkin- 
tilloch,  but  never  actually  entered  Kilsyth,  while  sound 
ing  its  own  terrible  peal,  at  the  same  time  summoned  the 
pastor  to  lift  up  his  voice  in  another  earnest  call  to 
repentance  and  newness  of  life.  In  1836  he  read  an 
elaborate  essay  before  a  clerical  society  in  Glasgow  with 
the  twofold  object  of  calling  more  extensive  attention  to 
the  subject,  and  of  drawing  forth  the  suggestions  of  his 
brethren  in  regard  to  some  signs  of  awakening  life  which 
were  even  then  appearing  in  his  own  parish."  About  the 
same  time  he  sought  by  means  of  brief,  but  pointed 
pastoral  addresses  to  "heads  of  families,"  and  on  "family 
worship,"  which  he  printed  and  presented  to  every 
household  in  his  parish,  to  revive  the  spirit  of  personal 
and  family  religion  amongst  his  people.  Finally,  on  a  Sab 
bath  afternoon  in  August,  1838,  standing  on  the  grave  of 
his  revered  predecessor  Mr.  Robe,  on  the  anniversary  of 
his  death,  and  taking  as  his  text  the  words  inscribed  in 
Hebrew  letters  on  his  tomb,  Isaiah  xxvi.  19,  he  pled  before 
a  vast  assemblage  of  his  people,  in  behalf  of  Christ  and 
the  new  birth  unto  eternal  life,  in  tones  of  unaccustomed 
earnestness,  and  which  stirred  the  hearts  of  many  in  a 
manner  never  to  be  forgotten.  By  such  means  as  these 
did  he  seek  through  successive  years  to  strengthen  the 
things  that  remained  and  were  ready  to  die,  and,  if  so  it 
might  be,  fan  the  feeble  spark  once  more  into  a  flame. 
The  result  was  seen  in  a  growingly  heightened  tone  of 
moral  and  religious  life  in  the  congregation  and  parish 
generally,  as  well  as  latterly  in  more  specific  tokens  of  the 
divine  power  and  presence,  which  seemed  the  precursors 


86  '  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS. 


of  a  still  richer  blessing  yet  to  come.  There  was  a 
marked  increase  of  seriousness  and  devout  earnestness 
in  public  worship.  Prayer-meetings  became  at  once 
more  numerous  and  more  fervent.  One  or  two  sermons 
at  communion  times,  marked  by  a  peculiar  unction 
and  power,  had  fallen  with  visibly  solemnizing  effect 
on  the  congregation — one  in  particular,  by  the  Rev.  A.  N. 
Somerville  of  Anderston,  Glasgow,  on  the  words,  "Be 
hold  I  stand  at  the  door  and  knock,"  which  imprinted 
itself  on  many  hearts,  and  was  afterwards  often  referred 
to  as  marking  an  era  in  the  religious  history  of  the 
parish.  Conversions, '  in  fine,  of  a  more  than  usually 
striking  kind,  became  more  frequent,  and  contributed 
at  once  to  arrest  the  attention  of  the  careless,  and  to 
animate  the  hopes  and  quicken  the  prayers  of  those  who 
were  looking  and  longing  for  the  heavenly  shower. 

Meanwhile  influences  of  a  concurrent  kind  were  at  work 
elsewhere,  and  tended  still  further  to  quicken  the  pulse  of 
religious  life  in  the  place.  Similar  tokens  of  reviving 
earnestness  were  appearing  more  or  less  extensively 
amongst  the  members  of  the  other  Christian  denomina 
tions  around,  and  particularly  in  connection  with  a  small 
but  very  fervent  society  of  Wesleyan  Methodists,  whose 
distinctive  teaching  tended  greatly  to  emphasize  in  the 
minds  of  the  people  the  great  ideas  of  conversion,  the 
new  birth,  and  the  conscious  peace  and  life  of  God,  and 
whose  unwearied  activity  and  zeal  for  the  gathering  in  of 
souls  spread  by  a  happy  infection  to  the  hearts  of  others. 

It  was  in  these  circumstances,  and  to  a  field  thus  pre 
pared,  that  the  young  evangelist  now  came,  bearing  the 


&t.  24.]  THE   DAY    OF   POWER.  87 

precious  seed  which  he  had  already  sown  with  such  hope 
ful  promise  in  Dundee.  The  remarkable  scene  which  fol 
lowed  has  been  already  often  described,  and  I  should  have 
almost  shrunk  from  attempting  any  fresh  account  of  it,  did 
there  not  happily  survive  a  full  and  deliberate  statement 
from  my  brother's  own  hand,  which  will  enable  us  to  survey 
it  from  a  new  and  deeply  interesting  point  of  view.  It  was 
written  during  a  quiet  interval  in  the  manse  of  Kilsyth 
exactly  a  year  after  the  occurrences  to  which  it  refers,  and 
is  couched  in  a  tone  of  solemn  thoughtfulness  and  utter 
self-abnegation,  in  the  presence  of  Him  whose  wondrous 
works  he  records,  which  imparts  a  peculiar  weight  to  every 
word,  and  the  impression  of  which  would  be  marred  only, 
not  helped,  by  any  laboured  description  of  ours : — 

"Having  a  spare  hour,  it  has  occurred  to  my  mind  that 
it  may  be  for  the  glory  of  God  that  I  should  at  last 
record  my  recollections  of  the  marvellous  commencement 
of  the  Lord's  glorious  work  in  this  place  in  the  month  of 
July,  1839,  and  I  entreat  the  special  aid  of  the  Holy 
Ghost,  that  I  may  write  according  to  his  own  will  and 
for  the  divine  glory  regarding  these  wonders  of  the  Lord 
Jehovah.  During  the  first  four  months  of  my  ministry, 
which  were  spent  at  Dundee,  I  enjoyed  much  of  the 
Lord's  presence  in  my  own  soul,  and  laid  in  large  stores 
of  divine  knowledge  in  preparing  from  week  to  week  for 
my  pulpit  services  in  St.  Peter's  Church.  But  though  I 
endeavoured  to  speak  the  truth  fully,  and  to  press  it 
earnestly  on  the  souls  of  the  people,  there  was  still  a 
defect  in  my  preaching  at  that  time  which  I  have  since 
learned  to  correct,  viz.  that,  partly  from  unbelieving 


LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1839. 

doubts  regarding  the  truth  in  all  its  infinite  magnitude, 
and  partly  from  a  tendency  to  shrink  back  from  speaking 
in  such  a  way  as  visibly  and  generally  to  alarm  the  people, 
I  never  came,  as  it  were,  to  throw  down  the  gauntlet  to 
the  enemy  by  the  unreserved  declaration  and  urgent 
application  of  the  divine  testimony  regarding  the  state  of 
fallen  man  and  the  necessity  of  an  unreserved  surrender 
to  the  Lord  Jesus  in  all  his  offices  in  order  that  he  may 
be  saved.  However,  I  was  gradually  approaching  to  this 
point,  which  I  had  had  in  my  eye  as  the  grand  means  of 
success  in  converting  souls,  from  the  first  time  I  entered 
the  pulpit,  and  even  from  the  day  of  my  own  remarkable 
conversion,  of  which  I  trust  the  Lord  may  enable  me  to 
leave  some  record  behind  on  this  earth  for  the  glory  of 
his  own  infinite  sovereign  and  everlasting  love  in  Christ. 
During  the  last  three  Sabbaths  that  I  was  at  Dundee, 
before  coming  to  Kilsyth,  I  was  led  in  a  great  measure 
to  preach  without  writing,  not  because  I  neglected  to 
study,  but  in  order  that  I  might  study  and  pray  for  a 
longer  time;  and  in  preaching  on  the  subjects  which  I  had 
thus  prepared,  I  was  more  than  usually  sensible  of  the 
divine  support.  The  people  also  seemed  to  feel  more 
deeply  solemnized,  and  I  was  told  of  some  who  were 
shedding  silent  tears  under  the  word  of  the  Lord.  I  was 
to  have  preached  on  the  evening  of  the  fast-day  at  Kilsyth, 
July  1 8th,  but  the  burial  of  my  dear  brother-in-law, 
George  Moody,  at  Paisley  was  fixed  for  that  day  and  I  was 
of  course  obliged  to  be  present  thereat.  His  death  was 
accompanied  with  a  blessing  from  Jehovah  to  my  soul. 
I  never  enjoyed,  I  think,  sweeter  realizations  of  the 


y£t.  24.]  PREPARATION    OF   THE    INSTRUMENT.  89 

glory  and  love  of  Jesus,  and  of  the  certainty  and  blessed 
ness  of  his  eternal  kingdom,  than  when  at  Paisley  on  this 
solemn  occasion.  The  beautifully  consistent  and  holy 
walk  of  our  dear  departed  brother,  with  the  sweet  divine 
serenity  that  marked  the  closing  scene  of  his  life,  made 
his  death  very  affecting,  and  eminently  fitted  to  draw 
away  the  heart  of  the  believer  after  him  to  Jesus  in  the 
heavenly  glory.  This  was  its  effect  on  my  soul  through 
the  Lord's  power.  On  the  way  to  the  grave  I  wept  with 
joy,  and  could  have  praised  the  Lord  aloud  for  his  love 
in  allowing  me  to  assist  in  carrying  to  the  bed  of  rest  a 
member  of  his  'own  body,  of  his  flesh,  and  of  his  bones;' 
and  when  I  looked  for  the  last  time  on  the  coffined  body 
in  its  narrow,  low,  solitary,  cold  resting-place,  I  had  a 
glorious  anticipation  of  the  second  coming  of  the  Lord, 
when  He  would  himself  raise  up  in  glory  everlasting  that 
dear  body  which  he  had  appointed  us  to  bury  in  its 
corruption  and  decay. 

"I  have  taken  this  retrospect  of  circumstances  in 
my  own  history  previous  to  the  time  of  my  coming  to 
Kilsyth,  as  they  bore  very  powerfully  upon  my  own  state 
of  mind,  and  were  among  the  means  by  which  the  Lord 
finished  my  preparation — a  preparation  which  he  had 
begun  even  in  my  infancy — for  being  employed  as  his 
poor  and  despised  but  yet  honoured  instrument  in  begin 
ning  and  in  assisting  to  carry  on  the  wonderful  work  that 
followed.  I  was  appointed  to  preach  at  Kilsyth  on  Friday 
evening.  I  did  so  from  Psalm  cxxx.  i,  2,  a  subject  I  had 
lately  handled  in  Dundee  after  studying  Owen's  treatise 
on  this  psalm.  I  believe  I  preached  with  considerable 


90  LIFE    OF   REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1839. 

solemnity,  and  in  a  manner  in  some  degree  fitted  to  alarm 
unconverted  sinners  and  sleeping  saints.  I  remember  that 
some  of  the  people  of  God  seemed  to  respond  with  great 
fulness  of  heart  to  many  of  my  petitions  in  public  prayer, 
that  while  I  was  preaching  there  was  a  deep  solemnity 
upon  the  audience,  and  that  some  of  the  Lord's  people 
met  me  as  I  retired  apparently  much  affected  and  testi 
fying  that  the  Lord  had  been  among  us.  On  Saturday  I 
preached  at  Banton  from  Psalm  cxxx.  3,  with  considerable 
assistance,  as  far  as  I  can  recollect.  My  uncle  Dr.  Burns 
of  Paisley  seemed  to  feel  as  if  the  Lord  was  with  me,  and 
kindly  asked  me  to  take  his  place  at  Kilsyth  on  Sabbath 
evening,  leaving  him  to  fill  mine  on  Monday  forenoon. 
He  spoke  also,  I  remember,  in  the  family  of  its  not  being 
my  duty  to  go  abroad  as  I  was  on  the  eve  of  doing,  but  that 
I  should  be  a  home  missionary  in  Scotland.  I  myself 
did  not  speculate  anxiously  about  the  future,  but  desired 
to  be  an  instrument  of  advancing  his  work  at  the  present 
time.  In  the  evening  of  Saturday  I  met  with  one  or  two 
persons  under  deep  distress  of  soul;  and  one  of  these,  who 
is  now  a  consistent  follower  of  Jesus,  seemed  to  enter  into 
the  peace  of  God  while  I  was  praying  with  her.  This 
brought  the  work  of  the  Spirit  before  me  in  a  more  re 
markable  and  glorious  form  than  I  had  before  witnessed 
it,  andv^^ed  at  once  to  quicken  my  desires  after,  and 
enr/y  i,  ^py  anticipations  of  seeing  some  glorious  mani- 
festatoje  v  Jf  the  Lord's  saving  strength.  On  Sabbath 
everything  went  on  as  usual  until  the  conclusion  of  the 
third  table  service,  if  I  remember  right,  when  Dr.  Burns 
kindly  shortened  his  own  address  and  introduced  me  to 


JEt.  24.]  COMMUNION    SABBATH.  91 

the  people,  that  I  might  give  a  short  address  not  only  to 
the  communicants  but  to  all  present  in  the  church.  I 
had  no  precise  subject  in  view  on  which  to  speak,  but 
when  rising  was  led  to  John  xx.,  if  I  mistake  not,  simply 
by  its  opening  to  me  and  appearing  suitable.  This 
subject  I  tried  to  generalize  as  depicting  the  experience 
of  a  saint  in  seeking  communion  with  Jesus,  and  the 
manner  in  which  Jesus  often  deals  with  such.  I  had  much 
assistance,  and  was  especially  enabled  to  charge  hundreds 
of  the  communicants  with  betraying  Christ  at  his  table.  I 
heard  afterwards  of  some  that  were  much  moved  at  this 
time,  and  in  particular  of  one  woman  who  was  then  first 
apprehended  by  the  Spirit  and  has  been  to  all  appearance 
converted.  In  the  evening  I  preached  from  Matthew  xi. 
28,  but,  as  far  as  I  can  recollect,  without  remarkable  assist 
ance  or  remarkable  effects.  At  the  close,  however,  I  felt 
such  a  yearning  of  heart  over  the  poor  people  among 
whom  I  had  spent  so  many  of  my  youthful  years  in  sin, 
that  I  intimated  I  would  again  address  them  before  bidding 
them  farewell — it  might  be  never  to  meet  again  on  earth; 
and  that  I  would  do  so  in  the  market-place,  in  order  to 
reach  the  many  who  absented  themselves  from  the  house 
of  God,  and  after  whom  I  longed  in  the  bowels  of  Jesus 
Christ.  This  meeting  was  fixed  for  Tuesday  at  10  A.M., 
as  I  intended  that  day  to  leave  Kilsyth  on  my  return  to 
Dundee.  On  Monday  evening  we  had  a  meeting  of  the 
Missionary  Society — Dr.  Burns  preached  an  excellent 
sermon  from  Isaiah  lii.  i,  in  which  some  things  were  said 
upon  Christ's  wedding-garment  which  touched  my  heart. 
In  speaking  I  felt  the  case  of  the  heathen  lying  nearer 


92  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1839. 

my  heart  than  I  think  ever  before  or  since,  and  was 
enabled,  though  without  any  previous  idea  of  what  I  was 
to  say,  to  speak  with  liberty  and  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost. 
"This  and  all  other  similar  facts  I  would  testify  as  in 
the  sight  of  Jehovah,  and  as  being  obliged  to  do  so  for 
his  glory.  May  he  enable  me  to  give  the  glory  all  to 
him,  and  take  none  of  it  at  all  to  my  own  cursed  flesh ! 
The  people  seemed  much  impressed.  The  meeting, 
however,  was  not  very  large.  I  can  hardly  recall  the 
feelings  with  which  I  went  to  preach  on  Tuesday  morning 
— a  morning  fixed  from  all  eternity  in  Jehovah's  counsels 
as  an  era  in  the  history  of  redemption.  May  the  Holy 
Ghost  breathe  upon  my  soul  and  revive  in  my  memory,  too 
faithless,  alas !  to  the  records  of  the  Lord's  wondrous  works, 
the  recollection  of  the  marvellous  scene  which  was  then 
displayed  before  the  wondering  eyes  of  many  favoured 
sinners  in  this  place.  Though  I  cannot  speak  with 
precision  of  the  frame  of  soul  in  which  I  went  to  the 
Lord's  work  on  that  memorable  day,  yet  I  remember  in 
general  that  I  had  an  intense  longing  for  the  conversion 
of  souls  and  the  glory  of  Emmanuel,  that  I  mourned 
under  a  sense  of  the  awful  state  of  sinners  without  Christ, 
their  guilt  in  rejecting  him  as  freely  offered  to  their 
acceptance,  my  own  total  inability  to  help  them  by  any 
thing  that  I  could  do,  and  my  complete  unfitness  and 
unworthiness  to  be  an  instrument  in  the  hands  of  the 
Holy  Ghost  in  saving  their  souls;  while  at  the  same 
time  my  eyes  were  fixed  on  the  Lord  as  the  God  of 
salvation  with  a  sweet  hope  of  his  glorious  appearing. 
I  have  since  heard  that  some  of  the  people  of  God 


Mt.  24.]  TUESDAY,    JULY    23d,    1839.  93 

in  Kilsyth  who  had  been  longing  and  wrestling  for  a 
time  of  refreshing  from  the  Lord's  presence,  and  who  had 
during  much  of  the  previous  night  been  travailing  in 
birth  for  souls,  came  to  the  meeting  not  only  with  the 
hope,  but  with  well-nigh  the  certain  anticipation  of  God's 
glorious  appearing,  from  the  impressions  they  had  had 
upon  their  own  souls  of  Jehovah's  approaching  glory  and 
majesty,  especially  when  pleading  at  his  footstool.  The 
morning  proved  very  unfavourable  for  our  assembling  in 
the  open  air,  and  this  seems  to  have  been  a  wise  provi 
dential  arrangement;  for  while,  on  the  one  hand,  it  was 
necessary  that  our  meeting  should  be  intimated  for  the 
open  air,  in  order  to  collect  the  great  multitude;  on  the 
other  hand,  it  was  very  needful,  in  order  to  the  right 
management  of  so  glorious  a  work  as  that  which  followed, 
that  we  should  be  assembled  within  doors.  At  ten  o'clock 
I  went  down  to  the  middle  of  the  town,  and  with  some 
others  drove  up  before  us  some  stragglers  who  were  re 
maining  behind  the  crowd.  When  I  entered  the  pulpit, 
I  saw  before  me  an  immense  multitude  from  the  town 
and  neighbourhood  filling  the  seats,  stairs,  passages,  and 
porches,  all  in  their  ordinary  clothes,  and  including  many 
of  the  most  abandoned  of  our  population.  I  began,  I 
think,  by  singing  the  io2d  Psalm,  and  was  affected  deeply 
when  in  reading  it  I  came  to  these  lines : 

"  '  Her  time  for  favour  which  was  set, 
Behold,  is  now  come  to  an  end.' 

That  word  ''now1  touched  my  heart  as  with  divine  power, 
and  encouraged  the  sweet  hope  that  the  set  time  was  really 
now  at  hand.  I  read  without  comment,  but  with  solemn 


94  LIFE    OF   REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1839. 

feelings,  the  account  of  the  conversion  of  the  three  thou 
sand  on  the  day  of  Pentecost;  and  this  account,  I  am 
told,  affected  some  of  the  people  considerably.  When 
we  had  prayed  a  second  time,  specially  imploring  that 
the  Lord  would  open  on  us  the  windows  of  heaven,  I 
preached  from  the  words  (Psalm  ex.  3):  'Thy  people  shall 
be  willing  in  the  day  of  thy  power.'  This  subject  I  had 
studied  and  preached  on  at  Dundee  without  any  remark 
able  effect;  and  though  I  was  so  much  enlarged  on  this 
occasion  in  discoursing  from  it,  I  have  not  been  able  to 
treat  it  in  the  same  manner,  or  with  the  same  effects,  at 
any  subsequent  time.  The  following  was  the  plan  of  the 
remarks  which  I  was  led  to  make  upon  the  words: — 

1.  The  persons  spoken  of — they  are  God's  elect — those 
given  to  Christ  of  the  Father.     II.  The  promise  of  the 
Father  to  Emmanuel  regarding  these  persons — *  they  shall 
be  willing.'     i.  Willing  to  be  saved  by  Christ's  righteous 
ness  alone.    2.  Willing  to  take  on  his  yoke.    3.  Willing  to 
bear  his  cross.     III.  The  time  of  the  promise — the  day 
of  Emmanuel's  power,     i.  It  is  the  day  of  his  exaltation 
at  the  Father's  right  hand  (verse  i),  i.e.  the  latter  day. 

2.  It  is  the  day  of  the  free  preaching  of  the  Divine  word. 

3.  It  is  the  day  in  which  Christ  crucified  is  the  centre  and 
sum  of  the  doctrine  taught.     4.  It  is  the  day  of  the  out 
pouring  of  the  Holy  Spirit — '  The  Lord  shall  send,'  &c. 
I  was  led  under  this  last  particular  to  allude  to  some  of 
the  most  remarkable  outpourings  of  the  Spirit  that  have 
been  granted  to  the  church,  beginning  from  the  day  of 
Pentecost ;  and  in  surveying  this  galaxy  of  Divine  wonders, 
I  had  come  to  notice  the  glorious  revelation  of  Jehovah's 


JEt.  24.]  THE    RUSHING    MIGHTY    WIND.  95 

right  hand  which  was  given  at  the  Kirk  of  Shotts  in  1630, 
while  John  Livingstone  was  preaching  from  Ezekiel 
xxxvi.  26,  27,  when  it  pleased  the  sovereign  God  of  grace 
to  make  bare  his  holy  arm  in  the  midst  of  us,  and  to  per 
form  a  work  in  many  souls  resembling  that  of  which  I  had 
been  speaking,  in  majesty  and  glory!  In  referring  to  this 
wonderful  work  of  the  Spirit,  I  mentioned  the  fact  that 
when  Mr.  Livingstone  was  on  the  point  of  closing  his  dis 
course  a  few  drops  of  rain  began  to  fall,  and  that  when  the 
people  began  to  put  on  their  coverings,  he  asked  them  if 
they  had  any  shelter  from  the  drops  of  Divine  wrath,  and 
was  thus  led  to  enlarge  for  nearly  another  hour  in  exhort 
ing  them  to  flee  to  Christ,  with  so  much  of  the  power 
of  God,  that  about  five  hundred  persons  were  converted. 
And  just  when  I  was  speaking  of  the  occasion  and  the 
nature  of  this  wonderful  address,  I  felt  my  own  soul  moved 
in  a  manner  so  remarkable  that  I  was  led,  like  Mr.  Living 
stone,  to  plead  with  the  unconverted  before  me  instantly 
to  close  with  God's  offers  of  mercy,  and  continued  to  do 
so  until  the  power  of  the  Lord's  Spirit  became  so  mighty 
upon  their  souls  as  to  carry  all  before  it,  like  the  rushing 
mighty  wind  of  Pentecost !  During  the  whole  of  the  time 
that  I  was  speaking,  the  people  listened  with  the  most 
rivetted  and  solemn  attention,  and  with  many  silent  tears 
and  inward  groanings  of  the  spirit;  but  at  the  last  their 
feelings  became  too  strong  for  all  ordinary  restraints,  and 
broke  forth  simultaneously  in  weeping  and  wailing,  tears 
and  groans,  intermingled  with  shouts  of  joy  and  praise 
from  some  of  the  people  of  God.  The  appearance  of  a 
great  part  of  the  people  from  the  pulpit  gave  me  an 


96  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1839. 

awfully  vivid  picture  of  the  state  of  the  ungodly  in  the 
day  of  Christ's  coming  to  judgment.  Some  were  scream 
ing  out  in  agony;  others,  and  among  these  strong  men, 
fell  to  the  ground  as  if  they  had  been  dead;  and  such  was 
the  general  commotion,  that  after  repeating  for  some  time 
the  most  free  and  urgent  invitations  of  the  Lord  to  sinners 
(as  Isaiah  lv.,  Revelation  xxii.  17),  I  was  obliged  to  give 
out  a  psalm,  which  was  soon  joined  in  by  a  considerable 
number,  our  voices  being  mingled  with  the  mourning 
groans  of  many  prisoners  sighing  for  deliverance.  After 
Dr.  Burns  and  my  father  had  spoken  for  a  little  and 
prayed,  the  meeting  was  closed  at  three  o'clock,  intima 
tion  having  been  given  that  we  would  meet  again  at  six. 

"  To  my  own  astonishment  during  the  progress  of  this 
wonderful  scene,  when  almost  all  present  were  over 
powered,  it  pleased  the  Lord  to  keep  my  soul  perfectly 
calm.  Along  with  the  awful  and  affecting  realization 
which  I  obtained  of  the  state  of  the  unconverted,  I  had 
such  a  view  of  the  glory  redounding  to  God,  and  the 
blessings  conferred  on  poor  sinners,  by  the  work  that  was 
advancing,  as  to  fill  my  soul  with  tranquil  joy  and  praise. 
Indeed  I  was  so  composed,  that  when,  with  the  view  of 
recruiting  my  strength  for  the  labours  still  in  view,  I 
stretched  myself  on  my  bed  on  going  home,  I  enjoyed  an 
hour  of  the  most  refreshing  sleep,  and  rose  as  vigorous  in 
mind  and  body  as  before." 

I  have  given  in  the  Appendix  the  notes  from  his  own 
manuscript  of  the  sermon,  the  delivery  of  which  was  pro 
ductive  of  so  remarkable  an  effect;  but  it  may  well  be 
conceived  that  in  this  case  the  written  words  convey  but 


JEt.  24.]  THE   TONGUE    OF    FIRE.  97 

a  very  inadequate  impression  of  the  spoken  address,  to 
which  they  scarcely  bore  a  greater  resemblance  than  the 
black  glistening  fuel  to  the  live  coal  glowing  with  bright 
furnace  heat.  His  manner  indeed  at  first,  and  through 
nearly  one-half  of  the  discourse,  was,  as  usual,  calm,  de 
liberate,  measured;  nor  did  he,  I  think,  greatly  diverge 
either  in  words  or  in  sequence  of  thought,  from  the  line  of 
the  written  discourse;  but  there  was  about  him  throughout 
an  awful  solemnity,  as  if  his  soul  was  overshadowed  with 
the  very  presence  of  Him  in  whose  name  he  spoke;  and 
as  he  went  on,  that  presence  seemed  more  and  more  to 
pass  within  him,  and  to  possess  him,  and  to  bear  him 
along  in  a  current  of  strong  emotion,  which  was  alike  to 
himself  and  to  his  hearers  irresistible.  Appeal  followed 
appeal  in  ever-increasing  fervour  and  terrible  energy,  till  at 
last,  as  he  reached  the  climax  of  his  argument,  and  vehe 
mently  urged  his  hearers  to  fight  the  battle  that  they  might 
win  the  eternal  prize,  the  words,  "  no  cross,  no  crown," 
pealed  from  his  lips,  not  so  much  like  a  sentence  of  ordi 
nary  speech,  as  a  shout  in  the  thick  of  battle.  Another 
moment  of  intense  and  incontrollable  emotion  I  vividly 
remember.  In  urging  sinners  to  an  immediate  closing 
with  Christ  in  the  offers  of  his  grace,  he  had  made  use  of 
the  obvious  and  very  common  figure  of  a  life-boat  bring 
ing  hope  and  deliverance  to  the  side  of  a  foundering 
vessel;  when  in  developing  the  idea  and  dwelling  on  it, 
the  whole  scene  seemed  to  pass  in  living  reality  before 
his  eyes — the  doomed  bark  rolling  helplessly  amid  the 
wild  waves,  and  rapidly  settling  down;  the  crouching, 
trembling  throng  clinging  to  the  gunwale,  and  the  light 


98  LIFE   OF   REV.    WILLIAM   C.    BURNS.  [1839. 

buoyant  skiff  leaping  up  towards  them  amid  the  blinding 
spray,  so  near  that  they  might  almost  touch  it;  and  as  he 
saw  them  still  hesitating  and  wasting  in  fatal  inaction  the 
last  moments  of  opportunity,  he  cried  aloud  as  one  might 
do  from  the  summit  of  a  neighbouring  headland  on  the 
shore,  "  Are  you  in  ?  are  you  in  ?  Flee  for  refuge  to  lay 
hold  of  the  hope  set  before  you;  now  or  never."  There 
was  in  his  whole  style  and  manner  at  this  moment,  as 
frequently  afterwards  at  similar  times,  a  dramatic  vividness 
and  energy,  which  reminded  one  of  what  we  read  of  in 
Whitfield; — a  vividness  and  energy,  however,  which  in  my 
brother's  case  was  not  in  any  measure  due  to  a  graphic 
poetic  fancy,  but  simply  to  an  intense  and  awful  realization 
of  eternal  truths.  As  to  the  scene  itself  which  followed, 
I  can  think  of  no  better  description  than  the  account  of 
the  day  of  Pentecost,  in  the  second  chapter  of  the  Acts, 
of  which  both  in  its  immediate  features  and  in  its  after 
results,  and  in  everything  except  the  miraculous  gift  of 
tongues,  it  seems  to  me  to  have  been  an  exact  counterpart. 
It  is  from  this  time  that  we  must  date  a  remarkable 
change  in  my  brother's  manner  of  preaching,  which  Mr. 
Moody  Stuart  has  described  in  a  manner  so  admirable, 
that  I  am  tempted  to  transcribe  his  words:  "At  Kilsyth 
there  was  fulfilled  in  him  the  promise,  'The  Lord  whom 
ye  seek  shall  suddenly  come  to  his  temple,  even  the 
Messenger  of  the  Covenant  whom  ye  delight  in.'  For 
weeks  before  he  was  full  of  prayer;  he  seemed  to  care  for 
nothing  but  to  pray.  In  the  day-time,  alone  or  with 
others,  it  was  his  chief  delight,  and  in  the  night  watches 
he  might  be  overheard  praying  aloud.  Yet  during  this 


JEt.  24.}  THE   TONGUE   OF   FIRE.  99 

time  the  power  that  rested  upon  himself  did  not  affect  his 
preaching;  it  was  sensible,  clear,  orthodox,  unobjection 
able;  and  in  that  indeed  he  never  altered;  for  in  the 
midst  of  whatever  excitement,  there  was  never  any  eccen 
tricity  or  extravagance  of  doctrine,  or  even  the  extreme 
pressing  of  any  one  point;  but  a  steadfast  keeping  within 
lines  of  received  truth,  as  not  expecting  conversion  by 
any  special  way  of  stating  the  gospel,  but  by  the  power 
of  the  Spirit  accompanying  it.  For  a  season,  however, 
before  the  Kilsyth  communion,  he  seemed  two  different 
men  in  private  and  public — his  own  spiritual  strength  so 
far  exceeding  what  appeared  in  the  pulpit.  But  then  the 
Lord,  who  had  strengthened  David  to  slay  the  lion  and 
the  bear  in  the  recesses  of  the  mountains,  sent  him  forth 
to  triumph  over  Goliath  before  the  hosts  of  Israel.  He 
had  been  asking,  seeking,  knocking,  for  the  Holy  Spirit; 
that  Spirit  came  upon  him  with  power;  and  the  Lord 
added  unto  the  church  daily  such  as  should  be  saved, 
multitudes  both  of  men  and  women." 

The  movement  thus  begun  in  a  manner  so  remarkable, 
went  on  steadily,  and  for  weeks  thereafter  seemed  only 
to  grow  in  solidity  and  depth.  Meetings  for  prayer  and 
preaching  of  the  gospel  were  held  every  successive  night, 
generally  in  the  church,  and  occasionally,  when  the 
weather  favoured,  in  the  market-place  or  in  the  church 
yard.  Crowds  of  inquirers  flocked  at  every  invitation 
to  the  vestry  or  the  manse  to  seek  spiritual  counsel  from 
the  minister  and  his  assistants.  Prayer-meetings  both  of 
the  old  and  young  sprang  up  everywhere  in  the  village 
and  the  surrounding  hamlets.  The  neighbouring  exten- 


100  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1839. 

sion  church  of  Banton,  erected  through  my  father's  exer 
tions  a  short  time  before,  and  then  under  the  pastoral 
care  of  the  Rev.  John  Lyon,  now  of  Broughty-Ferry, 
became  the  scene  of  a  similar  work  of  awakening  and 
spiritual  blessing.  Ministers  from  all  parts  of  the  country, 
and  especially  from  the  neighbouring  city  of  Glasgow, 
came  to  the  help  of  the  overtasked  pastor,  and  greatly 
contributed  by  the  richness  and  variety  of  their  instruc 
tions  to  impart  stability  and  spiritual  substance  to  a  move 
ment  which  might  otherwise  have  largely  evaporated  in 
mere  excitement.  The  mountain  glen,  the  solitary  haugh, 
even  the  noisy  loom^hop,  became  vocal  often  with  the 
sounds  of  prayer  and  praise,  or  witnessed  the  solemn 
converse  of  brethren  who,  at  eventide,  talked  with  burn 
ing  hearts  of  the  things  that  had  come  to  pass  in  those 
days.  The  whole  tone  and  spirit  of  the  place  seemed 
for  the  moment  changed,  and  an  air  almost  Sabbatic 
brooded  over  it,  which  strangers  recognized  as  with 
instinctive  reverence  they  approached  the  spot.  In  the 
words  of  a  statement  read  at  the  time  by  the  minister  of 
the  parish  to  the  presbytery  of  the  bounds,  "  The  waiting 
on  of  young  and  older  people  at  the  close  of  each  meet 
ing,  and  the  anxious  asking  of  so  many  '  What  to  do ;'  the 
lively  singing  of  the  praises  of  God,  which  every  visitor 
remarks;  the  complete  desuetude  of  swearing  and  of  foolish 
talking  in  our  streets:  the  order  and  solemnity  at  all  hours 
prevailing ;  the  voice  of  praise  and  prayer  almost  in  every 
house;  the  cessation  of  the  tumults  of  the  people;  the 
consignment  to  the  flames  of  volumes  of  infidelity  and 
impurity;  the  coming  together  for  Divine  worship  of  such 


-ffit.  24.]  "THE  DESERT  SHALL  REJOICE."  101 

a  multitude  of  our  population  day  after  day;  the  large 
catalogue  of  new  intending  communicants  giving  in  their 
names,  and  conversing  in  the  most  interesting  manner  on 
the  most  important  subjects;  not  a  few  of  the  old  careless 
sinners  and  frozen  formalists  awakened  and  made  alive 
to  God;  the  conversion  of  several  poor  colliers,  who  have 
come  to  me  and  given  the  most  satisfactory  account  of 
their  change  of  mind  and  heart,  —  are  truly  wonderful 
proofs  of  a  most  surprising  and  delightful  revival.  The 
public-houses,  the  coal-pits,  the  harvest  reaping  fields, 
the  weaving  loomsteads,  the  recesses  of  our  glens,  and 
the  sequestered  haughs  around,  all  may  be  called  to 
witness  that  there  is  a  mighty  change  in  this  place  for  the 
better." 

The  subject  of  this  memoir  had  been  obliged  to  leave 
a  few  days  after  the  commencement  of  the  remarkable 
scenes  just  described,  in  order  to  resume  his  duties  at 
Dundee,  where  his  work  was  becoming  every  day  more 
interesting;  but  on  the  2ist  of  September  he  was 
again  at  Kilsyth,  taking  part  in  the  services  of  a  second 
communion,  which  the  new  birth  of  so  many  souls,  and 
the  fresh  baptism  and  abounding  joy  of  others,  had 
rendered  necessary.  It  was  a  season  long  to  be  re 
membered,  alike  for  the  solemnity  and  sacred  sweetness 
of  its  services,  and  for  the  rich  tokens  of  blessing  which 
both  accompanied  and  followed  it.  To  use  again  the 
grave  words  of  the  pastor,  "Having  been  preceded, 
accompanied,  and  followed  by  a  very  unusual  copious 
ness  of  prayer,  the  showers  in  answer  were  very  copious 
and  refreshing.  We  are  daily  hearing  of  good  done  to 


102  LIFE    OF   REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1839. 

strangers  who  came  Zaccheus-like  to  see  what  it  was, 
who  have  been  pierced  in  heart  and  have  gone  away 
new  men.  Our  own  people  of  Christian  spirit  have 
been  greatly  enlivened  and  strengthened,  and  some  very 
hopeful  cases  of  apparently  real  beginnings  of  new  life 
have  been  brought  to  our  knowledge.  I  feel  grateful  to 
the  God  of  grace  and  God  of  order  in  the  churches, 
that  there  has  been  such  a  concurrence  of  what  is  true, 
venerable,  pure,  just,  lovely  and  of  good  report,  and  that 
little  indeed  has  escaped  from  any  of  us  which  can  justly 

cause  regret The  solemn  appearance  of  the 

communion  tables,  and.  the  delightful  manner  in  which 
they  were  exhorted — the  presence  of  not  a  few  unusually 
young  disciples  at  the  tables — the  seriousness  of  aspect 
in  all,  and  the  softening  and  melting  look  of  others — 
made  upon  every  rightly  disposed  witness  a  very  delight 
ful  impression.  .  .  .  For  ninety  years,  doubtless,  there 
has  not  been  in  this  parish  such  a  season  of  prayer  and 
holy  communings  and  conferences,  nor  at  any  period 
such  a  number  of  precious  sermons  delivered.  The 
spiritual  awakenings  and  genuine  conversions  at  this  time 
are  not  few,  and  it  is  hoped  will  come  forth  to  victory; 
but  the  annals  of  eternity  only  will  divulge  the  whole." 
At  this  point  my  brother's  personal  journal,  which  the 
exciting  and  absorbing  labours  of  the  last  month  had 
almost  wholly  interrupted,  becomes  again  available,  and  I 
gladly  return  to  it,  as  furnishing  at  once  the  most  authentic 
and  most  impressive  account  both  of  the  work  in  which 
he  was  engaged  and  of  the  part  which  he  himself  bore 
in  it. 


JEt.  24.]  THE    SECOND    COMMUNION.  103 

"Saturday^ist  September,  1839.— I  stayed  at  Mr.  Guthrie's1 
all  night,  and  started  at  seven  A.M.  by  the  boat  for  Kilsyth. 
The  boat  was  nearly  filled  in  the  cabin  by  dear  brothers  and 
sisters  in  Christ,  going  to  the  communion  at  Kilsyth.  We 
had  much  blessed  converse  together,  and  engaged  twice  in 
prayer  and  once  in  praise.  We  arrived  at  a  quarter  to  one, 
and  found  that  I  was  expected  to  officiate  at  half-past  two 
o'clock.  I  accordingly  preached  to  about  a  thousand  from 
Romans  x.  4,  with  much  assistance.  On  Sabbath,  after  Mr. 
Rose  had  preached  at  the  tent,  I  was  called  on  to  follow  him ; 
and  accordingly  preached  for  about  two  hours  from  Isaiah 
liv.  5,  to  a  congregation  which,  according  to  a  calculation 
founded  on  the  extent  of  the  ground  which  it  occupied,  is 
thought  to  have  been  little  short  of  ten  thousand.  They  were 
very  solemn  and  attentive,  hardly  one  removing  during  the 
sermon;  and  though  I  did  not  notice  many  under  visible 
impression,  I  was  told  that  not  a  few  were  in  tears,  young 
men  as  well  as  others.  After  leaving  the  tent  I  went  to  the 
communion  table,  which  was  addressed  in  a  most  interesting 
way  upon  the  love  of  Christ  by  Mr.  Rose.  I  did  not,  however, 
experience  much  near  communion  with  my  blessed  Lord  and 
Saviour,  but  had  to  complain  of  much  blindness  and  dead- 
ness,  while  my  soul  was  not  altogether  unmoved  through  his 
free  and  infinite  grace.  After  Dr.  Dewar,2  Mr.  Middleton  of 
Strathmiglo,  and  Mr.  Somerville,3  had  preached  at  the  tent, 
I  was  called  again  to  preach  the  evening  sermon  there  at 
seven  o'clock,  while  Mr.  Rose  did  so  in  the  church.  The 
subject  was  Isaiah  liv.  10,  'The  mountains  shall  depart/  &c.; 
and  I  was  so  much  assisted  both  in  exposition  and  exhorta 
tion,  that  there  was  visible  among  the  people  a  far  greater 
awakening  than  during  any  part  of  the  day.  We  continued 
together  till  between  nine  and  ten,  the  moon  being  full  and 

1  The  Rev.  Dr.  Thomas  Guthrie,  then  of  St.  John's  Parish,  after 
wards  of  St.  John's  Free  Church,  Edinburgh. 

2  Principal  of  Marischal  College,  Aberdeen. 
8  Of  Anderston  Church,  Glasgow. 


104  LIFE    Op   REV-    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1839. 

the  sky  unclouded,  though  the  mist  began  to  settle  in  the 
hollow  in  which  the  tent  was  placed.  After  we  had  gone 
home,  my  father  and  Mr.  Rose  not  having  yet  come  in,  it 
struck  me,  while  at  tea,  that  we  ought  to  have  a  meeting  still  in 
the  church,  and  continue  all  night  in  prayer  to  God  for  the 
outpouring  of  the  Spirit.  Some  objected,  but  Charles  Brown1 
was  completely  on  my  side,  saying  that  he  was  put  in  mind 
of  that  occasion  on  which  the  friends  of  Jesus  sought  to  lay 
hold  of  him,  saying  'He  is  beside  himself;'  and  accordingly 
we  again  repaired  to  the  church,  where  many  were  already 
assembled  joining  in  prayer  with  Mr.  Martin  of  Bathgate 
and  Mr.  Middleton,  and  after  the  bell  had  been  rung  and  the 
church  was  filled,  Charles  J.  Brown  sang  and  spoke  upon 
a  part  of  Psalm  Ixxii.,  and  then  prayed.  When  he  had 
concluded,  Mr.  Martin  spoke  on  Psalm  xiv.  to  those  still 
unawakened,  and  engaged  in  prayer  according  to  concert 
specially  for  the  same  class.  Mr.  Somerville  then  addressed 
the  awakened,  but  not  yet  converted,  from  the  account  of  the 
conversion  of  Saul,  and  afterwards  prayed  for  them  as  Mr. 
Martin  had  before  done  for  the  others.  I  was  then  called  in 
conclusion  to  speak  more  generally  to  all,  and  did  so  at 
considerable  length  and  very  calmly  from  the  first  four  verses 
of  the  1 1 6th  Psalm,  which  having  been  sung  the  whole  was 
concluded  with  prayer.  We  separated  from  this  most 
precious  meeting,  in  which  not  a  few  were  awakened,  at 
three  A.M.  of  Monday,  and  after  leaving  the  church  Mr. 
Somerville  and  I  were  forced  to  remain  in  the  session-house 
with  the  distressed,  instructing  and  praying  till  between  five 
and  six  o'clock,  when  we  went  home  to  rest.  The  cases  in  the 
session-house  were  numerous  and  very  interesting. 

September  23^. — Having  risen  from  a  refreshing  sleep 
at  twelve  noon,  I  was  told  that  I  was  expected  to  preach 
the  second  sermon  about  two  at  the  tent.  I  was  counselled 
by  my  mother  to  beware  of  harsh  expressions  in  preaching 

1  The  Rev.  Dr.  C.  J.  Brown,  then  of  New  North  Parish,  now  of 
New  North  Free  Church,  Edinburgh. 


JEt.  24.]'  THE    SECOND    COMMUNION.  105 

and  prayer,  and  told  by  J.  that  she  thought  there  was  a 
danger  of  my  losing  the  former  sweetness,  as  she  said,  of 
my  manner  in  preaching  for  an  unpleasant  sternness.  I 
thanked  the  Lord  for  this  counsel,  and  was  told  by  her  after 
wards  that  I  had  been  enabled  to  correct  the  fault.  There 
were  an  immense  number  of  ministers  and  preachers  at 
the  tent  on  Monday,  and  I  went  down  under  some  anxiety, 
as  I  had  no  special  preparation.  However,  I  was  enabled 
in  private  and  public  prayer  to  cast  myself  on  the  Lord, 
and  he  did  not  prove  a  wilderness  to  me,  a  land  of  darkness, 
but  aided  me  beyond  all  my  expectations.  The  text  from 
which  I  spoke  was  Ezekiel  xxxvi.  26,  'A  new  heart  also 
will  I  give  you/  and  I  found  so  much  laid  to  my  hand,  both 
in  expounding  and  applying  the  subject,  that  I  could  hardly 
get  done.  There  was  great  attention  among  the  audience, 
which  might  amount  to  two  thousand,  and  blessed  be  God, 
some  of  the  ministers  present  seemed  to  be  convinced  that 
the  Lord  had  helped  me  to  be  faithful ;  Charles  J.  Brown  and 
John  Duncan  spoke  particularly  in  this  way.  In  the  evening 
Charles  J.  Brown  preached  a  most  excellent  discourse  in  the 
church  at  eight  o'clock,  from  the  words  in  Matthew,  'What 
do  ye  more  than  others?'  showing  ist.  Why  Christians  might 
be  expected  to  do  more  than  others,  and  2nd.  What  more 
they  were  expected  to  do.  After  he  had  concluded  I  felt 
deeply  impressed  with  the  desirableness  of  continuing  in 
prayer  to  God,  especially  with  and  for  the  unconverted,  whom 
we  were,  alas !  to  leave  at  the  close  of  this  blessed  season 
farther  in  many  cases  from  Jesus  than  before.  I  accordingly 
proposed  to  Charles  J.  Brown  that  I  should  ask  the  uncon 
verted  to  stay  behind,  not  excluding  others  who  might  also 
desire  to  do  so.  He  said  I  should  do  as  I  thought  best,  and 
accordingly  after  the  praise  was  ended,  I  asked  those  who 
knew  that  they  were  still  unconverted  to  remain,  coming 
down  into  the  front  seats  below  to  be  addressed  and  prayed 
for.  My  thus  assigning  them  particular  seats  rather  alarmed 
and  staggered  Mr.  Brown,  and,  as  I  afterwards  found,  my 


106  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1839. 

father  also  and  many  other  of  the  ministers  present ;  but  as 
no  remonstrance  was  at  the  time  made,  and  after  so  many 
had  come  forward  that  the  seats  were  fully  occupied,  and  even 

(a  young  gentleman  from  Glasgow  whom  I  had  been 

conversing  with  a  little  before  under  considerable  concern 
about  his  soul)  went  into  them  with  a  younger  brother  also 
much  affected,  as  I  noticed,  during  the  sermon,  when  the  love 
of  Christ  was  spoken  of,  Mr.  Brown's  doubts  appeared  to 
vanish,  and  I  proceeded,  after  singing  and  long-continued 
prayer,  to  exhort  at  great  length  those  in  the  seats'and  also 
the  congregation  at  large  to  an  immediate  closing  with 
Christ.  In  this  work  I  was  assisted,  I  think,  as  much  as 
ever  before  in  my  life,  having  a  degree  of  tenderness  and 
affection  which  my  hard,  hard  heart  is  rarely  privileged  to 
feel,  and  in  prayer  I  was  favoured  with  peculiar  nearness  to 
God,  in  so  much  that  at  one  time  I  felt  as  if  really  in 
contact  with  the  Divine  presence,  and  could  hardly  go  on ; 
while  at  the  same  blessed  season  there  seemed  to  be  a 
general  and  sweet  melting  of  heart  among  the  audience,  and 
many  of  the  unconverted  were  weeping  bitterly  aloud,  though 
I  spoke  throughout  with  perfect  calmness  and  solemnity. 
We  separated  between  one  and  two  o'clock  from  this  the  last, 
and  I  think,  without  doubt,  the  most  eminently  blessed  part 
of  the  whole  communion  season,  at  least  in  as  far  as  I  was  a 
witness  to  it.  After  the  meeting  had  broken  up  many  went 
to  the  session-house,  where  my  father  had  been  with  not  a 
few  in  distress  during  the  greater  part  of  the  meeting,  and 
then  he  and  Mr.  Rose  continued  for  several  hours  longer, 
witnessing,  as  they  told  us  when  they  came  home,  the  most 
wonderful  displays  of  the  Holy  Spirit's  work." 

"So  mightily  grew  the  word  of  God  and  prevailed." 
The  rest  of  the  history,  so  far  as  it  can  be  written  or  read 
in  this  world,  is  soon  told.  The  high  spring-tide  of  ex 
alted  feeling,  necessarily  mingled  more  or  less  with  mere 
sympathetic  excitement,  gradually  passed  away,  and  the 


JEt.  24.]  THE    EBBING    TIDE.  107 

currents  alike  of  religious  experience  and  of  ordinary 
human  life  flowed  once  more  in  their  customary  channels. 
There  were  some  temporary  professors,  there  were  some 
"imperfect  conversions,"  there  were  some  whose  bright 
early  promise,  though  not  wholly  darkened,  did  not  shine 
forth  with  an  altogether  unclouded  lustre  "more  and  more 
unto  the  perfect  day;"  but  there  were  very  many  too  whose 
shining  consistency  and  purity,  and  steadfast  perseverance 
to  the  end,  declared  plainly  that  they  had  been  with 
Jesus,  and  that  in  that  terrible  moment  of  their  soul's 
agony  they  had  been  indeed  born  not  of  blood,  nor  of 
the  will  of  the  flesh,  nor  of  the  will  of  man,  but  of  God. 
The  history  of  the  Kilsyth  revival,  in  short,  as  of  every 
other  true  revival,  whether  ushered  in  by  the  earthquake 
and  the  whirlwind  or  by  the  still  small  voice,  had  in  truth 
been  written  eighteen  hundred  years  before  by  Him  who 
knoweth  the  end  from  the  beginning:  "Behold,  a  sower 
went  forth  to  sow;  and  when  he  sowed,  some  seeds  fell 
by  the  wayside,  and  the  fowls  came  and  devoured  them 
up:  some  fell  upon  stony  places,  where  they  had  not 
much  earth;  and  forthwith  they  sprung  up,  because  they 
had  no  deepness  of  earth :  and  when  the  sun  was  up,  they 
were  scorched;  and,  because  they  had  no  root,  they 
withered  away:  and  some  fell  among  thorns;  and  the 
thorns  sprung  up  and  choked  them:  but  other  fell  into 
good  ground,  and  brought  forth  fruit,  some  an  hundred-fold, 
some  sixty -fold,  some  thirty-fold" 


CHAPTER  V. 

1839. 
ST.  PETER'S,  DUNDEE. 

THE  reader  will  have  seen  that  in  turning  aside  to 
refer  to  the  second  communion  at  Kilsyth,  and  thus 
bring  into  one  view  the  history  of  the  remarkable  move 
ment  there,  we  have  necessarily  anticipated  somewhat 
the  actual  course  of  events  in  Mr.  Burns'  life.  He 
returned  to  Dundee  on  the  8th  of  August,  and  almost 
immediately  on  his  arrival  found  himself  in  the  midst  of 
scenes  essentially  similar  to,  and  scarcely  less  remarkable 
than  those  he  had  left  behind.  "For  some  time  before," 
says  Mr.  Bonar  in  his  admirable  memoirs  of  M'Cheyne, 
"Mr.  Burns  had  seen  symptoms  of  deeper  attention  than 
usual,  and  real  anxiety  in  some  that  had  hitherto  been 
careless.  But  it  was  after  his  return  from  Kilsyth  that 
the  people  began  to  melt  before  the  Lord.  On  Thursday, 
the  second  day  after  his  return,  at  the  close  of  the  usual 
evening  prayer-meeting  in  St.  Peter's,  and  when  the 
minds  of  many  were  deeply  solemnized  by  the  tidings 
which  had  reached  them,  he  spoke  a  few  words  about 
what  had  for  some  days  detained  him  from  them,  and 
invited  those  to  remain  who  felt  the  need  of  an  outpour 
ing  of  the  Spirit  to  convert  them.  About  a  hundred 


^Et.  24.].  RETURN    TO   DUNDEE.  1 09 

remained;  and  at  the  conclusion  of  a  solemn  address  to 
these  anxious  souls,  suddenly  the  power  of  God  seemed 
to  descend,  and  all  were  bathed  in  tears.  At  a  similar 
meeting,  next  evening,  in  the  church,  there  was  much 
melting  of  heart  and  intense  desire  after  the  Beloved  of 
the  Father;  and  on  adjourning  to  the  vestry  the  arm  of 
the  Lord  was  revealed.  No  sooner  was  the  vestry-door 
opened  to  admit  those  who  might  feel  anxious  to  con 
verse,  than  a  vast  number  pressed  in  with  awful  eagerness. 
It  was  like  a  pent-up  flood  breaking  forth;  tears  were 
streaming  from  the  eyes  of  many,  and  some  fell  on  the 
ground,  groaning,  and  weeping,  and  crying  for  mercy. 
Onward  from  that  evening  meetings  were  held  every  day 
for  many  weeks;  and  the  extraordinary  nature  of  the 
work  justified  and  called  for  extraordinary  services.  The 
whole  town  was  moved.  Many  believers  doubted;  the 
ungodly  raged;  but  the  Word  of  God  grew  mightily  and 
prevailed." 

The  scenes  at  Kilsyth  were  in  every  essential  particular 
repeated  here,  allowing  only  for  the  difference  between 
a  quiet  country  village  and  a  large  and  busy  manufacturing 
town.  The  crowded  and  solemnized  assemblies  in  the 
church  from  night  to  night  for  months  together;  the  eager 
throngs  of  inquirers,  sometimes  so  numerous  as  to  form 
themselves  a  congregation;  the  varied  and  weighty  in 
structions  of  ministers,  followed  generally  by  more  special 
counsels  and  prayers  for  those  whose  overmastering 
anxiety  constrained  them  to  remain  behind;  the  number 
less  prayer-meetings  of  old  and  young,  in  private  rooms, 
in  workshops,  in  retired  gardens,  in  open  fields;  the 


110  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1839. 

nightly  journey  of  thirsty  souls  from  far  distances  in  the 
outskirts  of  the  city,  and  in  the  rural  parishes  around; 
the  general  sensation  and  spirit  of  inquiry — half-serious, 
half-curious — which  pervaded  more  or  less  the  entire 
community, — were  here  as  there  the  salient  features  of 
a  time  which  none  who  lived  through  it,  and  entered  in 
any  measure  into  the  feeling  of  it,  can  ever  have  forgotten. 
For  its  more  authentic  and  inward  history,  however,  I 
now  gladly  return  to  Mr.  Burns'  own  journal,  which  after 
a  few  broken  and  fragmentary  notices,  becomes  again 
continuous  and  copious : — 

"August  24th. — I  ought  to  have  been  daily  recording  the 
wonders  of  the  Lord's  love  in  this  book,  had  they  not  been  so 
many  that  I  could  not  find  time  to  speak  of  them  all.  I  shall 
now  however  try  to  do  so  regularly,  though  in  the  briefest 
form.  Since  the  2oth,  many  notable  things  have  occurred. 
The  church  has  been  crowded  every  night,  and  many  have 
been  forced  to  go  away  without  getting  in.  Mr.  Reid  assisted 
me  on  Wednesday,  preaching  in  a  very  searching  manner 
on  regeneration  from  John  iii.,  and  Mr.  Bonar  from  Kelso 
followed  him  on  Job  xxii.  21.  I  then  myself  prayed  and 
spoke  till  near  II  p.m.,  on  Joel  ii.  28-32.  On  Thursday 
James  Hamilton  from  Abernyte  lectured  on  the  young  man, 
Mark  x.  17,  after  which  I  read  and  commented  on  a  passage 
from  Robe's  narrative.  Last  night  Mr.  Baxter  preached  with 
much  solemnity  and  more  of  the  freeness  of  the  gospel  than 
usual,  from  Jeremiah  xv.  15,  after  which  I  read  another 
passage  from  Robe,  and  before  pronouncing  the  blessing  was 
led  to  speak  particularly  to  Roman  Catholics,  and  of  our  duty 
towards  them.  Mr.  Roxburgh  was  there  last  night.  Indeed 
we  have  daily  not  a  few  of  the  ministers  in  town  and  from  a 
distance  among  the  audience.  On  Thursday  I  was  called  to 
visit  a  Roman  Catholic  family,  the  mother  very  ill ;  they  had 


JEt.  24.]  .  PROGRESS    OF   THE   WORK.  1 1 1 

been  visited  by  the  priest,  but  were  not  satisfied,  and  seemed 
to  welcome  me.  I  hear  daily  many  interesting  evidences  that 
the  work  of  the  Lord  is  going  on  through  his  own  mighty 
power.  Some  of  the  greatest  drunkards  have  been  abstaining 
from  day  to  day  from  their  cup  of  poison  that  they  may 
attend  our  meetings,  and  they  appear  to  be  daily  receiving 
deeper  impressions.  O  Lord !  grant  that  these  may  at  last 
prove  saving.  I  was  told  of  a  man  last  night  who,  though 
previously  ungodly,  had  been  so  much  impressed  by  attending 
the  meetings,  that  his  wife,  a  godly  woman,  missing  him  the 
other  morning  at  the  breakfast  hour,  found  him  in  the  other 
room  on  his  knees,  and  again  awaking  at  four  in  the  morning 
and  missing  him  from  his  bed,  she  rising  found  him  in  the 
same  room  with  his  Bible  in  his  hand." 

Here  follow  a  number  of  interesting  cases. 

"August  28//Z. — On  Saturday  evening  the  congregation  was 
large.  I  preached  with  very  considerable  assistance  from 
God  on  Psalm  xxxii.,  particularly  with  a  reference  to  the  day 
of  fasting,  humiliation,  and  prayer,  which  by  the  recommenda 
tion  of  the  session  I  was  to  intimate  for  Tuesday,  the  fair-day. 
On  Sabbath  forenoon  I  preached  with  much  of  God's  presence 
and  power  from  John  iv.  10,  and  in  the  afternoon  with  still 
greater  liberty  from  Romans  viii.  34.  In  the  forenoon  the 
church  was  densely  crowded,  and  in  the  afternoon  every 
corner  was  filled,  so  that  I  could  not,  without  much  difficulty, 
force  my  way  to  the  pulpit;  hundreds  were  forced  to  be 
excluded.  I  never  felt  so  powerfully  as  in  the  afternoon  the 
absolute  certainty  of  the  believer's  acceptance  as  righteous 
through  Jesus;  and  the  people  appeared  to  be  much  impressed, 
although  I  have  not  yet  heard  of  any  new  cases  of  awakening 
or  conversion.  In  the  evening  I  thought  it  better  not  to 
preach,  in  order  to  save  my  bodily  strength  for  preaching,  as 
I  had  intimated  I  would,  in  the  Meadows;  but  being  told  that 
a  great  crowd  was  assembled,  I  ran  up  to  renew  the  charge 


112  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1839. 

on  Satan's  hosts,  and  was  told  that  Mr.  Miller1  a  preacher 
from  Edinburgh,  who  had  filled  Mr.  Lewis'  pulpit  during  the 
day,  and  was  come  along  to  be  a  hearer,  would  gladly  assist 
me.  When  however  I  went  up,  the  multitude  had  dispersed, 
and  we  would  have  given  up  thoughts  of  preaching  had  not  a 
few  pressed  us  to  go  on.  Mr.  Miller  accordingly  preached 
from  John  iii.  8  to  a  considerable  number,  which  was  rapidly 
increasing  when  we  dismissed.  On  Monday  night  Mr. 
Macalister  preached  a  truly  admirable  gospel  sermon  from 
John  xii.  21,  after  which  I  intimated  the  fast  for  Tuesday, 
with  remarks  as  I  was  enabled  to  make  on  the  subject.  We 
particularly  agreed  to  keep  from  10  to  1 1  in  secret  prayer  by 
concert.  On  coming  home  I  found  a  letter  from  the  magis 
trates  interdicting  the  preaching  in  the  Meadows  for  Tuesday, 
which  did  not  surprise  "me,  but  led  me  to  meditate  solemnly 
on  that  approaching  conflict  with  the  world  and  Satan  in 
which  many  will  probably  be  called  to  die  for  the  name  of 
Jesus.  O  Lord !  may  Jesus  Christ  be  magnified  in  me  whether 
by  life  or  by  death !  I  immediately  was  led  to  see  the  pro 
priety  of  exchanging  the  Meadows  for  St.  Peter's  Churchyard, 
and  accordingly  next  day,  at  the  hour  appointed,  Mr.  Baxter, 
Mr.  Miller,  and  myself,  after  intimating  the  will  of  the  magis 
trates  in  the  Meadows,  walked,  accompanied  by  a  great 
number,  from  thence  to  the  churchyard,  where  many  were 
already  assembled.  Mr.  Baxter  began  the  services  by  praise 
and  prayer,  and  I  was  then  called  after  prayer  to  preach.  I 
had  however  no  enlargement,  and  after  speaking  about  the 
usual  time  under  great  conscious  desertion  of  the  Spirit,  I 
came  to  a  close.  Mr.  Miller  concluded  with  prayer  and 
praise.  In  the  evening  Mr.  Miller  preached  an  interesting 
sermon  from  I  Corinthians  x.  31,  after  whom  Mr.  Walker 
from  Edinburgh  gave  us  a  precious  discourse  on  Psalm  Ixxxix. 
15.  I  think  the  Spirit  of  God  was  much  among  the  people  of 

1  The  late  Rev.  Patrick  L.  Miller,  afterwards   of  Wallacetown 
(Dundee)  and  Newcastle. 


&t.  24.]  ST.  PETER'S  CHURCHYARD.  113 

God  on  this  occasion,  filling  them  with  joy  and  wonder  at  the 
free  and  infinite  love  of  Jehovah.  This  evening  Mr.  Walker 
preached  an  excellent  sermon  from  2  Corinthians  vii.  5,  after 
which  I  began  to  read  Robe,  where,  finding  an  allusion  to  the 
Spirit  convincing  usually  of  particular  sins,  in  the  first  place, 
I  was  led  to  speak  in  very  plain  terms  of  many  prevailing 
sins,  and  especially  of  the  peculiar  sins  of  the  fair-day.  I 
had  great  liberty  from  the  Spirit  of  God,  I  believe,  to  tell  all  I 
knew  of  the  truth  on  these  points,  and  O !  may  the  Lord 
greatly  bless  for  his  own  glory  all  his  own  truth  which  any  of 
his  servants  have  spoken,  and  pardon  through  the  blood  of 
Jesus  all  that  we  have  said  of  our  own  invention,  according  to 
the  darkness  and  folly  of  carnal  reason. 

"September  id. — In  the  evening  Mr.  Macalister  preached 
an  excellent  sermon  on  Song  of  Solomon  ii.  16,  after  which  I 
read  Robe's  narrative,  and  engaged  in  prayer  more  than 
once  for  the  outpouring  of  the  Spirit,  which  I  think  we  re 
ceived  more  signally  perhaps  than  on  any  former  night,  if 
we  except  the  very  first  meetings.  There  were  many  crying 
bitterly,  one  fell  down,  and  when  near  the  end  I  stopped  and 
sat  down  in  silent  prayer  for  five  minutes,  that  all  might  be 
brought  to  the  point  of  embracing  Jesus.  The  feeling  was 
intense,  though  most  calm  and  solemn,  and  to  believers  very 
sweet. 

"September^. — In  the  evening  Mr.  Somerville,  who  is  on  his 
way  home  from  an  excursion  of  three  weeks  in  search  of  bodily 
vigour,  preached  from  Genesis  iii.  22,  &c.,  a  most  impres 
sive  discourse,  under  which  not  a  few,  I  am  persuaded,  were 
very  much  revived.  After  he  had  concluded  and  prayed,  I 
read  Robe,  and  felt  so  desirous  to  press  home  the  glad  tidings 
and  to  call  down  the  Holy  Ghost  by  more  importunate 
prayer,  that  after  the  blessing  had  been  pronounced  I  waited 
with  nearly  as  many  as  could  find  seats  out  of  the  immense 
multitude  who  had  been  present  till  a  quarter  past  eleven, 
partly  instructing  and  exhorting  them  to  an  immediate  accept 
ance  of  Jesus,  and  partly  praying  for  the  Holy  Ghost.  There 

H 


114  LIFE    OF    REV-    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1839. 

was  no  visible  movement,  but  I  trust  some  hearts  were  seen 
by  Jesus  moving  towards  him. 

"  September  4//£,  1839. — I  had  this  forenoon  a  call  from  Mr. 
Morgan1  of  Belfast,  who  had  heard  of  the  extraordinary  move 
ment  among  us  when  in  Ireland,  and  being  in  Scotland  felt 
induced  to  come  and  see  its  true  character.  He  and  I  with 
Mr.  Kirkaldy  and  Mr.  Fairweather2  the  preacher,  walked 
together  a  long  time  on  the  river  side,  conversing  on  the 
subject  of  the  work  at  Kilsyth  and  here,  after  which  we  came 
into  my  lodgings  and  engaged  together  in  Divine  worship, 
Mr.  Morgan  officiating  with  great  suitableness  to  our  present 
state.  Before  parting  he  kindly  agreed  to  preach  this  evening, 
which  he  accordingly  did  at  the  usual  hour.  His  text  was 
Romans  v.  20,  21.  He  treated  the  subject  with  great  clear 
ness  and  scriptural  accuracy,  and  added  many  very  useful 
directions  suited  to  our  present  circumstances.  He  also  told 
me  of  an  interesting  work  of  God  going  on  during  the  last 
three  months  in  Tipperary  under  Mr.  Trench.  He  had  called 
on  his  people  to  pray  specially  for  the  unconverted,  and  in 
consequence  many  were  awakened,  and  already  between  one 
and  two  hundred  had  been  to  all  appearance  savingly  con 
verted  to  God.  Mr.  Morgan  is  a  very  interesting  and  most 
judicious  man,  and  we  wonder  at  the  marvellous  goodness  of 
our  God  in  sending  him  among  us.  It  is,  like  all  his  other 
blessings  towards  us,  to  the  everlasting  praise  of  the  glory  of 
his  grace.  After  he  had  concluded  I  read  as  usual  a  quota 
tion  from  Robe  and  made  a  few  remarks  upon  it.  This  day 
I  also  conversed  with  J.  J.,  who  is  in  a  most  interesting  state, 
and  wrote  home  a  letter  to  the  people  of  Kilsyth." 

Here  he  begins  a  fresh  volume  of  the  Journal,  which 
is  inscribed  "A  Record  of  the  Lord's  Marvellous  Doings 
for  me  and  many  other  Sinners  at  Dundee,  1839,"  and 

1  Now  Dr.  Morgan. 

2  Afterwards  minister  of  Free  Church,  Botriphnie,  Banffshire. 


/Et.  24.]    ROBERT  HALDANE  AND  OESAR  MALAN.      115 

which  consists  for  the  first  seventy-four  pages  of  notices  of 
individual  cases  of  awakening  and  earnest  inquiry,  all 
deeply  interesting,  but  too  brief  and  fragmentary  to  be  here 
presented.  This  part  had  been  evidently  examined  in  the 
following  year,  in  connection  with  the  after  history  of  the 
individuals  referred  to,  by  Mr.  M'Cheyne,  in  whose  hand 
writing  I  find  appended  to  many  of  the  names  such  preg 
nant  entries  as  the  following:  "Holds  on  her  way  rejoicing, 
October,  1840;"  "I  trust  goes  on  well  and  steadily,  Octo 
ber,  1840;"  "Admitted  her  to  the  communion;  she  seems 
a  true  disciple  of  Christ,  October,  1840;"  "Admitted  her 
joyfully  to  the  Lord's  table,  April,  1840;"  &c. 

"September  i^th. — I  went  at  two  o'clock  to  M'Kenzie's 
Square  and  preached  to  one  or  two  hundred,  many  of  whom, 
alas!  were  from  other  quarters.  I  spoke  from  the  words, 
i  Corinthians  xv.  55-57,  at  first  with  great  want  of  faith  and 
power,  but  after  I  had  stopped  and  prayed,  with  very  con 
siderable  liberty.  When  I  was  just  going  to  begin  the  last 
prayer  two  gentlemen  came  near,  whom  I  supposed  to  be 
one  of  our  physicians  and  a  friend,  who  had  been  passing 
accidentally  and  been  attracted  by  the  sound,  but  after  I  had 
done,  one  of  them,  a  reverend-looking  oldish  man,  was  gone, 
and  the  other  came  up  and  told  me  that  this  was  Csesar 
Malan  from  Geneva,  and  that  he  was  Robert  Haldane,  W.S., 
Edinburgh.  I  at  once  recognized  him,  having  sometimes 
called  on  him  in  the  days  of  my  vanity  when  with  Uncle  A. 
in  Edinburgh.  He  told  me  that  Malan  was  desirous  to 
preach  this  evening,  which  I  intimated  with  joy  to  the  people 
as  they  were  dispersing.  How  marvellous  are  the  Lord's 
ways  towards  me  and  his  people  here !  He  is  sending  his 
servants  to  us  from  east  and  west  and  north  and  south ! 
Surely  he  has  some  great  work  of  his  glorious  grace  to  do 
among  us.  All  the  glory  shall  be  hist 


\1 


Il6  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1839. 

"Went  to  the  church,  where  I  met  Malan,  Mr.  Baxter, 
and  Mr.  M'Leod,  just  translated  from  the  Gaelic  chapel, 
Edinburgh.  Malan,  after  solemnly  engaging  in  prayer,  went 
to  the  pulpit,  where  he  again  knelt  down  and  prayed  for  a 
minute  or  two  in  silence.  He  then  prayed  aloud  shortly, 
sang,  and  then  prayed  sweetly  at  greater  length.  He  read 
the  I4th  of  John,  and  preached  from  the  27th  verse.  His 
heads  were  that  the  peace  of  Jesus  was,  ist,  a  sovereign 
peace ;  2d,  a  just  peace ;  3d,  an  all-ruling  peace ;  4th,  a 
glorious  peace.  His  great  design  appeared  to  be  to  press 
on  believers,  'in  the  name  of  Jesus/  the  duty  of  believing  that 
they  are  saved.  His  teaching  seemed  to  me  to  differ  from 
that  which  is  common  among  our  best  ministers,  not  in  hold 
ing  that  assurance  is  of  the  essence  of  faith,  which  he  seemed 
plainly  not  to  do ;  nor  m  anything  at  variance  with  particular 
redemption,  which  he  seemed  also  to  hold  distinctly,  speaking 
always  of  Jesus  dying  for  'his  beloved  church,'  &c. ;  but  in 
pressing  us  very  specially  to  believe  in  the  name  of  Jesus  as 
the  Son  of  God  with  adoration  and  love,  and  again  pressing 
all  who  do  so  to  believe  that  they  are  saved,  because  God 
says  so,  not  seeming  to  notice  or  to  suppose  the  case  of  those 
who  do  not  know  whether  they  believe  or  not.  He  illustrated 
the  effect  of  true  faith  in  the  witness  of  God  by  the  following 
anecdote:  One  day  when  Bonaparte  was  reviewing  some 
troops,  the  bridle  of  his  horse  slipped  from  his  hand  and  his 
horse  galloped  off.  A  common  soldier  ran  and  laying  hold 
of  the  bridle  brought  back  the  horse  to  the  emperor's  hand, 
when  he  addressed  him  and  said,  'Well  done,  captain.'  The 
soldier  inquired,  'Of  what  regiment,  sire?'  'Of  the  guards,' 
answered  Napoleon,  pleased  with  his  instant  belief  in  his 

t)rd.  The  emperor  rode  off,  the  soldier  threw  down  his 
iriisket,  and  though  he  had  no  epaulets  on  his  shoulders,  no 

word  by  his  side,  nor  any  other  mark  of  his  advancement 
than  jthe  word  of  the  emperor,  he  ran  and  joined  the  staff  of 
commanding  officers.  They  laughed  at  him  and  said,  'What 
have  you  to  do  here?'  He  replied, '  I  am  captain  of  the  guards.' 


/Et.  24.j      MALAN'S  SERMON  :  FAITH  AND  FEELING.        117 

They  were  amazed,  but  he  said,  'The  emperor  has  said  so,  and 
therefore  I  am.'  In  like  manner,  though  the  word  of  God, 
'he  that  believeth  hath  everlasting  life/  is  not  confirmed  by 
the  feelings  of  the  believer,  he  ought  to  take  the  word  of  God 
as  true  because  he  has  said  it,  and  thus  honour  him  as  a 
God  of  truth,  and  rejoice  with  joy  unspeakable.  He  told  us 
plainly  that  we  ought  not  to  pray  for  the  beginning  of  faith  in 
Jesus  in  ourselves,  though  we  might  pray  for  its  increase,  but 
that  we  must  believe  and  pray  in  faith.  He  seems  to  fear  all 
excitement  in  divine  worship,  going  to  the  very  opposite 
extreme  from  the  Methodists,  saying  as  he  did  to  me,  that  this 
leads  men  away  from  the  simple  testimony  of  God ;  and  he 
told  me  he  thought  I  had  far  too  much  when  he  heard  me 
speak  a  few  words  and  pray,  in  the  afternoon.  I  cannot, 
however,  agree  with  him  altogether,  and  I  think  many  facts 
in  regard  to  the  preaching  which  has  been  most  honoured  in 
this  land  prove  that  that  which  is  accompanied  with  the 
deepest  impression  of  the  truth  on  the  speaker's  soul,  and 
consequently  most  affects  the  hearers,  is  in  general  most 
blessed  for  leading  men  to  flee  from  the  wrath  to  come. 

"September  i^th. — .  .  .  I  called  at  the  M.'s,  and  found 
these  sisters  rejoicing  with  solemn  delight  in  the  death  of 
their  beloved  sister  with  all  its  remarkable  circumstances, 
which  so  clearly  mark  the  hand  of  the  gracious  Lord  who 
has  called  her  to  his  kingdom  and  glory!1  They  told  me 
many  interesting  and  affecting  facts  regarding  her  last  days. 
She  appears  to  have  fed  with  remarkable  relish  upon  Christ 
in  the  word  during  her  last  days,  and  especially  the  night  and 
morning  before  her  departure.  I  prayed  with  them,  and  felt 
drawn  uncommonly  near  to  the  divine  presence  of  our  Father 
in  heaven.  We  entreated  earnestly  that  as  the  Lord  had  not 
allowed  her  to  manifest  her  love  to  him  in  the  world,  he 
might  show  his  love  to  her  by  making  her  death  the  means 

1  Elizabeth  Miller,  who  died  very  suddenly,  but  in  the  perfect 
peace  of  God,  while  conversing  with  him  in  the  vestry  of  St.  Peter's 
Church,  September  13,  1839. 


Il8  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1839. 

of  quickening  many  souls.  O  Lord  Jesus,  hear  this  prayer, 
and  answer  it  abundantly  to-morrow,  yea,  to-night !  Coming 
home  at  six  I  found  many  gathered  together  praying  and 
singing  praises ;  .  .  .  went  in  and  prayed  with  the  young 
men  and  women  in  the  other  room.  I  had  much  nearness 
to  God  with  unspeakable  composure  of  soul,  which,  praise  be 
to  the  Lord,  has  never  been  ruffled  during  these  remarkable 
days ;  though  many  of  them  were  very  much  affected,  and 
all  seemed  to  realize  eternity  and  the  preciousness  of  Jesus! 
It  was  indeed  a  sweet  season.  W.  L.  came  and  joined  the 
meeting  with  great  joy,  which  broke  in  upon  him  with  such 
power  at  the  meeting  last  night,  that  he  went  home  in  trans 
porting  ecstasy.  This  is  a  sweet  youth.  Lord,  make  him  a 
minister  of  thy  gospel."  .  .  . 

In  the  following  exalted  strains  of  adoration  and  fervent 
aspiration  he  closes  the  record  of  a  week  of  incessant, 
but  to  him  delightful  labour: — "20  minutes  to  12 — When 
this  week  is  expiring  I  would  again,  with  praises  which 
must  echo  through  all  the  arches  of  heaven,  set  up  my 
Ebenezer  and  say,  Hitherto  the  Lord  hath  helped  me! 
O  what  a  week  of  mercy  and  grace  and  love !  Last  week 
was  wonderful,  this  is  much  more  so ;  what  will  the  next 
be?  Perhaps  it  may  be  with  Jesus  in  glory!  O  that  it 
may  at  least  be  with  Jesus,  and  that  it  may  redound  to 
the  eternal  glory  of  his  grace  in  me  and  many  thousands 
of  redeemed  souls!  Come,  Lord  Jesus,  come  quickly! 
O  scatter  the  clouds  and  mists  of  unbelief  which  exhale 
afresh  from  the  stagnant  marshes  in  my  natural  heart,  the 
habitation  of  dragons,  and  pour  afresh  upon  my  ransomed 
soul  a  full  flood  of  thy  divine  light  and  love  and  joy,  in 
the  effulgence  of  which  all  sin  dies,  and  all  the  graces 
of  the  Spirit  bloom  and  breathe  their  fragrance!  Nor 


Mi.  24,]  MIDNIGHT    BREATHINGS.  119 

do  I  pray  for  myself  alone,  but  for  all  my  dear  friends — 

father,  mother,  brothers  and  sisters — for 

all  the  people  here — all  the  ministers  of  every  name 
whom  Jesus  hath  called  to  preach  his  gospel,  and  for  all 
who  shall  to-morrow  hear  or  read  the  glad  tidings  of  great 
joy  which  shall  yet  be  to  all  people!  Lord,  hasten  the 
latter-day  glory!  Come  quickly,  and  reign  without 
bounds  and  without  end!  And  now  wash  me  in  thy 
blood,  whose  price  I  cannot  tell,  but  need  to  cleanse  me, 
so  great  a  transgressor  am  I.  Glory  to  thee,  O  Lamb  of 
God,  and  to  thee,  O  Father,  and  to  thee,  O  Holy  Ghost, 
eternal  and  undivided !  Amen ! " 

And  so  from  day  to  day  and  from  week  to  week  the 
sacred  work  of  this  remarkable  time  went  on — the  church 
nightly  thronged  with  arrested  and  deeply  solemnized 
multitudes,  and  every  other  available  hour  occupied 
with  individual  inquirers,  who  in  very  deed  sought  the 
eternal  wisdom  "as  silver,  and  searched  for  her  as  for 
hid  treasure."  Twenty,  thirty,  forty,  would  often  come 
to  him  on  this  errand  in  a  single  day,  gathering  in  little 
groups  in  an  outer  chamber  and  pouring  out  their  hearts 
in  united  prayer,  or  in  silent  and  solitary  breathings,  as 
they  waited  each  their  turn  for  a  personal  interview. 
Generally  at  the  public  assemblies,  a  large  part  of  the 
audience  would  remain  after  the  regular  services  were 
concluded,  for  further  and  more  special  instruction;  and 
even  when  all  was  over,  often  at  a  late  hour,  eager  groups 
would  still  cling  around  the  preacher  as  he  retired  to  the 
vestry,  in  hope  of  hearing  still  some  last  words  of  part 
ing  counsel  and  prayer.  Occasionally  even  then  it  was 


120  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1839. 

scarcely  possible  to  shake  off  the  importunate  crowds  who 
hung  upon  the  lips  of  Christ's  ambassadors  as  for  their 
lives: — "When  we  left  the  session-house,"  he  writes  on 
September  ipth,  "we  met  a  great  multitude  still  waiting 
to  hear  the  word,  and  some  of  them  in  tears.  Many  of 
these  came  along  with  Mr.  W—  —  and  me  to  the  west 
end  of  the  town,  and  when  we  came  to  Roseangle,  Mr. 

W at  my  suggestion  engaged  with  them  in  a  parting 

prayer  on  the  highway  side,  under  the  starlight  faintly 
shining  through  the  dark  windy  clouds."  At  one  time  the 
throng  of  worshippers  was  so  great,  especially  during 
a  visit  of  Dr.  M 'Donald  of  Urquhart,  that  it  was  found 
expedient  to  change  the  place  of  meeting  from  St.  Peter's 
to  St.  David's  Parish  Church,  the  largest  place  of  worship 
in  Dundee,  the  use  of  which  was  kindly  given  by  the 
minister,  the  Rev.  George  Lewis,  who  himself  took  a 
deep  interest  and  bore  an  efficient  part  in  the  services. 
The  movement  may  perhaps  be  said  to  have  reached  its 
climax — a  kind  of  spring-tide  flood — at  the  communion 
season  in  October,  when  the  late  much  esteemed  and 
highly  gifted  Mr.  Bonar  of  Larbert,  assisted  by  Messrs. 
Bonar  of  Kelso,  M 'Donald  of  Blairgowrie,  and  Mr.  Flyter 
of  Alness,  dispensed  the  living  bread  to  a  vast  concourse 
of  hungering  souls,  "many  of  whom  seemed  burning  with 
desire  after  nearness  to  Jesus."  On  the  evening  of  the 
day  three  several  congregations  were  assembled — one 
vast  assemblage  in  the  church,  and  two  lesser  ones  formed 
out  of  its  overflow  in  the  adjoining  school-rooms,  and  were 
addressed  respectively  by  Mr.  Bonar  of  Kelso,  Mr.  Bonar 
of  Larbert,  and  Mr.  Burns.  "  During  the  whole  of  this 


JEt.  24.]  "AN    HIGH    DAY."  121 

communion  Sabbath,"  he  records  in  his  journal,  "there 
was,  I  am  told  by  the  ministers,  an  unusually  deep  solem 
nity  pervading  the  audience — the  result,  I  trust,  of  the 
near  presence  of  Jehovah." 

Amidst  those  solemn  scenes  Mr.  Burns  himself  re 
mained,  in  a  most  remarkable  manner,  calm  and  self- 
possessed.  The  great  objects  of  faith  which  so  mightily 
moved  his  soul,  seemed  to  tranquillize,  whilst  they 
solemnized  and  stirred  him,  so  that  he  moved  from 
day  to  day  in  an  element  rather  only  of  holy  and  exalted 
feeling  than  of  excitement  in  the  ordinary  sense  of  the 
term.  At  the  close  of  the  most  exhausting  day  of  appar 
ently  exciting  labour,  his  sleep  would  be  as  deep  and  soft 
as  that  of  a  child,  and  he  arose  for  the  next  day's  toil 
fresh  and  joyful,  as  a  strong  man  to  run  his  race.  "  I 
rose,"  says  he  (Sabbath,  October  6,  1839),  "at  half  past 
nine,  and  felt  very  strong,  even  after  the  incessant  duties 
of  Saturday — so  wonderfully  does  the  Lord  refresh  me 
with  sweet  sleep."  And  again  (November  n),  "I  rose 
this  morning  at  n  o'clock!!  This  appeared  to  be  my 
duty  after  being  so  long  and  busily  engaged  on  Sabbath. 
Indeed,  it  is  by  sleeping  until  I  am  fully  refreshed,  more 
than  by  any  other  means,  that  my  strength  has  been  pre 
served  undiminished,  or  rather,  I  may  say,  has  increased 
during  the  excessive  labours  to  which  I  have  been  called 
during  the  last  three  and  a  half  months." 

In  regard  to  the  character  of  his  preaching  during  this 
period,  it  would  appear  from  all  I  have  been  able  to 
learn  in  regard  to  it,  to  have  been  characterized  by  great 
fulness,  freedom,  and  rich  copiousness  of  scriptural  exposi- 


122  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1839. 

tion  and  appeal,  by  a  melting  and  persuasive  unction, 
and  even  by  a  clearness  and  force  of  thought  and  diction, 
which,  considering  the  incessant  draughts  made  upon  his 
resources,  was  very  remarkable.  At  the  same  time,  as  he 
ever  sought  to  speak,  not  from  the  mere  remembered 
impression  of  past  convictions,  but  from  the  immediate 
and  present  sense  of  eternal  things,  and  felt  constrained 
either  to  utter  only  that  which  he  felt  livingly  in  his  soul 
or  be  silent  altogether,  his  preaching  was  subject  now,  as 
ever  afterwards,  to  great  variations  alike  in  fulness  and 
in  power.  Thus  the  alternations  of  feeling,  and  conse 
quent  liberty  of  speech,  indicated  in  the  following  extracts 
are  only  examples  of  what  we  find  characteristic  of  his 
entire  ministry : 

"In  the  evening  Mr.  Lewis  of  St.  David's  preached  from 
John  x.  10  in  a  very  interesting  and  edifying  way,  after  which  I 
engaged  in  prayer,  and  found  so  much  enlargement  that  I 
continued  for  more  than  fifty  minutes,  and  at  one  time  got  so 
near  a  view  of  the  glory  of  Emmanuel  that  I  could  hardly 
proceed. 

"Sabbath,  October  6t/i,  1839. — I  rose  at  a  quarter  past  nine, 
and  felt  very  strong  even  after  the  incessant  duties  of  Satur 
day,  so  wonderfully  does  the  Lord  refresh  me  with  sweet 
sleep.  In  the  forenoon  I  preached  with  much  comfort,  though 
not  with  much  depth  of  experience  or  present  feeling  of  the 
truth,  from  Romans  iii.  20,  21.  In  the  afternoon  I  preached 
from  i  John  i.  3,  last  clause,  and  was  much  more  assisted  than 
in  the  forenoon,  getting  a  nearer  view  of  Jehovah,  and  a 
firmer  hold  of  the  truth  and  also  of  men's  consciences.  The 
congregation  seemed  much  solemnized;  I  saw  some  young 
converts  rejoicing  greatly,  and  during  the  last  Psalm  a  young 
woman  was  so  deeply  wounded  that  she  could  not  restrain 
her  feelings,  and  cried  aloud  for  mercy  from  the  Lord.  In 


Mt.  24.]  EBBS    AND    FLOWS.  123 

the  evening  I  preached  in  Hiltown  church  from  Job  xxxiii. 
23,  24.  At  first,  and  especially  when  I  should  have  spoken 
of  the  Lord's  terrors  from  the  words  'going  down  to  the  pit/ 
I  was  much  deserted,  and  was  forced  to  be  both  bare  and 
brief;  but  when  I  came  to  speak  of  the  Lord's  love  and  mercy 
I  got  such  an  insight  into  the  subject  that  its  glorious  grace 
almost  overcame  me,  the  tears  were  flowing  from  my  eyes, 
and  I  was  enabled  to  speak  with  some  degree  of  tenderness 
both  in  expounding  the  truth  and  in  afterwards  applying  it  to 
men's  hearts.  I  could  not  but  thank  the  Lord  for  restraining 
me  from  too  much  terror,  and  giving  me  on  this  occasion  a 
message  of  love,  perhaps,  to  some  of  the  gainsayers.  The 
crowd  was  most  dense,  and  many  hundreds  were  standing 
without  or  obliged  to  go  away.  A  blessed  Sabbath." 

But  anon  the  Beloved  had  withdrawn  Himself  and  was 
gone: 

"Friday,  October  loth. — Mr.  M'Donald  met  me  along  with 
Mr.  Millar  at  Mr.  Thain's  gate,  and  we  drove  up  together, 
praying  each  by  himself  for  the  solemn  work  of  the  evening. 
On  arriving,  we  found  Mr.  Gillies  and  Mr.  Mitchell  of  Persie 
Chapel  waiting  us.  With  these  dear  brethren  we  had  much 
prayer,  but  I  was  too  little  in  secret,  partly  from  want  of  time 
and  partly  from  feeling  the  need  of  mental  relaxation  after 
the  all-engrossing  and  incessant  duties  of  the  previous  days. 
I  went  in  consequence  to  the  pulpit  under  a  load  of  self- 
dependence,  and  with  much  unbelief,  which  combined  to 
intercept  or  prevent  the  rich  communications  of  the  power 
of  the  Spirit.  I  was,  in  consequence,  in  a  considerable  mea 
sure  left  to  myself,  and  though  in  the  first  prayer,  after  strug 
gling  long  to  get  through  the  clouds  which  shut  out  my  soul 
from  the  light  of  God's  countenance,  I  did  get  some  sweet  and 
melting  glimpses  of  Emmanuel  at  the  Father's  right  hand;  yet 
in  preaching,  which  I  did  from  Isaiah  liv.  5,  I  was  confined 
almost  entirely  to  exposition  of  doctrine,  and  was  not  allowed 


124  LIFE    OF    REV-    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1839. 

to  open  and  search  and  alarm  the  consciences  of  the  secure 
by  any  hortatory  application  of  the  subject." 

Amid  these  engrossing  and  abundant  labours  in  the 
field  of  service  specially  allotted  to  him,  he  found  time 
also  for  occasional  evangelistic  excursions  to  other  places, 
the  results  of  which  were  sometimes  interesting.  Thus, 
instead  of  returning  straight  home  from  the  communion 
at  Kilsyth,  referred  to  in  last  chapter,  he  made  a  rapid 
visit  to  Paisley,  where  he  preached  in  the  High  Church 
to  a  densely  crowded  audience,  "with  much  assistance, 
from  Job  xxxiii.  23;"  and  "  saw  not  a  few  in  tears,"  as  he 
was  himself  "considerably  moved,  not  so  much  when 
preaching,  as  when  expounding  briefly  Philippians  ii.  5-9." 
On  his  way  to  Paisley  an  incident  occurred  which  is 
worth  recording,  as  characteristic  alike  of  the  time  and  of 
the  man: 

"  Tuesday,  September  24th. — In  the  afternoon,  when  on  my 
way  to  Paisley,  I  had  hardly  seated  myself  in  the  Glasgow 
boat  when  an  acquaintance  (John  Marshall,  Auchinsterrie) 
said  to  me,  'You  should  have  worship  here.'  'Of  course  if  it 
is  agreeable  to  all  it  will  be  agreeable  to  me.'  All  seemed 
anxious  for  this,  and  the  next  minute  the  Captain  came  saying, 
'Will  you  allow  me  to  open  the  steerage  door  as  the  passengers 
there  would  like  to  hear?'  This  of  course  we  gladly  agreed  to, 
and  in  a  few  minutes  I  found  myself,  to  my  own  joyful  aston 
ishment,  standing  at  the  partition  door  and  praying  with  the 
whole  company.  We  also  sang  more  than  once;  and  I  would 
have  expounded  a  passage,  but  I  had  a  little  hoarseness  and 
did  not  see  it  to  be  my  duty  to  expose  myself  when  I  had  so 
much  of  the  most  important  work  before  me." 

The  next  day  he  preached  in  the  forenoon  at  Kirkin- 


JEt.  24.]  EVANGELISTIC    EXCURSION.  125 

tilloch,  and  in  the  evening  at  Denny,  where  we  catch  a 
characteristic  glimpse  of  one  lofty  alike  in  stature  and  in 
moral  bearing,  whom  all  who  were  present  at  the  convo 
cation  of  the  ministers  of  the  Church  of  Scotland  in  1842 
will  remember  as  perhaps  the  most  striking  figure  in  that 
assembly :  "  There  was  a  most  densely  crowded  audience, 
to  whom  I  preached  with  considerable  assistance  from 
Romans  iii.  19,  22.  Having  ended  at  twelve  o'clock, 
Mr.  Dempster,  who  seemed  all  on  fire  with  earnestness 
for  a  blessing  on  his  people,  came  up  and  said  a  few  words, 
adding,  that  if  any  still  desired  to  hear  more  of  the  gospel, 
Mr.  Duncan1  would  be  glad  to  preach  again." 

The  following  extracts,  the  first  of  them  deeply  touching 
and  characteristic,  will  afford  a  glimpse  of  some  of  his 
labours  elsewhere: — 

"Edinburgh,  October  i6th,  1839. — This  forenoon  I  visited, 
after  seeing  several  cases  privately,  the  Orphan  Hospital, 
under  the  government  of  my  dear  friend  M'Dougall,  with 
whom  I  one  dark  evening  prayed  in  Bute  upon  some  lonely 
rocks  by  the  sea-shore,  and  a  pious  matron,  Mrs.  Dickson. 
In  the  governor's  room  I  saw  a  fine  picture  of  Whitefield, 
who  was  a  great  favourer  of  this  institution,  and  when  I  went 
into  the  little  pulpit  of  the  chapel,  saw  the  dear  orphans  so 
neatly  clad  and  so  beautifully  arranged  before  me,  and  began 
to  read  Psalm  ciii.,  'Such  pity  as  a  father  hath/  &c.,  I  felt 
quite  overpowered  by  a  feeling  of  sympathy  with  these  dear 
children  in  their  orphan  state,  mingled  with  grateful  wonder 
at  the  love  of  God  in  dealing  so  kindly  with  them.  In  prayer 
also  I  had  considerable  enlargement,  but  particularly  in 
speaking  from  2  Corinthians  viii.  9,  and  telling  them  some 
anecdotes,  I  felt  unusually  melted  myself,  and  yearned  over 

1  Of  Milton  Church,  Glasgow,  now  of  New  College,  Edinburgh. 


126  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1839. 

them,  I  think,  in  the  bowels  of  Jesus  Christ.  Some  of  the 
boys  and  girls  were  crying,  and  when  I  bade  them  farewell, 
they  unwillingly  and  with  many  tears  withdrew.  O  Lord, 
think  upon  each  of  these  dear  children,  convert  them  all  to 
thyself  through  Jesus,  and  raise  up  from  among  the  boys  a 
great  band  of  holy  and  devoted  ministers  and  missionaries 
of  Jesus!  It  was  with  peculiarly  affecting  feelings  that  I 
hurriedly  bade  adieu  to  this  most  interesting  institution, 
running  to  be  in  time  to  visit,  as  I  had  promised,  the  Green- 
side  Female  School,  under  the  conduct  of  Miss  Haldane  and 
other  pious  ladies. 

"Edinburgh,  November  \st. — I  spent  the  whole  of  this 
forenoon  till  half-past  twelve  in  private  with  the  Lord,  and 
enjoyed  more  of  his  glorious  presence  humbling  and  elevating 
my  soul  than  I  have  had  for  some  time  past  when  alone  (O ! 
for  a  day  every  week  to  spend  entirely  in  the  secret  of  his 
presence !)  At  one  o'clock  I  preached  for  the  Senior  Female 
Society  in  St.  George's  Church  to  a  congregation  composed 
of  the  genteel  society  of  Edinburgh.  I  was  carriedy#r  above 
the  conscious  desire  of  the  favour,  and  the  conscious  fear  of 
man;  and  in  preaching  from  Isaiah  xlii.  21,  I  felt  much  more 
of  the  presence  of  the  Holy  Spirit  enlightening  my  mind  in 
the  knowledge  of  Christ,  and  melting  my  heart  under  a  view 
of  his  glory  and  his  love,  than  I  have  for  some  time  enjoyed 
in  public. 

"November  ^th. — At  two  o'clock  I  set  out  for  St.  Andrews 
in  company  with  James  Hamilton,  where  we  arrived  at  half- 
past  four,  and  found  Mr.  Lothian  come  to  dinner  to  meet  me 
at  Dr.  Briggs'.  At  seven  o'clock  we  adjourned  to  the  place 
of  meeting,  which  was  fixed  to  be  the  Secession  church, 
holding  about  five  hundred,  in  consequence  of  my  aunt  having 
been  led  to  understand  that  I  would  not  be  allowed  the  parish 
church.  This,  however,  does  not  seem  to  have  been  the  case, 
as  Dr.  Buist,  when  he  heard  it  rumoured  that  he  had  refused 
me  his  church,  wrote  to  aunt,  saying  that  it  was  a  mistake, 
and  that  he  would  give  it  if  desired.  The  church  was 


Mt.  24.}  VISIT   TO    ST.    ANDREWS.  127 

crowded  by  the  elite  of  the  town,  including  Sir  David  Brew- 
ster,  &c.  Mr.  Taylor1,  the  minister,  began  with  singing  and 
prayer,  and  after  Mr.  Lothian  had  said  a  few  words,  I  entered 
the  Secession  pulpit  and  preached  after  prayer  and  praise  to 
a  most  attentive  and  solemnized  audience  from  Isaiah  xlii.  21. 
A  number  of  individuals  remained  to  converse  about  the  state 
of  their  souls,  most  of  them  deeply  affected,  and  some  of  them 
only  for  the  first  time. 

"After  visiting  Mrs.  C ,  an  interesting  Christian  widow, 

who  travails  in  birth  again  for  her  children,  that  Christ  may 
be  formed  in  them,  and  praying  with  her  and  two  of  her  dear 
children,  I  went  at  eleven  to  Mr.  Lothian's;  and  after  he  had 
prayed  and  said  a  few  words  I  spoke  for  a  little  to  about  fifty 
or  sixty  people  from  John  iv.  10.  Many  were  silently  weeping, 
though,  alas !  my  own  hard  heart  did  not  feel  so  tenderly  as 
at  some  other  times.  We  bade  them  all  farewell  at  the  door, 
leaving  many  in  tears  as  we  went  into  the  curricle  that  was 
to  convey  us  back  to  Dundee.  On  our  way  James  H.  and  I 
both  prayed  and  had  much  conversation  about  the  glorious 
work  in  which  we  were  engaged,  the  hopeful  symptoms  of  an 
approaching  revival  in  St.  Andrews,  and  the  necessity  of 
making  full  proof  of  our  ministry,  taking  up  our  cross  and 
following  Jesus  whithersoever  he  goeth.  There  are  a  few 
names  even  in  this  poor  desolate  place  that  have  not  defiled 
their  garments,  and  who  begin  to  take  pleasure  in  the  stones 
of  Zion  and  to  favour  her  very  dust.  O  Lord!  do  thou 
appear  in  thy  glory  among  them,  and  turn  all  their  hearts  as 
the  heart  of  one  man  to  thyself.  Father,  glorify  thy  Son; 
glorify  thine  own  name.  Amen. 

"O  Lord  Jehovah!  grant  to  me  a  heart  for  Jesus'  sake  to 
praise  thee  with  becoming  love  for  all  the  most  marvellous 
displays  of  thy  love  and  mercy  which  I  the  chief  of  sinners 
am  permitted  to  behold  from  day  to  day.  Breathe  on  me,  O 
Holy  Ghost !  for  the  glory  of  Emmanuel,  and  fill  my  soul  with 
seraphic  love,  and  my  tongue  with  holy  and  unceasing  praise, 

1  The  Rev.  James  Taylor,  D.D.,  now  of  Glasgow. 


128  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1839. 

and  O  !  draw  by  thy  omnipotent  grace  all  these  dear  inquiring 
souls  to  the  blood  and  the  bosom  of  that  adorable  Emmanuel 
whom  they  seek  after,  and  whom  thou  earnest  to  glorify  in 
the  hearts  of  sinners.  Amen." 

On  Thursday,  November  23,  Mr.  M'Cheyne  returned 
from  the  interesting  mission  which  had  led  to  Mr.  Burns' 
temporary  occupancy  of  his  pastoral  charge,  and  from  that 
time  accordingly  his  official  connection  with  St.  Peter's 
Church  and  congregation  closed.  The  following  extracts 
will  show  the  feelings  with  which  he  ended  this  first,  and 
in  some  respects  most  eventful  period  of  his  home  ministry, 
and  the  tender  bond  of  sacred  affection  which  still,  in 
parting,  bound  him  alike  to  that  people  and  their  pastor : 

"Had  a  letter  from  dear  Mr.  M'Cheyne,  written  in  a  spirit 
of  joy  for  the  work  of  the  Lord,  which  shows  a  great  triumph, 
I  think,  of  divine  grace  over  the  natural  jealousy  of  the 
human  heart.  O  Lord,  I  would  praise  thee  with  all  my 
heart  for  this,  and  would  entreat  that  when  thy  dear  servant 
the  pastor  of  this  people  is  restored  to  them,  he  may  be 
honoured  a  hundredfold  more  in  winning  souls  to  Christ  than 
I  have  been  in  thine  infinite  and  sovereign  mercy.  Amen. 

"Sabbath,  November  ijth,  1839. — .  .  .  In  applying  the 
subject  I  was  remarkably  aided,  and  just  as  I  was  concluding 
it  came  into  my  mind  that  though  I  might  probably  preach 
to  the  people  again,  yet  that  now  I  had  reached  the  termina 
tion  of  my  ministry,  and  this  gave  me  an  affecting  topic  from 
which  to  press  home  the  message  more  urgently  (subject 
"Union  to  Christ,"  John  xv.)  The  season  was  indeed  one 
that  I  shall  never  forget.  Before  me  there  was  a  crowd 
of  immortal  souls  all  hastening  to  eternity,  some  to  heaven, 
and  many  I  fear  to  hell,  and  I  was  called  to  speak  to  them, 
as  it  were,  for  the  last  time,  to  press  Jesus  on  them,  and  to 
beseech  them  to  be  reconciled  to  God  by  the  death  of  his 
Son.  .  .  .  After  I  had  intimated  that  Mr.  M'Cheyne  was 


JEt.  24.]  CLOSING    SCENES    IN    DUNDEE.  129 

expected  to  be  here  on  Thursday,  I  spoke  a  few  words  on  my 
leaving  them,  but  I  was  so  much  affected  that  I  could  say  but 
little,  and  I  felt  that  it  was  a  cause  of  praise  that  the  Lord 
hid  from  me  so  much  of  what  is  affecting  in  my  present 
circumstances,  though  I  believe  it  were  good  both  for  the 
people  and  myself  to  feel  this  much  more.  The  people  retired 
very  slowly  when  we  had  dismissed  about  five  o'clock,  and 
many  waited  in  the  passage  and  in  the  gallery  until  I  retired, 
who  wept  much  when  I  was  passing  along,  and  obliged  me 
to  pray  with  them  in  the  passage  again.  When  I  came  out 
I  met  with  many  of  the  same  affecting  tokens  of  the  reality 
of  my  approaching  separation  from  a  people  among  whom 
the  Lord,  in  his  sovereign  and  infinite  mercy,  has  shown  me 
the  most  marvellous  proofs  of  his  covenant  love,  and  from 
among  whom,  I  trust,  he  has  taken,  during  my  continuance 
among  them,  not  a  few  jewels  to  shine  for  ever  in  the  crown 
of  Emmanuel  the  Redeemer !  '  Glory  to  the  Lamb  that  was 
slain!' 

"November  i%th. — I  spent  the  greater  part  of  this  day 
alone,  excluding  all  visitors,  with  the  exception  of  the  M.'s 
of  Roseangle,  with  the  B.'s,  and  Miss  H.,  who  called  and 
conversed  with  me  together  about  the  work  of  God.  I 
wished  retirement,  partly  to  rest  and  partly  to  write  to  Mr. 
M'Cheyne  and  a  number  of  other  persons  in  different  places, 
who  must  be  considering  me  the  most  careless  correspondent 
that  could  be  imagined.  I  was  tired,  however,  and  was 
obliged  to  go  out  a  considerable  part  of  the  day,  so  that  I 
only  got  five  pages  written  to  Mr.  M'Cheyne.  Truly  the 
work  of  the  Lord  is  marvellous  when  I  begin  to  look  back 
upon  it  from  the  beginning.  It  must  engage  my  harp  and 
my  tongue,  with  those  of  countless  multitudes  of  the  redeemed 
in  glory,  throughout  the  endless  ages  of  eternity. 

"Friday,  November  2^d,  1839. — I  got  safely  home  at  four 
o'clock  (from  Dunfermline),  and  after  dining  wifch  Mr.  Thorns 
at  five  I  met  Mr.  M'Cheyne  at  his  own  house  at  half-past  six, 
and  had  a  sweet  season  of  prayer  with  him  before  the  hour  of 

i 


130  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1839-, 


the  evening  meeting.  We  went  both  into  the  pulpit;  and 
after  he  had  sung  and  prayed  shortly,  I  conducted  the 
remaining  services,  speaking  from  2  Samuel  xxiii.  1-5,  and 
concluding  at  ten.  We  went  to  his  house  together  and  con 
versed  a  considerable  time  about  many  things  connected  with 
the  work  of  God,  and  his  and  my  own  future  plans  and 
prospects.  I  find  he  preached  to  a  densely  crowded  audience 
on  Thursday  night,  and  with  a  very  deep  impression,  from 
'I  am  determined  to  know  nothing  among  you/  &c.  He 
seems  in  but  weak  health,  and  not  very  sanguine  about  ever 
resuming  the  full  duties  of  a  parish  minister.  O  Lord,  spare1 
thy  servant,  if  it  be  for  the  glory  of  thy  name,  and  restore  his 
full  strength  that  he  may  yet  be  the  means  of  winning  many 
souls  for  Jesus.  Amen." 


CHAPTER  VI. 
1839-40. 

ST.    ANDREWS,    PERTH,  &C. 

WITH  the  return  of  Mr.  M'Cheyne,  Mr.  Burns'  stated 
labours  at  Dundee  necessarily  came  to  a  close,  and 
though  the  somewhat  delicate  state  of  his  friend's  health 
still  for  a  season  rendered  his  assistance  in  pastoral 
work  more  or  less  needful,  his  movements  became  hence 
forth  of  a  more  varied  and  desultory  kind.  On  the  27th 
he  was  at  Abernyte,  of  which  his  endeared  friend  Mr. 
Hamilton  was  then  the  assistant  minister,  where  he 
addressed  a  crowded  audience  from  the  words,  "God  so 
loved  the  world,"  &c.  "The  people  seemed  much  solemn 
ized,  and  at  the  close  a  few  were  shedding  silent  tears. 
Mr.  Wilson,  the  old  minister,  stayed  till  near  the  end  (about 
twelve  o'clock),  and  seemed  much  interested;  and  dear 
James  Hamilton,  who  I  think  is  decidedly  growing  in  grace, 
spoke  to  the  people  a  little  towards  the  end  in  a  very  close 
and  affecting  way."  From  thence  he  proceeded  to  Bridge  of 
Earn,  where,  though  he  complained  that  he  "did  not  feel 
particularly  assisted  in  preaching,  and  was  much  humbled, 
on  coming  out,  from  a  view  of  his  own  want  of  simple 
and  supreme  desire  for  the  divine  glory,"  he  enjoyed 
much  the  congenial  society  of  the  minister,  Mr.  Gumming, 


132  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1839-40. 

and  rejoiced  to  hear  of  some  hopeful  tokens  of  a 
coming  blessing  on  his  field  of  labour.  "Pray  on,"  Mr. 
Somerville  had  said  at  the  close  of  the  communion 
services  the  week  before,  "and  you  will  soon  have  a  re 
vival  here."  Next  morning  he  was  in  Perth,  and  had  his 
first  sight  of  a  field  already  white  unto  the  harvest,  and 
in  which  he  was  soon  to  spend  many  a  day  of  abounding 
but  delightful  labour: 

"Friday,  November  2gt/t,  1839. — I  had  intended  to  leave 
Perth  this  morning  by  ten  o'clock,  but  was  prevailed  on  by 

Miss  M ,  whom  I  saw  at  the  Bridge  of  Earn,  to  think 

of  remaining  till  four  P.M.*,  and  then  thought  I  might  as  well 
stay  all  night  and  preach  among  them ;  accordingly  I  came 
to  Perth  at  one  o'clock,  and  having  met  Andrew  Gray  at 

Mrs.  M 's,  where  I  took  up  my  lodging,  it  was  agreed 

that  I  should  preach  in  his  church  at  seven  o'clock.  Some 
men  were  accordingly  sent  round  to  give  intimation,  and 
short  and  partial  as  the  notice  was,  the  church  was  crowded, 
and  hundreds  went  away  who  could  not  get  admittance.  I 
preached  from  Job  xxxiii.  24,  and  had  unusual  liberty  through 
out.  We  did  not  separate  till  near  eleven,  and  I  am  per 
suaded  that  had  I  had  time  to  wait  there  were  not  a  few  who 
were  in  deep  anxiety  about  their  souls ;  as  it  was,  two  men 
and  four  or  five  women  came  up  after  me  to  the  vestry  under 
deep  concern. 

"Saturday,  November  y>th,  1839. — I  this  morning  met  at 
breakfast  Andrew  Gray  and  Mr.  Milne,  who  has  just  been 
settled  in  St.  Leonard's  Church,  and  with  them  I  walked  about 
on  the  quay  for  a  considerable  time  waiting  for  the  boat, 
which  was  considerably  behind  her  time  owing  to  the  flood 
in  the  river,  and  had  much  interesting  conversation.  Both 
of  these  dear  friends,  but  especially  Mr.  Milne,  seem  deeply 
anxious  for  a  stirring  among  the  dry  bones  in  poor  Perth, 


Mt.  24-25.]  SECOND   VISIT   TO    ST.    ANDREWS.  133 

where  they  are  very  many  and  very  dry,  and  both  kindly 
pressed  me  to  come  back  to  them  soon." 

He  returned  to  Dundee,  but  only  on  his  way  to  St. 
Andrews,  to  which  he  had  been  strongly  urged  to  return 
with  the  view  of  following  up  the  impression  created  at 
his  first  visit : — 

"Sabbath^  November  3U/,  1839 — I  preached  in  the  fore 
noon  for  Mr.  Robb  at  Strathkinnes — text,  John  xv.  During 
the  first  prayer  I  had  great  nearness  to  God.  Riding  straight 
home  I  went  almost  immediately  to  the  parish  church,  and 
there  preached  to  an  immense  audience,  including  Drs. 
Haldane,  Buist,  &c.,  Professor  Jackson  of  the  divinity  chair, 
Sir  D.  Brewster,  Mr.  Gillespie,  &c.  Before  all  these  learned 
men,  blessed  be  the  Lord,  I  was  not  allowed  to  feel  in  the  least 
abashed,  but  testified  the  gospel  of  the  grace  of  God  to  them 
all  with  as  much  plainness  and  liberty  as  on  most  other 
occasions — subject,  Job  xxxiii.  24.  I  preached  to  a  most 
densely  crowded  audience  in  the  evening  in  the  Secession 
Church,  with  more  enlargement  than  during  the  day,  from 
Isaiah  liv.  5.  At  half-past  nine  I  went  home,  feeling  less 
fatigued  than  in  the  morning,  though  I  had  spoken  for  be 
tween  seven  and  eight  hours. 

"Monday,  December  ist,  1839. — This  morning  I  preached 
to  the  inquirers,  in  Mr.  Lothian's  church  at  eleven  o'clock, 
from  Psalm  li.,  upon  repentance.  It  was  a  solemn  season. 
At  two  o'clock  I  met  the  fishermen  in  the  Secession  Church, 
and  preached  to  them  in  as  nautical  a  mode  as  I  could 
command,  feeling  much  supported.  At  eight  o'clock  I 
lectured  to  a  crowded  audience  in  the  Secession  Church  from 
Luke  vii.  36-52.  It  was  an  affecting  subject,  and  not  a  few 
of  the  people  as  well  as  myself  appeared  to  be  in  a  very 
tender  frame.  On  coming  down  from  the  pulpit  many  came 
to  bid  me  farewell,  with  whom  I  was  led  by  circumstances 
to  stand  and  speak  for  a  considerable  time.  Many  at  this 


134  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1839-40- 

time  were  weeping  profusely,  and'/  hope  the  Holy  Spirit  was 
sealing  some  souls  to  the  day  of  redemption." 

These  hopes  were  not  disappointed.  "To  many,"  says 
an  old  disciple,  whose  name  will  long  be  fragrant  in  the 
city  and  neighbourhood  of  St.  Andrews,  "  that  season,  I 
trust,  was  the  birth-time  of  their  souls,  and  to  believers 
a  time  of  great  revival  and  refreshment.  To  me,  it 
was  a  feast  of  fat  things,  and  I  trust  of  great  blessing. 
Certainly  I  never  heard  the  gospel  message  so  clearly 
preached,  so  unfettered,  so  unbeclouded;  and  as  faith 
cometh  by  hearing,  so  faith  came  to  my  soul,  and,  out 
of  obscurity,  I  saw  and  felt  the  love  of  God  in  a  way  so 
melting  and  so  overflowing  as  to  make  me  weep.  May 
I  never  lose  the  impression  produced'  by  that  sermon 
from  these  words:  'He  that  believeth  doth  enter  into 
rest*  and  another  also  from  Mr.  Wight,  'Hold  fast  the 
beginning  of  your  confidence  steadfast  unto  the  end.' 
What  an  exhibition  of  the  fulness  and  freeness  and  com 
pleteness  of  salvation  to  the  believing  soul !  "  Doubting 
Castle"  was  quite  demolished;  every  chain  struck  off; 
closed  lips  opened  to  shout  for  joy  and  sing  praise  to 
our  redeeming  God."  .  .  . 

On  the  6th  December  he  expresses  himself  as  "in 
great  difficulty  in  knowing  my  own  duty,  whether  to 
remain  steadily  in  Dundee  or  to  visit  it  only  among  the 
many  places  which  seem  at  present  ripe  for  the  harvest." 
In  the  meantime,  however,  he  continues  his  evangelistic 
excursions,  guided  simply  by  the  calls  which  immediately 
pressed  upon  him,  and  having  no  other  plan  than  that  of 
doing  what  his  hand  found  to  do,  and  doing  it  with  his 


JEt.  24-25.]  WORDS    BY   THE   WAYSIDE.  135 

might.  The  next  entry  is  interesting,  as  illustrating  the 
manner  in  which  he  unweariedly  sought  to  sow  the 
precious  seed  beside  all  waters,  scarcely  ever  losing  an 
opportunity  of  speaking  a  word  in  behalf  of  his  Master 
wherever  there  was  a  human  ear  to  hear  it,  whether  in  the 
house  or  by  the  way,  on  the  top  of  a  coach,  on  the  deck 
or  cabin  of  a  boat,  or  to  the  random  travellers  on  a  country 
road.  Instances  of  this  occur  perpetually,  and  in  every 
variety  of  circumstances,  in  his  journal,  and  give  perhaps 
more  than  anything  else  in  his  life  and  ministry,  the  im 
pression  of  one  who  lived  for  nothing  else  but  to  serve 
and  glorify  Christ.  It  is  touching  often  to  mark  how 
eagerly  and  thankfully  he  hailed  such  opportunities,  not 
as  calls  to  the  discharge  of  a  difficult  duty,  but  as 
special  tokens  of  the  divine  mercy  and  favour  towards 
himself.  To  give  him  the  liberty  of  conducting  divine 
worship  and  delivering  the  message  of  grace,  at  any  time 
or  in  any  place  where  a  few  immortal  souls  were  gathered 
together,  was  to  lay  him  under  the  deepest  of  all  obliga 
tions.  Thus  no  one  who  ever  spent  the  briefest  time 
alone  with  him,  or  even  met  him  casually  by  the  way, 
could  for  a  moment  doubt  that  in  the  truest  and  fullest 
sense  to  him  "to  live  was  Christ:" 

"  Thursday,  December  $th,  1839. — I  this  day  went  by  coach 
from  Dundee  to  Cumbernauld.  ...  At  Cumbernauld  I 
left  the  coach,  after  giving  tracts  to  all  on  it  and  in  it  (a 
practice  which  I  intend  to  follow  wherever  I  go,  as  eminently 
calculated  to  advance  the  salvation  of  souls),  and  walked  over 
the  hill  towards  Kilsyth.  I  first  made  up  to  two  boys  going 
home  from  school,  who  seemed  very  ignorant  of  Jesus.  I  spoke 
to  them,  gave  them  tracts,  and  shortly  prayed  with  them  on 


136  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1839-40. 

the  road.  I  next  met  Mr.  Lusk  going  home,  with  whom  I 
also  prayed  on  the  road.  At  the  Craigmarloch  Bridge  I  met 
widow  Mitchell  and  her  daughter  Agnes,  an  old  school 
companion  of  my  own.  With  them  I  prayed — going  for  a  little 
into  the  house.  At  home  I  found  all  well — my  father  absent 
at  the  presbytery,  and  expected  to  return  in  the  evening  with 
some  minister  to  officiate  in  the  evening  meeting.  This 
duty,  however,  was  devolved  upon  me.  ...  I  preached  from 
Ephesians  v.  I,  chiefly  seeking  the  edification  of  those  lately 
converted  to  the  Lord.  During  the  service  my  father  and  Dr. 
Smyth1  of  Glasgow  came  in.  It  was  delightful  indeed  for  me 
to  meet,  after  the  congregation  dismissed,  with  many  of  the 
dear  lambs  of  Jesus'  fold,  who  appeared  to  be  growing  in  faith 
and  love  both  towards  Jesus  and  towards  each  other.  All 
the  road  home  was  strewed  with  little  groups  of  these  dear 
believers  waiting  to  welcome  me  back  among  them  and  re 
ceive  some  word  of  exhortation." 

One  object  he  had  had  in  coming  to  the  west  had  been 
to  address  once  more  the  members  of  the  Glasgow  Uni 
versity  Missionary  Society,  which  had  formed  so  important 
a  link  in  the  history  of  his  higher  life,  and  with  which  so 
many  hallowed  associations  were  connected.  Difficulties, 
however,  had  arisen  in  obtaining  the  use  of  the  usual 
place  of  meeting  within  the  University,  and  he  was  con 
strained  to  content  himself  with  a  few  hours  of  private, 
but  to  him  most  delightful  intercourse  with  some  of  those 
who  were  most  like-minded  with  himself  in  regard  to  the 
great  cause  he  had  come  to  plead.  Meanwhile,  important 
work  was  awaiting  him  in  another  quarter,  where  he  was 
not  expected,  but  much  desired : 

"Saturday,  December  'jth. — In  the  afternoon  I  sailed  down 

1  Minister  of  St.  George's  Parish,  Glasgow. 


JEt.  24-25.]     HOLDING    FORTH    THE   WORD    OF   LIFE.  137 

the  Clyde,  but  was  in  a  very  dead  frame  of  soul,  and  could 
hardly  bring  myself  to  speak  for  Jesus  to  any  of  the  passengers. 
Indeed,  though  it  is  always  duty  to  be  doing  the  work  of  an 
evangelist,  it  is  a  duty  entirely  dependent  upon  the  prior  one 
of  'living  in  the  Spirit.'  It  is  a  fearful  sin  to  be  going  through 
the  world  with  a  light  kindled  by  the  Holy  Ghost  to  guide 
sinners  to  Jesus,  and  yet  to  carry  this  as  a  dark  lantern  which 
can  give  no  benefit  to  any  one.  But  ah !  how  vain  is  it,  on 
the  other  hand,  to  hold  up  a  lamp  to  one  when  the  light  is 
almost  out,  and  the  oil  is  nearly  done !  May  I  always  be  like 
a  lamp  full  of  oil  (the  Holy  Spirit),  burning  brightly  with  the 
love  of  Christ,  and  guiding  those  that  are  in  darkness  to  the 
strait  gate  and  narrow  way  that  leadeth  unto  life ! 

"  Before  I  left  the  boat  I  spoke  to  a  young  woman  from 
Gourock,  whom  I  saw  in  mourning,  and  who,  I  found,  had 
lost  within  the  last  six  years  her  father  and  mother,  and  her 
uncle  and  aunt,  with  whom  she  went  to  live  after  her  parents 
died.  She  seemed  anxious,  but  in  great  danger  of  settling 
on  the  quicksands  of  legality.  I  gave  her  a  copy  of  Ralph 
Erskine's  sermon  on  the  Harmony  of  the  Divine  Attributes. 

"At  Port- Glasgow  I  found  the  Simpsons  all  well,  and  was 
delighted  to  find  that  I  had  indeed  come  opportunely,  and 
according  to  a  marvellous  dispensation  of  the  Lord's  provi 
dence.  Mr.  Kennedy,  expecting  my  brother  I to  preach 

his  first  sermon  in  his  church  on  Sabbath,  had  agreed  to  go 
to  Greenock  on  that  day,  and  fill  Mr.  Smith's  pulpit  in  his 
absence  at  Rutherglen  communion,  but,  to  his  dismay,  on 

Saturday  morning  he  got  a  letter  from  I saying  that  he 

could  not  come,  and  that  Mr.  K.  was  mistaken  in  supposing 
that  he  had  ever  given  a  promise  to  do  so.  Mr.  K.  was  just 
sitting  with  the  letter  in  his  hand,  and  hardly  knowing  what 
to  say  or  do,  when  Mr.  Simpson  came  in  and  showed  him  my 
letter  from  Glasgow,  which  I  had  written  without  any  concert 

with  I ,  intimating  that  I  would  be  in  Port-Glasgow  on 

Sabbath,  and  that  I  would  wish  him  if  possible  to  secure  Mr. 
Smith  of  Greenock's  pulpit  for  me  one  half  of  the  day — the 


138  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1839-40- 

very  pulpit  which  Mr.  K.  had  agreed  to  fill.  It  was  accord 
ingly  fixed  that  I  should  preach  forenoon  and  evening  in 
Port-Glasgow,  and  afternoon  in  Greenock. 

"Sabbath,  December  &th,  1839.— In  the  forenoon  of  this 
hallowed  day  I  lectured  to  Mr.  Kennedy's  people  from 
Romans  iii.  19.  They  seemed  attentive.  Riding  down  to 
Greenock,  I  preached,  with  considerable  liberty  from  the  fear 
of  man,  and  desire  for  the  glory  of  God  in  the  salvation  of 
sinners,  from  Job  xxxiii.  24.  Riding  home  again  I  preached 
to  a  crowded  audience  from  Isaiah  xlii.  21.  .  .  .  After 
coming  home  I  enjoyed  with  the  Simpsons  a  sweet  season  of 
communion,  especially  at  family  worship.  Dear  and  godly 
Mr.  Simpson  seemed  full  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  &c.  .  .  . 

"  Monday,  December  gtb,  1839. — At  Paisley  I  stayed  with 
my  dear  sister  till  twelve 'o'clock,  when  I  set  out  by  coach  for 
Glasgow.  She  has  indeed  been  sorely  chastened,  but  it  has 
been  in  infinite  mercy,  and  she  seems  to  be  becoming  through 
this  means  in  the  hand  of  a  redeeming  God  and  Father,  a 
partaker  of  his  holiness.  Praise  to  the  Lord ! 

"After  being  an  hour  and  half  alone  at  Uncle  I 's,  I 

went  down  to  a  prayer-meeting  of  our  Missionary  Society 
Committee  at  Mr.  Govan's.1  There  were  about  sixteen 
present.  Mr.  Govan  began  with  prayer,  and  after  we  had 
sung  I  then  read  and  spoke  for  some  time  with  much  com 
fort  from  a  part  of  the  68th  Psalm :  '  O  God !  thou  to  thine 
heritage/  &c. ;  after  which  we  sang  a  part  of  this  sweet  Psalm, 
and  prayed,  the  service  devolving  upon  me.  After  the  bless 
ing  was  pronounced,  the  memorial  to  the  Senatus  was  read, 
and  as  its  success  was  closely  connected  with  the  glory  of  the 
Lord  in  the  salvation  of  the  students,  I  suggested  that  we 
ought  to  lay  it  before  the  Lord  in  special  prayer  before  we 
separated.  Mr.  Stevenson2  accordingly  prayed  with  us  in 
regard  to  it ;  and  we  parted,  seeming  to  have  all  enjoyed  our 
meeting,  and  some  of  us  at  least  having,  I  trust,  found  it  a 

1  Now  a  Missionary  of  the  Free  Church,  Lovedale,  Africa. 

2  Now  Minister  of  the  Free  Church,  Pulteney  Town,  Wick. 


^Et.  24-23.]   MEETING  WITH  OLD  COLLEGE  FRIENDS.    139 

meeting  with  the  Lord  Jehovah,  the  portion  of  Israel.  It 
seemed  to  us  a  token  for  good  that  the  Lord  by  his  providence 
had  shut  us  up,  beyond  our  own  intention,  to  begin  our 
missionary  meetings  with  one  for  prayer  alone,  a  thing  which 
we  had  never  before  done.  Before  parting  I  pressed  upon 
my  dear  brethren  the  necessity  of  labouring  for  the  conver 
sion  of  the  students  of  their  own  acquaintance,  and  of  having 
prayer-meetings  to  which  to  invite  such  as  might  be  under 
some  concern  about  salvation,  though  not  far  enough  ad 
vanced  to  take  part  in  conducting  such  meetings. 

"  Tuesday,  December  loth,  1839. — .  .  .  .  Preached  to  the 
dear  Kilsyth  flock  in  the  evening  from  John  xv.  1.2....  I 
had  in  the  afternoon  of  this  day  several  very  interesting  con 
versations  with  particular  individuals — as  widow  Miller,  a 
remarkable  old  woman,  who  was  converted  on  Monday 
evening,  July  29th,  in  the  meal-market,  while  I  was  speaking 
after  Mr.  Somerville  had  concluded.  She  appears  to  be 
making  marvellous  progress  in  the  knowledge  and  love  of 
Emmanuel,  and  being  naturally  of  a  superior  cast  of  mind, 
she  makes  the  most  beautiful  and  striking  remarks  ;  she  said, 
for  instance,  '  Oh !  you  must  rouse  them,  you  must  rouse  them 
to-night,  just  as  a  mason  drives  his  chisel  with  his  mell  upon 
the  stones ;  and  are  we  not  all  stones — rough  stones,  till  God 
hew  and  polish  us?  You  roused  them  before,  just  as  if  you 
were  to  put  a  cold  hand  on  a  man's  warm  face.'  She  said 
also  to  a  poor  old  beggar,  'Oh!  you  must  be  made  new 
Robby;  it's  old  Robby  with  you  yet.  I  was  old  Betty,  but 
I  am  new  Betty  now,  and  you  must  pour  out  your  old  heart 
before  the  Lord  and  get  a  new  one,'  £c." 

After  brief  visits  to  Bo'ness,  Dunfermline,  and  other 
places  by  the  way,  he  reached  Dundee  once  more  on  the 
23d,  and  thence  proceeded  two  days  after  to  Perth,  in 
which  he  was  to  find  his  chief  scene  of  labour  for  several 
months  to  come. 

The  nature  of  the  field  on  which  he  now  entered,  as 


140  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1839-40. 

well  as  the  character  of  him  with  whom  especially  it  was 
his  lot  there  to  labour,  will  be  familiar  to  very  many  of  my 
readers  from  the  admirable  memoir  of  Mr.  Milne,  lately 
given  to  the  world  by  Dr.  Horatius  Bonar.  He  was 
indeed  "a  man  greatly  beloved,"  and  a  true  and  worthy 
"yoke-fellow"  of  the  subject  of  these  pages  throughout  the 
whole  course  of  those  memorable  days.  Of  one  mind  and 
of  one  heart,  of  differing  gifts,  but  of  equal  devotedness 
and  singleness  of  purpose  in  the  service  of  Christ,  they 
fought  the  good  fight  side  by  side,  without  a  dream  of 
personal  rivalry,  or  any  other  thought  whatever,  but  that 
of  "striving  together  for  the  faith  of  the  gospel."  It  was 
especially  admirable  to  mark  the  perfect  self-abnegation 
with  which  the  young  and  gifted  pastor  saw  his  work,  as  it 
were,  for  the  moment  taken  out  of  his  hands  ere  ever  he 
had  almost  entered  on  it;  and  rejoiced  in  the  fruit  of  his 
brother's  labours  even  as  though  it  were  his  own,  content 
either  to  thrust  in  his  own  sickle  or  to  see  the  harvest 
reaped  by  another  hand,  so  only  the  Master's  garner  were 
filled.  Closely  linked  together  in  life,  in  affection  and  in 
sympathy,  it  was  interesting  to  many  also  to  notice  that 
in  death  they  were  not  long  divided,  having  been  called 
to  their  eternal  rest  within  a  few  weeks  of  one  another, 
and  both  at  a  comparatively  early  age,  having  lived  much 
and  long  in  a  little  time. 

The  rapid  and  pregnant  brevity  of  the  first  notices  of 
Mr.  Burns'  labours  here  indicate  at  once  the  remarkable 
power  with  which  the  sacred  movement  set  in  almost  from 
the  first  day  of  his  arrival  on  the  scene,  and  the  incessant 
and  absorbing  occupation  which  in  consequence  devolved 


JEt.  24-23.]  FIRST   DAYS    IN    PERTH.  141 

upon  him.  His  days  and  nights  were  so  filled  up  with 
acts,  and  with  those  intense  exercises  of  soul  which  are 
the  living  breath  of  acts,  that  he  had  little  time  either  to 
narrate  or  describe : — 

'•'•December  2Stk,  1839.— Took  up  my  abode  at  Mrs.  M.'s, 
my  kind  friend,  at  2  King's  Place.  Agreed  to  preach  twice 
to-morrow. 

"Sabbath,  December  2gth,  1839,  forenoon. — Preached  in 
East  Church,  Dr.  Esdaile's.  I  was  not  left  to  myself,  I  hope. 
Subject,  Isaiah  xlii.  21 ;  time  too  short  to  allow  of  sufficient 
fulness ;  church  full,  the  gay  people  of  Perth — the  magistrates 
present.  Afternoon,  St.  Leonard's,  great  crowd;  subject, 
conversion,  Matthew  xviii.  3;  more  aided  than  ever  before 
on  this  text,  I  think;  solemnity  deep.  Inquirers  invited  to 
meet  at  seven  in  the  evening,  and  at  one  P.M.  on  Monday. 
Evening:  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  were  present.  The 
Lord  was  very  near.  .  .  .  We  had  to  continue  together  till 
about  eleven  o'clock.  .  .  .  This  was  a  meeting  very  similar 
to  some  of  the  Lord's  most  gracious  visits  at  Kilsyth  and 
Dundee.  Praise  and  glory  to  his  matchless  name ! 

"Monday,  December  y>th,  1839. — From  two  to  three  hun 
dred  were  present  at  one  o'clock ;  a  solemn  season ;  separated 
about  four.  Evening;  an  immensely  crowded  audience  in 
the  Gaelic  Church;  subject,  Isaiah  liv.  5,  first  clause;  much 
aided;  great  solemnity;  some  in  tears.  After  the  blessing 
spoke  a  little  to  some  that  lingered ;  much  affected.  I  was 
pressed  by  them  to  go  into  the  session-house.  It  was  over 
flowing  ;  all  in  tears  nearly.  Sang,  read,  spoke  and  prayed 
for  an  hour— they  would  not  go ;  Mr.  Stewart  concluded  with 
prayer,  the  tears  were  standing  in  his  eyes ;  indeed  it  was  an 
affecting  scene ! 

"December  $isf,  1839,  forenoon.— Meeting  at  one,  a  few 
hundreds  present;  Mr.  Cumming,  who  had  promptly  answered 
our  call  for  aid,  began.  I  then  followed  upon  Psalm  ex.  3 ;  a 
solemn  meeting ;  when  it  was  ended  the  vestry  was  filled  with 


142  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1839-40. 

weepers,  with  whom  we  had  to  pray  and  sing  a  long  time. 
Evening  in  Mr.  Turnbull's  church,  at  seven  o'clock;  subject, 
Matthew  xi.  28 ;  dense  crowd.  Meeting  at  ten  o'clock  in  St. 
Leonard's  Church,  to  bring  in  the  New  Year.  We  all  took 
part  in  the  service,  Mr.  Gumming  first,  Mr.  Milne  second, 
and  myself  third;  we  separated  about  one  o'clock  on  the 
New  Year's  morning ;  a  sweet  season.  I  never  brought  in  the 
New  Year  so  sweetly  before. 

"Wednesday,  January  ist,  1840. — Meeting  forenoon  from 
eleven  to  four;  Mr.  Gumming,  Mr.  Milne,  and  myself 
officiated. 

"Friday,  January  -$d,  1840. — Meeting  in  the  forenoon  in 
Kinnoul  Street  Church,  Mr.  Bonar  of  Collace  present,  and 
officiated  along  with  Mr.  Milne,  Mr.  Turnbull,  and  myself. 
We  met  with  many  interesting  cases  in  the  vestry.  I  went 
off  to  Dundee  at  four  o'clock,  and  left  Mr.  Bonar  to  officiate 
in  the  evening.  He  preached  to  a  most  densely  crowded 
audience  in  St.  Leonard's  Church,  from  the  Ethiopian 
eunuch ;  Mr.  Milne  also  spoke,  and  it  is  said  to  have  been 
a  most  solemn  season,  not  a  few  in  tears. 

"Sabbath,  January  ^th,  1840,  forenoon. — Sat  in  St. 
Leonard's,  Mr.  Milne  on  the  barren  fig-tree.  Afternoon,  I 
preached  in  Mr.  Gray's  on  Ezekiel  xxxvi.  26,  ist  clause. 
Evening,  in  Dr.  Findlay's  immense  church,  from  2  Cor.  v.  2 1 ; 
very  much  aided  in  exposition  and  application;  densely 
crowded ;  thousands  went  away,  I  am  told,  without  getting  in. 
Glory  to  the  Lamb!" 

Prayer,  temptation,  and  deep  humiliation  of  soul,  as 
usual,  prepared  the  way  for  more  abounding  joy  and 
strength : — 

"Friday,  January  lotk,  1840. — In  the  evening  I  spoke 
from  Romans  v.  i,  but  felt  much  straitened,  and  was  so  filled 
with  self-complacency,  vain  elation,  and  spiritual  blindness, 
that  I  had  to  stop  in  a  very  short  time  and  felt  called  on  to 
tell  the  people  that  I  believed,  and  had  been  made  to  feel  for 


y£t.  24-25.]  FIRST   DAYS    IN    PERTH.  143 

some  days,  that  unless  we  were  humbled  under  God's  mighty 
hand  and  the  people  ceased  from  their  idolatrous  confidence 
in  instruments  and  looked  more  to  God  alone,  I  was  con 
vinced  his  work  would  not  go  on,  &c. 

" Saturday,  January  nth,  1840. — I  was  alone  during  the 
greater  part  of  the  day  seeking  humiliation  before  the  Lord, 
and  began  through  grace  to  discover  how  far,  alas !  I  have 
fallen  from  that  contrition  of  soul  for  sin  which  I  once  en 
joyed.  Lord,  I  am  indeed  set  in  slippery  places.  Lord, 
humble  me  and  keep  me  from  falling  into  the  snare  of  the 
devil ! 

"Sabbath,  January  iith,  1840,  afternoon. — Preached  in 
Mr.  Gray's  from  Romans  xii.  i,  with  some  degree  of  broken- 
ness  of  heart  and  comfort  in  the  Lord.  Evening,  preached 
in  Dr.  Findlay's  from  Ephesians  iv.  30,  on  the  work  of  the 
Holy  Spirit.  It  was  a  solemn  season,  an  immense  assembly. 
I  had  great  liberty,  especially  in  pressing  sinners  not  to  resist 
the  Holy  Ghost.  Dr.  Findlay  was  with  me  in  the  pulpit.  .  .  ." 

Here,  as  elsewhere,  and  perhaps  even  more  than  often 
elsewhere,  he  was,  in  the  most  emphatic  sense,  instant 
in  season  and  out  of  season,  never  deeming  any  place  or 
time  unsuitable  in  which  a  word  might  be  spoken  for  his 
Master,  and  an  effort  made  to  win  the  life  of  souls.  The 
highways  and  hedges,  the  river  steamboat,  the  roadside 
inn,  the  mart  of  business,  the  purlieus  and  haunts  of  vice 
and  crime,  were  to  him,  equally  with  the  crowded  church 
or  upper  chamber,  the  fit  arena  in  which  to  fulfil  his 
divine  ambassadorship,  and  "compel  men  to  come  in" 
to  the  house  of  God.  The  following  incident  is  strikingly 
illustrative  of  this,  as  well  as  of  the  pervasive  influence 
of  the  movement  in  the  Perth  community  at  this  time, 
and  the  unlikely  quarters  into  which  it  found  its  way: — 


144  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1839-40. 

"January  i6th,  1840.— In  the  evening  I  met  a  great  many 
young  men  in  the  vestry,  and  found  among  them  a  great 
number  of  interesting  cases.  At  eight  o'clock  I  visited  the 
prayer-meeting  of  females  in  Miss  Ramsay's,  which  was  very 
full  and  interesting.  Coming  out  I  saw  behind  a  public- 
house  some  men  and  women  sporting  themselves,  and  went 
up  and  said,  '  You  are  making  work  for  the  day  of  judgment.' 
They  all  ran  in  except  one  young  man,  a  son  of  the  house 
keeper  ;  he  was  subdued.  I  asked  him  if  he  would  allow  me 
to  go  in  and  pray.  I  got  into  a  large  room ;  many  assembled, 
and  we  had  a  very  solemn  meeting.  They  all  promised  to  come 
out  to  the  meetings  at  parting." 

The  sequel  appears  in  a  brief  entry  about  a  fortnight 
after:— 

"January  30^,  1840.— When  I  went  home  Mr.  Milne  told 
me  he  had  heard  that  Mr.  L.,  the  public-house  keeper,  in  whose 
house  I  was  so  remarkably  led  in  God's  providence  to  hold 
a  meeting,  had  given  intimation  to  his  landlord  that  he  was 
going  to  give  up  his  shop  at  the  next  term,  and  to  leave  the 
spirit-trade.  .  .  .  Praise  to  the  Lord ! 

The  power  indeed  that  attended  his  words,  and  the 
effects  which  often  in  the  most  unexpected  quarters  fol 
lowed  them,  was  at  this  time  most  remarkable.  "  I  never 
thought,"  exclaimed  a  strong,  careless  man,  who  had 
heard  him,  "to  have  been  so  much  affected;  it  is  surely 
something  altogether  unearthly  that  has  come  to  the 
town."  Another  "had  come  with  a  companion  to  our 
meetings  one  night  to  mock,  and  they  both  did  so,  and 
went  from  the  church  to  a  public-house.  However  he 
would  not  go  in,  refusing  with  an  awful  oath  to  do  so. 
On  his  death-bed  he  called  for  his  companion,  and  asked 
him  if  he  remembered  these  things.  He  replied  he  did. 


JEt.  24-25.]  THE    FLOWING   TIDE.  145 

'  Well/  he  says,  '  I  would  give  a  thousand  worlds  to-night 
that  my  soul  were  in  the  state  his  is,'  He  died  after  he 
said  these  words ! " 

On  Sabbath  the  iQth  he  was  at  the  communion  at 
Dundee,  when  he  had  the  solemn  joy  of  sitting  down  at 
the  table  of  the  Lord,  "  along  with  many  dear  believers, 
not  a  few  of  them  his  own  children  in  the  Lord,"  but 
immediately  afterwards  returned  to  his  work  in  Perth, 
which  seemed  still  steadily  to  grow  in  depth  and  wide 
spread  influence : — 

"Sabbath,  February  <)th,  184.0,  afternoon. — Preached  in 
Mr.  Turnbull's  to  a  crowded  audience,  from  John  iii.  14,  15. 
I  felt  under  the  bonds  of  unbelief  during  the  chief  part  of 
the  discourse,  but  towards  the  close  was  enabled  by  the  Lord 
fairly  to  break  loose  and  speak  with  some  degree  of  faith  and 
joy  in  Emmanuel,  especially  when  insisting  on  the  stronger 
grounds  for  faith  in  our  case  than  in  the  case  of  the  Israelites. 
They  were  called  to  look  to  a  piece  of  brass  as  a  saviour,  and 
thus  their  looking  was  an  act  simply  based  on  the  divine 
word;  but  we  are  called  by  the  same  divine  word  to  look  for 
life  not  to  an  object  of  no  intrinsic  power  or  value,  but  to  the 
most  glorious  Object  in  the  universe,  the  Son  of  God  purchas 
ing  the  church  on  the  cross  with  his  own  blood,  £c.  I  saw 
several  persons  in  tears;  I  was  weeping  myself,  and  found 
this  a  blessed  time.  Praise  to  the  Lord!  —  Evening:  the 
crowd  was  so  great  seeking  to  get  into  St.  Leonard's  Church, 
that  it  was  supposed  there  were  more  collected  in  the  street 
an  hour  before  the  time  than  would  have  several  times  filled 
the  church.  The  press  was  so  great  when  the  doors  were 
opened,  that  several  persons  were  somewhat  injured.  I 
preached  from  Romans  x.  4,  and  felt  considerably  aided; 
though  to  myself  the  season  was  not  quite  so  sweet  as  in  the 
afternoon.  We  prayed  particularly  for  the  raising  up  of 
Jewish  missionaries,  according  to  the  call  of  the  Jewish  Com 
ic 


146  LIFE    OF   REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1839-40. 


mittee  by  circular,  and  prayed  that  some  of  those  present,  if 
it  were  the  Lord's  will,  might  be  called  to  this  glorious  work. 
"Monday,    February    io//2,    1840. — The    day    of   Queen 
Victoria's  marriage.     Last  night  about  eleven  o'clock  Agnes 

S ,  Miss  R ,  and  two  other  females,  called  to  express 

their  regret  that  no  advantage  had  been  taken  of  the  cessa 
tion  from  labour  on  this  day  for  advancing  the  glory  of  Jesus. 
I  had  amid  so  many  engrossing  duties  never  thought  that  this 
was  the  day,  and  it  had  escaped  Mr.  Milne  also.  We  prayed 

together  on  the  subject I  met  the  people  of  God 

and  many  inquirers  at  half-past  twelve,  and  we  continued 
together  till  three.  I  spoke  upon  Colossians  iii.  I  met  with 
several  people  during  the  day ;  walked  with  Mr.  Milne  dis 
tributing  many  tracts,  and  having  many  interesting  conversa 
tions  with  persons  on  tKe  road. — Evening :  there  was  to  be  a 
grand  display  of  fireworks  on  the  Inch,  and  we  hardly  thought 
that  the  church  would  be  anything  like  filled.  However,  it 
was  quite  full,  and  after  a  time  not  a  few  were  standing.  I 
spoke  upon  the  45th  Psalm,  commenting  on  the  glory  of  the 
Bridegroom  Emmanuel,  and  the  privileges  of  the  Bride  the 
Lamb's  wife,  and  thus  enforcing  the  divine  call,  'Hearken,  O 
daughter,  and  consider,'  &c.  1  felt  much  of  the  Lord's 
presence,  and  had  a  full  persuasion  from  the  frame  of  the 
hearers  that  some,  if  not  many,  were  in  the  act  of  being 
betrothed  to  Christ  for  ever  in  righteousness,  and  judgment, 
and  loving-kindness,  &c.,  Hosea  ii. ;  and  while  we  were  thus 
celebrating  in  the  British  dominions  the  marriage  of  our 
beloved  sovereign,  I  trust  there  was  joy  in  the  presence  of 
the  angels  of  God  over  sinners  espoused  to  the  Lamb.  How 
infinitely  does  the  one  event  transcend  the  other  in  import 
ance  and  glory !  and  yet,  alas !  this  poor  world,  blinded  by 

Satan,  extols  the  one  and  despises  the  other Awake, 

O  gracious  Lord,  awake  this  sleeping  world !     Amen. 

"February  2%th,  1840,  evening.— We  had  a  very  large  and 
solemn  meeting.  I  concluded  the  exposition  of  Hosea  xiv., 
and  then  spoke  of  the  nature  of  the  duties  for  to-morrow 


JEt.  24-25.]  FAST-DAY   THOUGHTS.  147 

(appointed  among  us  along  with  some  of  the  people  at  Dundee, 
Kilsyth,  Dunfermline,  and  Stanley,  as  a  day  of  fasting,  humi 
liation,  and  prayer),  and  also  of  the  reasons  for  the  appoint 
ment  of  this  day. 

'•'•March  isf,  1840. — We  had  this  day  a  solemn  fast,  kept 
by  many  I  have  no  doubt  very  strictly,  as  far  as  the  duty  of 
abstinence  is  concerned.  We  met  at  two  o'clock  P.M.  I 
spoke  upon  the  exercises  appropriate  to  this  day : — 

"  i.  Self-examination  in  order  to  the  discovery  of  sin — of  the 
heart  and  nature  as  well  as  of  the  tongue  and  life — by  the  law 
and  the  Spirit  of  Jehovah.  2.  Humbling  the  soul  before  God 
under  sins  discovered.  3.  Confession  of  sin,  full  and  particu 
lar,  free  and  filial.  4.  Penitent  turning  from  all  sin.  5.  Enter 
ing  into  the  covenant  of  grace  by  the  receiving  of  Emmanuel 
and  the  surrender  of  the  soul  to  him  and  to  God  through  him. 
6.  Special  prayer  for  the  outpouring  of  the  Holy  Spirit  upon 
this  city,  and  the  other  places  united  with  us  in  this  fast — 
the  great  end  designed  in  its  appointment.  There  was  very 
great  solemnity. — Evening :  we  met  again  in  Mr.  TurnbulPs 
church,  Kinnoul  Street,  and  concluded  the  subject.  I  had  at 
this  time  more  melting  of  heart  under  a  sense  of  the  love  of 
God  than  ever  I  remember  to  have  had.  in  the  pulpit,  and  I 
think  shed  more  tears  than  ever  before  in  preaching.  The 
people  also  seemed  in  an  unusually  tender  and  solemn  frame. 
Glory  to  the  Lamb ! 

"March  loth,  morning. — Alone,  and  writing  letters,  espe 
cially  to  the  young  people  attending  Miss  Haldane's  Greenside 
School.  While  writing  this  letter,  and  speaking  of  the  inter 
position  of  Jehovah-Jesus  between  the  wrath  of  God  and 
sinners,  I  got  a  view  of  the  glory  of  this  mystery  surpassing 
anything  I  had  ever  enjoyed  before,  and  the  tears  fell  plenti 
fully  from  my  dry  eyes." 

Amid  these  abounding  and  exhausting  labours  in  a 
sphere  in  which  so  wide  and  effectual  a  door  had  been 
opened  to  him,  he  still  found  time  and  strength  for  occa- 


148  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1839-40. 

sional  evangelistic  excursions  amid  the  villages  around, 
the  results  of  which  were  often  deeply  interesting.  In 
this  way  he  visited  at  different  times  during  this  period 
the  parishes  of  Auchtermuchty,  Strathmiglo,  Dunfermline, 
Muthil,  Stanley,  Auchtergaven,  Caputh,  Kinfauns,  &c.  One 
or  two  notices  of  these  more  desultory,  but  not  less  fruitful 
labours  may  be  given,  as  examples  of  what,  for  several 
years  to  come,  constituted  a  large  and  important  part  of 
his  work.  Thus,  of  date  February  i8th,  1840,  he  writes : — 

"  Tuesday,  February  i%th,  1840,  forenoon. — In  closet,  wrote 
several  letters,  drove  out  to  Stanley  in  gig,  gave  tracts  to  all 
by  the  way ;  well  received. — Afternoon,  with  Mr.  Mather  the 
minister,  and  chiefly  in  closet;  a  humbling  season. — Evening: 
immense  crowd  in  the  spacious  church ;  a  thousand  people 
work  in  the  mills — subject,  Luke  xxiv.  47 ;  more  aided  than 
ever  on  the  same  subject.  A  very  solemn  season;  many  met 
me  deeply  affected  as  I  retired.  Walked  home  to  Perth 
seven  miles,  arriving  at  half-past  twelve,  accompanied  by 
nearly  twenty  from  Perth;  men,  women,  and  children  seemed 
all  very  solemn  and  heavenly  in  their  demeanour;  prayed 
before  we  parted. 

"February  2$tk,  1840.— I  drove  out  to  Balbiggie  to  preach 
in  the  Secession  Church.  The  man  who  drove  me  seems  very 
like  a  Christian,  and  told  me  that  of  late,  especially  since  our 
meetings  began,  there  had  been  an  astonishing  change  on 
the  face  of  the  country  round  in  point  of  morality  and  anxiety 
about  religion ;  on  the  way  out  all  the  people  came  to  their 
doors  with  a  great  appearance  of  anxiety,  and  I  gave  away 
many  tracts.  The  hour  of  meeting  was  six;  the  people  were 
many  of  them  assembled  at  two  o'clock,  and  at  half-past  four, 
when  I  went,  the  church  was  full.  I  preached  on  Psalm  ex.  3, 
and  had  considerable  assistance,  feeling  much  joy  in  my  own 
soul,  &c. 

"March  iqth. — (Returning  from  Auchtergaven.)    We  made 


y£t.  24-25.]          "THE  SCATTERED  VILLAGES.  149 

up  on  the  way  to  the  Stanley  people,  a  great  crowd,  and  I 
knelt  down  with  them  at  the  roadside  under  the  bright  moon 
and  prayed.  Their  love  and  deep  solemnity  put  me  much  in 
mind  of  the  first  Christians.  After  singing  and  pronounc 
ing  the  blessing,  we  parted  in  affecting  silence ! 

"Sabbath,  March  224  1840. — I  rose  this  morning  strong 
in  body,  but  with  much  conscious  deadness  of  soul,  and 
awfully  assaulted,  as  I  often  am,  by  doubts  regarding  every 
truth  of  God  in  his  Word.  I  preached  in  the  church  from 
Matthew  xi.  28,  and  had  little  enlargement  in  the  exposition 
of  the  text,  feeling  still  an  inward  struggle  with  infidelity. 
However,  after  I  had  closed  the  Bible,  and  was  concluding 
with  a  few  words  of  exhortation,  the  Lord  gave  me  the  victory 
over  unbelief,  and  I  had  such  an  impressive  realization  of  the 
state  of  the  unconvetf  •,  that  I  was  enabled  to  speak  very 
closely  to  their  consciences,  and  beseech  them  with  all  my 
heart  to  awake  from  the  sleep  of  death  and  flee  to  Jesus  for 
refuge.  I  saw  the  tears  starting  from  the  eyes  of  some  men 
advanced  in  years,  and  felt  that  the  Lord  was  indeed  present. 
The  meeting  lasted  three  hours  and  a  half.  After  dinner, 
Mr.  Maclagan,1  who  was  very  kind,  pressed  me  to  come 
again,  saying  that  a  number  of  his  people  had  been  benefited 
by  our  meetings  in  Perth." 

The  period  of  his  continuous  ministry  in  Perth  was  now 
drawing  to  a  close.  He  had  received  repeated  and  urgent 
invitations  to  visit  Aberdeen,  the  scene  of  his  second  home, 
and  of  his  college  days,  which  he  was  unable  any  longer  to 
resist,  and  he  felt  at  the  same  time  that  he  had  already 
remained  in  Perth  long  enough  to  fulfil  the  functions  of  a 
distinctively  evangelistic  ministry.  What  further  work 

1  The  Rev.  James  Maclagan,  minister  of  Kinfauns,  afterwards 
Professor  of  Divinity  in  the  Free  Church  College,  Aberdeen — a  man 
of  great  learning,  elevated  piety,  and  spiritual  depth  and  fulness 
of  thought. 


150  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1839-40. 

remained  to  be  done  in  order  to  turn  to  the  best  account 
the  powerful  impulse  that  had  been  given,  was  more  of  a 
pastoral  than  of  a  missionary  kind,  and  that  work  he  felt  was 
abundantly  safe  in  the  hands  of  Mr.  Milne,  Mr.  Gray,  and 
the  other  brethren  with  whom  it  had  been  his  privilege 
and  delight  to  labour  throughout  the  whole  course  of 
those  eventful  days.  The  sacred  spring-tide,  however, 
flowed  on  with  unabated  force  to  the  last,  and  he  closes, 
immediately  before  leaving  Perth,  the  first  year  of  his 
ministry  as  a  preacher  of  the  gospel,  and  the  twenty-fifth 
year  of  his  earthly  life,  in  a  sort  of  solemn  "  triumph  in 
Christ,"  who  still  continued  in  so  remarkable  a  manner 
to  make  manifest  through  him  the  savour  of  his  saving 
knowledge  and  grace. 

"I  drove  home,  praying  all  the  way,  and  after  an  hour 
alone  I  went  to  the  church  (St.  Leonard's)  at  six  with  clear 
direction  to  Deuteronomy  xxxii.  35  as  my  subject.  The 
church  was  as  usual  a  solid  mass  of  living  beings.  I  availed 
myself  of  many  hints  in  Edwards'  sermon,  proceeding  in  the 
following  order: — I  took  the  whole  verse  as  my  subject  and 
considered,  I.  What  was  meant  by  vengeance,  recompense, 
and  calamity,  the  things  that  are  coming  on  the  wicked; 
which,  copying  Edwards  in  his  application,  I  opened  up  in 
three  particulars :  ist.  It  is  the  wrath  of  Jehovah.  2d.  The 
fierceness  of  his  wrath.  3d.  The  fierceness  of  Jehovah's 
wrath  for  eternity.  II.  In  the  second  place,  I  put  the  ques 
tion,  What  is  it  that  defers  this  wrath  till  the  due  time,  the 
day  of  calamity?  in  other  words,  what  is  it  that  keeps  an  un 
converted  sinner  a  moment  out  of  hell?  To  this  it  was 
answered,  Negatively,  ist.  It  is  not  divine  justice.  This 
has  already  sentenced  the  sinner  to  eternal  wrath.  2d.  It  is 
not  that  God  is  pleased  with  the  sinner ;  on  the  contrary,  he 
is  awfully  angry  with  him,  and  in  many  cases  more  angry 


JEt.  24-25.]  A    SECOND    AWAKENING.  151 

than  with  many  that  are  already  in  hell.  3d.  It  is  not  on 
account  of  anything  that  the  sinner  has  done,  or  is  doing,  or 
intends  to  do.  4th.  It  is  not  on  account  of  a  good  bodily 
constitution  or  great  care  to  preserve  life  on  the  part  of  the 
sinner  or  other  persons  on  his  behalf.  5th.  It  is  not  on  ac 
count  of  any  promise  given  by  God  to  the  unconverted.  But, 
Positively,  Sinners  are  kept  out  of  hell  from  moment  to 
moment  only  by  the  long-suffering  of  God,  who  '  endures 
with  much  long-suffering/  &c.  I  then  came  to  apply  the 
subject  to  the  case  of  the  unconverted,  and  went  on  to  point 
out  that  they  were  suspended  by  the  hand  of  a  long-suffering 
God  over  the  pit  of  hell,  and  were  yet  madly  hating  and  re 
sisting  that  God,  and  provoking  him  to  let  them  go  and  fall 
into  the  flames,  especially  by  rejecting  Jesus  his  unspeakable 
gift.  These  statements  appeared  to  be  accompanied  with 
an  extraordinary  measure  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  the  feeling 
of  the  hearers  became  so  intense  that  when  one  man  in  the 
gallery  passage  audibly  exclaimed,  'Lord  Jesus,  come  and 
save  me,'  the  great  mass  of  the  congregation  gave  audible  ex 
pression  to  their  emotion  in  a  universal  wailing.  I  imme 
diately  changed  the  theme,  and  began,  as  at  Kilsyth,  to  repeat 
such  invitations  as  Isaiah  liii.,  pressing  Jesus  on  all  as  God's 
free  gift.  After  a  few  minutes  the  great  multitude  became 
more  composed;  but  as  I  went  on  particularly  addressing  those 
who  continued  impenitent  spectators,  the  feeling  became 
again  as  deep  and  general  as  before.  To  me,  looking  from 
the  pulpit,  the  whole  body  of  the  people  seemed  bathed  in 
tears,  old  as  well  as  young,  men  equally  with  women.  This 
second  display  of  feeling  continued  a  few  minutes  and 
gradually  ended,  a  few  only  here  and  there  throughout  the 
church  continuing  in  great  and  visible  distress  of  soul.  When 
the  impression  became  so  deep  and  overpowering,  many  that 
did  not  like,  or  did  not  understand,  such  a  glorious  manifesta 
tion  of  the  divine  power,  were  offended,  and  one  man  came 
up  the  stair  of  the  pulpit  and  asked  me  to  dismiss  the  people ! 
After  I  had  prayed  and  sung  with  the  people  a  considerable 


152  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1839-40. 

time  beyond  the  usual  period,  with  brief  addresses  inter 
spersed,  I  pronounced  the  blessing,  and  asked  them  to  dis 
perse,  promising  to  meet  with  any  who  might  wish  further 
prayer  and  direction  in  a  school-house.  Hardly  any,  how 
ever,  would  go  away,  and  even  after  all  the  lights  in  the 
church  but  two  had  been  one  by  one  extinguished,  a  few 
hundreds  still  remained  in  the  church,  who  would  not,  and 
in  some  cases  could  not,  retire.  Mr.  Milne  arrived  when  it  was 
nearly  ten  o'clock,  and  we  found  it  necessary  again  to  sing 
and  pray.  After  we  had  done  so  we  at  last  got  the  people 
away.  I  went  down  to  Miss  Ramsay's  school,  and  there  met 
with  as  many  as  the  house  and  passage  would  contain,  both 
men  and  women,  though  chiefly  the  latter,  all  in  deep  distress 
about  their  souls,  and  in  most  cases  in  tears.  I  remained 
for  an  hour,  and  then  left  them  all  to  pray  and  sing  together, 
which  they  continued  to  do  for  some  time  longer.  This 
glorious  night  seemed  to  me  at  the  time,  and  appears  from 
all  I  have  since  heard,  to  have  been  perhaps  the  most  won 
derful  that  I  have  ever  seen,  with  the  exception  perhaps  of 
the  first  Tuesday  at  Kilsyth.  There  was  this  difference 
chiefly  between  the  two  occasions,  that  a  great  many  of  those 
affected  at  this  time  had  been  convinced  or  converted  during 
the  previous  weeks,  while  at  Kilsyth  almost  all  but  the  estab 
lished  children  of  God  were  awakened  for  the  first  time. 
Glory  to  the  Lamb !  This  is  the  last  Sabbath  of  the  first 
year  of  my  ministry  as  an  ambassador  of  Christ !  To  the 
praise  and  glory  of  infinite,  eternal,  free  and  sovereign  mercy 
and  grace.  Praise  the  Lord !  .  .  . 

"March  28//z,  1840.— When  during  this  day  I  tried  to  be 
grateful  to  the  Lord  for  all  the  marvellous  work  that  I  have 
seen  during  the  year  that  was  closing,  I  felt  my  soul  almost 
overwhelmed,  and  could  only  think  with  joy  on  the  subject 
when  I  remembered  that  I  had  an  eternity  to  spend  in  prais 
ing  and  blessing  God.  Praise  to  the  Lamb !  infinite,  eternal 
praise;  mercy  sovereign,  infinite,  unchangeable,  everlasting! 
The  Father  electing,  the  Son  redeeming,  the  Spirit  renewing. 


Mt.  24-25.]  BIRTH-DAY    MUSINGS.  153 

"  '  To  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost, 

The  God  whom  I  adore, 

Be  glory,  as  it  was,  and  is, 

And  shall  be  evermore ! ' 

"Wednesday,  April  \st,  1840. — This  day  begins  my  26th 
year.  I  would  act  for  the  Lord  Jesus  henceforth  as  if  I  had 
hitherto  done  absolutely  nothing  in  his  service.  May  He 
enable  me.  1  spent  the  morning  alone  and  in  fasting.  The 
Lord,  I  trust,  was  near,  though  I  cannot  say  that  I  spent  the 
season  in  a  manner  befitting  such  an  occasion.  Indeed,  I 
can  hardly  dare  to  think  of  God's  dealings  with  me.  They 
overwhelm  my  soul  with  astonishment.  I  wait  for  eternity 
to  study  and  admire  and  extol  them." 

Such  were  those  remarkable  days  at  Perth  during  the 
spring  of  1840,  as  their  history  is  traced  in  the  simple  and 
solemn  words  of  the  chief  actor  himself.  It  may  be 
desirable,  however,  for  a  moment  to  look  at  those  scenes 
as  seen  by  another  eye;  and  this  we  are  enabled  to  do 
through  the  following  interesting  recollections  kindly  fur 
nished  to  me  by  one  who  herself  "  owed  much  in  after 
life  "  to  the  sacred  impressions  received  at  that  memor 
able  time.  Of  the  after  and  permanent  results  of  the 
work  then  done  we  shall  afterwards  have  occasion  to 
speak;  what  we  have  now  to  quote  refers  rather  to  the 
immediate  aspect  of  the  movement  while  still  in  progress, 
as  it  presented  itself  to  one  who  lived  through  it  and 
deeply  shared  its  spirit : — 

"It  was  in  a  hotel  in  Rome  that  we  first  read,  in  the  columns 
of  Galignani's  Messenger,  the  name  of  William  Burns.  The 
article  was  a  bitter  and  sneering  caricature.  Returning  to 
Scotland  a  few  weeks  later,  without  having  had  any  oppor 
tunity  of  being  in  church  in  the  interval,  and  with  the  bewitch 
ing  mummeries  of  the  Roman  Church,  as  they  surrounded 


154  LIFE    OF    REV-    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1839-40. 

the  person  of  Gregory  XVI w  in  vivid  recollection,  we  were 
taken  to  an  inquirers'  meeting,  conducted  by  Mr.  Burns  in 
Perth;  and  the  thirty  years  which  have  since  sped  away,  instead 
of  effacing,  have  only  deepened  the  impression  of  the  scene 
we  then  witnessed.  William  Burns  was  speaking  from  Reve 
lation  xix.,  of  the  doom  of  Antichrist,  and  the  hallelujah  which 
shall  rise  from  the  redeemed  when  the  smoke  of  her  torment 
shall  ascend  in  their  sight.  He  was  warning  the  unsaved 
that  over  their  destruction  also  the  same  assenting  'Amen, 
hallelujah,'  must  yet  arise,  if  they  persisted  in  rejecting  Jesus. 
He  was  inviting  poor  sinners  to  come  to  Calvary's  fountain 
and  wash  and_  be  clean.  He  was  warning  such  as  imagined 
they  had  washed  and  were  living  unholily,  thus :  '  You  are 
saying,  '  If  I  sin  it  will  easily  be  washed  out  again.'  Or,  if 
not  saying  it  with  the  lip,  you  are  acting  it  out  fearfully  in  the 
life.  Ah  !  the  soul  that  has  washed  its  filthy  garments  in  the 
stream  of  Calvary  is  careful  how  the  remedy  is  used.  Many 
believers  have  so  much  allowed  the  stains  of  conformity  to 
the  world  to  disfigure  the  white  robe,  that  instead  of  repre 
senting  the  work  of  God  within,  they  are  scarcely  to  be  dis 
tinguished  from  the  servants  of  the  devil.'  He  was  setting 
before  believers  the  coming  joys  of  the  marriage-supper  of 
the  Lamb,  and  said,  '  This  blessedness  is  not  so  far  off  as  the 
world  seems  to  think;  the  meanest  saint  can  tell  that  it  has 
already  set  in  with  a  sweetness  unspeakable.  Ushered  into 
the  breast  of  many  by  billows  of  affliction  and  temptation, 
beating  wildly  on  the  soul  with  their  tempestuous  swell,  yet 
are  the  beginnings  so  glorious  and  so  blessed,  that  they  are 
an  earnest  of  a  springing  up  of  a  life  eternal  in  the  heavens. 
On  the  joys  which  shall  crown  our  union  with  Emmanuel  no 
destroyer  shall  lay  the  withering  blight  of  his  death-cold  hand; 
no  ruthless  separation  shall  snatch  our  happiness  from  us,  or 
us  from  our  happiness.  After  washing  for  a  few  days  more 
in  the  free  fountain  here — after  a  few  days  more  weeping  on 
account  of  sin  and  sorrow — you  shall  awake  suddenly  in  the 
city  of  our  God,  to  walk  with  Emmanuel  for  ever  in  the  courts 


JEt.  24-25.]  RECOLLECTIONS    OF    A    HEARER.  155 

above.  The  company,  small  here,  will  be  innumerable  yonder. 
Ten  thousand  times  ten  thousand  are  their  voices,  and  ten 
thousand  times  ten  thousand  are  the  harps  they  tune;  but  it 
is  as  the  sounding  of  one  voice.  Hallelujah  !  'tis  the  key-note 
of  an  eternal  song.  Only  one  name  rests  upon  their  lips,  it 
is  Emmanuel.  They  know  but  one  song,  the  song  of  the 
redeemed.  It  is  sometimes  difficult  to  say  here  iall  his  judg 
ments  are  righteous/  for  they  are  often  heavy  and  severe. 
When  you  join  that  company,  your  narrow  and  short-sighted 
views  will  be  gone.  If  I  were  ever  to  see  the  smoke  of  your 
torment  ascending  before  the  throne,  I  would  have  to  say 
Amen;  hallelujah !  and  if  you,  standing  on  high,  were  to  see 
the  smoke  of  my  torment  ascending,  you  too  would  cry  Amen; 
hallelujah !  .  .  .  An  hour  has  nearly  elapsed  since  we  began 
to  speak  with  you;  it  is  just  taking  wing;  a  few  seconds  and  it 
will  have  fled  to  bear  its  tale  to  the  judgment-seat.  Shall  it 
announce  the  submission  of  a  sinner,  the  return  of  a  prodigal, 
the  adoption  of  a  son  into  the  family  above?'  The  deepest 
solemnity  pervaded  the  assembly,  as  the  simple  searching 
truth  was  calmly  presented.  Individuals  were  conversed  with 
in  St.  Leonard's  Church  for  an  hour  or  two  afterwards;  and 
many  a  burden  was  there  laid  upon  '  the  Lamb  of  God  that 
taketh  away  the  sin  of  the  world.'  These  inquiry-meetings 
were  held  three  times  a  week,  and  in  the  evening  the  church 
was  open  for  the  crowds  that  thronged  it  from  town  and 
country.  An  hour  before  the  time  of  service  every  seat  was 
filled.  The  multitude  generally  remained  in  silence,  and 
many  heads  were  bowed  in  prayer.  The  stairs  leading  to 
the  pulpit  were  also  filled,  and  it  was  with  difficulty  the 
preacher  could  be  conducted  thither.  The  Rev.  John  Milne, 
the  recently  settled  pastor  of  the  congregation,  usually  shared 
the  pulpit  with  the  speaker.  We  recall  especially  one  evening 
when  a  chair  was  handed  up  for  James  Hamilton,  then  of 
Abernyte,  to  sit  at  their  side.  It  seems  now  as  if  one  chariot 
had  sufficed  to  carry  home  the  three,  '  William  Burns,  John 
Milne,  and  James  Hamilton.'  That  night  was  one  of  power. 


156  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1839-40. 

'Tough  boughs  require  sharp  pruning,'  said  the  preacher, 
when  some  one  would  have  tried  to  blunt  the  knife,  by  advis 
ing  him  to  the  use  of  more  measured  and  tempered  language. 
*A  sleeping  minister  and  a  sleeping  congregation,  what  will 
they  do  in  the  day  of  judgment?'  He  was  privileged  to  break 
this  sleep — in  congregations,  in  kirk-sessions,  and  in  manses. 
The  first  part  of  his  discourse  always  embodied  a  mass  of 
telling  doctrine,  holding  up  the  divine  law  right  in  face  of  the 
sinner's  conscience.  The  appeals  in  the  latter  part  were 
irresistibly  winning,  brimming  over  with  the  freely  offered 
love  of  Jesus.  The  Spirit  was  glorified.  He  arrested  many 
before  the  preacher  had  time  to  enter  his  subject;  in  some 
cases  the  arrow  sped  from  the  first  psalm  that  was  given  out, 
and  many  were  awakened  during  the  opening  prayer.  It  is 
not  easy  to  describe  his  prayers.  Adoration  of  Jehovah's 
uncreated  glory,  as  it  falls  on  the  darkness  and  corruption 
of  man's  heart,  and  reveals  the  abyss  of  a  yawning  hell,  filled 
the  first  part.  He  brought  himself  and  the  saved  part  of  his 
audience  down  into  the  sides  of  the  pit  whence  they  were 
hewn,  in  a  way  that  made  the  greatest  outcast  in  the  church 
feel  that  he  or  she  was  sympathized  with  and  carried  abreast; 
and  then  his  soul  would  as  it  were  be  seen  to  pass  anew 
through  the  cleansing  flood,  up  into  the  very  presence- 
chamber  of  the  King  of  kings,  and  there  looked  up  into  the 
Father's  face  with  unutterable  love.  His  theology  was  un 
biased,  and  swung  like  a  pendulum  across  the  truth  of  God, 
avoiding  all  limited,  classified,  partial,  and  one-sided  expres 
sions  of  it.  His  training  of  young  converts  was  thus  invalu 
able  to  them.  *  No  cross,  no  crown,'  was  the  term  of  enlist 
ment.  '  Suffering  is  the  law  of  the  kingdom.5  '  The  greater 
your  sacrifices  for  Christ,  the  more  of  his  joy  will  fill  your 
heart.'  '  Forsake  the  glass,  the  dance,  and  the  song,  if  you 
would  drink  of  the  rivers  of  his  pleasures,  if  you  would  leap 
for  joy  on  the  shores  of  Emmanuel's  land,  if  you  would  take 
up  the  unending  hallelujah.' 

"He  warned  the  young  that  if  they  would  live  near  the 


JEt.  24-25.]  RECOLLECTIONS    OF   A    HEARER.  157 

Lord,  they  must  be  content  to  be  singular  even  among  be 
lievers,  and  to  travel  sometimes  almost  alone.  'I  am  often 
reminded  of  this/  he  said,  'when  setting  out  by  the  early 
stage-coach.  The  morning  is  sharp,  companions  few,  and 
from  the  top  of  the  coach  you  see  whole  streets  shuttered  in 
as  in  the  night.  But  just  here  and  there,  one,  earlier  up  than 
others,  has  begun  her  morning  work,  with  no  one  apparently 
to  notice  or  thank  her.  She  will  find  out  the  good  of  it 
before  nightfall.  So  with  you.  Forget  the  crowd,  walk 
with  God  alone.' 

"It  was  a  high  standard  he  himself  set  before  them.  'The 
longing  of  my  heart  would  be  to  go  once  all  round  the  world 
before  I  die,  and  preach  one  gospel  invitation  in  the  ear  of 
every  creature.'  He  had  a  tender  regard  for  those  who  were 
kept  long  in  darkness  :  saying,  that  those  to  whom  the  Lord 
had  revealed  much  of  their  own  sin  and  misery  in  the  place 
of  dragons,  were  often  led  into  high  places  in  the  school  of 
Christ. 

"All  the  roads  from  the  town  were  nightly  trod  by  groups 
of  country  hearers.  Some  were  returning  home  to  sing  for 
the  first  time  the  new  song.  Others  with  heavy  pace  carried 
an  arrow  rankling  in  the  heart.  Others  bore  the  good  news 
of  companions  in  town  turning  to  God,  the  public-house  signs 
taken  down,  the  police  comparatively  idle,  and  families  and 
workshops  sharing  the  wide-spread  blessing." 

In  the  words,  in  fine,  of  Mr.  Milne,  used  a  year  and  a 
half  afterwards,  on  a  retrospect  of  these  remarkable  scenes : 
"God's  people  quickened;  backsliders  restored;  the  doubt 
ing  and  uncertain  brought  to  decision  and  assurance; 
hidden  ones  who  for  years  had  walked  solitarily  brought 
to  light,  and  united  to  a  family  of  brothers  and  sisters;  a 
large  number  of  the  worldly,  thoughtless,  ignorant,  self- 
righteous  turned  to  the  Lord;  a  peculiar  people  growing 
up,  who  are  separate  from  the  world,  know  and  love  one 


158  LIFE    OF   REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1839-40. 

another;  watch  over,  exhort,  and  aid  one  another,  and 
seem  to  grow  in  humility  and  zeal;"1  such  is  the  sum 
mary  history  of  the  work  done  and  the  fruits  of  blessing 
gathered  in  at  Perth  during  this  signal  "time  of  power." 

After  a  few  more  days  spent  in  fulfilling  some  country 
engagements,  he  started  for  Aberdeen  on  the  yth,  amid  a 
crowd  of  loving  friends  who  had  assembled  to  bid  him 
farewell;  but  rejoicing  still  more  to  see,  as  he  passed 
through  Bridgend,  "  that  William  G 's  sign  as  a  spirit- 
seller  was  taken  down !" 


1  Evidence  supplied  to  the  Synod  of  Merse  and  Teviotdale,  in 
answer  to  queries  proposed  by  them,  October  25,  1841.  See  Life  of 
Rev.  John  Milne,  p.  55. 


CHAPTER   VII. 

1840. 

LABOURS    AT    ABERDEEN. 

THE  ample  details  which  have  been  given  in  the 
three  last  chapters  from  Mr.  Bums'  own  journals, 
of  the  nature  of  his  labours,  and  the  scenes  amongst  which 
he  mingled,  at  Kilsyth,  Dundee,  and  Perth,  will  render  it 
unnecessary  to  give  such  extended  extracts  with  reference 
to  his  evangelistic  work  at  Aberdeen.  The  spirit  in  which 
he  laboured,  and  the  results  which  followed,  were  here  in 
all  essential  respects  identical  with  what  we  have  just 
described  elsewhere,  and  might  be  said  to  be  simply  the 
continuation  of  what  was  there  begun.  The  same  unrest 
ing  activity,  intense  earnestness,  and  vivid  realization  of 
the  unseen  world  on  the  part  of  the  preacher — the  same 
mighty  and  gradually  swelling  tide  of  interest,  inquiry, 
irrepressible  emotion,  on  the  part  of  the  throngs  that 
waited  on  his  ministry  and  hung  upon  his  lips — were  here 
as  there  the  salient  features  of  a  movement  which  was  the 
subject  of  solemn  joy  to  one  part  of  the  community,  and 
of  wonder,  consternation,  scorn,  or  anxious  misgiving  to 
the  other.  Sermons  to  densely  crowded  audiences  in 
three  several  churches  on  each  Lord's-day;  prayer-meetings 
in  the  morning  and  afternoon,  and  a  public  address  in  the 


l6o  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1840. 

evening  of  each  week-day,  with  generally  an  additional 
hour  of  counsel,  instruction,  and  prayer,  for  those  whose 
intense  anxiety  still  detained  them  after  the  long  service 
was  over,  with  words  by  the  wayside  and  conferences  with 
inquirers  and  young  disciples  at  all  other  available  hours, 
constituted  the  daily  history  of  his  work,  so  far  as  it  can 
be  written  by  man,  for  weeks  together.  An  occasional 
sermon,  too,  in  the  open  air — in  Castle  Street,  or  at  the 
foot  of  the  Barrack  Hill — startled  and  scandalized  a 
Christian  community,  which  has  since  seen  the  same  self- 
denying  service  done,  with  no  other  feeling  than  that 
of  admiration,  by  so  many  others.  Even  his  brethren 
in  the  ministry,  who  in  all  other  respects  approved  and 
furthered  his  work,  with  one  single  exception  deprecated 
a  course  which  all  the  existing  conventions  condemned, 
but  which,  by  its  remarkable  results,  in  sounding  the 
depths  of  a  class  of  society  which  no  other  agency  had 
reached,  more  than  justified  itself: — 

"In  the  evening,"  says  he,  "I  (April  26)  preached  in  Castle 
Street  to  an  immense  audience,  chiefly  men,  on  the  willingness 
of  Jesus  to  save  the  chief  of  sinners,  from  the  '  thief  on  the 
cross.'  I  felt  more  of  the  divine  presence  than  on  any 
former  occasion  in  Aberdeen,  and  laboured  to  pull  sinners 
out  of  the  fire.  The  impression  was  very  deep ;  many  weep 
ing,  some  screaming,  and  one  or  two  quite  overpowered.  At 
eight  o'clock  we  adjourned  to  the  North  Church,  where  Mr. 
Wilson  from  Belfast  was  preaching,  and  when  he  had  con 
cluded  we  remained  with  a  crowded  audience  for  another 
hour  in  exhortation,  prayer,  and  praise.  After  this  we  dis 
missed  the  people ;  but  a  great  many  were  so  deeply  moved 
that  we  could  not  get  away,  and  accordingly  I  returned  with 
Mr.  Murray,  who  addressed  along  with  me  about  four 


^Et.  25.]  STREET    PREACHING.  l6l 

hundred,  from  the  precentor's  desk.  After  prayer  and  sing 
ing,  we  dismissed  about  ten  o'clock.  Getting  with  difficulty 
out  of  the  crowd,  I  went  down  to  Albion  Street,  and  addressed 
in  a  school-room  about  seventy  of  the  poorest  and  vilest  of 
the  people  in  that  degraded  district.  They  were  very  solemn 
and  interested  to  all  appearance.  We  separated  about  eleven. 
Though  this  was  a  day  of  uncommon  toil,  yet,  praise  to  the 
Lord  !  I  was  not  worn  out,  but  felt  strong  as  ever  on  my  way 
home  .....  I  may  here  record  that  none  of  the  minis 
ters  were  in  favour  of  the  street-preaching  but  Mr.  Parker. 
He  and  his  session  all  went  to  Castle  Street  ;  though  I  felt 
that  I  did  not  need  human  countenance,  having  so  clear  a 
conviction  of  the  duty,  and  being  so  conscious  of  the  divine 
support  in  this  effort  to  advance  the  glory  of  Jesus." 

Other  tokens  besides  the  immediate  sense  of  the  "divine 
support,"  and  the  access  opened  to  him  to  "  the  poorest 
and  vilest  of  the  people,"  soon  appeared  to  confirm  his 
conviction  that  he  was  in  this  matter  in  the  right  line  of 
action.  "When  walking  on  the  links,"  says  he  in  his 
journal  of  next  day,  "  in  the  afternoon  I  met  some  poor 
lads,  with  whom  I  prayed  among  the  sand-banks.  They 
were  very  serious  for  the  time,  and  one  of  them  said  he 
had  been  in  Albion  Street  school  the  night  before.  He 
said  that  many  were  praying  for  the  first  time,  and  he 
among  the  rest,  after  I  went  away."  We  are  not  surprised, 
accordingly,  to  find  him  soon  again  on  the  same  battle 
ground,  renewing  the  charge  from  the  same  point  at 
which  he  had  already  effected  so  wide  a  breach.  The 
scruples  of  his  brethren,  too,  soon  gave  way,  as  they 
witnessed  and  gladly  hailed  the  good  results  of  the  bolder 
course  from  which  at  first  they  had  shrunk  :  — 


Tuesday  )  April  iWi.  —  In   the  evening   I   preached,  to 

L 


1 62  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1840. 

an  immense  audience  at  the  foot  of  the  Barrack  Hill,  in 
cluding  multitudes  of  the  worst  people  in  the  town.  I  was 
hoarse  and  the  situation  was  very  unfavourable,  owing  to  its 
vicinity  to  the  public  road ;  yet  with  all  these  disadvantages 
the  audience  were  most  fixed  and  solemn  in  their  attention, 
and  I  was  encouraged  to  intimate  a  similar  meeting  in  the 
same  vicinity  for  Thursday  night,  though  I  had  previously 
proposed  to  leave  Aberdeen  on  the  afternoon  of  that  day. 
This  afternoon  I  had  also  at  half-past  five  a  meeting  in  the 
barracks  with  about  thirty  of  the  soldiers.  They  seemed 
much  impressed,  and  some  of  them  shed  tears  when  I  came 
away.  .  .  . 

"  Wednesday,  April  2tyth. — I  preached  in  the  evening  in 
Holborn  Church ;  an  immense  audience,  the  result  of  the  out 
door  preaching,  as  Mr/  Mitchell  granted  with  good-will,  his 
mind  seeming  to  be  a  good  deal  changed  on  this  point.  Mr. 
M.,  Mr.  Parker,  and  Dr.  Dewar  all  took  part  in  the  services. 

"  Thursday ;  April  y>th. — I  was  again  at  the  barracks 
in  the  afternoon ;  appearances  just  such  as  on  the  former 
day.  I  preached  thereafter  at  the  foot  of  the  Barrack  Hill 
to  an  immense  audience.  I  had  been  thinking  on  the  subject 
of  conversion,  but  I  was  led  in  the  time  of  the  opening  prayer 
to  think  of  Matthew  xi.  28,  and  I  preached  on  it  with  perhaps 
more  of  the  divine  assistance  than  I  had  done  at  any  time 
before.  Towards  the  end  especially,  many  were  screaming 
and  in  tears.  ...  I  felt  as  if  I  could  pull  men  out  of  the 
fire;  indeed,  I  never  had  more  of  this  feeling  than  this 
evening,  and  on  Sabbath  evening  in  Castle  Street.  In  order 
to  escape  the  crowd  I  slipped  into  the  barracks,  and  after 
walking  up  and  down  in  concealment  a  little,  I  went  up  to 
some  of  the  men  and  spoke  to  them  of  Jesus  and  salvation. 
I  got  a  good  many  of  them  to  come  and  have  a  last  prayer- 
meeting  before  our  parting,  which  we  had  accordingly. 
When  going  up  to  the  room  I  met  dear  J.  C.1  standing  with 

xAn  interesting  convert  mentioned  in  the  journal  before  several 

times. 


JEt.  25.]         THE  CHURCH  IN  THE  ARMY.  163 

streaming  eyes  alone.  He  had  run  up  Union  Street,  thinking 
to  overtake  me,  but  not  seeing  me,  and  being  obliged  to  be 
in  by  nine  o'clock,  he  returned  disconsolate,  thinking  that  he 
might  never  see'  me  again,  the  regiment  being  to  leave  Aber 
deen  for  Paisley  on  Tuesday  first.  Our  meeting  was  sweet 
indeed,  and  our  parting  affecting,  but  full  of  the  hope  of 
meeting  in  the  presence  of  the  Lamb.  Glory  to  his  matchless 
name!" 

Of  the  after-history  of  individual  souls  amongst  those 
neglected  multitudes  in  Albion  Street  and  Barrack  Hill, 
to  whom  the  gates  of  the  eternal  kingdom  were  thus 
opened  for  once  at  least,  so  widely,  but  few  and  broken 
fragments  can  be  gathered  from  the  records  of  earth. 
The  names  of  some  of  them  occur  in  connection  with  the 
labours  of  a  committee  of  inquiry  soon  after  appointed 
by  the  presbytery  of  the  bounds,  and  the  cases  of  others 
are  doubtless  well  known  to  individual  ministers  of  the 
city,  under  whose  ministry  the  seeds  of  life  then  sown 
were  cherished  and  ripened  to  holy  fruitfulness.  With 
his  friends  amongst  the  soldiers,  however,  he  was  destined 
to  meet  again  in  other  and  deeply  interesting  circum 
stances,  when,  five  years  afterwards,  they  rallied  round 
him,  and  acted  as  his  gallant  body-guard  amid  the  rude 
assaults  of  the  ruffianly  mob  at  Montreal. 

Throughout  these  manifold  and  arduous  labours  Mr. 
Burns  had  enjoyed,  as  ever  afterwards  in  Aberdeen,  the 
valuable  countenance  and  co-operation  of  several  of  the 
ministers  of  the  city,  and  particularly  of  Dr.  Murray  of  the 
North  Parish,  Mr.  Parker  of  Bonaccord  Church,  and  Mr. 
Mitchell  of  Holborn,  in  one  or  other  of  whose  churches 
most  of  his  meetings  both  on  Sabbaths  and  on  week-days 


164  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1840. 

were  held.  The  two  former  have  since  died — leaving 
behind  them  the  rich  savour  of  a  revered  and  blessed 
memory.  Mr.  Parker  was  a  man  of  deep,  thoughtful,  and 
even  severe  piety,  with  peculiarly  profound  and  solemn 
views  of  the  holy  law  and  sovereign  grace  of  God — who 
had  been  recently  translated  to  his  present  charge  from 
a  chapel  in  Dundee,  where  he  had  laboured  for  several 
years  with  remarkable  acceptance  and  success.  Dr.  Mur 
ray  was  a  ripe  scholar,  a  sound  divine,  a  brave  and  godly 
man,  and  especially  during  his  earlier  ministry,  in  Trinity 
Chapel,  a  stirring  and  successful  preacher.  He  lived  to 
a  good  old  age,  and.  passed  away  amid  the  universal 
respect  of  a  community  that  had  for  long  years  honoured 
him  as  one  of  its  most  worthy  and  true-hearted  citizens. 
Both  loved  and  befriended  the  young  evangelist  with  that 
peculiar  and  beautiful  affection  which  one  sometimes  sees 
in  those  of  more  advanced  years  towards  the  young. 

On  Tuesday,  May  i,  he  left  Aberdeen  for  a  season,  in 
order  to  fulfil  some  other  pressing  engagements — thus 
briefly  summing  up  the  result  of  his  labours  there  during 
the  past  month : — 

"I  am  now  come  to  the  end  of  my  sojourn  in  Aberdeen, 
and  must  notice  a  few  general  features  in  what  met  my  eye 
and  ear.  We  had  meetings  every  morning  to  the  end,  in 
Bonaccord  Church,  which  were  very  sweet  and  solemn,  and 
increased  in  size  towards  the  end.  I  also  continued  to  meet 
almost  every  afternoon,  from  one  to  three,  with  anxious 
inquirers.  Many  that  came  to  these  meetings,  as  well  as 
many  that  called  at  the  house,  seemed  in  a  most  promising 
state,  and  altogether,  upon  a  review  of  all  I  saw  of  this  kind 
in  Aberdeen,  there  seemed  to  be  very  hopeful  symptoms  of 


JEt.  as.]'  SECOND    VISIT   TO    ABERDEEN.  165 

an  extensive  awakening.  And  now,  Lord  Jesus,  grant  me 
and  all  thy  people  there,  the  Holy  Ghost  as  a  Spirit  of  praise 
for  all  the  tokens  of  thy  glorious  and  gracious  presence  there ; 
and  may  those  who  were  impressed  by  thy  power  not  be  left 
to  fall  back  into  their  former  security  beneath  the  abiding 
wrath  of  God,  but  be  brought  to  wash  in  thy  blood,  and  put 
on  the  glorious  wedding-garment  of  thy  righteousness,  and 
adorn  the  doctrine  of  God  their  Saviour  by  a  life  and  con 
versation  becoming  the  gospel ;  and  to  thee  be  all  the  glory  ! 
Amen." 

His  retirement  from  Aberdeen,  however,  was  only 
temporary.  Neither  in  his  own  judgment  nor  in  that 
of  the  brethren  who  had  laboured  with  him,  had  he  yet 
made  full  proof  of  his  ministry  there;  and  accordingly, 
after  an  absence  of  five  months,  we  find  him  again  in  the 
field,  prosecuting  with  equal  devotedness  and  zeal,  and 
with  even  still  more  remarkable  results,  the  work  which 
he  had  before  begun.  For  two  months  together,  on  week 
days  and  Sabbath-days,  the  attendance  at  the  meetings 
continued  unabated,  and  the  number  of  inquirers  in 
creased.  I  find  on  one  of  the  last  pages  of  his  Aberdeen 
diary  specific  mention  of  the  2ooth  case  of  spiritual 
anxiety  with  which  he  had  had  to  deal  since  the  com 
mencement  of  his  visit;  and  those  who  sought  him  out 
on  this  errand,  and  with  whom  he  was  able  to  converse, 
were  of  course  only  a  fraction  of  those  who  were  more 
or  less  affected  by  the  general  and  wide-spread  impres 
sion.  So  great  at  one  time  was  the  number  of  the  an 
xious,  that  appointments  made  for  their  special  behoof 
would  be  responded  to  by  such  crowds,  that  individual 
instruction  became  impossible,  and  the  inquirers'  meeting 


1 66  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1840. 

grew  into  a  congregation.  Meanwhile  the  intensity  of 
feeling  manifested  by  those  who  were  the  more  especial 
subjects  of  the  movement  was  often  very  great,  and 
found  vent  to  itself  in  the  case  of  those  who  were  of 
a  more  impressible  nature,  and  were  least  habituated  to 
self-control,  now  in  silent  weeping,  and  now  in  loud  sobs 
and  cries.  There  was  undoubtedly  at  this  time  a  good 
deal  of  what  is  called  religious  excitement.  The  solemn 
impressions  of  eternal  things  renewed  night  after  night,  in 
crowded  congregations  composed  in  large  measure  of 
the  same  individuals,  and  under  the  spell  of  a  voice  that 
seemed  as  if  the  very 'echo  of  eternity,  gradually  grew  to 
an  intensity  which  became  at  last  altogether  uncontrollable; 
and  as  this  aspect  of  the  movement  attracted  a  good  deal 
of  public  notoriety  at  the  time,  and  formed  the  subject  of 
a  special  inquiry  on  the  part  of  the  presbytery  of  the 
bounds,  it  may  be  right  to  give  one  or  two  extracts  illus 
trative  of  its  nature : — 

"October  22^. — In  the  evening  I  preached  in  Trinity 
Church  at  seven  to  a  full  church,  from  the  Pharisee  and  the 
publican.  The  impression  was  solemn.  At  an  after-meeting 
a  great  many  remained,  and  the  impression  became  deeper, 
many  being  in  tears.  We  parted  at  ten,  but  as  we  were 
leaving  the  session-house  many  crowded  round  us,  and  one 
mill-girl  cried  aloud,  so  that  I  had  to  return  to  the  session- 
house  with  the  concourse.  The  place  was  filled  in  a  few 
moments,  and  almost  all  fell  on  their  knees  and  began  to 
pray  to  the  Lord.  I  continued  to  pray  and  sing  and  speak 
with  these  until  after  twelve  o'clock,  having  frequently  offered 
to  let  them  go,  but  finding  that  they  would  not  move,  and 
feeling  in  my  own  soul  that  the  Lord  was  indeed  in  the 
midst  of  us.  This  was  the  most  glorious  season,  I  think, 


JEt.  25.]  "A    GREAT    MOURNING."  167 

that  I  have  yet  seen  in  Aberdeen.  Many  poor  sinners  lay 
weeping  all  the  night  on  their  knees  in  prayer,  and  some  of 
the  Lord's  people  present  seemed  to  be  filled  with  joy. 

"October  23^. — In  the  evening  I  met  from  three  to 
four  hundred  in  the  Albion  Street  school,  chiefly  mill-girls, 
and  spoke  chiefly  from  the  beginning  of  Luke  xv.  I  was 
enabled  to  speak  very  awfully  of  the  lost  state  of  sinners,  and 
the  enormity  of  many  sins  abounding  among  us  at  one 
particular  time ;  and  the  impression  was  so  great  that  almost 
all  were  in  tears,  and  many  cried  aloud.  This  impression 
seemed  so  deep  and  genuine,  that  it  continued  the  whole 
evening  afterwards,  and  though  I  dismissed  them  three  or 
four  times,  hardly  any  would  go  away,  the  greater  part  crying 
aloud  at  the  mention  of  dispersing.  Accordingly  we  re 
mained  until  after  eleven,  and  even  then  the  greater  part 
remained  behind  me,  and  the  beadle  could  not  get  some  of 
them  away  for  a  long  time  after  this.  It  was  indeed  to  all 
appearance  a  night  of  the  Lord's  power,  and  I  trust  a  night 
of  salvation  to  some. 

"October  28//z,  evening. — I  met  with  anxious  inquirers  in 
the  North  Church  session-house,  but  so  many  came  (they 
could  not  be  fewer  than  two  hundred  and  fifty)  that  we  had 
to  go  to  the  church ;  of  these  two-thirds  were  mill-girls. 
After  speaking  to  them  all  together  until  half-past  nine,  I 
kept  the  mill-girls  behind  and  took  down  about  half  of  their 
names.  Some  of  them  seemed  in  the  deep  waters,  and  a 
great  many  were  weeping  silently.  A  few  only  seemed  un 
moved.  I  found  that  there  were  individuals  among  them 
from  all  the  mills  in  town,  as  far  as  I  am  aware.  Surely  the 
Lord  is  dealing  with  some  of  these  souls.  I  would  not  doubt 
it,  though  my  past  experience  of  the  deceitfulness  of  almost  all 
appearances  makes  me  hesitate  in  regard  to  individual  cases. 
At  the  Saturday  evening  meeting  a  good  man  who  works  in 
Hadden's  mill  told  me  that  he  had  seen  that  day  what  he 
never  saw  before,  a  number  of  the  workers  bringing  their 
Bibles  with  them  to  their  work !  Sweet  token ! 


1 68  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1840. 


"November  igth.—Ak  eight,  Albion  Street  school;  full 
attendance,  though  I  did  not  intimate  at  the  mills.  What 
a  sweet  contrast  the  meeting  presented  at  the  time  I  came  in 
to  the  appearance  of  these  dear  young  people  when  we  first 
met  in  this  place!  Glory  to  the  Lord!  The  subject,  'Be 
hold  what  manner  of  love/  &c.  I  desired  to  speak  in  an 
awakening  way,  which  is  my  natural  bent,  but  could  not ;  and 
was  enabled  in  some  degree  to  speak  for  the  comfort,  ex 
amination,  and  instruction  of  those  who  are  under  concern. 
Many  wept  tenderly  during  the  whole  meeting.  There  was 
great  solemnity  and  earnestness  in  prayer,  and  when  we  dis 
missed  at  a  quarter  past  ten  many  were  almost  unable  to 
go  away.  Indeed,  a  great  number  went  into  the  lower  school 
room,  in  the  dark,  and  remained  there  for  a  considerable 
time  in  prayer,  Miss  C.,  the  excellent  teacher  of  the  infant 
school,  being  with  them.  I  was  told  to-day  by  Mrs.  M.  that 
a  person  had  said  to  her,  though  he  was  not  particularly 
favourable,  'I  am  persuaded  there  is  much  good  doing.'  It 
is  said  that  now  on  a  Saturday  night  there  is  not  one  for  ten 
that  there  used  to  be  of  these  young  women  walking  in  the 
streets !  Praise ! 

"November  22<^,  evening. — I  preached  for  Mr.  Foote  in 
the  East  Church  at  six  o'clock:  a  collection  for  his  infant 
school.  The  sermon  was  therefore  advertised.  The  church 
was  choked  as  soon  as  opened.  There  could  not  be  fewer 
than  two  thousand  five  hundred,  a  great  number  of  whom 
were  men.  ...  I  preached  from  Romans  ii.  4,  5.  At  eight 
o'clock,  I  had  to  divide  the  subject  in  order  to  allow  those 
to  retire  who  needed.  As  many  nearly  came  in  as  went  out, 
and  we  continued  till  nine.  I  saw  no  men  go  away.  There 
was  a  fixed  and  solemn  attention  to  plain  and  momentous 
truths  throughout,  and  some  girls  cried  out.  Praise  to  the 
Lord!  .  .  .  When  I  came  out  I  heard  a  young  man  in 
the  street,  with  a  curse,  saying,  'There  is  the  rascal  himself.' 
I  went  and  spoke  kindly  to  him,  saying  he  did  me  no  ill,  but 
himself  a  great  deal.  He  went  along  with  me  and  spoke  a 


Mt.  25.]  THE   PRESBYTERIAL    INQUIRY.  169 

little  more  seriously,  saying,  'Perhaps  I'll  turn  to  God  too.' 
Turn  him  and  he  shall  be  turned.  Praise ! 

"November  23^,  evening. — At  eight  we  met  in  the  church 
Bonaccord  with  anxious  inquirers,  but  in  consequence  of  the 
movement  so  publicly  seen  on  Saturday  night,  there  were  so 
many  came  as  nearly  to  crowd  the  church,  and  among  these 
many  gentlemen  drawn  by  curiosity.  I  read  the  I2th  of 
Zechariah  beginning  with  verse  9,  and  spoke  upon  it  at  first 
more  textually,  and  afterwards  with  greater  variety  and  lati 
tude,  and  I  obtained  so  great  liberty  that  I  spoke  in  a  manner 
I  have  hardly  ever  done  before.  We  remained  speaking  and 
praying  until  half-past  eleven  P.M.,  and  hardly  one  even  of 
the  scoffers  went  away;  many,  even  gentlemen,  remained 
rivetted  to  the  spot,  evidently  having  a  witness  in  their  con 
sciences  to  the  truth.  There  were  some  avowed  infidels 
present !  Glory  to  the  Lord !  There  would  have  been  a  great 
outcry  among  the  young  people,  had  I  not  at  the  beginning, 
and  frequently  as  I  went  on,  debarred  them  from  crying  out 
that  others  might  hear  and  be  benefited.  Many  sighed  and 
wept  aloud. 

"Wednesday,  November  2.$th. —  Heard  that  the  Dudhope 
Church  is  open  to  me  at  Dundee.  At  the  prayer-meeting 
spoke  on  the  last  chapter  of  ist  Thessalonians.  Tender 
weeping  among  many,  nay  almost  all,  when  I  intimated  my 
proposed  departure.  We  fixed  Friday  for  a  day  of  fasting. 
Oh!  may  it  be  indeed  so.  Many  shook  hands  with  me, 
young  and  old,  rich  ('not  many')  and  poor,  when  I  came  out 
with  tender  weeping.  Praise !  Praise !  Oh !  may  the  week 
that  remains  to  me  here  be  pentecostal!  Come  Jesus! 
Amen." 

It  cannot  certainly  be  matter  of  surprise  that  manifesta 
tions  like  these,  occurring  in  the  midst  of  a  great  Christian 
community,  should  have  attracted  a  large  measure  of 
public  attention,  and  should  have  been  thought  deserving 
of  serious  consideration  and  inquiry  on  the  part  of  those 


1 70  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1840. 

intrusted  with  authority  in  the  church.  They  were  sure 
to  be  variously,  and  by  many  severely,  judged.  Not  only 
were  those  to  whom  every  expression  and  sign  of  religious 
earnestness  were  but  as  the  raving  of  fools  sure  to  turn 
away  from  such  scenes  with  contemptuous  scorn,  but  even 
some,  to  whom  the  struggles  of  the  interior  life  were  a  great 
and  blessed  reality,  might  question  whether  a  spiritual 
movement,  attended  by  such  a  tumult  of  emotion,  were 
likely  to  prove  in  the  highest  degree  solid  or  lasting.  It  was 
not  that  the  spiritual  concern  of  those  whose  souls  were 
most  powerfully  stirred  by  the  melting  and  thrilling  words 
of  the  preacher  was  in  itself  too  solemn  or  too  deep.  No 
amount  of  solicitude  in  regard  to  interests  so  stupendous 
as  the  favour  and  love  of  God,  and  the  eternal  life  of  the 
soul  in  him,  could  be  regarded  as  either  unreasonable 
or  extreme.  Of  such  solicitude,  whether  called  by  the 
name  of  excitement,  or  enthusiasm,  or  the  awakening  of 
the  spiritual  life,  well  might  it  be  said  with  President 
Edwards:  ''If  such  things  are  enthusiasm  or  the  fruits 
of  a  distempered  brain,  let  my  brain  be  evermore  pos 
sessed  of  that  happy  distemper !  If  this  be  distraction,  I 
pray  God  that  the  world  of  mankind  may  be  seized  with 
this  benign,  meek,  beneficent,  beatifical,  glorious  distrac 
tion."  But  the  question  still  remained,  whether  a  course 
of  such  continuous  and  exhausting  excitement  of  the  feel 
ings  were  not  fitted  rather  to  hinder  than  to  help  spiritual 
inquiry  in  the  highest  sense — by  preventing  quiet  thought- 
fulness,  and  possibly  issuing  in  a  reaction  of  deeper  care 
lessness  and  apathy.  Grace,  it  was  urged,  while  in  itself 
supernatural  and  divine,  yet  works  ever  according  to  the 


JEt.  25.]  RELIGIOUS    EXCITEMENT.  17 1 

essential  laws  of  our  moral  and  physical  constitution;  and 
whatever  in  any  degree  runs  counter  to  those  laws  must 
tend  in  that  degree  to  hinder  or  to  mar  that  work.  Of 
those  laws  the  healthy  equipoise  of  the  different  elements 
of  our  nature — the  reason,  the  conscience,  the  feelings — 
is  one  of  the  most  fundamental,  and  therefore  any  undue 
or  exclusive  predominance  of  one  of  these  to  the  suppres 
sion  or  abeyance  of  the  others  must  tell  with  more  or  less 
of  injurious  influence  upon  all.  It  was  alleged  too  that 
the  excitement  then  prevalent  was  in  many  cases  an 
excitement  of  fear  rather  than  of  love  or  moral  feeling, 
and  for  that  reason  also  the  more  liable  to  prove  evan 
escent,  or  to  issue  in  morbid  and  unsatisfactory  results. 
It  was  not  enough  to  say  in  answer  to  these  considerations 
that  the  work  was,  as  most  Christian  men  fully  believed, 
in  its  essential  nature  and  substance  a  work  of  the  Spirit 
of  God ;  for  a  divine  work  was  all  the  more  sure  to  be 
more  or  less  marred  by  the  erring  touch  of  man;  and 
that  work,  it  was  maintained,  would  have  been  helped 
not  hindered,  and  the  spiritual  birth  or  holy  progress  of 
souls  furthered,  had  the  public  meetings  and  protracted 
and  exciting  services  been  fewer,  and  the  hours  of  still 
and  meditative  retirement  more. 

There  was  some  truth,  doubtless,  in  these  considerations; 
but  probably  not  so  much  as  those  who  urged  them  were 
disposed  to  think.  It  was  not  enough  considered  that 
such  a  season  of  general  awakening  to  the  sight  and  sense 
of  eternal  things  was  in  its  nature  exceptional  and  tem 
porary,  and  that  the  intense  excitement  with  which  it  was 
at  first  attended  was  sure,  in  the  course  of  nature,  soon 


172  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1840. 

to  die  down  into  a  more  quiet  and  tranquil  condition  of 
things.  Whatever  effects  of  a  permanent  kind  might 
result  from  the  earthquake  shock,  in  startling  souls  from 
the  sleep  of  death,  its  immediate  tremor  and  concussion 
would  soon  pass  away.  Neither  in  the  public  mind  gene 
rally,  nor  in  the  history  of  individual  souls,  would  the 
tumult  of  emotion  last  long  enough  to  produce,  at  least 
to  the  full  extent,  that  revulsion  or  paralyzing  exhaustion 
of  feeling  that  was  apprehended.  Many  of  those  who 
were  most  deeply  moved  by  the  prevailing  influence  very 
soon  passed  the  crisis  of  their  anxiety,  and  through  that 
sore  agony  and  travail  of  soul  entered  into  a  state  of  calm 
peace  and  rest  in  God,  which  was  the  very  opposite  of  all 
tumultuous  excitement.  The  same  power  that  was  mighty 
to  wound  was  mighty  also  to  heal,  so  that  "the  bones 
which"  that  divine  unseen  hand  "had  broken"  were  speedily 
made  to  "rejoice."  There  was  the  gentle  and  reviving 
south  wind,  as  well  as  the  biting  north — the  time  of  the 
singing  of  birds,  as  well  as  the  winter  and  the  rain.  Thus 
those  whose  desires  after  God,  the  living  God,  were  deep 
and  real,  did  not  long  fail  of  the  object  of  their  quest,  and 
with  it  of  that  holy  calm  which  can  alone  effectually  still 
the  tumults  of  the  heart;  while  in  the  case  of  those  whose 
natural  sensibilities  alone  were  stirred,  there  was  enough 
in  the  cares  of  the  world  and  the  pressing  exigences  of 
daily  life  soon  to  blunt  the  edge  of  excited  feeling,  and 
preclude  the  danger  of  a  too  intense  or  long-continued 
anxiety.  Those  in  short  who  had  then  been  roused  to 
momentary  seriousness,  would  either  inevitably  soon  sink 
into  slumber  again,  or  have  their  eyes  opened  to  the  sight 


JEt.  25.]  RELIGIOUS    EXCITEMENT.  173 

of  Him,  the  beholding  of  whom  alone  can  permanently 
keep  the  soul  awake,  and  in  whom  there  is  not  only  life 
everlasting  but  peace  unspeakable. 

It  should  be  remembered,  also,  that  those  to  whose 
benefit  Mr.  Burns'  labours  were  at  this  time  for  the  most 
part  directed,  belonged  to  that  class  whom  it  is  most  diffi 
cult  to  arouse  to  any  thought  or  care  about  eternal  things  at 
all,  and  who  when  they  are  so  roused,  are  then  only  led 
to  think  when  they  have  been  first  made  to  feel.  Those 
rude  and  untaught  hearts  in  Albion  Street  and  Barrack 
Hill,  or  amidst  the  crowds  of  factory  workers,  who  were 
brought  to  weep  and  wail  aloud  at  the  thought  of  God 
and  eternity,  might  never  get  beyond  those  mere  sobs  and 
tears — might  catch  only  a  momentary  glimpse  of  a  higher 
world,  and  then  pass  again  into  darkness ;  and  yet  surely 
the  very  state  of  mind  which  made  them  capable  of  such 
tears  had  already  raised  them  far  above  their  former  state 
of  stolid  indifference  and  moral  debasement,  and  brought 
them  at  least  several  steps  nearer  the  kingdom  of  God 
than  they  were  before.  There  are  those — let  us  never 
forget  it — whose  deeper  nature  must  be  reached,  primarily 
and  chiefly,  not  through  the  head,  but  through  the  heart. 

It  was  a  time  doubtless  of  high  but  in  the  main  of  sacred 
and  salutary  excitement.  Occasionally  no  doubt  the  tide 
of  feeling  was  too  unrestrained — more  continuous  and  less 
subjected  to  regulative  control,  than  with  a  view  to  solid 
and  enduring  results  would  have  been  desirable.  There 
was  not  indeed  too  much  feeling;  but  there  was  perhaps 
too  little  thought — not  too  much  of  the  whirlwind  and 
of  the  fire,  but  possibly  too  little  of  the  still  small  voice. 


174  LIFE    OF    REV-    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1840. 

Without  any  less  of  the  religion  of  the  heart,  there  might 
have  been  more  of  the  religion  of  the  informed  judgment, 
the  educated  conscience,  and  of  the  disciplined  will.  It  is 
hard  in  any  case,  and  under  any  ministry,  fully  to  reconcile 
and  combine  what  may  be  called  the  stimulative  and  the 
educative  functions  of  the  gospel  message — to  give  full 
scope  at  once  to  the  powers  that  stir  and  to  the  principles 
that  should  guide  and  control  the  spiritual  nature.  I  do 
not  say — least  of  all  would  the  subject  of  this  memoir 
have  said — that  in  the  present  instance  this  reconciliation 
was  perfectly  attained.  In  the  great  lack,  too,  of  wise 
guides  of  souls,  and  in  the  comparative  inexperience  in 
such  work  even  of  triose  who  were  most  fitted  for  it,  it  is 
not  wonderful  if  a  spiritual  movement,  at  once  so  exten 
sive  and  profound,  should  have  got  occasionally  somewhat 
beyond  control;  and  if  some  portion  of  its  good  results 
should  thus  have  been  lost  or  have  passed  away  into 
impure  and  morbid  forms.  Even  a  Divine  work  in  human 
hands  partakes  ever  and  necessarily  more  or  less  of  the 
imperfection  and  the  error  of  that  which  is  human.  In 
the  main,  however,  and  with  every  reasonable  allowance 
for  such  imperfection  and  error,  we  believe  this  remark 
able  movement  to  have  been  a  real  and  most  blessed 
work  of  the  Spirit  of  God — a  true  awakening,  through  His 
heavenly  breath,  of  the  spiritual  nature,  and  quickening 
of  the  springs  of  highest  life  in  multitudes  of  human 
souls.  If  it  was  an  enthusiasm,  it  was  an  enthusiasm  of 
faith,  of  love,  and  of  holy  endeavour  and  aspiration. 

Still  let  it  be  admitted  that  the  dangers  apprehended 
from  excessive  and  too  continuous  excitement,  if  often 


Mt.  25.]  OBJECT    OF   THE    INQUIRY.  175 

exaggerated,  are  nevertheless  real,  and  that  so  far  as  they 
can  be  avoided,  they  are,  in  the  interest  of  the  work  itself, 
and  for  the  honour  of  Him  whose  work  it  is,  to  be  sedu 
lously  and  anxiously  guarded  against.  "There  being  a 
great  many  errors  and  sinful  irregularities,"  to  use  again 
the  words  of  Edwards,  "mixed  with  this  work  of  God, 
arising  from  our  weakness,  darkness,  and  corruption,  does 
not  indeed  hinder  it  from  being  very  glorious.  Our  follies 
and  sins  in  some  respects  manifest  the  glory  of  it.  The 
glory  of  divine  power  and  grace  is  set  off  with  the  greater 
lustre  by  what  appears  at  the  same  time  of  the  weakness 
of  an  earthen  vessel.  It  is  God's  pleasure  to  manifest 
the  weakness  and  unworthiness  of  the  subject  at  the  same 
time  that  he  displays  the  excellency  of  his  power  and  the 
riches  of  his  grace.  And  I  doubt  not  but  some  of  these 
things  which  make  some  of  us  here  on  earth  to  be  out  of 
humour,  and  to  look  on  this  work  with  a  sour  counten 
ance,  heighten  the  songs  of  the  angels  when  they  praise 
God  and  the  Lamb  for  what  they  see  of  the  glory  of  God's 
all-sufficiency,  and  the  efficacy  of  Christ's  redemption. 
And  how  unreasonable  is  it  that  we  should  be  backward 
to  acknowledge  the  glory  of  what  God  has  done,  because 
the  devil,  and  we  in  hearkening  to  him,  have  done  a  great 
deal  of  mischief."  Still  none  the  less  error  is  error,  and 
sin  is  sin,  and  both  are  to  be  with  the  utmost  watchfulness 
and  care  guarded  against,  so  that  the  work  which  we 
recognize  as  divine  may  not  only  be,  but  be  seen  to  be, 
"honourable  and  glorious,"  and  that  no  needless  stumb 
ling-block  may  be  thrown  in  the  way  of  any  true  though 
feeble  seeker  after  God. 


176  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1840. 

Whether,  then,  and  to  what  extent,  any  such  incidental 
evils  had  appeared  in  the  present  case,  was  a  most  fair 
and  important  subject  of  inquiry;  and  a  committee  was 
accordingly  appointed  for  that  purpose  by  the  presbytery 
of  Aberdeen,  moved  thereto  chiefly  by  some  very  unfair 
and  one-sided  accounts  of  some  of  the  meetings  which 
had  appeared  in  one  of  the  public  prints.  The  result 
was  eminently  satisfactory.  The  proceedings  were  con 
ducted  on  the  whole — as  Mr.  Burns  himself  most  cordially 
admitted — with  candour  and  fairness,  and  in  such  a 
manner  as  fully  to  elicit  the  essential  elements  of  the  truth. 
To  the  convener  of  the  committee  in  particular,  the  Rev. 
Wm.  Pirie,1  he  felt  himself  under  deep  obligation  for  the 
kindness  and  courtesy  with  which  he  conducted  his  own 
examination,  when  called  personally  to  appear  as  a  witness. 
A  part  of  his  evidence  it  may  be  proper  here  to  give, 
both  as  illustrating  his  general  character  and  views,  and 
the  light  in  which  he  regarded  the  special  matters  then  in 
question.  We  may  only  further  premise,  in  order  to  the 
clearer  understanding  of  some  of  the  questions,  that  the 
newspaper  attack  referred  to  consisted  partly  of  a  pro 
fessedly  verbatim  report  of  the  proceedings  at  one  of  the 
meetings,2  and  partly  of  a  leading  article,  commenting 
thereon  with  great  bitterness  and  severity : — 

"Q.  Could  you  state  those  peculiarities  of  the  Herald's 

1  Now  Rev.  Dr.  Pirie,  Professor  of  Divinity  in  the  University  of 
Aberdeen. 

2  The  meeting  for  inquirers  held  in  Bonaccord  Church  on  Novem 
ber  23d,  referred  to  in  the  extract  from  journal  of  that  date,  see 
above,  page  169. 


jEt.  25.]  HIS    OWN    EXAMINATION.  177 

report  which  makes  it,  as  you  have  said  in  your  letter  to  Mr. 
Mitchell,  a  'caricature'  of  what  was  spoken  by  you  on  the 
occasions  referred  to?1 

"A.  Among  these  peculiarities,  I  may  mention  the  follow 
ing  as  occurring  to  me  at  the  moment: — ist,  The  manner  in 
which  the  whole  is  printed,  by  the  use  of  hyphens,  and  the 
parenthetical  insertion  of  remarks  by  the  reporter.  The 
reason  of  my  speaking  with  peculiar  slowness  on  the  occa 
sion  referred  to,  was  to  prevent,  if  possible,  the  charge  of 
trying  to  excite  the  people  being  brought  against  me  by 
the  enemies  of  the  work  present.  2d,  The  omission  of  sen 
tences  throughout  which  are  necessary  to  exhibit  the  true 
connection  of  what  was  said,  and  the  consequent  bringing 
together,  and  in  some  cases  mixing  up,  of  things  which,  as 
spoken,  stood  apart.  3d,  The  entire  omission  of  what  was 
said  during  the  last  hour  of  the  address,  the  insertion  of 
which  is  indispensable  to  give  a  just  impression  of  the  whole 
service.  4th,  The  omission  of  some  introductory  remarks,  in 
which  the  speaker  explained  his  reasons  for  addressing  those 
who  seemed  to  have  come  as  spectators,  rather  than  those 
'anxious  inquirers'  for  whom  the  meeting  was  intimated — a 
circumstance  this  which  led  the  speaker  to  leave  the  text  on 
which  he  was  to  have  spoken,  and  to  enlarge  in  a  remon 
strance  with  those  whom  he  supposed  to  have  come  from 
questionable  motives. 

"  Q.  Assuming  it  to  be  as  a  religious  exposition  delivered 
from  the  pulpit,  by  a  licentiate  of  the  Church  of  Scotland, 
would  you  hold  the  report  in  the  Aberdeen  Herald  (supposing 
it  to  be  correct)  as  becoming,  decent,  and  in  conformity  with 
Scripture? 

"A.  I  have  no  hesitation  in  saying  that  the  report  in  the 
Herald,  if  read  under  the  idea  of  its  being  accurate,  and 
without  a  knowledge  of  the  particular  circumstances  in 

1  We  give  the  questions  simply,  without  distinguishing  between 
those  put  by  the  convener  and  those  by  other  members  of  the  Com 
mittee. 

M 


178  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1840. 

which  these  meetings  took  place,  would  seem  open  to  the 
charge  of  being  incoherent  in  the  connection  of  its  meaning, 
and  not  well  fitted  to  edify  the  hearer.  Indeed,  I  have  my 
self  met  with  judicious  and  godly  friends  who  have  been  led 
to  fear  that  the  speaker  had  been  imprudent  in  the  case 
referred  to ;  while,  on  the  other  hand,  I  have  not  met  with 
any  serious  person  of  sound  judgment,  who  was  present  at 
the  meeting  and  thought  that  anything  unscriptural  or  un 
becoming  in  the  circumstances  had  been  said  or  done.  Nor 
do  I  myself,  in  the  recollection  of  what  took  place,  know  of 
anything  which  ought  to  be  condemned  by  those  who  hold 
sound  views  of  Bible  truth. 

"Q.  You  admit  that  the  words,  'This  is  the  outpouring  of 
the  Spirit,'1  were  used  by  you;  how  did  you  know  that  at  the 
time? 

"A.  This  was  my  own  deliberate  conviction  at  the  time, 
and  continues  to  be  so.  The  grounds  on  which  I  was  con 
vinced  of  this  were,  not  merely  those  appearances  of  deep 
solemnity  and  a  humbling  sense  of  sin  which  were  mani 
fested  by  many  of  the  people,  but  also  my  general  knowledge 
of  the  state  of  many  of  them,  from  private  conversation  and 
the  testimony  of  others.  No  one  can  see  the  propriety  of 
introducing  such  a  statement,  unless  he  had  been  present  and 
had  witnessed  the  circumstances  in  which  it  was  made. 

"Q.  How  did  those  appearances  of  deep  solemnity  and 
humbling  sense  of  sin,  to  which  you  have  referred,  manifest 
themselves  in  the  hearers  at  the  time? 

"A.  The  appearances  to  which  I  have  alluded  are,  that 
deep  solemnity  which  one  can  judge  of  when  present,  and  all 
the  usual  outward  marks  of  grief  and  humiliation.  It  is  no 
doubt  difficult  to  judge  of  such  a  matter  from  visible  tokens, 
and  specially  so  in  regard  to  individual  cases.  But,  as  I 
have  already  said,  the  conviction  which  I  expressed  was  not 
founded  solely  on  the  appearances  visible  at  that  time,  but 

1  Said  to  have  been  used  by  Mr.  Burns  at  the  meeting  when  he  had 
endeavoured  in  vain  to  restrain  the  emotion  of  the  audience. 


JEt.  25.]         .  HIS    OWN    EXAMINATION.  179 

also  on  the  grounds  stated  in  answer  to  the  previous  ques 
tion  ;  nor  would  I  think  it  safe  to  judge  of  such  a  matter  by 
almost  any  appearances,  if  taken  apart  from  the  causes  which 
produced  them  and  the  effects  by  which  they  are  followed. 

"Q.  When  you  used  the  words  referred  to,  'This  is  the  out 
pouring  of  the  Spirit/  how  was  it  possible  for  you,  in  con 
formity  with  the  explanation  given  in  your  last  answer,  to  tell 
what  the  effects  would  be? 

"A.  I  am  fully  convinced  that  it  is  a  matter  of  the  utmost 
difficulty  to  judge,  in  regard  to  a  particular  individual,  that 
the  concern  which  that  individual  feels  is  the  effect  of  special 
and  saving  grace;  but,  at  the  same  time,  I  have  no  doubt 
that  any  one  who  is  acquainted,  from  Scripture,  and  espe 
cially  by  experience,  with  the  saving  work  of  God's  Spirit, 
can  on  good  grounds  conclude  that  the  Spirit  of  God  is 
working  remarkably  among  a  people,  even  before  time  has 
fully  proved  the  effects  of  that  work  upon  the  lives  of 
individuals. 

"  Q.  Did  you  know  a  great  proportion  of  the  parties  before 
hand? 

"A.  I  was  accustomed  to  meet  them  almost  day  by  day; 
to  converse  privately  with  those  who  were  anxious;  and,  in 
this  way,  had  an  opportunity  of  obtaining  a  general  know 
ledge  of  their  religious  state.  I  also  heard,  from  various 
quarters,  of  the  state  of  some  of  them  when  at  work  and  when 
at  home,  and  thus  could  more  confidently  judge  that  they 
were  really  impressed  by  divine  truth. 

"Q.  Did  you  witness  any  physical  manifestations  on  that 
night  ? 

"A.  If  by  'physical  manifestations'  be  meant  the  in 
dications  of  grief  alluded  to  in  such  texts  as  in  Zechariah 
xii.  10,  'They  shall  look  on  me  whom  they  have  pierced,  and 
shall  mourn  for  him,  as  one  mourneth  for  his  only  son,  and 
shall  be  in  bitterness  for  him,  as  one  that  is  in  bitterness  for 
his  first-born' — if  this  be  meant,  I  did  see  such  indications  of 
feeling,  and  I  would  desire  to  see  them  on  a  far  larger  scale. 


l8o  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1840. 

"  Q.  It  is  meant,  did  you  hear  sobs,  crying,  screaming,  or 
did  you  see  any  one  faint  or  fall  into  convulsions  ? 

"A.  I  certainly  did  see,  and  expect  to  see  in  such  cases,  much 
weeping,  some  audibly  praying  to  God  for  mercy,  and  occasion 
ally  also  individuals  crying  aloud  as  if  pierced  to  the  heart. 
I  don't  remember  that  any  one  fell  down  or  fell  into  convul 
sions  on  the  night  referred  to,  although  I  have  occasionally 
seen  such  cases,  both  in  Aberdeen  and  in  other  places,  and 
among  these,  strong  men  in  the  prime  of  life. 

"Q.  Do  you  think  persons  so  excited  can  by  possibility 
further  benefit  from  pulpit  ministrations? 

"A.  I  should  think  that  the  most  direct  means  of  composing 
persons  under  such  spiritual  concern,  is  the  calm  and  tender 
ministration  of  the  gospel  of  Christ.  Of  course,  if  the  bodily 
frame  is  so  much  affected  as  to  prevent  the  intelligent  hearing 
of  the  word,  no  benefit  can  be  derived  from  it.  When  people 
have  fallen  into  a  swoon,  the  latter  is  the  case,  and  such 
persons  had  better  be  removed;  but  where  there  is  much 
weeping,  there  may  be,  at  the  same  time,  the  best  preparation 
for  listening  to  the  exhibition  of  Christ. 

"  Q.  Am  I  to  understand  you,  when  you  said,  in  a  foregoing 
answer,  that  you  did  see  persons  weeping  and  audibly  pray 
ing  to  God  for  mercy,  and  occasionally  also  individuals  cry 
ing  aloud,  as  if  pierced  to  the  heart,  that  you  considered 
these  as  sure  evidences  that  the  Spirit  of  God  was  savingly 
working  upon  these  persons  ? 

"A.  I  have  already  stated  very  fully  the  grounds  of  my  con 
viction  that  the  Spirit  of  God  was  at  that  time  powerfully 
working  among  the  people  taken  as  a  whole,  but  I  have  a 
firm  and  growing  conviction  that  there  often  are,  at  such 
seasons,  individuals  who  manifest  a  great  degree  of  feeling, 
and  yet  afterwards  show  that  they  continue  in  their  natural 
state. 

"  Q-  Do  Y°u  not  think  public  meetings  protracted  until  ten, 
or  eleven,  or  twelve  o'clock  at  night,  likely  to  give  offence,  to 
interrupt  family  worship,  interfere  with  family  arrangements, 


^Et.  25.]  HIS    OWN    EXAMINATION.  l8l 

cause  family  disputes,  and  to  be  hurtful  to  the  interests  of 
religion  ? 

"A.  I  confess  I  am  more  and  more  convinced  of  the 
great  importance,  in  general,  of  a  sacred  regard  to  the  ordi 
nance  of  God  in  regard  to  family  and  secret  worship,  and 
of  the  importance  consequently  of  having  public  meetings, 
as  far  as  possible,  concluded  at  an  early  hour;  at  the  same 
time,  I  have  no  doubt  that  there  are  cases  in  which  it  is 
for  the  glory  of  God  that  public  worship  should  be  more 
protracted.  In  places  where  the  people  cannot  meet  earlier 
than  eight  o'clock  I  have  generally  found  that  we  could  not 
end  before  ten  o'clock,  and  this  is  the  hour  at  which,  gene 
rally,  the  public  meeting  has  been  dismissed,  although,  in 
a  few  cases,  it  has  seemed  necessary  to  remain  to  a  later 
hour  with  those  who  were  anxious  about  their  souls." 

Besides  these  oral  statements,  the  following  written 
replies  to  some  of  the  questions  proposed  by  the  presby 
tery  seem  to  me  worthy  of  permanent  record : — 

"  Q.  Have  you  had  many  opportunities  of  seeing  persons 
in  different  places  affected  at  religious  meetings  in  the  way 
in  which  the  persons  referred  to  were  affected  in  Bonaccord 
Church? 

"A.  I  have  had  many  such  opportunities. 

"  Q.  What  have  you  found  to  be  the  result  generally,  in  as 
far  as  the  religious  state  of  those  persons  was  concerned,  as 
displayed  in  their  after-conduct? 

"A.  I  have  known  cases  in  which  persons  so  affected, 
even  to  a  great  degree,  have  turned  out  ill ;  though  I  believe 
they  were  at  the  time  really  affected  with  a  sense  of  their 
guilt  and  danger.  In  the  generality  of  cases,  however,  I  have 
had  good  reasons  to  hope  that  such  persons  underwent  a 
saving  change.  They  were  at  least  greatly  changed  to  the 
eye  of  man. 

"Q.  Have  you  carefully  inquired  as  to  such  results? 

"A.  I  have  been  careful  to  inquire  as  to  these  results,  and 


1 82  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1840. 

often  feel  a  burden  of  concern  on  my  soul  about  the  case  of 
such  persons,  using  all  the  means  in  my  power  to  ascertain 
and  to  insure  their  consistency,  and  their  growth  in  the 
knowledge  of  God. 

"Q.  Have  you  found  that,  when  persons  have  not  been 
strongly  affected,  to  all  appearance,  in  religious  meetings, 
they  had  been  awakened  to  any  great  concern  about  their 
spiritual  state? 

"A.  I  have  found  many  who  have  been  brought  to  a  deep, 
spiritual,  and  abiding  sense  of  sin,  without  manifesting  their 
concern  to  those  around  any  farther  than  by  silent  tears  or 
deep  seriousness  of  demeanour.  Such  cases,  if  really  deep, 
are  in  general,  I  think,  to  be  marked  for  stability. 

"  Q.  What  sort  of  persons  have  you  generally  seen  much 
affected  at  such  meetings  ?  Were  they  those  who  had  been 
utterly  careless  about  religious  truth,  and  very  ill  acquainted 
with  the  facts  of  religion,  or  those  who  had  been  accustomed 
to  pay  some  attention  to  religious  ordinances,  and  had  an 
acquaintance  with  these  facts? 

"A.  They  have  been  of  both  the  classes  mentioned  in  the 
question.  I  do  not  know  that  persons  of  little  knowledge  are 
harder  to  bring  to  a  sense  of  sin  than  others  better  informed ; 
the  Spirit  of  God  worketh  when  and  where  he  pleaseth.  But 
I  think  that  I  have  found  those  persons  generally  most  stable 
after  they  were  awakened,  who  had  full  religious  knowledge, 
and  especially  who  lived  in  godly  families.  Yet  I  know 
remarkable  instances  of  persons  becoming  eminent  for  godli 
ness  in  the  most  disadvantageous  circumstances,  and  who 
seemed  rather  to  get  good  than  evil  from  seeing  the  wicked 
ness  of  their  relations  around  them." 

One  or  two  extracts  from  letters  to  the  convener  of 
the  Committee  will  complete  the  account  of  the  part 
borne  by  him  in  this  deeply  interesting  and  important 
investigation. 

".  .   .   Allow  me,  also,  here  to  express  the  kindness  shown 


jEt.  25.]  WRITTEN    EVIDENCE.  183 

to  me,  by  the  Committee  and  by  the  Convener,  at  my  appear 
ance  before  them.  The  truth  will  always  bear  examination.  In 
this  case  I  fear  nothing,  except  a  superficial  or  prejudiced  con 
sideration  of  the  facts.  A  close  and  holy  scrutiny  will  indeed 
expose  the  emptiness  of  the  work  of  man;  but  the  work  of 
Jehovah,  like  his  inspired  Word,  the  more  it  is  examined  will 
appear  the  more  clearly  to  be  worthy  of  his  own  infinite  per 
fections.  .  .  . 

"I  may  take,  also,  this  opportunity  of  explaining  more 
clearly  than  I  was  able  to  do  in  my  examination  before  the 
Committee,  my  deliberate  opinion  of  the  grounds  on  which 
I  would  feel  warranted  to  judge  of  the  reality  of  the  Holy 
Spirit's  work  among  a  people,  or  in  the  case  of  an  individual. 

"The/^//  and  complete  evidence  of  His  work,  whether  in 
the  case  of  a  people  or  of  an  individual,"^  to  be  drawn  from 
the  manner  in  which  they  are  affected  under  the  preaching 
of  the  gospel,  taken  in  connection  with  the  truths  by  which 
they  are  so  affected,  and  the  effects  which  are  afterwards 
habitually  manifested  in  their  temper  of  soul  and  outward 
conversation.  It  is  the  safe  method,  as  a  general  rule,  to 
judge  of  any  real  or  supposed  work  of  God  among  a  people 
from  these  sources  taken  all  together;  and  in  the  case  of 
individuals,  except  the  instance  be  very  remarkable  indeed, 
I  would  not  think  it  safe  to  decide  that  a  saving  work  of  the 
Holy  Ghost  had  taken  place,  until  the  spiritual,  consistent, 
and  permanent  character  of  the  individual  had  made  it  evi 
dent.  I  am,  however,  fully  convinced  that  a  minister  of  God, 
if  experimentally  acquainted  with  the  saving  work  of  God  on 
his  own  soul,  and  especially  if  he  has  had  opportunity  of 
witnessing  the  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit  on  a  large  scale,  may 
be  warranted,  in  remarkable  cases,  to  conclude  that  God's 
Spirit  is  at  work  among  a  people,  before  time  hasyW/y  proved 
the  work  by  its  permanent  effects ;  nay,  that  he  may  even  do 
so  from  witnessing  the  power  of  the  truth  on  the  minds  of  an 
audience  at  a  public  meeting,  and  without  particular  previous 
knowledge  of  the  state  of  individuals,  and  yet  not  be  liable  to 


184  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1840. 

the  charge  of  rash  and  unwarrantable  judgment.  I  conceive, 
for  instance,  that  the  apostles  must  have  been  convinced  that 
the  Holy  Ghost  was  remarkably  outpoured  on  the  day  of 
Pentecost,  when  they  saw  the  mighty  power  of  the  gospel  on 
the  souls  of  thousands.  I  have  no  doubt  that  Mr.  Livingstone, 
and  other  ministers  and  people  of  God,  were  convinced,  at 
the  Kirk  of  Shotts,  of  the  same  things,  without  needing  to 
wait  until  the  permanent  fruits  of  the  work  were  developed. 
I  could  myself  have  no  more  doubt  of  this  than  of  any 
Scripture  truth,  on  that  memorable  day  when  the  work  of  the 
Lord  began  in  so  glorious  a  manner  at  Kilsyth.  On  many 
other  occasions,  also,  I  have  considered  myself  warranted  in 
coming  at  the  time  to  the  same  general  conviction ;  and  have 
never  yet  found  that  this  general  conviction  was  weakened, 
much  less  destroyed,  by  after-experience.  In  -the  meeting 
referred  to,  in  Bonaccord  Church,  on  Monday  the  23d 
November,  1840,  I  could  have  no  doubt,  from  the  nature  of 
the  truth  spoken,  the  manner  in  which  I  felt  supported  of 
God's  Spirit  in  speaking  it,  and  the  evident  effect  produced 
by  it  on  the  minds  of  many  of  the  audience,  and,  more  or 
less,  on  the  minds  of  almost  all,  that  the  Holy  Ghost  was 
then  exerting  his  gracious  power  among  us ;  at  the  same  time, 
as  I  stated  to  the  Committee  when  examined,  it  is  a  matter 
of  fact  that  my  judgment,  expressed  in  the  words  which  I  felt 
called  on  to  use,  'This  is  the  outpouring  of  the  Spirit,'  was 
actually  founded,  not  merely  on  the  circumstances  I  have  just 
stated,  but  also  on  the  knowledge  which  I  had  previously 
obtained  regarding  the  state  of  many  persons  under  deep 
concern  about  the  salvation  of  their  perishing  souls." 

The  committee  of  presbytery  very  properly  extended 
their  inquiries  beyond  the  sphere  of  their  own  immediate 
jurisdiction,  to  some  of  the  other  scenes  of  Mr.  Burns' 
labours,  where  a  religious  movement  essentially  similar 
to  that  at  Aberdeen  had  taken  place,  and  where  from 


jEt.  25.]  THE  PRESBYTERY'S  JUDGMENT.  185 

the  lapse  of  time  its  real  nature  and  tendency  could  be 
the  better  tested.  The  result  was  a  remarkable  concur 
rence  of  weighty  and  impressive  testimony  alike  to  the 
depth  and  extent  of  the  influence  at  work,  and  of  the 
holy  and  enduring  fruit  in  the  hearts  and  lives  of  multi 
tudes  of  its  subjects.  Some  portions  of  that  evidence 
will  be  given  in  the  Appendix  to  this  volume.  It  may 
be  enough  here  to  present  the  general  result  of  the  pres 
bytery's  investigation,  as  embodied  in  the  deliverance 
adopted  by  them,  on  a  full  consideration  of  the  whole 
facts  and  bearings  of  the  case : — 

"The  Presbytery,  having  taken  into  their  solemn  consider 
ation  the  evidence  on  revivals  of  religion  received  by  their 
Committee  on  that  subject,  resolved, 

"i.  That  a  revival  of  religion,  consisting  in  the  general 
quickening  of  believers,  and  the  conversion  of  multitudes  of 
unbelievers,  by  the  Holy  Spirit,  cannot  but  be  an  object  of 
most  earnest  desire  to  every  follower  of  the  Lord ;  that  the 
genuineness  of  such  a  revival  is  chiefly  to  be  tested  by  the 
nature  and  permanence  of  the  effects  by  which  it  is  followed; 
that  it  can  only  be  expected  to  flow  from  the  use  of  the 
appointed  means,  accompanied  with  the  abundant  outpouring 
of  the  Spirit  of  God ;  that  it  should  be  made  a  subject  of 
fervent  and  persevering  prayer;  and  that,  when  such  a 
revival  takes  place,  it  should  not  be  dreaded  or  spoken  of 
with  levity,  but  should  be  carefully  and  seriously  marked,  and 
acknowledged  with  devout  thanksgiving. 

"2.  That  the  evidence,  derived  from  answers  to  certain 
queries  sent  by  the  Committee  to  ministers  and  others  in 
different  parts  of  the  country,  amply  bears  out  the  fact  that 
an  extensive  and  delightful  work  of  revival  has  commenced, 
and  is  in  hopeful  progress  in  various  districts  of  Scotland — 
the  origin  of  which,  instrumentally,  is  to  be  traced  to  a  more 
widely  diffused  spirit  of  prayer  on  the  part  of  ministers  and 


1 86  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1840. 

people,  and  to  the  simple,  earnest,  and  affectionate  preaching 
of  the  gospel  of  the  grace  of  God;  that  this  work  in  the 
districts  referred  to,  many  of  which  are  locally  far  distant 
from  others,  has  been  attended  with  few  of  those  evils  which 
have  generally  more  or  less  characterized  seasons  of  great 
religious  excitement ;  and  that,  on  the  whole,  an  amount  of 
good  has  been  accomplished,  which  loudly  calls  for  gratitude 
and  praise  to  Him  'who  turneth  the  hearts  of  men  as  the 
rivers  of  water.7 

"3.  That  in  the  case  of  Aberdeen,  to  which  the  evidence 
more  especially  refers,  it  clearly  appears,  so  far  as  the  test  of 
time  can  be  applied  to  the  subject,  that  a  very  considerable 
number  of  persons,  chiefly  in  early  life,  have  been  strongly, 
and  it  is  hoped  savingly,  impressed  with  the  importance  of 
eternal  things,  and.  are  in  the  course  of  further  instruction ; 
that  many  of  all  ages  have  been  awakened  to  a  more  serious 
concern  about  Christ  and  salvation  than  they  formerly  felt, 
and  have  been  quickened  to  activity  in  well-doing ;  and  that 
the  labours  of  Mr.  W.  C.  Burns,  preacher  of  the  gospel,  are 
peculiarly  discernible  in  connection  with  these  results.  At 
the  same  time,  the  Presbytery  cannot  but  regret  that  such  an 
exclusive  reference  should  have  been  made  to  two  particular 
meetings  at  which  Mr.  Burns  presided,  where  the  services 
were  protracted  to  a  late  hour,  and  where  much  outward 
excitement  prevailed — circumstances  obviously  liable  to  much 
inconvenience  as  well  as  misconception — while  it  appears 
from  the  evidence  that  many  other  meetings  were  held  for 
religious  instruction,  through  the  same  instrumentality,  which 
could  be  liable  to  no  such  misconception,  and  where  much 
good  was  wrought.  And,  upon  the  whole,  the  Presbytery  are 
convinced  that,  if  it  had  entered  more  into  the  nature  of  the 
inquiry  to  ascertain  simply  the  extent  of  the  awakening  that 
has  been  effected  in  this  city  and  neighbourhood,  the  evidence 
of  a  favourable  kind  would  have  been  such  as  to  lead  to 
increased  thanksgiving. 

"4.   That  the   Presbytery  having  considered  the  whole 


Mi.  25.]       CLOSE  OF  LABOURS  IN  ABERDEEN.       187 

evidence  that  has  been  laid  before  them  on  this  unspeakably 
important  subject,  feel  themselves  called  upon  to  recommend 
to  all  ministers,  preachers,  and  elders  within  their  bounds,  in 
their  respective  spheres,  to  labour  more  and  more  diligently 
and  prayerfully,  in  the  use  of  all  scriptural  means,  to  promote 
the  cause  of  vital  religion,  which  needs  so  much  to  be  revived 
among  us ;  and  they  would  also  exhort  and  entreat  all  the 
private  members  of  the  Church  to  study  to  grow  in  grace,  to 
abound  in  all  the  fruits  of  righteousness,  and  to  plead  more 
earnestly  with  the  great  Head  of  the  Church  that  he  would 
pour  out  of  his  Spirit  more  plentifully  upon  us,  and  bless  his 
appointed  ordinances,  that  the  wilderness  may  become  a 
fruitful  field,  and  the  fruitful  field  be  counted  for  a  forest." 

Before  the  commencement  of  the  investigation,  Mr. 
Burns  had  already  closed  his  labours  at  Aberdeen,  having 
been  called  to  take  the  temporary  charge  of  a  new  church 
at  Dundee.  He  left  for  that  town  on  the  5th  of  Decem 
ber,  at  early  dawn;  but  not  too  early  to  find  awaiting  him 
at  the  place  of  departure  a  number  of  those  who  had 
learned  to  look  to  him  "  even  as  an  angel  of  God,"  and 
who  parted  from  him  with  many  tears : — 

"Saturday,  December  $th. — Though  I  was  very  late  up 
last  night  (this  morning),  and  had  but  a  short  time  for 
sleep,  I  awoke  of  my  own  accord  at  the  proper  time  quite 
refreshed,  and  set  out  at  twenty  minutes  to  seven  with  the 
Dundee  mail.  A  number  of  my  young  friends  had  found 
out  the  time  of  my  departure,  and  stood  by  on  the  pave 
ment  in  tears.  The  mockery  of  many  around  made  our 
tongues  silent:  we  looked  at  each  other,  with  Jesus  in  our 
hearts'  eye  I  hope,  and  wept." 


CHAPTER  VIII. 
1840. 

WORK    AMONG    THE    MOUNTAINS. 

SHALL  never  forget,"  says  one  to  whom  Mr. 
J-  Burns  "was  more  than  any  other  man,"  "the  first 
time  I  saw  him.  It  was  at  Lawers,  on  Sabbath  the  i6th 
of  August,  1840.  The  whole  country  was  ringing  with  the 
wonderful  movement  in  Kilsyth,  Perth,  and  Dundee,  with 
which  his  name  was  associated.  It  was  rumoured  too  that 
a  short  time  before  a  person  had  died  in  connection  with 
one  of  his  services.  A  great  multitude  assembled,  not 
only  with  the  ordinary  feelings  of  curiosity,  but  with 
feelings  of  wonder  and  solemnity  deepening  almost  into 
fear.  I  can  remember  the  misty  day,  and  the  eager 
crowds  that  flocked  from  all  directions  across  hill  and 
lake.  The  service  was  of  course  in  the  open  air,  and 
when  the  preacher  appeared  many  actually  felt  as  if  it 
were  an  angel  of  God.  There  was  an  indescribable  awe 
over  the  assembly.  Mr.  Burns'  look,  voice,  tone;  the 
opening  psalm,  the  comment,  the  prayer,  the  chapter, 
the  text  (it  was  the  parable  of  the  Great  Supper  in 
Luke  xiv.),  the  lines  of  thought,  even  the  minutest;  the 
preacher's  incandescent  earnestness;  the  stifled  sobs  of 
the  hearers  on  this  side,  the  faces  lit  up  with  joy  on  that; 


JEt.  25.]  A    SABBATH    IN    BREADALBANE.  189 

the  death-like  silence  of  the  crowd,  as  they  reluctantly 
dispersed  in  the  gold-red  evening — the  whole  scene  is 
ineffaceably  daguerreotyped  on  my  memoty.  It  was  the 
birthplace  of  many  for  eternity.  Last  year  (1868),  when 
a  deputation  from  the  General  Assembly  visited  the 
presbytery  of  Breadalbane,  in  connection  with  the  state 
of  religion,  a  venerable  minister  stated  that  such  of  the 
subjects  of  that  gracious  work  as  still  survive  adorn  the 
doctrines  of  God  our  Saviour  in  all  things.  Most  of  the 
congregations  in  the  district  received  the  divine  shower."1 
Mr.  Burns'  labours  in  Breadalbane,  or  the  romantic  dis 
trict  that  lies  along  the  margin  of  Loch  Tay,  took  place 
between  the  periods  of  his  first  and  of  his  second  visit  to 
Aberdeen  described  in  the  last  chapter,  and  constituted 
altogether  one  of  the  most  interesting  and  characteristic 
parts  of  his  whole  evangelistic  course.  Here  he  was 
peculiarly  at  home.  The  solemn  forms  of  the  everlasting 
hills  and  the  great  shadow  of  the  supernatural  which  they 
seemed  to  cast  even  over  the  spirit  of  the  people  were 
congenial  to  him.  The  Sabbath  stillness  too,  and  the 
fresh  and  healthful  upland  air,  contributed  to  restore 
tone  and  vigour  to  a  frame  on  which  the  fevered  atmos 
phere  of  city  life  and  city  work  had  begun  sensibly  to 
tell.  Never  probably  at  any  period  of  his  life  was  he 
more  happy  in  the  best  sense  than  during  this  interval 
of  quiet,  thoughtfulness  and  restful  labour — kneeling  in 
lonely  prayer  in  some  forest  thicket  by  the  river  or 

1  The  Shepherd  of  Israel:  or  Illustrations  of  the  Inner  Life.  By 
the  Rev.  Duncan  Macgregor,  M.  A.,  Minister  of  St.  Peter's,  Dundee. 
Pp.  236-7. 


1 90  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1840. 

mountain  side,  or  standing  up  before  those  arrested 
crowds  that  hung  upon  his  words,  silent  and  solemn  as 
the  mountains  around.  Never,  probably,  were  the  sacred 
impressions  produced  by  his  preaching  more  deep  and 
spiritual  than  here,  or  the  tendency  to  an  unhealthy  and 
nervous  excitement  less.  The  following  graphic  words 
from  the  writer  already  quoted-  were  true  of  him  at  all 
times,  but  at  this  time  emphatically  so:  "Like  the  Baptist 
he  came  preaching  repentance,  and  with  terrible  earnest 
ness  warned  the  thousands  that  flocked  to  hear  him  to 
flee  from  the  coming  wrath.  Like  the  Baptist,  too,  he 
was  independent  of  home  ties — lived,  as  it  were,  in  the 
wilderness,  '  making  himself  grandly  solitary  for  the  work 
of  Christ ! '  His  very  eyes  left  their  light  with  you  after  he 
had  gone.  .  .  .  And  yet  there  was  an  Isaiah-like 
grandeur  about  his  expositions  of  the  gospel.  When  his 
lips  were  touched  with  the  live  coal,  it  was  indeed  a 
feast  of  fat  things  to  hear  him.  And  even  when  he  was 
straitened,  which  he  often  was,  owing  to  the  incessant 
demands  upon  him,  there  was  always  something  precious 
which  stuck  fast  in  the  memory." 

To  this  interesting  period  of  Mr.  B.'s  labours  we  pro 
pose  to  devote  the  present  chapter;  but  it  will  be  proper 
before  entering  on  it,  to  glance  briefly  at  the  course  of 
his  movements  during  the  three  preceding  months. 

For  some  weeks  after  he  left  Aberdeen,  those  seasons 
of  "straitening,"  of  which  Mr.  Macgregor  speaks,  had 
been  more  than  usually  frequent  and  painful  to  him.  The 
reaction  of  feeling  and  the  physical  exhaustion  naturally 
succeeding  a  time  of  high  excitement,  produced  a  languor 


jEt.  25.]  THE    BOW   DRAWN    AT    A   VENTURE.  IQI 

alike  of  mind  and  body,  which  even  his  vigilant  self- 
jealousy  could  not  avoid  attributing,  in  part  at  least,  to 
other  than  spiritual  causes.  Thus  at  Dundee,  May  3d, 
at  the  close  of  a  Sabbath's  services,  he  writes,  "I  was 
tired  and  had  not  much  of  the  Lord's  comfortable  pre 
sence  in  my  work,  feeling  that  I  needed  rest  for  the  body 
and  a  season  of  solemn  retirement  to  meet  with  the  Lord 
in  personal  communion."  And  again  at  Stirling,  May 
6th,  "  I  did  not  come  here  with  an  expectation  of  doing 
much,  on  two  grounds:  ist,  That  my  bodily  strength 
was  much  reduced;  and  2d,  my  mind  needed  recreation 
to  restore  its  elasticity  and  power."  Yet  even  then, 
sometimes  the  bow  drawn  at  a  venture,  albeit  by  an 
enfeebled  hand,  would  send  an  arrow  of  divine  con 
viction  home  to  some  favoured  heart : — "  I  was  going 
out,"  says  he,  May  i3th,  "  on  Monday  night  among  the 
people,  and  dropping  words  here  and  there,  I  somehow 
looked  up  the  stair  when  the  people  were  coming  down, 
and  the  eye  fixing  on  a  young  man,  I  pointed  to  him 
and  said  aloud,  'Will  you  come  to  Christ?'  On  Tuesday 
this  young  man  came  to  me  in  great  distress,  and  told 
me  that  he  was  a  smith  belonging  to  Scone,  who  was 
living  there  when  I  was  in  Perth,  and  often  attended 
our  meetings.  He  said  he  often  wanted  to  be  awakened, 
and  wondered  how  he  was  so  little  moved,  when  so  many 
around  him  were.  He  remained  in  his  undecided  state 
until  these  words  were  so  remarkably  directed  to  him. 
They  went  like  a  knife  to  his  heart,  and  seemed  to  bring 
him  to  the  foot  of  the  cross !" — He  struggled  on  in  the 
endeavour  to  fulfil  engagements  already  made,  till  a 


LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1840. 


decided  attack  of  illness  compelled  him  to  pause  and  "rest 
a  while"  under  the  hospitable  roof  of  Collessie  manse, 
where  his  kind  friends  Mr.1  and  Mrs.  M'Farlane  welcomed 
and  nursed  him  with  an  affectionate  tenderness,  which  he 
never  afterwards  forgot.  In  a  week  or  two,  however, 
he  was  at  his  work  again,  preaching  to  large  and  deeply 
moved  audiences  in  various  places  in  Fifeshire,  and  meet 
ing  with  unexpected  encouragement  and  support  even  from 
some  of  those  ministers  who  would  have  been  thought 
least  likely  to  favour  his  line  of  things.  Dr.  Barclay  of 
Kettle,  the  oldest  minister  of  the  Church  of  Scotland, 
then  in  his  ninety-first  year,  who  had  been  always  ranked 
amongst  the  Moderate  party,  shook  him  warmly  by  the 
hand  as  he  came  down  from  the  pulpit,  saying,  "  I  thank 
you  most  heartily,"  and  urged  him  to  return.  Dr.  Ferric 
of  Kilconquhar,2  reputed  of  similar  views,  made  him  free 
alike  of  his  house  and  of  his  church,  entered  with  the 
deepest  interest  into  all  the  solemn  scenes  which  attended 
his  preaching,  and  told  him  that  "  while  he  was  with  him 
he  was  to  act  exactly  as  if  he  were  the  minister  of  the 
parish."  In  the  neighbouring  parish  of  Anstruther,  then 
under  the  pastoral  charge  of  Dr.  Feme's  son,  he  had  a 
like  freedom  of  action,  and  a  like  open  and  effectual 
door  of  access  to  the  consciences  and  hearts  of  the 
people,  all  the  ministers  of  the  place  cordially  uniting 
their  congregations  to  form  one  deeply  solemnized  audi 
ence,  in  the  midst  of  which  "  some  of  the  most  hardened 
sinners  of  the  town  were  seen  turning  pale  as  death  and 

1  Now  Dr.  M  Tarlane,  of  the  Free  Church,  Dalkeith. 

2  Also  Professor  of  Civil  History  in  the  University  of  St.  Andrews. 


^Et.  25.]  MELVILLE'S  "WATCH  TOWER."  193 

shedding  tears"  under  the  preacher's  appeals.  Here  he 
was  in  the  midst  of  interesting  scenes  and  reminiscences. 
"Mr.  Feme's  manse,"  he  writes,  "is  the  same  that  the 
celebrated  James  Melville,  minister  of  East  Anstruther 
after  the  Reformation,  lived  in,  and  I  spent  most  of  my 
time  on  Saturday  as  also  on  Sabbath  in  his  study,  a 
little  room  over  the  stair  which  juts  out  from  the  house 
on  the  outside.  It  is  called  '  The  Watch  Tower/  and  is 
well  suited  to  the  name,  as  it  has  three  small  windows 
looking  east,  west,  and  south,  from  which  one  can  see 
almost  all  the  town  and  the  whole  frith."  And  again, 
two  days  afterwards,  July  ist,  "I  spent  the  day  chiefly 
alone,  seeking  personal  holiness,  the  fundamental  requi 
site  in  order  to  a  successful  ministry.  I  was  in  Burleigh 
Castle  for  an  hour  on  the  first  floor,  which  is  arched 
and  entire,  having  climbed  up  by  a  broken  part  of  the 
wall.  Before  me  I  had  to  the  right  Queen  Mary's  Island 
in  Lochleven,  and  to  the  left  the  Lomonds,  where  the 
Covenanters  hid  themselves  from  their  persecutors,  and 
I  stood  amid  the  ruins  of  the  castle  of  one  of  their 
leaders.  The  scene  was  solemn  and  affecting,  and  I  trust 
the  everlasting  Emmanuel  was  with  me.  O  that  I  had 
a  martyr's  heart,  if  not  a  martyr's  death  and  a  martyr's 
crown  !" 

After  rapid  visits  to  Strathmiglo,  Milnathort,  Cleish, 
Kinross,  and  Dunfermline,  he  now  proceeded  westward 
by  Stirling,  Gargunnock,  and  Kippen,  to  Kilsyth,  and 
thence,  after  nearly  a  month  of  quiet  pastoral  work,  which 
was  to  him  almost  like  repose,  northward  to  those  scenes 
amongst  the  "Sabbath  hills,"  where  we  have  now  to 

N 


194  LIFE    OF    REV-    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1840. 

trace  his  footsteps.  Here  his  own  journal  is  so  full  and 
interesting,  and  gives  withal  so  vivid  a  picture  of  the 
whole  form  and  idea  of  his  life,  that  I  am  tempted  to 
give  the  larger  part  of  it  almost  entire.  He  had  left 
Kilsyth  on  the  i2th  August,  and  after  spending  two 
days  of  incessant  labour  in  Glasgow,  proceeded  north 
ward  via  Lochlomond  and  Glen  Falloch  to  Lawers, 
where  he  commenced  his  labours  on  Sabbath  the  i6th, 
the  day  referred  to  by  Mr.  Macgregor,  and  thence  advanced 
gradually  eastward  to  Fortingall,  Aberfeldy,  Logierait, 
Moulin,  Tenandry,  Kirkmichael,  as  God  in  his  providence 
opened  the  way,  welcomed  everywhere  by  a  solemnly 
expectant  and  willing  people.  His  first  entry  is  at  Inver- 
arnan,  at  the  head  of  Lochlomond,  and  opens  with  a 
graphic  incident  characteristic  of  the  place  and  of  the 
people : — 

"Inverarnan,  Friday,  August  i^th. — I  travelled  to  Inver- 
arnan,  at  the  head  of  Lochlomond,  where  I  slept.  Nothing 
particular  occurred  by  the  way,  except  that  I  spoke  to  one  or 
two  of  my  fellow-travellers,  wandering  in  quest  of  pleasure, 
and  was  generally  in  such  a  dead  frame  of  soul  that  I 
had  to  remain  below,  and  could  not  dare  to  open  my  mouth 
in  the  Lord's  name.  At  Inverarnan  I  spent  much  of  the 
afternoon  in  wandering  about  and  admiring  the  grandeur  of 
the  Lord's  works  in  this  mouth  of  the  Highlands  of  Perthshire. 
I  noticed  two  things  among  the  people  as  affording  an  index 
to  the  nature  of  the  privileges  they  had  enjoyed.  Some 
seemed  to  have  full  knowledge  of  a  kind  that  is  only  to  be  got 
by  hearing  the  most  spiritual  and  systematic  of  our  Scottish 
preachers,  and  one  woman  I  met  on  the  road  who  seemed  to 
me  a  perfect  specimen  of  a  groaning  hypocrite  (perhaps  I  am 
doing  her  injustice,  the  Lord  pardon  me  if  I  am) ;  as  soon  as 


JEt.  25.]  INCIDENTS    OF   TRAVEL.  195 

I  began  to  speak  to  her,  she  wrung  her  hands  and  twisted  her 
features  as  if  trying  to  manufacture  the  symptoms  of  repent 
ance,  &c.  This  agreed  well  with  what  I  know  had  been  the 
Lord's  dealings  with  this  part  of  the  country.  They  have  had 
under  some  ministers  the  very  best  preaching,  and  some  of  the 
people  retain  not  only  the  mould  of  the  doctrine  taught  them, 
but  the  recollection  of  the  deep  and  overpowering  emotions 
which  it  produced  in  the  hand  of  the  Spirit  upon  many  minds 
at  a  former  period;  particularly  about  twenty  years  ago, 
when  Breadalbane,  &c.,  was  signally  blessed  of  the  Lord, 
under  the  preaching  of  Mr.  M'Donald  and  other  godly  min 
isters.— Evening,  I  had  a  meeting  in  the  toll-house  adjoining 
the  inn,  with  about  twenty  persons,  chiefly  men,  who  seemed 
solemnized.  The  innkeeper  was  not  very  anxious  for  this 
meeting  when  I  spoke  of  it  to  him.  He  had  much  scriptural 
knowledge,  and  many  of  his  expressions  put  me  in  mind  of 
Mr.  M 'Donald's  phraseology,  but  his  attachment  to  his  trade 
seemed  stronger  than  his  theology.  His  family  I  was  much 
interested  in,  and  they  upon  the  whole  received  me  well, 
though  I  did  not  spare  the  publicans'  trade  even  when  Mrs. 
M'Callum  was  present.  I  this  forenoon  travelled  by  the 
Dunkeld  coach  from  Inverarnan  to  Lawers,  up  Glen  Falloch, 
down  Glen  Dochart,  and  by  Killin  along  the  side  of  Loch 
Tay,  a  splendid  route  for  a  great  part  of  the  way.  I  did  little 
on  the  way  but  sigh  occasionally  over  the  poor  people  whom 
we  passed,  and  to  wish  them  an  interest  in  Emmanuel.  I 
also  gave  away  one  or  two  little  books  to  Highland  boys  in 
their  kilt,  who  hung  upon  the  coach  from  time  to  time.  Dear 
boys,  they  looked  surprised  and  pleased !  At  Killin  I  break 
fasted  along  with  two  young  gentlemen  on  a  fishing  excursion, 
who  seemed  to  eye  me  suspiciously  with  my  black  clothes 
and  white  neck-cloth,  and  took  care  to  allow  me  to  begin 
breakfast  before  them,  I  thought,  in  order  that  I  might  not 
ask  a  blessing  aloud.  When  leaving  them  I  said,  'I  am  a 
fisher  too.'  They  looked  grave,  and  one  of  them  said,  '  Oh !  a 
fisher  of  men,  I  suppose.'  'Yes,'  I  said,  'but  like  other  fishers 


196  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1840. 

we  have  often  to  complain  of  a  bad  fishing  season.  They 
smiled,  and  so  we  parted.  I  arrived  at  Lawers  at  one  P.M., 
and  found  Mr.  Campbell  a  truly  pious  and  very  kind  man. 
His  partner  equally  so. — Evening,  I  walked  up  the  hill,  and 
prayed  for  the  outpouring  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  I  had,  how 
ever,  to  walk  by  faith  and  not  by  sense. 

"Lawers,  Sabbath,  Augiist  i6th. — A  congregation  of,  I 
suppose,  fifteen  hundred  assembled,  though  the  day  was 
unfavourable,  at  the  tent  by  twelve  o'clock,  to  whom  I 
preached,  but  with  little  assistance,  speaking  comparatively, 
from  Luke  xxiv.  16,  &c. ;  at  the  end  I  told  them  that  I  had  got 
no  message  for  them  from  the  Lord,  but  that  I  was  not  there 
fore  led  to  despair  of  yet  getting  a  blessing  among  them,  as 
I  generally  found  that  when  the  Lord  meant  to  pour  out  his 
Spirit,  he  first  made  both  preacher  and  people  sensible  that 
without  him  they  could  do  nothing.  A  godly  man  has  since 
that  time  told  me  that  he  felt  an  unusual  fulness  of  heart  that 
morning  at  family  worship,  and  thought  there  would  be  some 
thing  unusual  done. — Evening,  We  met  in  the  church,  which 
holds  five  hundred  sitters,  and  was  crowded.  I  preached 
from  the  parable  of  the  barren  fig-tree,  and  had  much  more 
assistance.  A  good  many  were  in  tears,  and  one  cried  aloud 
as  we  were  dismissing  them. 

" Lawers,  Monday,  August  ijth. — We  met  for  public  wor 
ship  at  twelve  o'clock.  The  church  was  crowded,  though  the 
day  was  very  stormy.  I  spoke  from  the  5  ist  and  32d  Psalms, 
particularly  upon  confession  of  sin,  and  the  people  seemed 
very  solemnly  impressed,  some,  perhaps  many,  being  in  tears. 
When  I  had  done  Mr.  Campbell  came  up  and  spoke  a  little 
very  solemnly  in  Gaelic,  and  the  people  became  much  more 
visibly  moved.  When  the  blessing  was  pronounced  a  great 
many  remained  in  their  seats,  and  some  of  them  began  to 
cry  out  vehemently  that  they  were  lost,  &c.  &c.  We  in  con 
sequence  continued  praying  and  speaking  to  them  until  about 
five  o'clock,  when  we  thought  it  good  to  let  them  remain  alone, 
seeing  that  we  were  to  have  public  worship  again  at  six 


JEt.  25.]  LAWERS ANXIOUS    INQUIRERS.  197 

o'clock ;  at  half-past  six  Mr.  Campbell  of  Glen  Lyon  preached 
in  Gaelic  from  Matthew  xxv.  10,  and  gave  some  account  at 
the  close  of  the  wonderful  work  of  the  Lord  at  Tarbat  in 
Ross-shire.  When  I  went  into  the  church  near  the  close,  I 
heard  some  persons  groaning,  and  when  we  were  separating 
one  woman  cried  out  bitterly.  We  parted  about  half-p^st 
eight,  as  we  were  to  meet  next  day  at  twelve  again.  A  great 
day! 

"Tuesday,  August  i8//z. — We  had  a  prayer-meeting  at 
twelve,  when  the  church  was  three-fourths  filled.  Mr.  M'Ken- 
zie  began  and  was  followed  by  Mr.  Campbell,  both  in  Gaelic. 
This  occupied  nearly  two  hours,  and  when  I  went  to  the  pulpit 
I  found  it  my  duty  to  dismiss  the  people  without  detaining 
them  any  longer,  offering,  however,  to  converse  with  any  in 
dividuals  who  might  desire  it.  From  one  hundred  and  fifty  to 
two  hundred  waited  about  the  door,  and  with  these  I  engaged 
in  prayer.  During  the  prayer  the  Spirit  of  God  was  mightily 
at  work  among  us,  so  that  almost  all  were  deeply  moved,  and 
one  man  cried  aloud.  Mr.  M'Kenzie  said  that  he  almost  never 
felt  in  the  same  way  as  at  this  time.  After  prayer  I  addressed 
the  people  in  a  series  of  miscellaneous  remarks  tending  to 
bring  them  immediately  to  surrender  to  Jesus.  Many  I  saw 
in  tears,  and  among  these  a  number  of  fine  stout  young 
Highlanders.  We  then  prayed  again,  when  the  impression 
continued,  and  concluded  by  singing  Psalm  xxxi.  5. 

"This  day  at  a  quarter  to  one  conversed  with  the  following 
anxious  inquirers  : 

"i.  M.  C,  aged  seventeen,  C h,  East  Lawers,  'Oh!  I 

am  deep,  deep  in  sin.'  She  got  her  eyes  opened  on  Sabbath 
night  in  the  church.  '  I  saw  that  I  was  utterly  lost.'  '  I  have 
not  found  Christ  yet.'  'Who  can  lead  you  to  Christ?'  'The 
Holy  Spirit.'  Deeply  affected. 

"2.  C.  C,  above  twenty,  C e,  West  Lawers.  Concerned 

three  years  ago,  particularly  from  a  sermon  of  Mr.  Campbell's 
of  Glen  Lyon,  on  'How  shall  we  escape?'  &c.  He  said,  that 
if  they  went  away  from  the  church  neglecting  Christ,  they 


198  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1840. 

would  be  trampling  on  his  bosom,  &c.  It  was  this  that 
affected  her.  She  has  been  more  deeply  affected  during  these 
days  past. 

"3.  C.  R.,  aged  twenty,  C n,  West  Lawers.  'I  can  get 

no  rest  nor  peace,  my  heart  is  seeking  after  something  which 
I  cannot  get.  This  began  when  I  came  into  the  church  on 
Monday  morning  and  heard  you  praying.  I  felt  as  if  my 
heart  would  come  out.  I  have  been  seeking  Christ,  but  I 
have  not  got  near  to  him  yet/  Deeply  and  tenderly  affected. 

"4.  R.  M.,  servant  to  Mr.  Campbell,  came  with  them  from 
Benbecula  (about  eighteen  years) ;  was  awakened  on  Saturday 
night  at  worship  in  this  room,  the  first  meeting  that  I  had 
after  arriving.  '  I  felt  as  if  something  were  gripping  my  heart 
in  the  inside,  and  could  get  no  rest  since  that  time.'  Seems 
deeply  and  habitually  concerned.  This  we  see,  as  she  lives 
in  the  house. 

"5.  J.  M'L.,  C r,  West  Lawers  (about  twenty  years). 

'A  word  of  Mr.  Campbell's  of  Glen  Lyon,  which  he  had  at 
the  sacrament  (ten  weeks  ago),  always  keepit  wee  me.  He 
said  that  Rebekah's  brother  asked  her,  'Will  you  go  with 
this  man?'  and  so  he  said  we  were  to  go  with  Christ.  This 
keepit  wee  me,  and  when  Mr.  Campbell  came  into  the  pulpit 
on  Monday  night,  I  first  thought,  'I  have  not  yet  gone  with 
Christ/  and  when  he  spoke  of  the  door  being  shut,  and  we 
being  out  for  ever,  I  saw  that  I  would  be  out,  &c.  I  have 
got  no  rest  since.  (She  cried  out  in  agony  that  night.)  I 
often  was  concerned  before,  but  it  always  went  away  when  I 
came  out.  If  the  Lord  had  not  been  merciful  I  would  have 
been  in  the  place  where  his  mercy  is  gone  for  ever  long  ago, 
to  be  sure,'  &c. 

"6.  B.  M'G.,  M h,  four  miles  west  (aged  twenty-one 

years).  Was  a  little  touched  at  the  Glen  Lyon  sacrament  (ten 
weeks  ago),  when  Mr.  Campbell's  brother  was  preaching, 
especially  by  his  saying,  'If  you  are  missing  the  Spirit  it  will 
be  ill  for  you.'  I  did  not  go  on  however  at  that  time  until 
Sabbath,  when  I  felt  something  at  my  heart,  I  did  not  know 


JEt.  as-]  FORTINGALL.  199 

what,  and  I  got  worse  and  worse  every  day.  I  heard  my 
conscience  crying  I  was  guilty  in  everything/  &c.  &c. 

"7.  C.  C,  aged  fifteen,  a  cousin  of  M.  C,  stays  at  C h, 

East  Lawers;  awakened  on  Monday  forenoon;  can  make 
little  out  of  her,  she  has  so  little  English. 

"8.  C.  M'G.,  aged  fourteen,  C h;  awakened  yesterday 

forenoon  at  Struan.  She  has  little  English,  and  I  had 
to  question  her,  through  Mr.  Campbell,  in  Gaelic;  yet  she 
understood  enough  to  reach  her  heart,  and  told  me  in  Gaelic 
that  I  had  said  their  hearts  were  as  hard  as  steel,  and  how 
when  a  sheep  was  lost  they  would  all  go  out  one  this  way, 
and  one  that  way,  and  the  shepherd  would  go  to  the  hill  till 
they  found  it,  and  then  they  would  be  satisfied,  &c.  &C.1  .  .  . 

"In  the  evening  I  preached  at  six  o'clock  to  a  crowded 
and  most  solemn  audience  from  Isaiah  xlv.  22,  and  enjoyed 
some  degree  of  assistance,  I  think.  We  concluded  about 
nine  o'clock,  but  just  as  the  people  were  going  away  'a 
woman  that  is  a  sinner'  cried  out  vehemently,  and  we  had  to 
stay  and  pray  again.  Many  of  the  people  were  in  tears,  and 
among  these  some  stout  hardy  men.  Praise  to  the  Lord  !  It 
is  sweet  to  see  how  the  people  show  their  kindness  when  their 
hearts  are  opened  to  Jesus.  During  these  few  days  there 
have  been  four  fat  lambs  sent  as  presents,  some  to  Mr. 
Campbell  and  some  to  me,  with  many  other  articles,  such  as 
butter,  &c. 

" Breadalbane,  Fortingall,  Friday  August  list.  —  In  the 
Lord's  wonderful  providence,  the  minister  of  this  dead  parish 
consented  to  my  preaching  there  this  day  at  twelve  noon, 
and  accordingly  we  went ;  this  morning  I  felt  such  an  entire 
vacancy  of  mind  and  heart,  that  it  seemed  impossible  that  I 
could  preach.  However  in  secret  prayer  before  leaving  the 
manse  I  had  hopes  of  a  good  day.  The  people  were  met  at 
the  tent,  but  the  wind  being  high  we  adjourned  to  the  church. 
I  spoke  with  assistance  at  the  outset  from  Psalm  Ixxii.  16-18, 

1  These  few  cases  are  given  here  once  for  all,  as  a  specimen  of  the 
sort  of  notices  which  occur  constantly  in  the  course  of  these  journals. 


2OO  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1840. 

and  had  considerable  enlargement  in  prayer.  The  subject 
was  conversion;  text,  Matthew  xviii.  3,  and  in  discoursing 
upon  this  I  experienced  more  assistance  in  attempting  to 
speak  home  to  the  very  marrow  of  men's  souls  than  at  almost 
any  other  time  (a  few  occasions  excepted).  Two  wicked  men 
could  not  stand  it,  as  we  supposed,  and  retired  from  their 
seats.  Many  others,  and  among  these  the  stoutest  men,  were 
in  tears.  At  the  conclusion,  when  I  had  pronounced  the 
blessing,  I  sat  down  in  the  pulpit  in  secret  prayer  as  usual, 
but  to  my  amazement  I  heard  nobody  moving ;  and  waiting 
a  full  minute  I  rose  and  saw  them  all  standing  or  sitting, 
with  their  eyes  in  many  cases  filled  with  tears,  and  all  fixed 
on  the  pulpit.  It  was  indeed  a  solemn  moment,  the  most 
solemn  Mr.  M'Kenzie  and  Mr.  Campbell  said  they  had  ever 
seen.  I  asked  them  what  they  were  waiting  for,  and  whether 
they  were  waiting  for  Christ.  I  prayed  again,  when  there 
was  the  utmost  solemnity,  and  then  spoke  a  little  from  a 
Psalm  which  we  sung,  and  then  parted  at  four  P.M.  The 
people  retired  slowly  and  most  of  them  in  tears.  We  dined 
at  the  manse,  when  all  were  very  serious,  and  came  away 
immediately  in  order  to  hold  a  meeting  in  this  parish  at  six 
o'clock.  As  we  came  along  the  road  we  overtook  some  men 
and  women  in  deep  distress,  as  their  tears  and  sober  counten 
ances  indicated,  and  their  iron  grasp  when  we  shook  hands 
with  them.  Many  also  came  to  their  doors  and  recognized 
us  with  evident  concern.  At  six  we  had  a  meeting  for  an 
hour  and  half  in  a  house  at  the  east  end  of  this  parish,  when 
about  a  hundred  were  present.  Praise  to  the  Lamb ! 

"In  the  evening  I  walked  up  the  side  of  Ben  Lawers,  until 
I  could  command  a  view  from  the  head  of  Glen  Dochart  to 
Dunkeld,  having  Loch  Tay  in  the  centre  from  Kenmore  to 
Killin.  It  was  a  beautiful  evening,  and  the  scene  was 
magnificent.  However,  all  my  thoughts  of  external  scenery 
were  well-nigh  absorbed  in  the  thought  of  the  wonderful 
works  of  Jehovah  which  I  had  witnessed  during  the  week 
that  was  closing  among  the  poor  inhabitants  of  this  splendid 


JEt.  25.]  ARDEONAIG.  2OI 

theatre  of  the  Lord's  creation.  I  could  have  supposed  that  I 
had  been  in  Breadalbane  for  a  month  instead  of  a  week ;  the 
events  that  had  passed  before  me  were  so  remarkable  and  so 
rapid  in  succession.  It  has  been  indeed  a  resurrection  of 
the  dead,  sudden  and  momentous  as  the  resurrection  of  the 
last  day — nay,  far  more  momentous  than  it  to  the  individuals 
concerned.  '  After  coming  home  I  was  alone,  and  felt  much 
my  need  of  a  broken  and  grateful  heart.  Mr.  Campbell  was 
telling  me  of  some  very  noted  sinners  among  his  people  whom 
he  had  met  with,  and  who  seemed  to  be  genuine  penitents. 

"Breadalbane,  Ardeonaig,  Sabbath,  August  2$d. — This 
morning  I  crossed  the  loch  at  a  quarter  past  eleven,  along 
with  hundreds  of  the  people,  to  preach  at  the  missionary 
station  of  Ardeonaig,  under  the  charge  of  a  most  primitive 
Christian  minister,  Mr.  M'Kenzie,  a  nephew  of  Lachlan 
M'Kenzie,  late  minister  of  Loch  Carron,  a  very  remarkable 
and  eminently  honoured  minister  of  Jesus.  The  tent  was 
placed  on  the  hill-side  behind  the  manse,  very  nearly  on  the 
spot  where  it  stood  in  the  days  of  the  former  revival  under 
Mr.  M'Donald  of  Urquhart,  and  the  minister  who  then  was 
placed  here,  the  eminently  godly  Mr.  Findlater,  whose  memory 
is  sweet  in  this  neighbourhood.  There  was  an  immense 
assembly,  collected  from  a  circuit  of  from  twelve  to  twenty 
miles,  which  could  not  amount  to  less  than  3000.  Mr. 
M'Kenzie  began  in  Gaelic  at  eleven.  I  succeeded  him  in 
English  at  one,  preaching  from  Ezekiel  xxxiii.  n.  I  felt  a 
great  uplifting  of  the  heart  in  pride  before  God,  and  though 
I  was  enabled  so  far  to  get  over  this  as  to  be  able  to  speak 
boldly  and  strongly  upon  the  'evil  ways'  of  men  from  which 
they  are  called  to  turn,  yet  I  could  make  nothing  of  the  dis 
play  of  Jehovah's  love  which  is  made  in  the  words,  'As  I  live, 
I  have  no  pleasure,'  &c. ;  and  though  I  stopped  and  prayed 
with  the  people  for  assistance,  yet  I  had  to  conclude  abruptly, 
having  nothing  to  say  but  what  would  profane  and  degrade 
in  the  eyes  of  the  hearers  these  marvellous  words.  I  came 
into  the  house  at  four  o'clock,  much  cast  down  on  account  of 


202  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1840. 

the  reigning  vanity  and  pride,  and  self-seeking  of  my  desper 
ately  wicked  heart,  and  was  driven  to  my  knees,  when  I  found 
the  Lord  very  gracious,  and  had  a  sweet  anticipation  given 
me  of  the  Lord's  presence  in  the  evening,  when  we  were  to 
meet  in  the  church.  Accordingly  we  met  at  six  o'clock.  I 
did  not  discourse  on  any  set  subject,  but  was  led  to  speak 
upon  the  Psalm  which  we  were  to  sing  (Psalm  cii.  11-14), 
and  in  this  I  felt  so  much  enlarged,  that  both  people  and 
preacher  were  tenderly  moved  with  a  view  of  Emmanuel's 
love.  After  we  had  prayed  I  made  a  few  additional  remarks 
of  a  miscellaneous  kind,  which  seemed  also  to  come  home  to 
the  heart.  When  we  were  separating,  some  individuals 
began  to  cry  aloud.  I  tried  to  quiet  them,  as  I  am  always 
afraid  that  they  are  in  danger  of  drawing  the  attention  of 
many  who  are  less  affected  away  from  considering  the  state 
of  their  own  souls.  However,  they  could  not  be  composed, 
and  when  I  went  up  to  the  gallery,  where  the  most  of  them 
were,  I  found  to  my  joy  that  they  were  persons  from  Fortingall, 
who  had  I  suppose  been  impressed  on  Friday.  We  took 
them  along  with  a  number  of  other  persons  in  the  same  state 
into  the  manse,  and  after  prayer  sent  them  away,  though  not 
in  the  best  state  for  going  to  so  great  a  distance.  Praise !  I 
saw  a  number  of  men  in  the  church  much  affected,  but  they 
did  not  come  so  prominently  forward,  being  better  able  to 
restrain  their  feelings.  .  .  . 

"Monday,  August  24^.— During  the  greater  part  of  the 
day  my  soul  was  in  a  light  and  easy  frame,  for  which  I  was 
rebuked  in  speaking  with  Mr.  M'Kenzie;  and  from  this  time 
till  the  hour  of  meeting  I  was  under  a  humbling  sense  of 
pride  and  impious  profanity  of  heart  in  the  work  of  God, 
insomuch  that  it  seemed  to  me  almost  beyond  hope  that  I 
should  be  supported  of  the  Lord  in  his  public  service.  I 
could  fix  on  no  passage  to  speak  from,  but  was  led  to  study 
with  a  personal  reference  Ezekiel  xxxvi.  25-27.  After  I  had 
sung  and  prayed  in  the  church,  I  was  thinking  of  speaking 
on  this  passage,  but  not  having  very  clear  direction  to  it,  I 


JEt.  25.]     "WHEN  T  AM  WEAK,  THEN  AM  i  STRONG."    203 

thought  it  better  to  sing  again  that  I  might  have  further 
opportunity  to  cry  to  the  Lord  for  guidance.  I  opened  the 
psalm-book  and  my  eye  rested  on  Psalm  Ixix.  29.  The 
suitableness  of  the  words  to  my  own  spiritual  state  attracted 
me,  and  I  began  to  make  a  few  remarks  in  consequence 
upon  them.  I  soon  however  got  so  much  divine  light 
and  assistance  in  commenting  on  them,  that  I  spoke  from 
them  I  suppose  for  an  hour,  much  affected  in  my  own  soul, 
and  to  an  audience  in  general  similarly  moved.  Mr.  M'Kenzie 
seemed  much  affected,  and  said  when  we  came  into  the 
manse  that  I  had  not  had  such  an  hour  in  Breadalbane 
before.  Oh !  how  wonderful  are  the  Lord's  dealings !  how 
fitted  to  humble  the  pride  of  all  flesh,  and  teach  us  a  child 
like  and  entire  dependence  on  him  for  all  blessings !  We 
were  hardly  in  the  manse  until  a  number  of  men  and  women 
came  in  after  us,  in  deep  distress  of  soul,  with  whom  we  had 
to  pray  again.  .  .  . 

"Lowers,  Tuesday,  August  2$th. — We  had  a  meeting  here 
at  one  o'clock,  of  thanksgiving  to  Jehovah  for  his  glorious 
work  in  the  souls  of  the  people  here  during  the  past  days. 
It  was  conducted  chiefly  in  Gaelic  by  Mr.  Campbell  and  Mr. 
M'Kenzie.  I  spoke  a  few  words  at  the  end,  from  Psalm 
cxlix.  1-4.  The  people  seemed  in  a  very  solemn  frame.  As 
we  came  from  the  ferry-boat,  we  looked  into  the  old  church 
on  the  lochside,  now  used  as  a  barn,  and  joined  in  giving 
the  Lord  praise  for  the  marvellous  displays  of  his  saving 
grace  made  in  it  to  many  who  are  now  in  heaven  ! — Evening, 
we  had  a  public  meeting  at  six.  The  evening  was  fine,  and 
the  audience  could  not  be  much  under  700,  I  think.  Many 
had  come  a  distance  of  8  miles.  I  was,  as  yesterday,  brought 
under  a  deep  sense  of  my  inability  to  say  anything  to  the 
Lord's  glory  previous  to  our  assembling,  but  I  was  aided  in 
my  extremity  in  no  less  a  degree.  I  read  Mark  ix.  41-50, 
and  preached  from  Luke  xvi.  16.  I  believe  I  never  spoke 
more  faithfully  in  the  pulpit  than  at  this  time  from  these 
three  particulars  :— He  that  presses  into  the  kingdom  of  God, 


204  L1FE    OF    REV-    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1840. 

I.  Sets  his  whole  heart  on  Christ.  II.  He  gives  up  all  that 
would  prevent  his  following  the  Lord  fully.  III.  He  fights 
his  way  to  heaven  through  the  opposition  of  his  enemies, 
i.  The  Devil.  2.  The  world.  3.  The  old  man,  &c.  &c.  There 
was  very  little  visible  emotion  among  the  people,  but  the  most 
affecting  solemnity  and  most  rivetted  attention.  It  was  as  if 
the  veil  that  hides  eternity  had  become  transparent,  and  its 
momentous  realities  were  seen  appearing  to  the  awe-struck 
eyes  of  sinners.  We  parted  at  a  quarter-past  nine,  after 
pressing  on  the  people  to  retire  directly  home  to  the  throne 
of  grace.  I  am  told  to-day  (Wednesday)  by  Mr.  Campbell, 
that  for  a  quarter  of  a  mile  from  the  church  every  covered 
retreat  was  occupied  by  awakened  souls  pouring  out  the  heart 
to  God.  He  seems  to  think,  from  all  that  he  saw  and  has 
heard  to-day,  that  last  night  was  the  most  solemn  season 
that  we  have  had  at  this  time.  Praise,  praise  !  O  humble  me, 
good  Shepherd,  and  be  thou  exalted  over  all !  Amen.  .  .  . 
"Lowers,  Friday,  August  2&th. — We  rode  home  by  Fortin- 
gall,  passing  down  to  the  foot  of  Glen  Lyon,  through  some  of 
the  most  sublime  scenery  that  I  ever  witnessed.  ...  I 
felt  awfully  the  power  of  corruption  in  my  heart  by  the  way, 
and  when  we  were  within  a  mile  of  the  foot  of  the  glen  I 
went  out  and  getting  down  among  the  rocks  by  the  river  side, 
where  the  voice  was  lost  in  the  noise  of  the  gushing  flood,  I 
was  enabled  to  cry  aloud  for  help  to  the  Lord.  The  Lord 
heard  me  I  think,  though,  alas !  I  neither  then,  nor  almost  at 
any  time,  can  get  so  near  to  him  as  I  did  in  former  times  ; 
I  come  rather  as  a  minister  than  as  a  sinner.  Lord,  help 

me  !     At  Fortingall  I  met  G G ,  formerly  in  the  79th 

regiment,  in  which  he  served  at  eight  storms  and  twelve 
general  engagements,  and  yet  escaped  with  a  single  wound. 
He  is  known  in  the  country  as  an  awful  drunkard  and  a 
discontented  radical,  and  yet,  to  the  astonishment  of  many, 
he  was  so  much  affected  when  I  was  at  Fortingall,  that  he  has 
been  with  us  at  all  our  meetings  since.  He  said,  'There  is  an 
impression  on  my  soul,  and  I  am  determined  to  follow  it  out.' 


JEt.  25.]  DEPARTURE    FROM    LAWERS.  205 

I  could  not  see  that  he  had  got  a  full  view  of  his  sins,  but 
it  was  sweet  to  see  him  even  inquiring.  ...  I  could  not 
believe,  when  on  the  way  home,  that  it  was  possible  for 
me  to  address  in  the  evening  a  public  meeting  at  Kiltire,  four 
miles  west  from  Lawers,  but  when  going  to  the  place  of 
meeting  I  felt  that  humiliation  under  God's  gracious  hand 
which  filled  me  with  hope.  The  house  was  crowded,  and 
many  were  outside  at  the  windows.  There  must  have  been 
250  in  all.  I  spoke  from  John  x.  27,  and  had  my  closed  lips 
again  opened,  to  my  own  astonishment.  The  people  were 
deeply  solemnized  and  tenderly  moved.  It  was  our  last 
meeting,  and  I  know  that  many  would  have  wished  to  shake 
hands  at  parting ;  yet  I  was  rejoiced  to  see  that  they  seemed 
so  solemnly  engaged  about  the  truth,  that  few  sought  after 
this  and  went  rapidly  off  in  solemn  silence.  Indeed,  I  think 
I  never  had  so  pleasing  a  separation  from  any  people.  Glory 
to  the  Lord !  In  walking  home  I  overtook  a  few  of  the  people. 
They  said  nothing,  but  walked  in  thoughtful  silence,  and  in 
some  cases  wept.  ...  In  looking  back  upon  this  work 
from  the  beginning  till  now,  it  appears  to  me  more  clearly  the 
fruit  of  the  sovereign  operations  of  God's  Spirit  than  almost  any 
other  that  I  have  seen.  We  have  never  needed  to  have  any 
of  those  after-meetings  which  I  have  found  so  necessary  and 
useful  in  other  places,  the  people  were  so  deeply  moved  under 
the  ordinary  services.  I  never  saw  so  many  of  the  old 
affected  as  in  this  case.  The  number  of  those  affected  are 
greater  in  proportion  to  the  population  than  I  have  ever  seen, 
and  there  has  been  far  less  appearance  of  mere  animal  excite 
ment  than  in  most  of  the  cases  that  I  have  been  acquainted 
with.  Perhaps  most  of  these  advantages  are  to  be  traced  to 
the  excellent  ministry  under  which  they  have  been,  and  to 
their  universal  acquaintance  with  conversion  as  a  necessary 
change,  and  one  that  some  of  their  fathers  underwent. 

"Lawers,  &*c.,  Saturday,  August  29^. — I  left  my  dear 
and  kind  friends  at  half-past  twelve  by  the  coach,  after 
visiting  a  young  man  on  his  sick-bed,  a  son  of  the  Baptist 


206  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS. 


minister.     Many  of  the  people  recognized   me  as  we  went 

along.     Mrs.  M'N —  -  or  Mary  M'G ,  who  was  on  the 

road,  burst  into  tears  and  threw  herself  down  upon  the  dyke. 
We  had  a  delightful  drive.  At  Kenmore  a  gentleman  in  clerical 
dress,  who  had  been  on  the  front  of  the  coach,  addressed  me 
and  said,  l  You  have  very  affectionate  hearers ;  I  am  glad  to 
see  it.  I  am  a  minister  of  the  Church  of  England,  and  have 
under  my  care  fifteen  thousand  souls  in  the  heart  of  London/ 
&c.  Another  English  gentleman  who  was  standing  at  the 
inn  said  to  me,  'That  is  one  of  the  excellent  of  the  earth,  his 

name  is  Mr.  W .     He  was  a  missionary,  but  had  to  come 

home  from  bad  health,  and  is  now  travelling  from  the  same 
cause.'  He  had  a  livery  servant  with  him.  He  left  us  at 
Aberfeldy,  and  I  went  down  and  spoke  to  him  while  the 
horses  were  changing.  He  seemed  a  sweet  humble  Christian 
man.  'Oh!'  he  said,  'that  is  a  heavenly  scene,  if  we  had 
only  a  heaven  within ;  at  least  /  want  that,'  &c.  We  parted 
with  Christian  salutations.  The  Lord's  people  are  indeed  one 
in  him,  though  separated  in  the  world.  .  .  . 

"Moulin,  Tuesday  September  %th. — This  morning  I  rode 
with  Mr.  C.  to  Straloch,  in  this  parish,  through  Glen  Brirachan, 
and  then  preached  to  about  five  hundred  in  the  open  air  at 
twelve  o'clock.  I  was  under  a  heavy  load  of  conscience  all 
the  way  to  the  place  of  meeting.  I  got  a  little  relief  during 
the  time  that  Mr.  Drummond  of  Kirkmichael,  who  had  come 
to  meet  us,  prayed  in  an  adjoining  house  before  I  began ;  but 
still  I  was  in  such  bondage  of  spirit  that  I  could  hardly  speak 
to  the  people,  feeling  as  if  they  were  seeing  the  infidelity  and 
hypocrisy  of  my  heart  from  my  countenance,  and  so  being 
unable  to  look  them  directly  in  the  face.  My  text  was  Isaiah 
xxxii.  2,  first  clause,  in  which  I  considered,  1st.  Why  we 
needed  a  covert,  &c.  2d.  What  was  meant  by  the  wind  and 
tempest.  3d.  Who  the  'man'  spoken  of  is.  4th.  How  he 
becomes  a  hiding-place.  After  some  introductory  remarks  on 
the  text  I  prayed,  and  then  got  considerable  liberty  in  speak-  , 
ing  of  the  evil  of  sin,  and  its  deserving  the  wind  and  tempest 


^Et.  25.]  MOULIN.  207 

of  divine  wrath.  However,  when  I  proceeded  to  the  second 
head,  this  assistance  was  withdrawn,  and  I  was  so  dark  and 
dead  that  I  had  to  draw  quickly  to  a  close.  I  prayed,  and 
gave  out  a  concluding  psalm,  during  which  Mr.  Campbell 
came  and  pressed  me  to  say  a  few  words  more,  as  there 
were  people  there  who  in  all  likelihood  would  not  be  got  at 
again.  This  affected  me,  yet  I  could  get  no  greater  liberty 
to  speak,  and  told  him  that  I  could  not  speak  at  that  time 
for  the  whole  world.  I  intimated  when  I  had  pronounced 
the  blessing,  that  I  desired  to  speak  further  to  them,  and 
that  I  was  persuaded  there  must  be  some  cause,  either  in 
me  or  in  some  of  them,  for  the  withdrawal  of  the  Spirit 
of  God ;  but  that  though  I  had  no  message  for  them  at  that 
time,  I  would  rejoice  to  remain  with  any  who  were  really 
desiring  a  blessing  to  their  souls,  and  join  in  crying  to  the 
Lord  for  his  help.  No  one  went  away.  We  joined  in  prayer, 
the  people  with  far  greater  solemnity,  and  I  with  some  degree 
of  liberty ;  and  after  I  had  ended  I  felt  so  carried  above  the 
power  of  my  enemies,  that  I  began  at  once  upon  the  topics 
I  had  left ;  and  throwing  down  the  gauntlet  to  the  enemies  of 
Jesus,  I  spoke  for  a  long  time  with  such  assistance  that  I  felt 
as  if  I  could  have  shaken  the  globe  to  pieces  through  the 
views  I  got  of  the  glory  of  the  divine  person  of  Christ,  and 
of  his  atoning  sacrifice  to  rescue  sinners  from  eternal  death. 
The  people  were  bent  down  beneath  the  word  like  corn  under 
the  breeze,  and  many  a  stout  sinner  wept  bitterly.  We 
separated  about  four  o'clock,  and  I  felt  myself  called,  in  con 
sequence  of  what  I  had  seen  and  felt,  to  agree  to  Mr. 
Drummond's  request  that  I  should  go  to  Kirkmichael  on 
Sabbath  week  instead  of  to  Grandtully  as  I  had  intended. 
Glory  to  the  Lord!  We  had  some  of  the  gentry  there  in 
tears!  .  .  . 

"  Wednesday,  September  qth. — I  rode  up  in  the  forenoon  to 
B.,  the  property  of  Mr.  S.  of  S.,  Perth,  where  he  and  his 
family  at  present  are;  with  the  view  of  preaching  at  Tenandry 
church,  near  which  they  are.  The  scene  is  the  most  sublime 


208  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1840. 

that  I  have  almost  ever  seen,  including  the  pass  of  Killie- 
crankie,  &c.  &c. ;  but  I  have  no  time,  even  had  I  the  power, 
to  describe  the  grandeur  of  the  Lord's  works  in  nature.  I 
felt  the  temptation  to  be  unfaithful  to  the  'rich  man'  with 
whom  I  was  called  to  live,  and  through  this  compliance  un 
faithful  also  to  the  poorer  classes  around.  If  we  are  unfaith 
ful  to  the  rich  and  great  all  our  faithfulness  to  others  must  be 
more  or  less  hypocritical.  This  I  felt,  and  being  made  to  cry 
to  the  Lord  for  help,  I  got  so  completely  over  it  that  when 
preaching  in  the  evening  at  Tenandry,  with  the  S.'s,  Mrs.  H. 
of  S.,  the  builder  of  the  church,1  &c.,  present,  I  spoke  boldly 
and  openly  of  many  things  that  the  rich  alone  could  under 
stand,  and  which  they  would  find  it  hard  to  bear  unless  they 
would  unreservedly  submit  to  Christ  and  his  cross.  We  met 
at  five  o'clock;  I  spoke  from  Hebrews  iv.  7.  At  first  I  had 
assistance  enough  to  expound,  but  not  enough  to  reach  the 
conscience  with  keen  exhortation  and  reproof.  However, 
after  praying,  I  got  this  for  a  considerable  time,  and  the 
people  were  so  much  affected  that  all  were  rivetted  in  their 
looks  and  some  were  weeping  audibly.  The  plan  followed 
was  this:— I  considered  the  meaning  of,  ist.  Hearing  God's 
voice.  2d.  Hardening  the  heart.  3d.  The  arguments  against 
this  sin.  (a)  Our  losing  the  promised  rest ;  (£)  Our  having 
been  long  called  already— 'after  so  long  a  time;'  (c)  Our 
being  called  'to-day.'  After  I  had  prayed  I  sought  to  im 
prove  these  truths  by  selecting  a  few  passages  of  God's  word, 
such  as  'Ye  must  be  born  again,'  &c.;  'Come  now  and  let  us 
reason  together;'  and  pressed  the  people  by  the  arguments 
of  the  text  to  hear  and  obey  these  immediately  as  the  -voice 
of  God.  It  was  this  part  that  seemed  to  come  chiefly  home. 
We  had  an  after-meeting  with  the  anxious,  who  seemed  to  be 
numerous.2  .  .  . 

1  Situated  in  the  birch  wood  overhanging  the  pass  of  Killiecrankie. 

This  service,"  says  one  who  was  present,   "lasted  from  five 

o  clock  till  nine,  beginning  early  for  the  convenience  of  those  who 

had  long  distances  to  walk  home,  and  continued  late  because  the 


^Et.  25.] .  LOGIERAIT.  209 

"Saturday,  September  12th. — At  six  P.M.  I  left  Moulin 
manse,  and  had  a  very  solemn  and  affecting  parting  from  this 
dear  family.  The  servants  I  conversed  with  individually 
during  the  day,  and  all,  but  particularly  three  of  them,  were 
very  deeply  affected,  as  they  had  previously  been  in  church  at 
several  of  the  meetings.  Leaving  Moulin  by  Mr.  C.'s  gig,  I 
drove  down  the  strath  to  Logierait,  where  I  was  kindly  re 
ceived  by  Mr.  Buchanan  (another  Moderate  minister)  and  his 
sister.  I  spent  the  evening  for  the  most  part  alone,  and  in 
conversation  with  Mr.  B.,  who  is  a  man  of  superior  talents 
and  attainments  in  knowledge,  and  seems  to  have  a  good  dis 
position  towards  those  remarkable  outpourings  of  the  Holy 
Spirit  in  Scotland  against  which  so  many  are  arrayed  in 
open  enmity. 

"Logierait,  Sabbath,  September  i^tk. — The  morning  was 
fine,  and  an  immense  congregation  assembled  at  twelve 
o'clock  in  the  churchyard,  with  whom  I  continued  unin 
terruptedly  until  five  P.M.,  singing,  praying,  and  preaching 
the  word  of  life.  The  subject  was  2  Corinthians  v.  IQ-VL  2. 
The  people  were  very  solemnly  affected,  indeed  more  visibly 
so  than  on  any  previous  Sabbath  that  I  have  been  in  the 
Highlands ;  at  one  time  many  were  crying  aloud  in  agony, 
and  tears  were  flowing  plentifully  throughout  the  audience. 
One  of  the  addresses  that  seemed  most  signally  blessed 
originated  in  a  somewhat  remarkable  way.  As  I  was  about 
to  engage  in  prayer  at  the  middle  of  the  service,  I  noticed 
two  young  gentlemen  looking  down  upon  the  audience  from 
a  little  eminence  a  few  hundred  yards  distant  from  us ;  and 
feeling  a  strong  desire  to  say  something  that  might  arrest 
them  in  their  carelessness  at  so  awfully  solemn  a  time,  I 
called  on  the  people  of  God  to  join  me  in  praying  for  them, 

hearers  hung  upon  the  preacher's  words  until  the  sun  had  set  and 
the  full  moon  had  arisen.  It  was  a  memorable  night  in  the  history 
of  many." — Notes  of  Addresses  by  the  Rev.  William  C.  Burns,  edited 
by  M.  F.  Barbour,  page  28,  where  a  sketch  of  the  sermon  will  be 
found. 

O 


2IO  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1840. 


and  spoke  so  loud  that  they  could  easily  hear  me.  When  I 
was  doing  this  a  third  young  man  ascended  to  my  view,  and 
joined  his  companions.  The  three  put  me  in  mind  of  the 
three  young  men  who  were  so  remarkably  converted  at  the 
Kirk  of  Shotts,  when  going  to  Edinburgh  to  be  present  at 
some  scenes  of  public  amusement.  I  told  this  anecdote,  en 
larging  upon  many  things  which  it  suggested  with  much 
liberty,  and  the  impression  seemed  to  be  deeply  affecting.  The 
young  men  in  my  view,  as  soon  as  they  heard  me  speaking 
of  them,  and  had  the  eyes  of  the  congregation  turned  upon 
them,  withdrew  from  their  position  and  came  near,  concealing 
themselves  behind  the  church,  where  they  no  doubt  heard 
what  was  said.  The  rich  people,  with  very  few  exceptions, 
remained  to  the  end;  and  some  of  them  I  thought  seemed 
solemnly  affected,  at  least  for  the  time.  Some  of  the  most 
pointed  appeals  were  addressed  specially  to  them.  Mr.  B. 
seemed  satisfied,  and  gave  me  encouragement  to  come  to 
him  again.  Both  he  and  Mr.  C.  of  Moulin  expressed  them 
selves  as  agreeably  disappointed,  having  expected  to  hear 
something  very  exciting,  and  not  solid  and  sober. 

"Monday,  September  itf/i.—  This  day  I  spent  chiefly  alone, 
in  letter-writing,  &c.,  having  no  meeting  in  the  evening.  Oh  ! 
how  sweet  and  profitable  to  my  soul  I  find  a  day  on  which 
I  have  no  public  duty  !  Would  that  I  had  more  such,  if  it 
were  the  Lord's  holy  will !  In  ordinary  cases  they  would  be 
absolutely  indispensable,  but  when  the  Lord  moves  in  so 
mighty  and  sovereign  a  manner  as  he  is  doing  now,  the 
mountains  become  a  plain. 

"  Tuesday,  September  i$th.— Mr.  B.  left  to-day  to  be  absent 
from  home  for  a  fortnight,  and  parted  with  me,  expressing 
regret  that  we  could  not  meet  again  in  public,  and  pressing 
me  kindly  to  make  all  the  use  I  could  of  his  house,  &c.,  in  his 
absence.  This  I  did.  We  joined  solemnly  in  prayer  before 
parting.  The  Lord  bless  him  !— Evening  :  I  went  down  three 
and  a  half  miles  toward  Dunkeld  and  preached  at  Dowally. 
The  subject  I  forget.  The  season  was  pleasant  but  in  no 


JEt.  25.]        BALNAGUARD INTERESTING    INCIDENT.  211 

respect  remarkable.      I   went  home   again  to  Logierait  at 
night. 

"  Wednesday,  September  ifath. — Being  tired  last  night,  and 
having  told  the  servant  that  she  need  not  awaken  me  in  the 
morning,  I  slept  until  past  ten  A.M.,  and  got  up,  fearing  to  be 
too  late  for  the  Lochlomond  coach,  which  passed  up  to 
Grandtully  on  the  other  side  of  the  Tay  at  eleven  o'clock,  and 
trembling  at  the  thought  of  being  hurried  so  quickly  through 
my  secret  duties.  I  got  hastily  ready,  and  without  taking 
any  breakfast  got  my  luggage  ready  and  set  off.  On  reaching 
the  ferry-boat  I  learned  to  my  grief  that  the  coach  had  passed 
fully  a  quarter  before  the  usual  time,  and  was  already  out  of 
sight,  and  that  thus  I  was  left  to  walk  a  distance  of  six  miles. 
I  went  on  with  my  bag  in  my  hand,  thinking  that  the  Lord 
might  have  some  design  of  a  gracious  kind  concealed  under 
this  frowning  occurrence ;  and  when  I  had  gone  about  one 
and  a  half  miles,  and  was  passing  through  the  little  village 
of  Balnaguard  I  discovered  one  which  fully  explained  his 
mysterious  intention.  For  after  I  had  passed  a  great  number 
of  people  engaged  under  the  burning  sun  in  cutting  down  and 
also  in  gathering  in  the  plenteous  fruits  of  the  earth,  two  men 
in  the  prime  of  life  came  running  to  meet  me,  evidently  under 
concern  about  their  state,  and  pointing  to  a  school-house 
beside  us,  the  shutters  of  which  were  shut  in  consequence  of 
it  being  the  harvest  season,  pressed  me  to  meet  the  people 
there  though  it  were  but  for  half  an  hour.  I  went  in,  and  in 
the  course  of  not  more  than  seven  minutes  the  room  was 
crowded  to  the  door  by  people  of  all  ages,  from  the  child  of 
seven  to  the  grandfather  of  seventy.  We  prayed ;  I  read  the 
7oth  Psalm  in  the  metrical  version,  and  made  a  few  remarks  on 
the  last  eight  lines ;  we  then  prayed  again,  and  I  came  away 
leaving  these  dear  people  in  as  solemn  a  frame,  to  all  appear 
ance,  as  I  have  ever  witnessed  any  audience.  There  could 
not  be  fewer  than  one  hundred  and  twenty  present,  and 
among  these  I  hardly  saw  one  that  was  not  shedding  tears. 
The  wonderful  providence  by  which  we  had  been  brought 


212  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1840. 

together  affected  us  much,  and  I  was  so  much  struck  with 
the  dealing  of  God  in  this  and  in  the  state  of  the  people,  that 
I  intimated  another  prayer-meeting  among  them  for  Friday 
forenoon,  when  I  expected  to  pass  them  on  my  way  to  visit 
Dowally  a  second  time.  During  the  time  of  our  meeting 

I  noticed  a  farmer  of  the  name  of  M'G.  of  H of  Grand- 

tully,  come  in  and  stand  listening  with  the  most  rivetted 
attention  to  what  was  said.  He  was  a  rough-looking  man, 
and  one  whom  I  noticed  in  this  character  the  first  night  that 
I  was  at  Grandtully,  saying  to  myself,  'How  wonderful  it 
would  be  to  see  that  man  brought  under  conviction  of  sin.' 
From  his  appearance  at  Logierait  on  Sabbath,  and  now  at 
this  meeting,  I  entertained  a  hope  that  this  might  be  the  case. 
When  I  came  out  and  met  him,  my  hope  was  agreeably  con 
firmed.  Having  to  go  from  home  on  business,  and  being 
anxious  to  be  at  our  meeting  at  Grandtully  in  the  evening, 
he  had  set  out  very  early  and  was  now  returning  in  the 
utmost  haste.  When  he  heard  that  I  was  at  Balnaguard  he 
sent  home  his  horse  that  he  might  be  present  and  accompany 
me  home.  We  accordingly  had  a  good  deal  of  solemn  con 
verse  on  the  way.  He  seemed  under  deep  concern,  and 
pressed  me  to  go  in,  though  my  time  was  nearly  gone,  and 
pray  with  them.  I  did  so,  and  hardly  had  I  entered  when 
the  room  was  filled  with  old  and  young,  collected  from  the 
harvest-field.  Without  saying  a  word  we  joined  in  prayer, 
and  so  remarkably  was  the  presence  of  God  granted  that 
all  were  in  tears,  and  some  cried  aloud.  After  prayer  I  left 
this  scene,  which  was  certainly  one  that  displayed  the  finger 
of  God  as  much  as  any  one  in  which  I  ever  was,  and 
walked  home  in  company  with  R.  D.,  a  stepson  of  M'G's., 
and  the  boy  who  cried  out  in  the  church  at  Grandtully  on 
the  first  night  that  I  was  there.  He  seems  to  continue 
under  deep  concern,  and  has  got  some  comfort  since  that 
time.  He  went,  dear  boy,  with  me  to  carry  my  bag.  When 
we  had  got  to  a  considerable  distance,  a  number  of  those 
who  had  been  affected  in  the  house  came  running  across  the 


^Et.  25.]  SUBJECTIVE    PREACHING.  213 

fields  to  meet  us  again,  weeping  bitterly ;  but  I  did  not  en 
courage  this,  and  sent  them  to  secret  prayer.  I  arrived  at 
Grandtully  by  five  o'clock,  and  hardly  conscious  of  fatigue. 
'The  Lord  will  give  strength  to  his  people.'  'As  thy  days, 
so  shall  thy  strength  be  I"' 

Here  we  must  reluctantly  break  off  this  remarkable 
and  deeply  interesting  itinerarium.  Remarkable  and 
interesting  I  cannot  doubt  that  it  will  be  regarded  by 
every  Christian  mind,  however  differently  men  may  judge 
in  regard  to  some  of  the  points  which  it  naturally  raises 
for  consideration.  It  brings,  indeed,  into  the  strongest 
relief  at  once  that  in  him  which  in  the  view  of  all  was  most 
admirable,  and  that  which  was  most  peculiar,  and  in  the 
view  of  some  open  to  question.  In  particular  the  pre 
dominantly,  sometimes  almost  exclusively  subjective  char 
acter  of  his  ministry  stands  out  in  the  broadest  light.  He 
spoke,  apparently  could  speak,  only  what  he  felt,  and  that 
only  while  he  felt  it,  and  so  far  as  he  felt  it.  He  must  utter 
the  very  present  experience  and  conviction  of  his  soul,  or 
be  silent  altogether.  Out  of  the  abundance  of  the  heart 
alone  could  his  mouth  speak.  The  declaration  of  a  mere 
intellectual  belief,  or  remembered  conviction  of  the  past, 
seemed  to  him  a  mockery  and  almost  a  falsehood.  His 
preaching  was  thus  in  the  strictest  sense  a  cardiphonia 
— the  voice  of  an  instrument  that  could  sound  only  as  the 
breath  of  the  eternal  Spirit  of  God  swept  over  it.  Truths 
merely  known,  believed,  arranged  in  logical  sequence  in 
the  mind  or  in  written  discourse,  was  to  him  no  message 
from  God  to  human  souls;  but  only  truth  "quick  and 
powerful,"  and  glowing  in  living  fire  within  the  heart. 


214  LIFE    OF   REV-    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1840. 

Most  significant  in  this  point  of  view  are  such  expressions 
as  these  in  one  of  the  above  extracts:  "I  could  not  speak 
at  that  time  for  the  whole  world."  He  said  afterwards  of 
the  same  occasion  to  a  friend,  "that  the  adversary  of  souls 
had  been  at  his  right  hand  the  whole  time;  and  that  each 
statement  which  he  sought  to  make  from  the  Word  of 
God  seemed  to  be  contradicted  by  a  voice  within  as  soon 
as  made."  At  another  time  he  felt  as  if  the  people  might 
see  through  his  very  eyes  the  hypocrisy  and  falsehood  of 
his  heart,  while  he  uttered  mechanically  the  sound  of 
words,  the  life  and  power  of  which  he  did  not  feel.  I 
offer  no  opinion  now  in  regard  to  the  profound  question 
here  involved :  whether  the  principle  on  which  he  acted 
was  in  itself  just;  or  whether,  if  just  for  him,  the  course  of 
action  to  which  it  led  were  a  fit  precedent  and  example 
for  other  men.  The  question  is  not  even  properly  raised 
in  this  form,  for  his  whole  ministry  during  those  remark 
able  years  was  so  plainly  exceptional  that  no  warrantable 
inference  can  be  drawn  from  his  case  to  that  of  others. 
His  function  and  vocation  was  rather  that  of  the  old 
prophets  uttering  from  time  to  time  the  message  and  the 
"burden"  given  to  them  under  the  immediate  impulse  of 
the  Spirit  who  gave  it,  than  that  of  the  priests  whose 
lips  ought  at  all  times  to  keep  knowledge,  and  to  impart 
its  sacred  lessons  to  others  even  when  for  the  time  they 
enjoy  not  the  full  sweetness  of  it  themselves.  Even  those 
who  may  think  that  the  principle  on  which  he  acted  was 
carried  out  by  him  to  too  extreme  a  point  will  scarcely 
deny  the  general  truth,  that  however  it  may  be  with  the 
other  functions  of  the  pastoral  office— as  of  instruction, 


Mi.  25.]'  PREACHING    AND    EXPERIENCE.  215 

admonition,  counsel,  persuasion,  consolation — for  the 
special  work  of  awakening  souls  an  awakened  and  imme 
diate  sense  of  eternal  realities  is  of  all  things  most  essential. 
It  may  be  possible  enough  to  explain  a  doctrine  or  enforce 
a  duty  without  anything  more  than  a  general  and  habitual 
conviction  of  the  truth  involved,  yet  surely  if  we  would 
make  others  weep  we  must  weep  ourselves.  At  least  if 
in  this  matter  he  erred,  he  erred  on  a  safer  side  than  that 
of  those  who  would  divorce  altogether  the  message  of  the 
preacher  from  the  experience  of  the  man,  and  who  can 
discourse  of  the  deepest  and  most  sacred  exercises  of  the 
soul  with  an  equally  free  and  fluent  speech,  with  a  cold 
and  with  a  burning  heart.  Better  a  single  word  spoken 
in  the  spirit,  than  a  thousand  words  of  mere  sounding 
breath;  better  to  utter  in  a  few  broken  sentences  a  real 
message  from  God,  than  to  speak  with  the  tongue  of 
men  and  of  angels  a  heartless,  soulless  message  of  our 
own. 

After  all  it  can  scarcely  be  doubted  that  the  extreme 
fluctuation  of  feeling  and  of  consequent  freedom  of  utter 
ance  manifested  in  these  journals  was  in  great  measure 
owing  to  that  exhaustion  of  the  vital  powers,  and  that 
lack  of  opportunity  for  studious  meditation  which  the 
incessant  labours  of  this  period  entailed;  and  that  in  more 
favourable  circumstances  his  spiritual  experiences  might 
have  been  more  equable,  and  his  power  in  the  pulpit 
more  constant.  It  would  appear  from  expressions  which 
occur  here  and  there  in  the  journals  that  this  was 
occasionally  at  least  his  own  impression,  and  there  is 
much  in  their  general  tenor  which  goes  strongly  to  confirm 


21 6  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1840. 

that  view.  It  is  observable  how  often  his  times  of  deepest 
depression  immediately  succeeded  his  times  of  highest 
elevation,  as  though  the  one  were  at  least  in  large  measure 
the  reaction  of  the  other.  The  temporary  quiescence  of 
the  feelings,  equally  with  the  corresponding  languor  of  the 
bodily  frame,  was  but  the  inevitable  and  even  salutary 
result  of  the  sudden  unbending  of  the  bow  which  had 
been  too  long  and  too  tightly  bent;  and  it  was  his  trial 
rather  than  his  error  that  he  could,  during  these  three 
remarkable  years,  so  seldom  obtain  that  needful  restorative 
repose.  It  was  in  circumstances  such  as  his  that  the 
gracious  Master,  who  knoweth  our  frame  and  remembereth 
that  we  are  dust,  said  to  his  disciples,  when  they  were 
worn  out  with  the  greatness  of  their  labours  and  with  those 
manifold  distractions  which  left  them  no  leisure  even  to 
eat,  "  Come  ye  yourselves  apart  into  a  desert  place  and  rest 
awhile."  There  was  no  such  interval  of  retreat  permitted 
to  him  now;  but  the  enjoyment  of  that  precious  boon  was 
reserved  for  another  and  not  distant  day. 


CHAPTER   IX. 

1841 — 1844. 

NEWCASTLE,  EDINBURGH,  DUBLIN. 

DURING  the  next  three  years  Mr.  Burns  was  in 
cessantly  engaged  in  evangelistic  work,  partly  in 
places  which  he  had  already  visited,  and  partly  in  new 
fields.  Of  the  latter  the  most  conspicuous  were  New 
castle,  Edinburgh,  and  Dublin,  and  to  a  brief  notice  of 
his  labours  there  I  propose  to  devote  the  present  chapter. 
They  were,  of  course,  in  most  respects  essentially  similar 
to  those  which  we  have  already  described  in  Dundee  and 
Aberdeen,  but  still  possessed  some  features  sufficiently 
distinct  to  deserve  a  separate,  though  less  detailed  record. 
At  Newcastle,  the  first  aspect  of  the  field  and  his  first  trial 
of  the  work  were  not  encouraging.  I  know  not  if  the  "  sins 
and  sorrows  of  the  great  city"  be  really  greater  there  than 
in  other  communities  of  similar  extent  and  character  with 
which  he  had  been  before  acquainted,  but  it  seemed  to 
him,  at  least,  as  if  it  were  so.  The  giant  forms  of  evil 
with  which  he  had  everywhere  to  contend,  stood  forth 
before  the  eye  in  more  naked  and  unblushing  prominence, 
as  though  iniquity  were,  in  truth,  too  strong  to  feel 
ashamed  or  hide  its  face.  He  found  himself  in  the 
presence  of  a  power  which,  alike  in  its  extent  and  terrible 


2l8  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.  -  BURNS.  [1841-44- 

energy,  startled  and  shocked  him,  and  threw  him  back  as 
scarce  ever  before  on  the  power  that  is  infinite  and  divine. 
"The  people  of  God,"  he  writes  a  few  days  after  his 
arrival,  "are  rallying  in  their  places,  and  we  have  them  of 
every  name  on  our  side.  Ah !  but  the  LORD  is  with  me 
as  a  mighty,  terrible  ONE.  This  is  enough."  "I  ask  it 
as  a  favour,"  he  writes  to  his  endeared  friend  Mr.  Milne, 
"xoA.  plead  for  it,  that  you  will  lay  before  your  people  the 
case  of  Newcastle,  an  iron-walled  citadel  of  Satan.  Al 
mighty  power,  and  that  alone,  can  make  a  breach  and 
plant  the  banner  of  salvation  in  the  Lamb  on  its  proud 
ramparts.  They  must  cry,  they  must  wrestle;  for  the 
devil  is  in  the  field,  and  the  day  will  be  hot."  While,  too, 
"the  enemy  thus  came  in  like  a  flood,"  it  seemed  to  him 
as  if  the  forces  on  the  other  side  were  comparatively  few 
and  feeble.  "The  Scotch  Church,"  says  he,  "is  low  here; 
the  audiences  were  not  large.  During  the  week  I 
preached  every  night  but  Tuesday  and  Saturday,  but 
chiefly  to  the  church-going  few,  including  some  Christians, 
with  a  view  to  stir  them  up  to  come  nearer  to  God.  .  .  . 
Went  out  at  meal  hour  and  began  to  invite  sinners.  Very 
apathetic.  The  sleep  of  death  is  on  the  city." 

The  spell  of  apathy,  however,  was  soon,  at  least  par 
tially,  broken.  The  announcement  of  a  Sabbath  pleasure 
trip  of  a  more  than  usually  offensive  kind  having  met  his 
eye,  his  spirit  was  stirred  within  him,  and  he  denounced 
it  in  a  terrible  placard,  which  he  signed  with  his  own 
name  and  posted  up  in  every  street  and  open  place  in 
Newcastle.  It  fell  like  a  bomb-shell  in  the  midst  of  the 
community,  startled  the  ears  alike  of  friends  and  foes, 


Mt.  26-29.]  THE    NEWCASTLE    STREETS.  219 

and  drew  general  attention  to  the  preacher  and  his  mes 
sage.  A  solemn  tract  on  the  sins  of  the  city  and  the 
impending  judgments  of  God  was  at  the  same  time  pre 
pared  and  sown  broadcast  among  the  people.  The 
newspapers  too,  both  local  and  metropolitan,  took  up  the 
matter,  bitterly  denounced  his  proceedings,  and  thus  still 
more  loudly  rang  the  bell  of  alarm  in  the  ears  of  a  com 
munity  from  whom  he  only  desired  a  hearing,  even 
though  they  should  strike  while  they  heard  him.  "News 
papers  and  Socialistic  placards,"  wrote  his  friend  Mr. 
Bonar  of  Kelso,  "have  been  making  Edinburgh,  and  I 
suppose  other  places,  ring  with  your  doings  in  Newcastle." 
But  he  remained  calm  amid  the  storm,  unmoved  alike  by 
the  rage  of  enemies  and  by  the  doubts  and  fears  of  friends, 
so  only  the  cause  of  Christ  were  helped,  and  not  hindered. 
"The  people  in  Scotland,"  said  he,  "are  thinking  that  the 
opposition  must  be  awful  here.  But  it  is  like  bomb-shells 
thrown  over  our  heads  and  bursting  at  a  distance.  They 
know  more  of  it  in  London  than  I  do  in  Newcastle. 
'Thou  hast  covered  my  head  in  the  day  of  battle.'" 

Meanwhile,  according  to  his  wont,  he  soon  exchanged 
the  empty  churches  for  the  open  and  crowded  streets — 
preaching  to  varying  audiences  and  with  varying  tokens 
of  success  on  the  quay,  at  the  'Spittal  Square,  in  the  Corn 
and  Cloth  Markets,  in  the  open  space  beside  the  castle, 
sometimes  in  continuous  and  impressive  discourse,  some 
times  in  a  running  fire  against  Secularist  or  Romish 
objectors  who  started  up  as  opponents  from  amongst  the 
crowd;  sometimes  alone,  and  sometimes  dividing  the 
ground  with  the  political  lecturer  or  the  puppet  showman, 


220  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1841-44. 

who  spread  forth  their  rival  wares  at  a  few  paces'  distance. 
He  had  some   encouragement,  but  no  very  marked  or 
decisive  evidence  of  blessing.     He  speaks  from  time  to 
time  of  "solemn  attention;"    "very  great  attention  and 
eagerness;"  "a  very  large  and  deeply  solemn  audience;" 
"a  large  audience  who  stood  rivetted  to  the  end;"  of  a 
"service  of  three  hours'  duration,  in  the  castle-yard  where 
Whitfield  preached  of  old;"  "and  would  have  remained 
almost  till  midnight;"  "a  considerable  audience  who  con 
tinued  immovable  under  darkness  and  rain;"  "the  people 
so  much  impressed   that  the  stars  were  out  in  the  sky 
before  we  separated;."  "some  of  the  old  sailors  on  the 
quay  weeping,  and  pressing  their  money  on  those  who 
gave  away  the  tracts  at  the  end;"  yet  there  were  few  or 
none  who  sought  him  out  in  private  for  spiritual  counsel 
and  instruction.     Perhaps  this  might  in  part  arise  from 
the  fact  that  his  street  audiences  here  consisted  almost 
exclusively  of  men— the  softer  and  more  impressible  sex 
having,  as  he  suggests,  either  less  curiosity,  or  more  fear 
of  noisy  crowds,  than  in  the  cities  of  the  north.     Now 
and  then,  too,  after  all  his  labours  were  over,  he  would  go 
forth  into  the  dark  streets,  with  a  bundle  of  his  "plain 
sentences"  under  his  arm,  that  he  might  see  the  city  in 
its  midnight  dress,  look  down  into  the  depths  of  that 
abyss  of  ruin  which  for  the  love  of  God  and  man  he  so 
vehemently  longed  to  sound,  and  it  may  be  hold  out  the 
torch  of  life  eternal  to  some  poor  wanderer  whom  he 
might  never  hope  to  meet  at  any  other  place  or  time. 
Strange  scenes  would  sometimes  on  these  occasions  meet 
his  eyes  and  ears:    "I  went  out  after  coming  into  my 


JEt.  26-29..]  THE    MIDNIGHT    STREETS.  221 

room  and  with  a  bundle  of  the  "plain  sentences"  paraded 
some  of  the  chief  streets.  In  this  I  met  with  some 
strange  incidents.  I  offered  near  the  mouth  of  the  Arcade 
a  copy  to  a  gentleman  half-intoxicated.  He  swore  fear 
fully  and  said,  'Oh,  what  a  cursed  country  this  is!  I 
might  go  through  every  town  on  the  Continent,  and  not 
meet  with  such  another  rascal  as  you  infesting  me.  Rome 
is  infinitely  better  than  this,"  &c.  On  another  occasion 
he  writes:  "After  the  meeting  I  spent  a  half-hour  on  the 
street  with  tracts,  and  met  with  awful  proofs  of  the 
enormous  wickedness  of  the  people,  also  with  many  whose 
language  amid  their  sins  seemed  almost  to  be,  Oh !  that 
I  were  saved,  oh!  that  you  could  do  me  any  good."  One 
is  reminded  of  the  heathen  in  Tertullian's  days,  of  whom 
he  tells  us  that  even  their  oaths  and  ejaculated  utterances 
of  grief  and  fear  bore  witness  to  their  deep  consciousness 
of  God  and  of  a  higher  world,  and  showed  that  the  "testi 
mony  of  the  soul"  was  by  its  very  nature  on  the  side  of 
Christ.1  Sometimes  conscience  would  still  more  distinctly 
speak  and  take  part  with  the  reprover  against  the  sinner: 
"I  spoke  to  three  young  gentlemen  intoxicated ;  they 
mocked;  but  one  of  them,  having  separated  from  the 
rest,  went  along  with  me  a  short  way.  He  then  left  me 
and  whistled  for  his  companions,  but  they  had  deserted 
him ;  and  conscience-stricken  he  called  after  me,  and  when 
I  went  back  asked  where  I  was  from,  my  name  and  resid 
ence,  and  promised  to  call  on  Friday  at  five  P.M.,  saying 
with  some  feeling,  'he  had  much  need  of  a  lecture.'" 
Still  there  was  no  deep  and  general  impression,  and 

1  Testimonium  animse  naturaliter  Christianas. 


222  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1841-44. 

even  the  partial  interest  that  had  been  excited  began  after 
a  season  gradually  to  die  down  towards  the  former  state 
of  apathy.  The  congregations  in  church  were  small,  the 
audiences  in  the  open  air  less  numerous  and  less  solemn. 
The  sensation  created  by  the  Sabbath  placards  was  pass 
ing  away,  and  no  deeper  and  mightier  influence  apparently 
had  come  to  supply  its  place.  Even  some  of  his  friends, 
who  had  most  sanguinely  hoped  for  a  rich  and  wide 
spread  blessing,  began  to  lose  heart.  "  I  had  hope  at  one 
time,"  said  one  of  the  most  ardent  of  these,  "but  now  I 
confess  it  is  gone.  Every  ear  seems  closed."  He  himself 
too  almost  despaired.  ^  Receiving  a  letter  from  Mr.  Parker, 
in  which  he  expresses  his  astonishment  that  the  people 
could  bear  his  words,  he  writes  in  his  journal  bitterly, 
"Alas!  the  people  can  bear  anything  here  as  yet.  The 
body  seems  so  dead,  that  though  you  plunge  the  knife  to 
the  heart  there  is  no  pain."  But  it  was  only  the  lowest 
ebb,  before  the  turning  of  the  tide,  and  before  another 
day  had  passed  it  was  in  full  and  buoyant  flow.  God  had 
only  made  him  utterly  to  despair  of  self,  that  he  might  the 
more  simply  and  wholly  triumph  in  Christ.  We  cannot 
here  indulge  in  numerous  extracts,  but  one  or  two  con 
tinuous  passages  must  be  given,  as  affording  a  vivid  picture 
of  the  nature  of  the  hot  battle  which  he  had  expected  and 
which  had  come  at  last,  and  of  the  spirit  in  which  he 
fought  it : 

"Thursday,  September  23^.— During  the  day  I  was  very 
weak  in  body,  and  was  tempted  to  think  of  neglecting  an 
opportunity  of  doing  good  at  the  cattle-show,  which  is  held 
here  this  day.  But  the  passage  turned  up,  'If  thou  say, 


,£t.  26-29.]  PREACHING   AT   CATTLE-SHOW.  223 

Behold,  I  knew  it  not,'  &c.,  and  I  was  compelled  to  go.  I 
found  that  there  was  no  opportunity  for  preaching,  as  the 
show  was  within  a  park,  and  the  people  outside  were  staying 
but  a  few  minutes.  Alas !  perhaps  it  may  be  found  in  the 
day  of  God  that  there  was  opportunity.  Certainly  the  show 
men  found  an  opportunity  of  attracting  many.  However,  I 
only  gave  away  tracts,  spoke  to  the  people  here  and  there,  and 
intimated  that  I  would  preach  in  the  cloth-market  in  the 
evening,  which  is  at  the  end  of  the  corn-market,  the  place 
where,  at  three  P.M.,  about  a  thousand  were  to  dine  together. 
The  tracts  were  received  by  high  and  low.  .  .  .  After 
dinner  I  felt  my  strength  of  body  renewed,  and  had  hope  of 
something  being  done  of  God  in  the  evening.  A  little  after 
six  we  went  to  the  scene  of  action,  and  found  a  great  crowd 
around  the  place,  many  of  them  trying  to  see  in  through  the 
windows,  and  multitudes  waiting  for  the  music  at  intervals. 
I  thought  of  heaven  lighted  with  the  brightness  of  a  thousand 
suns,  and  of  poor  lost  souls  longing  to  be  in  when  it  is  too 
late,  and  forced  to  hear  from  afar  the  joyful  praises  of  the 
redeemed,  loud  as  the  noise  of  many  waters.  We  had  no 
sooner  begun  than  an  immense  crowd  gathered  round.  Some 
of  the  enemies  were  enraged  and  urged  the  police  to  interfere, 
crying,  'Down  with  him,  down  with  him.'  The  policeman 
told  me  that  the  people  were  disturbed  by  us  within,  but  this 
was  so  absurd  that  he  did  not  insist  on  it ;  and  as  he  could 
not  find  us  guilty  of  a  breach  of  the  peace,  he  soon  went 
away.  But  although  the  enemy  could  hot  oppose  us  by  legal 
force,  they  did  not  cease  to  show  their  deadly  hatred  of  what 
was  said  and  done.  Once  a  stone  was  thrown,  again  a 
quantity  of  manure,  which  bespattered  my  clothes.  After 
wards,  in  the  time  of  prayer,  when  we  were  prevailing  against 
them  without  hand,  they  raised  a  burst  of  horrid  laughter, 
and  pushed  the  crowd  at  the  side  on  me  with  the  view  of 
overthrowing  the  pulpit.  At  this  time  I  had  to  pause  in  the 
prayer,  and  when  I  began  to  tell  them  that  they  could  do 
nothing  without  the  Lord's  permission,  and  that  all  they  did 


224  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1841-41- 

would  promote  his  cause,  &c.,  they  were  quieted  for  a  time ; 
and  I  was  led  out  to  speak  with  greater  power,  perhaps,  than 
ever  before  in  Newcastle,  putting  the  sword  into  the  very 
heart  and  bowels  of  the  town's  iniquities.  At  this  time,  and 
ever  after  it  until  ten  o'clock,  when  we  parted,  there  was  the 
greatest  solemnity,  and  a  deep  impression ;  and  though  I  was 
frequently  interrupted  with  questions,  they  all  tended  to 
bring  out  in  a  marvellous  way  the  truth  of  God,  so  that  they 
who  put  them  were  silenced  and  the  people  rejoiced.  During 
the  first  hour  and  half  we  were  obliged  to  contend,  at  inter 
vals,  with  a  tumult  of  people  all  around  the  music  in  the 
Corn-market,  and  the  movements  of  a  travelling  show  taking 
up  its  encampment  close  to  us.  Even  amid  those  trials, 
although  increased  by  the  contradiction  of  sinners,  I  was 
enabled  not  to  waver  nor  faint;  afterward,  however,  the  meet 
ing  in  the  market  broke  up,  the  show  people  were  quiet,  the 
streets  were  nearly  empty,  and  we  worshipped  the  Lord  amid 
solemn  silence  for  another  hour  and  half.  At  this  time  the 
singing  was  truly  sublime ;  and  the  whole  scene,  when  con 
trasted  with  what  it  had  lately  been,  was  fitted  to  deepen  the 
impression  of  the  word  in  the  hand  of  the  Spirit.  I  did  not 
speak  on  any  text,  but  used  the  various  circumstances  of  the 
feast  so  near  as  to  set  off  by  way  of  comparison  and  contrast 
the  feast  of  fat  things  on  Mount  Zion.  I  did  not  proceed 
regularly,  but  from  time  to  time  noticed  such  topics  as  these:  — 
That  feast  is  for  the  body,  this  is  for  the  soul;  that  is  one  of 
which  you  easily  take  too  much,  in  this  you  cannot  exceed; 
that  is  soon  over,  this  will  last  eternally;  that  would  tire  and 
nauseate  if  often  repeated,  this  becomes  sweeter  every  day ; 
that  is  only  open  to  those  who  can  pay  for  a  place,  this  is 
provided  freely  for  the  poor  :  it  is  made/ra?  not  because  it  is 
of  little  value,  but  because  it  is  so  costly  that  no  money  can 
buy  it,  and  in  order  that  it  may  be  a  feast  for  all;  that  is 
made  on  bullocks  and  fatlings,  but  this,  oh!  wonder  of  won 
ders,  is  made  on  the  body  and  blood  of  God's  own  Son;  the 
greatest  sinners  are  welcome  to  it  now,  and  the  greater  they 


Mt.  26-29.]  COMBATS   WITH    GAINSAYERS.  225 

have  been  they  will  sit  nearer  the  head  of  the  table  as  hon 
oured  guests,  in  order  that  the  more  the  grace  and  mercy 
of  Jehovah  may  be  displayed  to  view!  These  and  similar 
points  gave  ground  from  time  to  time  for  varied  information 
to  the  mind,  and  appeals  to  the  conscience  which  seemed 
to  arrest  many;  and  the  effect  of  this  was  aided  by  the  many 
truths  which  were  from  time  to  time  drawn  out  by  the  ques 
tions  and  objections  of  enemies.  One  man  cried  there  was 
no  hell,  and  demanded  a  definition  of  it.  He  was  answered, 
'If  thy  right  hand  offend  thee,'  &c.,  and  remained  silent. 
Another  said  there  were  no  devils,  and  this  was  the  occasion 
of  tearing  away  the  veil  from  the  iniquities  of  the  town,  and 
exposing  their  power  over  men  in  its  deformity  and  dread- 
fulness.  Many  in  different  ways  tried  to  vex  us,  but  this  ex 
plained  the  text,  '  Consider  him  who  endured/  &c.,  and  gave 
us  ground  for  praise  that  we  had  not  yet  resisted  unto  blood. 
Nay,  one  shameless  man,  whose  question  the  people  would 
hardly  bear,  asked  me,  'How  are  you  supported?'  a  matter 
of  general  wonder.  I  answered  him  that  I  never  needed  to 
ask  a  penny  from  any  one,  but  that  even  since  I  came  here 
£10  had  been  sent  to  me  unasked,  and  partly  without  a 
name ! x  They  seemed  confounded.  At  ten  o'clock  we  asked 

1  It  may  be  right  to  state  here  once  for  all,  that  from  the  time  of 
his  leaving  Dundee  until  his  departure  for  China,  he  relied  wholly 
on  such  support  as  was  spontaneously  sent  to  him  by  those  who 
desired  to  further  his  special  work.  The  result  was  that  while  his 
own  immediate  wants  were  amply  supplied,  he  seldom  lacked  suffi 
cient  also  to  contribute  liberally  in  behalf  of  Christ's  cause  and 
Christ's  poor.  The  above  is  given  as  a  specimen  of  such  entries  in 
regard  to  this  matter  as  occur  from  time  to  time  in  his  journal. 
The  following  is  the  first  of  these,  of  date,  Perth,  January,  1840: 
"  Received  ^"i  from  a  friend  for  personal  expenses,  making  now 
in  all,  given  me  since  I  ceased  from  my  engagement  at  Dundee, 
^"53.  So  wonderfully  is  the  Lord  providing  for  all  my  wants ! 
Praise !  Oh  Lord !  deliver  me  from  covetousness,  and  enable  me 
with  overflowing  gratitude  and  joy  to  give  all  that  I  don't  require 

P 


226  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1841-44- 

the  parting  blessing  and  separated — indeed  only  for  a  moment, 
for  when  I  got  to  the  lamp  I  took  out  my  Bible  to  look  at  a 
verse,  and  the  whole  crowd  gathered  round  and  stood  with 
breathless  attention  while  I  read  what  God  had  sent  me, 
'None  of  these  things  move  me/  &c.,  and  told  them  some 
things  about  my  own  conversion.  We  then  parted,  and  it 
would  not  have  been  so  soon,  had  not  the  policeman  desired 
it. 

"  Though  I  spoke  nearly  four  hours  amid  such  difficulties 
in  the  open  air  I  was  not  fatigued,  and  am  well  to-day.  Oh ! 
that  I  were  only  well  in  soul,  and  fit  to  renew  the  combat. 
Come,  Lord  Jesus!  come  quickly!  Amen!  Amen!  Glory 
to  Jehovah ! 

"P. S—  When  I  came  into  my  room  and  looked  at  the  Bible 
which  was  lying  open,  my  eye  rested  on  Psalm  cxi.  4,  5.  Oh ! 
how  glorious  and  how  seasonable  it  was!  'He  hath  made 
his  wonderful  works  to  be  remembered;  the  Lord  is  gracious, 
and  full  of  compassion.  He  hath  given  meat  unto  them 
that  fear  him :  he  will  ever  be  mindful  of  his  covenant!' 
Halleluiah ! 

"Friday,  September  24^. — Sometimes  when  we  think  we 
are  much  assisted,  there  may  be  less  divine  power  attending 
the  word  than  when  we  are  ready  to  conclude  nothing  has 
been  done.  I  trust,  however,  that  the  Lord  is  bringing  me 
nearer  to  the  town,  and  that  soon  his  own  artillery  may  be 
opening  fire  with  effect  on  its  central  towers  and  carrying 
alarm  into  its  citadel !  It  is  not  at  once  that  we  can  come 
into  close  conflict  with  such  an  enemy,  and  time  is  needed 
to  study  the  enemy's  position  and  weak  points,  that  the  fire 
may  take  full  effect.  The  Captain  of  the  Lord's  hosts  is 
all-wise  to  direct,  and  all-powerful  to  execute.  He  will  work, 
and  who  shall  let  it?  Who  art  thou,  oh  great  mountain? 
before  Zerubbabel  thou  shalt  become  a  plain !  And  he  shall 
bring  forth  the  top  stone  with  shoutings  of  grace,  grace  unto 

to  promote  the  extension  of  thy  blessed  kingdom  in  this  poor  ruined 
world.  Amen." 


jEt.  26-29.]         "COMPEL  THEM  TO  COME  IN."  227 

it.  Oh !  how  glorious  a  sight  to  behold  this  town  awakened 
from  its  deep  sleep,  and  calling  upon  God  with  the  whole 
heart!  'The  waste  cities  shall  be  filled  with  flocks  of  men  !' 
Be  it  unto  us  according  to  thy  word.  Amen. 

"Sabbath,  26th  September.     ...     At  five  I  went  out  to 
preach  at  the  'Spittal,  as  a  man  having  no  strength,  yea, 

as  a  worm  and  no  man,  saying  to  Mr.  S ,  I  never  was 

so  low  as  this.  If  it  were  so  that  I  were  truly  humbled, 
it  would  be  different;  but  I  am  dead,  and  that  is  all.  I  could 
not  fix  upon  a  text;  indeed,  every  door  of  hope  seemed  closed, 
and  I  knew  that  God,  and  he  only,  could  grant  deliverance. 
I  found  many  already  assembled,  and  in  the  course  of  a  very 
short  time  the  crowd  became  much  greater  than  on  any 
former  day,  and  continued  so,  and  even  increasing  to  the 
end.  I  thought  of  preaching  on  '3eeing,  therefore,  that  we 
have  a  great  high-priest,'  &c. ;  but  when  I  opened  the  Bible 
after  prayer,  my  eye  rested  on  Revelations  xx.  15,  and  this 
I  fixed  on,  with  dawnings  of  hope  that  the  Lord  would  again 
speak  by  my  unclean  lips.  I  began  from  these  sublime  and 
awful  words,  'And  I  saw  a  great  white  throne,  and  him  that 
sat  on  it,'  &c.,  making  some  simple  remarks  on  the  throne — 
its  greatness,  its  whiteness,  &c.  After  prayer,  I  resumed,  and 
spoke  a  little  with  an  increasing  sense  of  the  divine  presence 
and  power  on  the  rising  of  the  dead,  our  individual  rising 
and  appearing  at  the  dread  bar  of  judgment,  &c.  We  then 
prayed  again,  and  in  doing  so  I  felt — more,  perhaps,  than 
since  I  came  to  Newcastle — as  if  a  direct  communication 
were  opened  between  my  soul  and  the  Divine  Mind.  My 
heart  was  truly  drawn  out  and  up  to  God  for  the  advancement 
of  Emmanuel's  glory,  even  more  than  for  the  salvation  of 
guilty  worms,  as  a  tor/-satisfying  end.  After  this  I  got 
closer  still  to  the  people,  and  was  enabled  in  a  way  quite 
new  to  me  here,  to  open  up  the  sins  of  the  town,  their  defor 
mity,  their  dreadful  working,  and  inconceivably  awful  issues 
in  eternity.  I  also  found  myself  in  an  agony  to  compel 
sinners  to  come  to  Jesus  now,  and  not  even  the  next  hour, 


228  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1841-44- 

which  I  felt  was  not  man's  but  God's.  Indeed,  I  felt  so 
much  that  I  could  almost  have  torn  the  pulpit  to  pieces,  and 
the  audience  seemed  to  sympathize  throughout.  Oh !  it  was 
a  glorious,  an  awfully  glorious  scene !  The  fleecy  clouds  were 
showing  here  and  there  bright  stars,  and  the  harvest  moon 
was  diffusing  a  sombre  peaceful  light  upon  the  quiet  world 
around  us.  We  dying,  and  yet  immortal  creatures  were 
contemplating  the  eternity  before  us,  looking  to  the  appear 
ance  of  the  Son  of  Man  in  the  clouds,  conceiving  ourselves 
placed  at  his  bar,  wondering  and  thinking  what  would  be 
our  sentence,  and  whether  we  would  rise  with  him  to  heaven, 
or  be  drawn  from  him  into  hell ;  some  were,  I  hope,  opening 
their  eyes  to  their  awful  destiny  as  sinners,  and  on  the  very 
point  of  seeking  refuge  >  for  eternity  from  the  wrath  of  God 
in  the  cleft  Rock  of  Ages.  I  trust  that  some  were  saved, 
I  have  no  doubt  that  God  was  with  us  of  a  truth.  At  a 
quarter  to  nine  we  closed ;  and  as  we  had  remained  so  long 
in  the  open  air,  I  thought  it  better  not  to  meet  in  the  church 
as  we  intended,  but  to  retire  direct  to  our  closets.  After 
I  had  been  a  few  minutes  in  the  house,  two  friends  came 
to  me  from  the  church,  and  told  me  that  it  was  nearly  full 
with  a  congregation  entirely  different  from  what  I  had  had 
in  the  open  air,  and  that  they  had  been  waiting  for  me  since 
seven  o'clock.  I  had  again,  accordingly,  to  go  out  in  the 
Lord's  name,  and  I  spoke  on  the  same  as  in  the  open  air, 
though  by  no  means  with  the  same  consciousness  of  the  divine 
presence.  We  came  out  after  a  solemn  meeting  at  a  quarter 
to  ten." 

After  visiting  several  other  places  in  the  north  of 
England,  and  among  others  Sunderland,  where  he  preached 
"to  a  dense  and  hungry  audience,  who  seemed  to  open 
the  mouth  wide  for  the  blessing,"  he  returned  to  Scotland, 
in  order  to  take  the  temporary  charge  of  the  congregation 
of  St.  Luke's,  Edinburgh,  in  the  absence  of  his  valued 


JEt.  26-29.]  LABOURS    IN    EDINBURGH.  229 

friend  Mr.  Moody  Stuart.  Of  his  labours  here  I  am 
happy  to  be  able  to  present  the  following  graphic  account 
from  the  pen  of  a  friend  to  whom  I  have  been  already 
indebted,  and  who  then  watched  his  footsteps  with  deep 
and  sympathetic  interest: — 

"In  the  winter  of  1841-2  Mr.  Burns  supplied  the 
pulpit  of  St.  Luke's,  Edinburgh.  Mr.  Moody  Stuart, 
owing  to  an  affection  of  the  voice,  had  been  advised  to 
spend  the  winter  in  Madeira,  and  Mr.  Burns  was  requested 
to  take  his  place.  He  began  his  work  in  Edinburgh  on 
the  1 4th  November,  preaching  in  the  forenoon  from  2  Co. 
iv.  1-6 ;  and  Dr.  Bruce  of  St.  Andrew's  Church  (of  whom 
he  always  spoke  with  filial  affection)  in  the  afternoon. 

"The  work  of  this  winter  forms  a  unique  chapter  in  his 
life.  A  special  interest  attaches  to  it.  He  had  to  be 
come  both  pastor  and  evangelist.  True  to  the  motto  of 
his  family,  "Ever  ready,"  he  soon  showed  that  he  could 
be  both.  He  at  once  began  a  course  of  lectures  on  the 
Sabbath  forenoon  upon  the  Epistle  to  the  Romans,  and 
another  course  at  the  Thursday  prayer-meeting  upon  the 
Epistle  of  James.  On  Monday  evening  he  taught  two 
classes :  a  female  class  for  expounding  the  miracles,  and 
a  young  men's  class  at  a  later  hour,  where  he  took  up  the 
parables  of  Christ.  Every  Saturday  afternoon  he  con 
ducted  a  class  for  children.  Two  courses  of  lectures — 
three  classes — sermons  upon  the  Sabbath  afternoon  sug 
gested  by  the  special  circumstances  of  the  times  or  of  the 
congregation:  here  was  sufficient  work  for  an  ordinary 
man.  But  he  was  no  ordinary  man.  He  was  always 
longing  to  be  on  full  work  again.  The  college  session 


230  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1841-44- 

had  begun.  He  taught  a  private  Greek  class  in  his 
lodgings.1  The  College  Missionary  Association  met  every 
Saturday  morning  for  prayer  and  the  reading  of  essays 
upon  topics  connected  with  foreign  missions.  He  at 
tended  these  meetings,  and  by  the  blessing  of  God  infused 
his  own  fire  into  the  hearts  of  many  of  the  students. 
At  the  concluding  general  meeting  of  the  Association, 
when  about  two  hundred  students  were  present,  he  moved 
one  of  the  resolutions,  and  it  was  the  universal  impression 
that  there  never  had  been  such  a  meeting  in  the  college 
before. 

"A  large  number  of  students  attended  his  ministry— 
not  only  divinity  students,  but  gownsmen  of  all  stages 
with  their  pale  eager  faces.  Memory  recalls  such  names 
as  Alexander  James  Campbell,  John  Donaldson,  John 
Craven,  Alexander  Thain,  Frederick  Sandeman,  Robert 
Ireland,  Robert  Taylor,  Duncan  Maclaren,  M.  Macgregor,2 
Walter  Davidson,  Donald  Sutherland,  Patrick  Neill, 
William  Balfour,  Neil  Macleod,  A.  Luke,  Thomas  Gar 
diner,  Thomas  Just,  &c.  He  invited  them  to  his  lodg 
ings;  he  sympathized  with  their  difficulties;  he  guided 
those  who  were  groping  in  the  dark  and  seeking  the  way 
to  Zion.  Those  who  had  the  rare  privilege  of  meeting 
him  in  private,  and  seeing  his  close  walk  with  God,  were 
at  no  loss  to  understand  the  power  which  attended  his 
public  ministrations. 

1  During  the  winter  of  1844  he  also  taught  a  Hebrew  class  in  the 
New  College,  for  the  benefit  of  the  pupils  of  his  revered  friend,  Dr. 
Duncan. 

2  Late  minister  of  the  Free  Church,  Gartly. 


SA.  26-29.]  LABOURS    IN    EDINBURGH.  231 

"With  him  the  winning  of  souls  was  a  passion;  calm,  but 
intense,  consuming.  As  Foster  has  said  of  John  Howard, 
'  It  was  the  calmness  of  an  intensity  kept  uniform  by  the 
nature  of  the  human  mind  forbidding  it  to  be  more,  and 
by  the  character  of  the  man  forbidding  it  to  be  less.'  He 
cast  his  net  into  all  waters.  He  wished  to  get  access  to 
the  soldiers  in  the  castle.  He  visited  the  barracks,  dis 
tributed  tracts,  and  invited  them  to  his  open-air  services 
in  the  High  Street.  He  frequently  visited  the  Shelter, 
the  jail,  the  bridewell,  the  Magdalene  Asylum,  the  Orphan 
Hospital,  the  Dean  Bank  Institution,  &c.,  and  preached 
to  the  inmates.  Wherever  the  lost  or  neglected  were  to 
be  found  he  was  there;  like  Him  who  yearned  over  a 
world  plunged  in  sin,  telling  them  of  rest  for  the  weary 
and  hope  for  the  guilty.  From  the  very  refuse  of  society 
he  gathered  jewels  for  Emmanuel's  crown.  Very  touch 
ing  to  see  him,  as  I  have  done,  giving  tracts  and  speaking 
tender  words  to  the  fallen.  To  him  they  were  lost  pieces 
of  silver;  and  the  thought  that  they  might  even  yet  have 
Christ  for  their  brother,  and  heaven  for  their  home,  filled 
him  with  a  tenderness  which  he  had  no  name  for. 

"In  the  midst  of  his  abundant  labours  in  Edinburgh,  the 
Lord  opened  a  wide  door  for  him  in  Leith.  From  January 
to  March  he  preached  on  Wednesday  and  frequently  on 
Sabbath  evening  in  North  Leith,  South  Leith,  and  the 
Mariners'  Church,  to  densely  crowded  and  (to  use  a 
favourite  word  of  his  own)  'hungry'  audiences.  The 
weather  was  severe — keen  frost  and  snow — but  the  in 
terest  swelled  and  spread  until  the  attendance  even  on 
the  Wednesday  evening  was  overflowing,  and  so  deep 


232  LIFE    OF   REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1841-44. 

was  the  impression  that  the  people  could  not  go  away 
after  the  blessing.  An  after-service  for  prayer  and  direct 
ing  anxious  inquirers  had  to  be  held;  and  such  was  their 
distress  that  they  had  to  be  removed  to  the  vestry,  where 
he  sought  to  give  them  'the  oil  of  joy  for  mourning.' 
Mr.  M'Cheyne  took  part  in  one  of  these  services,  and 
spoke  and  prayed  with  the  anxious.  It  seemed  as  if  the 
ever-memorable  scenes  of  Kilsyth,  Dundee,  and  Perth 
were  to  be  repeated  in  Leith.  So  wide-spread  was  the 
impression,  that  a  gay  lady  in  Leith  said  the  people  were 
all  going  mad.  In  his  young  communicants'  class  he 
soon  gathered  in  abundant  fruits  of  his  labours  in  Leith — 
sheaves  of  joy.  To  use  his  own  words,  "The  Lord  gave 
him  spring,  summer,  and  harvest,  that  winter  in  Leith." 
About  the  middle  of  March,  in  consequence  of  the  resolu 
tion  of  the  directors  of  the  Edinburgh  and  Glasgow 
Railway  to  run  trains  upon  the  Sabbath,  he  'bade  the 
people  of  Leith  farewell  for  a  season,  in  order  that  he 
might  give  his  whole  heart  to  the  work  in  Edinburgh.' 

"One  memorable  incident  which  belongs  to  his  work  in 
Leith  I  must  not  omit.  He  wished  to  get  access  to  the 
sailors.  One  Sabbath  afternoon  Dr.  Gordon  agreed  to 
take  his  place  in  St.  Luke's,  and  he  ran  down  to  preach 
on  the  quay  at  Leith,  taking  two  or  three  of  us  with  him 
to  distribute  tracts  and  invite  the  sailors.  It  was  on  the 
2d  January,  1842.  He  stood  half-way  between  the  upper 
and  lower  bridges.  I  was  never  more  struck  with  his 

tact  and  fertility  of  resource.    A  large  crowd  assembled a 

sea  of  bronzed  faces.     After  reading  his  text— Ecclesiastes 
viii.  ii :  'Because  sentence  against  an  evil  work/  &c.— 


jEt.  26-29.]  THE    LEITH    SAILORS.  233 

it  began  to  rain  heavily.  He  paused,  and  prayed  that 
God  would  restrain  the  clouds  that  the  people  might  hear 
the  word.  The  rain  continued,  however,  and  we  ad 
journed  to  a  large  shed  at  the  head  of  the  quay.  He 
resumed,  and  the  rain  ceased.  I  shall  never  forget  the 
look  of  wonder  with  which  that  crowd  gazed  on  the  clear 
sky.  They  plainly  felt  that  there  is  something  deeper  in 
prayer  than  is  dreamed  of  in  human  philosophy.  The 
preacher  spoke  as  if  he  had  spent  his  life  before  the  mast : 
his  skilful  use  of  sea-phrases  gave  rare  zest  to  his  discourse 
— and,  rising  to  a  climax,  he  cried,  '  Sailors !  the  breakers 
are  ahead !  the  storm  is  rising !  you  are  running  upon  a 
lee-shore!  in  a  few  moments  the  ship  (the  world)  will 
strike  and  go  down !  The  life-boat  is  Christ !  It  is  lying 
alongside — it  is  ready  to  move  oft"!  Come  away,  sailors, 
come  away,  or  it  will  be  too  late ! ' 

"It  was  on  Sabbath  the  13*  of  March  that  the  first 
Sabbath  train  was  run  between  Edinburgh  and  Glasgow. 
Mr.  Burns'  spirit  was  stirred  to  its  depths  in  connection 
with  this  question.  His  zeal  for  God  and  his  love  for  his 
country  were  'as  a  burning  fire  shut  up  in  his  bones.' 
He  regarded  the  Sabbath  as  the  palladium  of  Scottish 
Christianity.  In  name  of  the  session  of  St.  Luke's  he 
wrote  a  remonstrance  to  the  shareholders,  setting  forth 
the  'fearful  iniquity'  of  trampling  upon  the  sacred  day, 
and  the  'awful  judgments'  which  it  must  inevitably  bring 
down  upon  the  land.  He  attended  the  two  great  meet 
ings  held  in  the  Hopetoun  Rooms  and  in  the  West 
Church  by  the  friends  of  the  Sabbath  to  oppose  the  open 
ing  of  the  railway;  and  spoke  with  great  thankfulness  of 


234  LIFE    OF    REV-    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1841-44- 

the  powerful  speeches  of  Drs.  Cunningham,  Candlish,  and 
C.  J.  Brown,  and  Messrs  D.  T.  K.  Drummond  and 
Makgill  Crichton,  in  favour  of  the  entire  sanctification  of 
the  Lord's-day.  He  preached  for  several  Sabbaths  upon 
the  subject,  and  discussed  it  in  all  its  aspects;  he  prayed 
with  even  more  than  his  wonted  fervour,  that  He  who  saith 
to  the  sea,  'Hitherto  shalt  thou  come,  but  no  further, 
and  here  shall  thy  proud  waves  be  stayed,'  would  arrest 
the  advancing  tide  of  Sabbath  desecration:  and  he  inti 
mated  that  he  would  preach  at  the  railway-station  every 
Sabbath  at  seven  in  the  morning  and  at  six  in  the  evening 
— the  hours  at  which  the  trains  were  advertised  to  start. 

"True  to  his  word,  he  was  at  the  railway-station  at  seven 
o'clock  on  the  following  Sabbath  morning.  He  spoke  of 
it  as  'a  momentous  day  in  the  history  of  Scotland.'  A 
great  crowd  assembled,  and  joined  with  deep  solemnity 
in  the  service.  It  was  after  nine  before  they  dispersed, 
some  of  them  in  tears.  He  conducted  the  ordinary 
services  in  St.  Luke's,  at  eleven  and  two,  with  unusual 
tenderness  and  power,  as  if  the  morning  service  had  only 
put  a  keener  edge  upon  his  spirit;  and  was  at  the  railway- 
station  again  at  six,  surrounded  by  a  dense  concourse  of 
several  thousands.  The  station  was  then  at  the  Hay- 
market,  in  the  outskirts  of  Edinburgh,  and  as  the  bruit 
spread,  the  people  poured  out  to  hear  this  extraordinary 
man,  as  they  once  did  to  hear  the  Baptist  in  the  wilder 
ness,  v  Like  a  soldier  mounting  the  breach,  or  leading  a 
forlorn  hope,  he  stood  upon  a  large  stone,  and  sang  the 

'Horror  took  hold  on  me,  because 
111  men  thy  law  forsake,'  £c., 


Mt.  26-29.]  SABBATH    RAILWAY   TRAINS.  235 

and  preached  one  of  his  most  characteristic  sermons  to 
a  deeply  impressed  audience.  He  continued  till  nine 
o'clock  in  the  evening,  having  been  about  nine  hours 
engaged  altogether.  For  the  next  three  months  his  usual 
Sabbath  work  was  four  services — two  at  the  railway-station 
and  two  in  St.  Luke's.  He  was  often  engaged  for  eight 
or  nine  hours — he  often  had  to  raise  his  voice  so  as  to  be 
heard  by  thousands;  and  yet  he  used  to  say  that  he  was 
as  fresh  on  Monday  as  on  Saturday.  He  was  'a  wonder 
to  many.'  Like  Ezekiel,  he  was  set  for  a  sign.  His 
brethren  in  Edinburgh  were  full  of  joy  at  his  lion-like 
courage  and  noble  testimony;  and  only  wished  that  they 
had  bodily  strength  to  stand  by  his  side.  As  he  himself 
said,  Even  if  no  good  was  done  to  souls  by  these 
services,  the  lifting  up  of  a  bold  testimony  for  the  Lord's- 
day  in  the  hearing  of  thousands,  and  in  the  face  of  the 
world,  was  a  work  worth  living  and  dying  for. 

"So  grave  did  he  consider  the  crisis  to  be  that  he 
resolved  to  hold  meetings  for  prayer  every  Monday, 
Wednesday,  and  Friday  at  noon — to  preach  in  the  open- 
air  at  other  points — and  to  turn  his  female  class  into  an 
evangelistic  service  in  the  church.  It  is  not  easy  even  to 
recount  his  labours  from  this  date.  And  instead  of  being 
worried  or  hackneyed,  his  soul,  like  Gideon's  fleece,  was 
drenched  with  dew,  and  his  preaching  was  never  marked 
by  greater  depth,  variety,  and  freshness.  It  was  the 
culminating  point  of  his  work  in  Edinburgh.  The  church 
was  overflowing.  The  word  was  sharper  than  a  two- 
edged  sword.  There  was  a  Bethel-like  fear  over  the 
congregation.  Every  head  was  bowed.  It  was  felt  that 


236  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1841-44. 

'the  living  God  was  in  the  place.'  Some  who  had  enter 
tained  prejudices  against  the  preacher  were  ashamed 
when  they  found  that  solidity  and  impressiveness  were 
the  leading  characteristics  of  his  teaching.  At  the  spring 
communion  two  hundred  joined  from  other  congregations. 
In  his  young  communicants'  classes  he  met  continually 
with  deeply  interesting  cases  of  persons  recently  awakened, 
and  heard  of  others.  At  the  close  of  a  Monday  prayer- 
meeting  some  remained  behind,  who  seemed  to  be  under 
'  a  divine  convincing  work ; '  and  as  they  went  away,  one 
of  the  elders  said  with  sparkling  eyes,  'That's  the  Lord's 
work  beginning.'  And  so  it  was.  The  day  alone  will 
declare  the  fruits  of  that  winter's  work.  If  the  Spirit  did 
not  come  down  as  a  rushing  mighty  wind,  yet  the  promise 
was  fulfilled  in  abundant  measure,  'I  will  be  as  the  dew 
unto  Israel.'  What  the  old  chronicler  said  of  the  effects 
of  Richard  Cameron's  preaching,  might  be  said  of  Mr. 
Burns'  preaching  on  not  a  few  of  those  Sabbaths  in  St. 
Luke's:  'The  people  fell  into  a  state  of  calm  weeping.' 

"I  have  said  nothing  of  his  Sabbath-evening  services  in 
the  Queen's  Park,  or  of  the  solemn  meetings  he  addressed 
at  the  end  of  the  old  Tolbooth  Church  in  the  High  Street, 
where  there  were  manifest  tokens  of  the  divine  presence, 
and  where  beyond  doubt  fruit  was  gathered  unto  life 
eternal.  I  have  said  nothing  of  his  quick  eye  in  seizing 
opportunities  of  dropping  a  word  in  season,  in  the  house 
and  in  the  street,  on  coach  or  track-boat,  to  any  one  whom 
the  thousand  eddies  and  swirls  of  daily  life  threw  in  his 
way.  I  have  said  nothing  of  four  evangelistic  tours  which 
he  made  in  the  midst  of  his  Edinburgh  work — one  in 


Mt.  26-29.]  EVANGELISTIC    EPISODES.  237 

April,  1842,  to  Milnathort,  Bridge  of  Earn,  Perth,  Burrel- 
ton,  Collace,  Abernyte,  Dundee;  another  in  June,  to 
Dundee,  Kilspindie,  Anstruther,  Logic,  Cupar-Fife,  and 
Falkland;  and  two  in  August  and  September  to  the  High 
lands  of  Perthshire.  One  recalls  it  with  amazement.  Here 
was  a  man  who  crowded  the  work  of  years  into  months — 
of  months  into  weeks — of  weeks  into  days.  The  work  of 
many  a  lifetime  was  compressed  into  this  single  winter  in 
Edinburgh.  He  often  spoke  as  if  he  had  a  presentiment 
that  his  exhausting  labours  would  soon  wear  out  the 
earthly  tabernacle,  and  he  hasted  to  do  the  work  of  Him 
that  sent  him. 

"My  space  is  done,  else  I  could  give  fragments  of  his 
'  Meditations '  which  I  still  vividly  remember — morsels  of 
living  bread  which  the  Master  had  blessed  and  broken. 
In  digging  in  the  field  of  the  Word  he  threw  up  now  and 
again  great  nuggets,  which  formed  part  of  one's  spiritual 
wealth  ever  after.  A  mind  of  keen  insight  and  power — he 
was  given  to  study  subjects  rather  than  texts,  so  that  if 
he  studied  one  text  he  sometimes  preached  from  another 
— and  always  longing  to  resume  those  habits  of  close  and 
consecutive  study  which  he  pursued  until  he  was  carried 
away  by  the  tide.  He  was  a  great  puzzle  to  students — 
his  work,  his  circumstances,  and  his  methods  were  so  ex 
ceptional;  but  those  who  were  so  minded  could  learn 
from  him  the  greatest  lesson  of  all  for  the  work  of  the 
ministry — the  omnipotence  of  faith  and  prayer. 

"  For  reasons  which  I  suppress,  I  had  the  privilege  of 
seeing  him  often  in  private — generally  twice  a  week. 
Little  notes,  too,  he  used  to  send  me;  and  although  I 


238  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1841-44- 

have  lost  them,  their  contents  are  written  'as  if  in  star- 
fire'  on  my  heart.  Here  is  one.  He  had  asked  me  to 
breakfast,  but  was  unexpectedly  called  from  home.  He 
left  a  note  expressing  his  regret,  and  adding,  'We  are 
often  disappointed  in  our  meetings  with  man,  but  never 
in  our  meetings  with  God  at  a  throne  of  grace,  where 
we  are  ever  welcome  in  the  blood  of  Jesus.'  In  another, 
written  from  Dublin,  he  says — 'May  the  Lord  carry  on 
his  own  great  work  within  and  around  us,  and  may  we  be 
enabled  to  glorify  him  in  life  and  in  death ! '  The  very 
last  words,  I  think,  I  ever  heard  from  him — standing  at 
his  father's  door  one  night  in  1854,  under  cold  November 
skies — were,  'We  must  run!'" 

Allusion  has  been  made  to  those  rapid  excursions  to 
other  fields  which  occasionally  interrupted  the  more  even 
tenor  of  his  labours  at  St.  Luke's.  Of  the  incessant  and 
exhausting  toil  which  such  excursions  involved  no  one 
acquainted  only  with  the  ordinary  scenes  of  evangelistic 
work  can  easily  form  a  conception.  A  single  specimen, 
therefore,  we  must  give,  and  we  do  so  all  the  more 
readily  that  it  will  carry  us  back  for  a  moment  amid 
the  scenes  of  his  former  labours  in  Breadalbane  and 
Strathtay:— "To  one  with  an  exact  knowledge  of  the 
geography  of  Perthshire,"  says  the  same  eye-witness,  to 
whom  I  am  indebted  for  the  above  notices,  "his  labours 
during  the  week  from  Sabbath  the  i4th  August,  1842,  to 
Sabbath  the  2ist  inclusive,  furnish  one  of  the  most 
extraordinary  episodes  even  in  his  life.  There  were  no 
railroads  then  in  Perthshire,  but  he  had  an  interesting 
fellow-labourer  in  the  shape  of  a  fine  fast  trotter,  as  worthy 


yEt.  26-29.]       A  WEEK'S  WORK  IN  STRATHTAY.  239 

of  the  name  of  'Church  Extension'  as  Mr.  M'Cheyne's 
pony.  He  was  a  famous  rider,  and  sat  his  horse  like  a 
knight.  On  Sabbath  the  i4th  he  preached  at  Blair- Athole 
(i)  for  five  hours  in  the  churchyard  to  an  assembly  of  at 
least  4000  persons,  and  (2)  in  the  evening  in  the  church 
for  three  hours  to  an  audience  that  would  have  remained 
till  daybreak.  On  Monday  evening  he  rode  to  Moulin, 
and  preached  (3)  to  a  deeply  affected  audience.  On 
Tuesday  he  rode  to  Kinloch-Rannoch  (20  miles),  and 
preached  (4)  in  a  park  at  the  south  end  of  the  bridge, 
from  two  to  five  o'clock,  to  an  interesting  congregation 
of  shepherds,  gamekeepers,  foresters,  graziers,  cattle- 
dealers,  &c.,  gathered  from  both  sides  of  Loch  Rannoch. 
After  a  hurried  dinner  he  struck  across  the  west  shoulder 
of  Schiehallion,  one  of  the  most  trackless  and  difficult 
passes  in  the  Highlands — taking  a  guide  part  of  the  way, 
to  Fortingall  (18  miles);  rode  six  miles  farther  to  Lawers, 
crossed  Loch  Tay  to  Ardeonaig — preached  (5)  there  on 
Wednesday  at  twelve,  and  recrossing  the  lake  preached 
(6)  at  Lawers  the  same  evening.  On  Thursday  he  rode 
down  to  Grandtully  (17  miles),  and  (7)  preached  with 
great  power  in  the  churchyard  to  a  dense  crowd  from 
Hebrews  xii.  18-25.  On  Friday  he  rode  up  to  Fortingall 
(12  miles),  where  he  preached  (8)  in  the  open  air  from 
two  to  nearly  six  p.m.,  a  sermon  (Hebrews  ix.  27,  28), 
which  made  a  deep  impression,  many  of  the  audience 
being  in  tears;  and  returned  to  Grandtully  the  same 
evening.  On  Saturday  morning  he  started  at  six  for 
Balnaguard,  preached  (9)  there  at  seven  o'clock  to  a  large 
company,  many  of  whom  had  got  saving  good  under  his 


240  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    CJ    BURNS.  [1841-44. 

ministry  previously — caught  the  mail-cart  at  half-past 
eight,  reached  Edinburgh  in  the  evening,  and  preached 
thrice  (10,  n,  12)  in  St.  Luke's  on  the  following  day. 

"The  congregation  at  Blair- A  thole  on  the  i4th," 
continues  our  informant,  "was  a  most  imposing  sight. 
Most  of  them  were  men,  and  the  ground  being  a  dead 
level,  and  inconvenient  for  sitting,  most  of  them  stood. 
The  thirst  to  hear  was  so  intense,  and  the  blessing  which 
had  crowned  his  previous  visits  so  wide-spread,  that 
almost  the  whole  population,  not  only  from  the  vale 
of  Athole,  but  from  Straloch,  Strathardle,  Kirkmichael, 
Glenerochy,  Dalnacardoch,  Foss,  Glenfincastle,  Strathtay, 
and  Strath-tummel,  flocked  to  hear  the  great  preacher 
of  repentance.  As  he  read  the  opening  Psalm.  Ps  xxii. 
27-31- 

'All  ends  of  th'  earth  remember  shall, 
And  turn  the  Lord  unto,'  &c., 

and  during  the  first  prayer,  you  felt  as  if  the  light  of  the 
other  world  struck  on  his  face.  His  text  was  John  xviii. 
n,  'The  cup  which  my  Father,'  &c. :  and  as  he  proceeded 
to  explain  the  emblem,  'the  cup,'  he  said,  'Wine  is  the 
strength  or  essence  of  the  grape.  God's  wrath  is  his 
whole  being  as  directed  against  sin.  He  looks  upon  sin  as 
infinitely  base  and  vile,  and  therefore  he  is  indignant :  and 
the  wine  of  his  holy  anger  is  poured  out  in  all  its  strength 
into  the  cup  of  his  indignation.  This  wine  was  not 
diluted  when  the  cup  was  put  into  the  hand  of  the  Son  of 
God.  Look  at  the  anguish  sin  has  wrought.  The  tears 
of  mankind  have  never  ceased  to  flow  since  it  entered  the 
world.  No  sooner  do  they  dry  on  one  cheek  than  they 


jEt.  26-29.]  "THE  DISRUPTION."  241 

begin  to  run  down  the  other:  no  sooner  does  one  widow 
lay  aside  her  weeds,  than  another  begins  the  wail :  and  yet 
one  diluted  drop  of  God's  wrath  has  done  it  all.  What 
anguish,  then,  must  have  been  in  the  cup  which  the 
Father  gave  his  Son  to  drink ! '  Words  like  these  cut  deep 
into  many  a  heart  that  day.  I  saw  a  white-haired  old 
man  in  the  gate  weeping  bitterly,  and  saying,  'Oh!  it's 
his  prayers:  I  canna  stand  his  prayers!' 

"Those  who  could  hardly  speak  a  word  of  English 
understood  him.  An  old  person  who  literally  did  not 
know  one  word,  and  always  sat  on  the  pulpit  stair  when 
he  preached,  was  asked,  what  was  the  use  of  her  hearing 
Mr.  Burns?  'Oh,'  she  replied,  'I  can  understand  the 
Holy  Ghost's  English!" 

Between  the  scenes  now  described  and  those  to  which 
we  have  next  to  refer,  great  and  startling  events  had  taken 
place.  The  ancient  and  venerable  Church  of  Scotland, 
of  which  Mr.  Burns  had  been  an  attached  and  faithful 
member,  had  been  broken  in  pieces,  and  from  its  ruins 
had  arisen  a  new  and  powerful  society  with  which  a  large 
proportion  of  her  most  devoted  sons  had  cast  in  their  lot. 
With  the  movement  which  led  to  that  remarkable  revolu 
tion,  and  with  the  principles  which  lay  at  the  foundation 
of  it,  he  most  thoroughly  sympathized;  and  when  the 
critical  day  of  exodus  arrived  we  find  him  hurrying  away 
from  the  busy  scenes  of  his  evangelistic  work  in  Fife,  that 
he  might  witness  that  signal  and  illustrious  act  of  faith, 
and  share  the  inspiration  and  the  triumph  of  that  solemn 
hour: — "Tuesday,"  he  writes  in  his  journal,  "to  Edin 
burgh  per  steam  through  a  great  storm  on  the  way  to  the 

Q 


242  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1841-44- 

Assembly.  Thursday,  I  was  honoured  to  join  in  the 
solemn  procession  of  ministers,  &c.,  from  St.  Andrew's 
Church  to  the  Free  Assembly  Hall,  Canonmills,  walk 
ing  between  my  father  on  the  one  side  and  Uncle  George 
of  Tweedsmuir  on  the  other.  This  was  a  scene  of  which 
I  know  not  what  to  say!  The  opening  of  the  Free 
Assembly  was  graciously  solemn.  Surely  the  Lord  was 
there."  But  the  scenes  which  immediately  after  fol 
lowed,  though  deeply  important  and  spirit-stirring,  were 
not  perhaps  peculiarly  favourable  to  the  quiet  prosecution 
of  his  special  work.  The  country  was  all  astir  and  filled 
with  the  din  of  ecclesiastical  reconstruction  and  organiza 
tion,  and  though  this  enthusiasm  of  church  life  and  church 
work  was  itself  of  most  wholesome  influence  on  the 
general  interests  of  religion  in  the  country,  and  indeed, 
as  it  is  believed,  lent  an  impulse  to  the  spiritual  life  of 
many,  never  to  be  forgotten,  it  was  scarcely  in  unison  with 
the  peculiar  mission  of  one  whose  one  exclusive  theme 
was  that  of  repentance  and  the  second  birth.  While 
therefore  he  still  unweariedly  prosecuted  his  appointed 
work  wherever  the  divine  Master  seemed  to  point  the 
way,  he  yet  felt  that  the  auspicious  season  for  such  work 
had  in  a  great  measure,  at  least  for  the  present,  passed.  It 
was  a  time  not  so  much  for  the  awakening  of  life,  as  for 
the  exercising  and  turning  to  good  account  of  the  life 
already  awakened — a  birth-time  rather  for  the  collective 
church  than  for  individual  souls.  There  was,  indeed, 
abundant  and  most  momentous  work  to  be  done,  but 
work  not  precisely  of  that  kind  for  which  he  felt  himself 
especially  fitted,  and  to  which  he  believed  himself  to  have 


JEt.  a6.-29.]  LABOURS    IN    DUBLIN.  243 

been  by  the  irresistible  call  of  God  specially  devoted.  It 
was  his  part  not  to  rear,  or  even  materially  to  assist  in 
rearing,  the  outward  fabric  of  the  house  of  God,  but  to 
help  by  God's  grace  in  gathering  the  living  stones  of 
which  it  was  to  be  reared.  He  was  the  more  willing 
accordingly  to  listen  to  calls  which  were  coming  to  him, 
with  increasing  frequency  and  urgency,  from  fields  that 
lay  beyond  the  sphere  of  the  existing  movement,  and 
among  these  from  Dublin,  where  he  found  himself  on 
Saturday,  April  6th,  1844,  under  the  hospitable  roof  of  his 
valued  friend  the  Rev.  Dr.  Kirkpatrick,  one  of  the 
ministers  of  Mary's  Abbey  Church.  The  following  graphic 
and  deeply  interesting  narrative,  for  which  I  am  indebted 
to  his  kind  host,  will  give  some  idea  of  the  nature  of  his 
labours,  and  his  manner  of  life  in  this  new  and  untried 
field:— 

"I  had  seen  your  brother  in  Perth,  and  had  invited 
him  to  my  house  in  Dublin.  He  accepted  my  invitation ; 
and  after  he  had  finished  his  immediate  engagements  in 
Scotland  he  suddenly  appeared  at  my  door,  with  a  small 
bundle  in  his  hand,  containing  the  whole  of  his  travelling 
apparatus.  His  principal  object  in  coming  to  Dublin 
was  to  find  opportunities,  if  possible,  of  making  known 
to  Roman  Catholics  the  message  of  the  gospel.  Accord 
ingly,  he  selected  as  the  place  of  his  public  labours  a 
suitable  piece  of  ground  in  front  of  the  custom-house; 
a  place  in  which  Father  Matthew  had  administered  the 
temperance  pledge,  and  where  he  could  address  his 
audience  without  obstructing  the  ordinary  thoroughfare. 
This  area  was  surrounded  by  a  low  chain  fence,  inside  of 


244  LIFE    OF    REV>    WILLIAM    C-    BURNS.  [1841-44- 

which  he  stood  on  a  chair,  and  spoke  to  the  people,  who 
occupied  the  space  between  him  and  the  building.  Here 
he  took  his  position  evening  after  evening,  and  amidst 
innumerable  annoyances  and  interruptions  he  sought  to 
bring  before  his  ignorant  and  prejudiced  hearers  the 
word  of  eternal  life.  It  requires  no  small  amount  of 
courage,  and  tact,  and  temper,  as  every  one  knows  who 
has  made  the  trial,  to  address  an  unsympathizing  or  hostile 
Irish  mob.  Mr.  Burns  was  exposed  to  many  opprobrious 
salutations,  derisive  questionings,  vehement  denials  of  the 
statements  which  he  made;  sometimes  the  uproar  was  so 
loud  and  long- continued  that  he  was  obliged  to  desist 
altogether;  often  his  clothes  were  torn;  not  seldom  the 
chair  on  which  he  stood  was  broken;  but  he  never 
was  impatient,  nor  ever  for  a  moment  lost  his  self-com 
mand.  Amidst  the  most  noisy  and  turbulent  scenes,  his 
countenance  was  beaming  with  joy,  insomuch  that  some 
of  his  persecutors  were  constrained  to  say,  '  He  is  a  good 
man;  we  cannot  make  him  angry.'  The  ringleaders  of 
the  mob  occasionally  joined  hands,  and  rushed  down 
upon  him  for  the  purpose  of  driving  him  from  the  chair, 
or  of  throwing  him  down  upon  the  street;  but  he  was 
always  protected  from  the  danger  of  these  assaults  by  a 
body-guard  of  three  young  men,  members  of  my  congre 
gation,  who  were  never  absent  from  these  meetings;  and 
who,  standing  behind  him,  caught  him  in  their  arms  till  the 
wave  had  passed  by  and  spent  its  force;  and  then,  having 
set  him  on  the  chair  again,  he  proceeded  in  his  address 
with  as  much  quietude  of  manner  as  if  no  interruption 
had  taken  place.  The  questions  interjected  by  the  crowd 


;£t.  26-29.]  AN    IRISH    CROWD.  245 

from  time  to  time,  while  he  was  perhaps  in  the  middle  of 
a  sentence,  were  sufficient  to  perplex  a  speaker  of  less 
experience  and  of  less  self-control  than  Mr.  Burns.  Let 
me  give  some  specimens  of  the  style  of  interrogation  to 
which  he  was  subjected  in  the  course  of  his  addresses: — 
'What  book  is  that  which  you  hold  in  your  hands?' — 'It 
is  the  Word  of  God.'  'How  do  you  know?  can  you 
prove  that  it  is  the  Word  of  God?' — 'I  shall  prove  that 
it  is  if  you  deny  it;  but  if  we  both  of  us  admit  it  to  be 
from  God,  why  need  I  stop  to  prove  it?'  'What  is  your 
commission?' — 'I  shall  read  it  to  you,  my  friends,  'Let 
him  that  heareth  say,  Come.'  Eleven  years  have  now 
passed  since  I  heard  the  Lord  speaking  to  my  heart,  and 
saying  '  Come,'  and  ever  since  I  have  been  saying  '  Come ' 
to  as  many  sinners  as  were  willing  to  listen  to  me.'  'You 
may  go,  we  don't  want  you  here.' — 'My  friends,  it  is  to 
those  who  don't  want  me  that  I  am  always  most  anxious 
to  go  j  for  I  find  that  they  are  the  people  who  have  most 
need  of  me.'  'Bravo!'  shouted  some  one  in  the  crowd, 
pleased  with  the  readiness  and  appropriateness  of  the  reply. 
'From  what  country  do  you  come?' — 'From  Scotland.' 
'Have  you  no  sinners  there?'— 'Yes.'  'Have  you  not 
much  drunkenness  in  Scotland?' — 'Yes,  a  good  deal.' 
'Why  did  you  not  stay  at  home  to  convert  the  drunkards 
before  you  came  over  to  teach  us?' — 'For  this  reason, 
in  Scotland  the  drunkards  know  that  they  are  sinners, 
and  do  not  attempt  to  justify  themselves  in  their  sins. 
But  here  I  see  people  who  curse,  and  drink,  and  tell  lies, 
who  say,  nevertheless,  that  theirs  is  the  true  religion. 
Now  these  people  must  be  labouring  under  a  great  mistake, 


246  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1841-44. 

and  I  have  come  to  set  them  right  in  this  matter.'  'But 
our  church  is  the  true  church,  and  we  have  our  priests  to 
teach  us  and  to  keep  us  right.' — 'My  friends,  your  saying 
that  you  are  members  of  the  true  church  does  not  prove 
that  you  really  belong  to  it.  Let  me  read  you  a  passage 
from  the  Word  of  God.  John  viii.  39,  44:  'They  an 
swered  and  said  unto  him,  Abraham  is  our  father.  Jesus 
said  unto  them,  If  ye  were  Abraham's  children,  ye  would 
do  the  works  of  Abraham.  Ye  are  of  your  father  the 
devil,  and  the  lusts  of  your  father  ye  will  do.'  This  passage 
fell  upon  them  like  a  thunderbolt,  and  silenced  them  for 
a  season,  while  the  speaker  in  the  meantime  pursued  his 
address.  The  scenes  described  in  the  Gospels  under  the 
preaching  of  the  word  were  thus  vividly  illustrated,  and 
to  some  extent  re-enacted,  under  the  ministry  of  Mr. 
Burns. 

"On  one  occasion  he  proposed  to  vary  the  commence 
ment  of  his  open-air  service  by  the  singing  of  a  psalm. 
I  endeavoured  to  dissuade  him  from  his  purpose,  by 
representing  to  him,  that  as  his  audience  knew  nothing 
of  our  metrical  psalms,  nor  of  our  psalmody,  his  attempt 
to  sing  would  serve  but  to  increase  and  embitter  the  spirit 
of  opposition.  He  was  anxious,  however,  to  make  the 
experiment,  and  announced  the  62d  Psalm.  After  read 
ing  a  portion  of  the  psalm,  he  commenced  to  sing  the 
5th  verse, 

'  My  soul,  wait  thou  with  patience 
Upon  thy  God  alone.' 

The  crowd,  taken  by  surprise,  listened  to  the  first  line  in 
mute  astonishment;  then  burst  into  a  laugh  of  derision; 


;Et.  26-29.]          "HE    HAD    NEVER    KNOWN    FEAR."  247 

then  forming  themselves  into  a  compact  phalanx,  they 
rushed  down  upon  Mr.  Burns  just  as  he  had  completed 
the  first  two  words  of  the  second  line.  The  three  friends, 
who  were  ever  near,  drew  him  aside  till  the  crowd  swept 
by,  and  after  a  considerable  interval  placed  him  once 
more  upon  the  chair;  and  he  then  with  his  usual  compo 
sure  resumed  the  tune  at  the  part  of  the  line,  'thy  God 
alone,'  which  he  had  reached  before  he  was  interrupted. 

"One  evening,  when  he  was  obliged  to  stop  short  in  his 
discourse  in  consequence  of  his  chair  being  broken,  he 
went  down  along  the  quay  on  the  other  side  of  the  river, 
for  the  purpose  of  addressing  himself  to  the  coal-porters. 
It  was  in  vain  that  his  friends  represented  the  danger  to 
which  he  would  be  inevitably  exposed;  he  replied,  that 
'he  had  never  known  fear.'  His  courage  was  soon  put  to 
the  test.  Whenever  he  commenced  to  speak,  an  angry 
mob  quickly  assembled,  and  loud  and  threatening  shouts 
drowned  all  his  efforts  to  be  heard.  The  police  came  to 
his  assistance,  and  kindly  but  firmly  required  him  to 
cease.  Still  he  was  unwilling  to  give  up  the  attempt,  but 
after  several  ineffectual  efforts,  the  mob  becoming  larger 
and  more  ferocious,  the  police  peremptorily  insisted  that 
he  should  be  silent  and  cross  the  river  in  the  ferry-boat, 
1  for  if  you  attempt  to  go  back  along  the  quay,'  they  said, 
'we  will  not  be  answerable  for  your  life.'  'But  I  cannot 
pay  for  the  ferry-boat.'  'It  will  cost  you  only  a  halfpenny.' 
'But  I  have  no  halfpenny,'1  he  replied.  'Here  is  one  for 

1  See  note,  page  225 ;  also,  a  touching  incident  in  his  journal  of 
date  October  nth,  1847  (Chapter  xii.),  illustrating  how  literally  he 
carried  with  him  "neither  purse  nor  scrip,"  &c.  It  might  be  said 


243  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1841-44. 

you,'  said  a  good-natured  policeman.  Accordingly  Mr. 
Burns  stepped  down  into  the  boat,  and  holding  up  the 
halfpenny,  he  cried  out  to  the  people  on  shore,  'See  this, 
my  friends,  I  have  got  a  free  passage.  In  like  manner 
you  may  have  a  free  gospel,  a  free  forgiveness  of  all  your 
sins,  a  free  passage  to  the  kingdom  of  heaven.  Without 
money,  and  without  price.'  And  thus  he  proceeded  to 
deliver  a  message  to  the  persons  who  were  crossing  with 
him  in  the  boat. 

"  It  is  not  to  be  concluded  from  these  details,  that  his 
labours  in  this  arduous  field  were  wholly  unsuccessful. 
One  Sabbath  morning;  his  audience  at  the  custom-house 
were  more  quiet  than  usual.  His  subject  was  regeneration, 
'Except  a  man  be  born  again,'  &c.  At  the  close  of  his 
sermon  a  man  who  had  been  listening  attentively  said, 
'Well,  sir,  if  what  you  have  said  be  true,  you  had  much 
need  to  come  from  Scotland  to  tell  it  to  us,  for  we  never 
heard  of  this  doctrine  before.'  After  Mr.  Burns  left 
Dublin,  several  Roman  Catholics  came  to  inquire  about 
him,  speaking  respectfully  of  his  labours,  and  of  the  loving 
and  genial  spirit  in  which  they  were  conducted. 

"During  his  stay  in  Dublin  we  had  prayer-meetings  in 
the  church  of  Mary's  Abbey  almost  every  day.  The 
prayers  of  Mr.  Burns  were  very  striking— distinguished 
by  deep  acquaintance  with  Scripture,  by  intense  fervour, 

of  him,  with  absolute  truth,  during  this  period,  in  which,  in  the 
matter  of  temporal  provision,  he  so  simply  walked  by  faith,  that 
"when  he  had  gathered  much  he  had  nothing  over,  and  when  he  had 
gathered  least  he  had  no  lack."  He  had  never  too  much  for  him 
self  and  for  the  poor,  and  never  too  little  for  himself. 


JEt.  26-29.]  OTHER    LABOURS    IN    DUBLIN.  249 

and  by  strong  faith.  He  truly  pleaded  with  God,  and 
occasionally  seemed  to  get  near  access  to  his  presence. 
But  his  addresses  to  our  Presbyterian  people  failed  to 
produce  much  visible  impression.  His  failure  in  this 
respect  disappointed  and  grieved  me  very  much.  The 
congregation  looked  forward  to  his  promised  visit  with 
much  interest;  having  been  largely  informed  of  the  won 
derful  success  which  God  had  vouchsafed  to  him  in  many 
districts  of  Scotland,  they  expected  to  hear  from  him  a 
fuller  exposition,  and  a  more  specific  application  of 
scriptural  truth,  than  he  was  wont  to  give ;  and  they  were 
somewhat  dissatisfied  to  observe  that  his  discourses  ap 
peared  to  be  wholly  extemporaneous.  I  tried  to  induce 
him  to  give  some  time  to  special  preparation,  but  without 
success,  and  regarding  his  course  of  procedure  as  beyond 
the  range  of  ordinary  men,  I  forbore  to  press  my  objec 
tions.  I  continued,  however,  to  think  that  he  was  mis 
taken  in  expecting  that  his  word  would  be  with  power 
when  he  did  not  beforehand  consider  how  to  divide  and 
to  apply  it;  and  that  he  was  also  mistaken  in  attributing 
his  want  of  success,  as  he  was  at  that  time  accustomed  to 
do,  solely  and  exclusively  to  the  hardness  of  the  hearts 
of  the  people.  His  views  on  these  points,  I  think  I 
have  since  learned,  subsequently  underwent  considerable 
change;  and  I  am  sure  that  he  was  prepared  to  adopt 
any  means  which  appeared  to  him  most  directly  and 
effectively  to  bear  on  the  advancement  of  the  kingdom  of 
God.  This  great  object  alone  engrossed  him.  Political 
or  even  ecclesiastical  affairs  had  no  attraction  for  him. 
He  was  bent  earnestly  and  ever  on  the  salvation  of  souls. 


250  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1841-44. 

This  grand  concern  occupied  and  absorbed  his  daily 
prayers,  his  social  converse,  his  public  addresses,  the 
whole  course  of  his  thoughts,  the  whole  business  of  his 
life.  Why  are  there  not  more  of  us  like  him?  The  need 
of  such  men  is  as  urgent  as  ever;  and  we  know  that  the 
grace  of  God  is  not  less  rich,  nor  his  promises  in  Christ 
less  sure,  nor  his  gifts  less  varied  or  less  rich.  'Lord,  we 
believe,  help  thou  our  unbelief.'" 

The  following  brief  snatch  of  reminiscence  by  a 
respected  minister  of  the  Free  Church  of  Scotland,1  gives 
another  vivid  touch  to  the  picture,  and  affords  a  pregnant 
hint  as  to  the  unseen  results  of  those  despised  and  self- 
denying  labours:  — 

"I  only  saw  him  once  in  Dublin.  I  was  then  a  student 
in  Trinity  College,  and  I  remember  well,  passing  along  by 
the  custom-house  I  came  upon  a  crowd,  which  as  I  drew 
near  appeared  greatly  excited.  I  stopped  to  listen,  and 
I  found  that  William  Burns  (as  I  afterwards  came  to 
know)  was  addressing  them.  I  think  I  see  him  still :  with 
what  a  strange  calmness  he  spoke !  with  what  meekness 
he  met  all  their  taunts !  He  was  hooted,  pelted,  insulted, 
but  quite  unmoved  he  held  open  his  Bible,  and  answered 
every  onset  by  saying,  '  But  hear  me,  hear  what  God  says 
to  us  in  his  blessed  Word.'  I  remember  he  was  speaking 
from  John  x.  concerning  the  good  Shepherd  and  the  door 
of  the  sheepfold.  At  times  the  crowd  were  quieted  down 
to  listen,  and  one  at  least  of  the  hearers  walked  away, 
forgetting  for  the  time  Greek  iambics  and  mathematical 
deductions,  but  filled  with  the  thought,  'That  stranger  has 

1  The  Rev.  H.  M.  Williamson,  Free  High  Church,  Aberdeen. 


JEt.  26-29.]  UNSEEN    RESULTS.  251 

a  peace  and  a  life  of  which  I  know  nothing.'  Next  time 
we  met  was  at  the  Duchess  of  Gordon's,  Huntly  Lodge,, 
on  his  return  on  a  visit  from  China;  and  I  have  never  for 
gotten  that  happy  season,  or  his  last  words,  as,  entering 
the  railway-carriage,  he  said,  '  Now  for  China ! ' " 

One  or  two  characteristic  extracts  from  his  own  journal 
will  carry  us  still  deeper  into  the  heart  of  the  combat  and 
of  the  combatant. 

"^4/34  Wellington  Street,  Dublin,  Rev.  W.  B.  Kirkpatrictts. 
Monday,  April  %>th. —  .  .  .  On  Saturday,  after  being  here 
an  hour  or  two,  I  thought  of  going  to  preach  in  the  open  air, 
but  on  going  through  the  streets  thought  it  better  to  wait  a 
little  until  my  way  should  open  more  gradually.  Yesterday 
I  preached  for  Mr.  Kirkpatrick  at  twelve,  on  'Go  ye  into 
all  the  world/  &c.,  and  in  the  evening  in  Adelaide  Road 
Church,  on  John  iii. :  regeneration.  I  had  assistance  on  both 
occasions,  and  in  coming  home  at  night  spoke  to  numbers. 
I  found  them  a  very  engaging  people,  very  open  and  frank, 
and  accessible  to  kindness.  O  that  Jesus  may  be  glorified 
among  them !  .  .  .  This  evening  I  felt  the  hand  of  the 
Lord  laid  upon  me  so  powerfully  that  I  could  not  but  go 
forth  to  attempt  entering  fairly  on  his  work.  I  went  down 
to  the  quay  to  look  out  for  a  suitable  place  to  preach,  and 
having  found  one  I  tried  to  begin,  urged  by  his  word, '  Preach 
the  word/  &c.  The  enmity  which  even  the  attempt  to  open 
my  mouth  provoked  showed  what  I  may  look  for  if  I  do  the 
Lord's  will.  When  I  asked  some  sailors  if  they  would  attend 
they  seemed  disposed,  but  shrunk  away,  saying,  'This  is  a 
bad  part  of  the  world,  for  there  are  too  many  on  the 
other  side  of  the  house.'  In  coming  away  to  the  meeting 
in  the  chapel  I  asked  the  Lord  to  direct  me  to  some  true 
child  of  God — not  a  minister — who  might  go  with  me  when 
I  next  attempt  this  work,  and  as  soon  as  I  got  to  the  church 
I  was  introduced  to  one  of  the  elders,  who  seems  the  very 


252  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1841-44- 

person.  After  the  meeting,  again  I  met  with  another,  who 
seems  equally  desirable.  The  meeting  was  very  sweet.  I 
spoke  a  little  on  the  account  of  Hagar  and  her  son,  Genesis 
xxi.,  prayed,  and  was  followed  by  Mr.  K.  in  prayer.  He  is 
a  man  of  genuine  piety  and  very  considerable  power. 

"  Tuesday  Evening. — During  this  day  my  path  has  opened 
a  little,  or  rather  not  a  little,  farther.  During  the  former 
part  of  the  day  I  wrote  letters  to  Scotland.  Was  alone  with 
the  Lord,  and  also  traversed  the  city  that  I  might  get  a  full 
view  of  its  character,  naturally  and  morally,  which  is  always 
most  easily  done  before  you  become  known.  I  conversed 
with  Mr.  Drysdale,  the  elder  to  whom  I  alluded  above  as  a 
man  of  God.  .  .  I  spent  an  hour  with  him  in  his  work 
shop  alone.  He  gave  me  an  awful  account  of  the  difficulties 
of  out-door  preaching  in  Dublin ;  but  after  much  converse  I 
felt  that  I  must  make  the  attempt.  He  would  gladly  have 
gone  with  me,  but  was  engaged  this  evening  at  the  great 
meeting  in  connection  with  the  Presbyterian  marriage  ques 
tion,  and  thus  I  was  left  quite  alone.  However  I  went,  look 
ing  to  the  Lord,  and  took  up  my  position  on  the  open  ground 
to  the  west  of  the  custom-house,  laid  my  hat  on  the  ground, 
and  standing  a  few  paces  from  the  footpath  began  to  read, 
'  It  is  appointed  unto  men  once  to  die/  &c.  I  had  soon  a 
large  and  most  interesting  assembly,  but,  as  usual,  the 
Romanists  introduced  their  questions,  and  when  the  answers 
came  too  near  them  they  began  to  make  a  rush  with  the  view 
of  putting  me  down.  A  police-officer  also  came  and  advised 
me  to  remove.  I  said  I  believed  that  I  was  trespassing  no 
law— that  that  was  the  ground  where  Father  Matthew  spoke 
— and  that  I  would  not  remove  unless  he  had  authority  to 
stop  me.  He  seemed  to  be  a  Romanist,  and  was  evidently 
set  on  putting  me  down,  so  that  after  throwing  the  responsi 
bility  on  him,  and  telling  the  people  where  I  would  preach 
to-morrow,  I  came  away  with  a  disburdened  conscience. 
Dear  people !  they  seemed  intent  on  hearing,  and  followed 
me  far  on  my  way  home  despite  of  all  I  could  do.  ... 


•ffit.  26-29.]  DUBLIN    JOURNAL.  253 

" Friday ;  April  \ith. — Half-past  one  o'clock  this  morning 
I  awoke  ynder  a  powerful  assault  of  despondency  and  unbe 
lief — tempted  to  say,  Let  me  sit  still  and  take  things  in  the 
ordinary  way.  However,  at  worship,  the  fifth  chapter  of 
Hebrews,  read  by  Mr.  K.,  particularly  the  words,  'Be  fol 
lowers  of  them  who  through  faith  and  patience  are  now  in 
heriting  the  promises/  quickened  me  again.  We  had  some 
interesting  conversation  on  the  need  of  perseverance,  and  of 
in  this  taking  a  lesson  from  O'Connell ;  and  at  half-past  nine 
I  went  down  in  the  name  of  Jesus  to  the  scene  of  last  night's 
meeting.  I  asked  one  captain  to  give  me  his  ship  to  preach 
in,  but  he  refused.  I  was  then  standing  in  doubt  to  what 
ship  to  go  to  next  when  I  saw  some  poor  Romanists — emi 
grants,  I  suppose — on  board  another  vessel,  who  seemed  to 
know  me,  and  were  mocking.  I  asked  them  how  they  were 
so  unwilling  to  hear  the  Word  of  God ;  they  said  they  loved 
it,  but  not  from  me — that  I  could  not  preach  it,  &c.  This 
opened  the  way.  With  all  their  confidence  they  mingled 
many  oaths,  which  I  told  them  certainly  showed  that  they 
were  not  on  the  right  way.  A  crowd  gathered,  and  I  had  the 
best  hour  among  them  that  I  have  had  in  Dublin.  I  was 
greatly  aided  in  gaining  their  confidence.  They  threatened 
to  throw  me  into  the  river  at  first,  but  I  told  them  I  did  not 
mind  that — they  treated  my  Master  worse.  One  asked  me 
for  my  commission ;  I  pointed  to  '  Let  him  that  heareth  say, 
Come.'  One  said  something  vile;  I  said,  'You  know  that 
when  you  go  to  confession  you  must  confess  that  as  a  sin.' 
Another,  hearing  of  confession,  and  thinking  that  I  was 
speaking  against  it,  said,  'What  do  you  know  about  confes 
sion  ?'  &c.;  I  said,  '  Not  much ;  but  I  am  saying  no  more  than 
I  know,'  and  repeated  what  he  had  said.  He  was  pleased. 
One  said,  'You  must  be  saved  by  prayer  and  fasting;' 
I  affirmed  it,  but  showed  the  infinitely  higher  place  of  the 
blood  of  Jesus.  One  pressed  me  to  prove  that  the  Bible 
was  the  Word  of  God,  wishing  to  bring  me  under  church 
authority ;  I  said  I  would  do  so  if  he  denied  it,  but  that  as 


254 


LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1841-44- 


we  both  admitted  this,  why  should  I  prove  it,  and  so  we  got 
to  more  practical  and  personal  matters.  I  was  so  full  of 
God's  joy  in  all  this  that  I  could  not  but  smile,  or  rather 
laugh,  in  speaking  to  them ;  they  wondered  at  this,  and  said, 
'  He  is  a  good  man,  we  cannot  make  him  angry.'  I  told  them 
I  would  come  back  again  at  the  dinner-hour  and  speak 
again ;  and  so  we  parted.  This  was  a  good  beginning.  At 
twelve  we  had  a  very  good  prayer-meeting;  and  all  that 
seems  needful  is  faith,  and  patience,  and  prayer.  I  am  just 
about  to  return  again  to  the  field ;  but  ah !  I  must  go  deeper 
this  time,  and  be  prepared  for  the  worst  that  the  enemy 
can  devise  or  execute.  'They  overcame  him  by  the  blood  of 
the  Lamb  and  by  the  word  of  their  testimony;  and  they 
loved  not  their  lives  untom  the  death.'  Oh !  to  be  enabled  thus 
to  fight  and  overcome ! 

"Evening. — The  public  duty  of  the  day  is  now  over,  and 
I  have  abundant  cause  to  sing  of  mercy.  At  the  dinner-hour 
I  got  a  good  many  to  hear,  and  had  increasing  assistance. 
In  the  evening  I  got  free  of  all  controversies,  and  spoke  with 
divine  relish  on  the  love  of  God :  '  God  commendeth  his  love 
toward  us,'  &c.  We  met  with  some  opposition;  among 
other  things,  some  one  threw  a  pailful  of  water  at  me  from  a 
ship's  side,  but  it  did  not  harm  me.  The  impression  was 
greater  than  before,  and  though  the  policeman  who  first  put 
me  down  came  near,  he  did  not  interfere.  They  are  a  very 
interesting  people,  and  if  I  be  faithful  to  the  Lord's  call  I 
doubt  not  to  see  some  or  many  of  them  obeying  the  gospel. 
It  is  now  near  to  the  end  of  my  first  week  in  Ireland,  and  I 
have  indeed  cause  to  thank  the  Lord  that  so  soon  I  should 
be  within  sight  of  so  full  and  blessed  a  work. 

"Saturday,  April  \-tfh.—.  .  .  This  day  I  have  kept 
as  a  day  of  rest,  with  the  exception  of  having  a  prayer- 
meeting  at  twelve  o'clock,  at  which  I  read  Isaiah  xliii.,  and 
felt  something  of  his  presence.  This  day  has  been  wet,  so 
that  I  have  had  less  unwillingness  to  defer  my  public  engage 
ments  until  to-morrow.  During  the  chief  part  of  this  evening 


Mt.  26-29.]  RETURN    TO    SCOTLAND.  255 

I  have  been  led  to  look  afresh  at  the  dark  side  of  my  pros 
pects,  and  so  have  felt  as  if  nothing  could  be  done;  but  again 
I  am  revived  by  God's  own  perfect  words.  I  have  just  come 
to  my  room  from  family  worship,  where  Hebrews  vii.  18  to  the 
end  was  read.  I  saw  something  of  his  glory  as  a  priest,  and 
had  some  nearness  and  fulness  of  heart  in  prayer,  and  have 
again  a  renewal  of  hope  regarding  this  poor  city.  I  found 
to-day  also  that  hope  and  expectation  is  springing  up  in  the 
hearts  of  some  of  God's  children  who  at  first  despaired  of 
anything  being  done.  Last  night  I  told  those  who  disturbed 
us  that  I  knew  well  that  '  the  tongue  can  no  man  tame ;  it  is 
an  unruly  evil,  full  of  deadly  poison/  but  that  we  would 
specially  pray  for  them,  and  that  God  would  fulfil  his  word, 
'  He  stilleth  the  tumult  of  the  people/  They  seemed  struck 
at  this ;  I  added,  I  will  get  you  all  very  quiet  yet  before  I 
leave  you.  Nothing  gives  one  so  great  an  opening  as  joy,  and 
love,  and  peace ;  and  I  find  these  poured  into  my  heart  when 
among  these  poor  outcasts  in  an  uncommon  measure.  Many 
of  the  emigrants  who  in  the  morning  cursed  me  hung  upon  my 
lips  in  the  evening.  One  poor  woman  said,  '  Ah !  I  see  the 
tear  of  mercy  in  his  eye.'  When  they  made  any  commotion 
I  said,  'Now,  the  policeman  will  stop  us ;'  and  they  became  as 
quiet  as  the  river  beside  us.'; 

He  returned  to  Scotland  on  May  loth,  and  after  three 
months  of  evangelistic  work,  chiefly  in  Paisley,  Port- 
Glasgow,  Renfrew,  and  other  neighbouring  places,  pro 
ceeded  to  the  British  dominions  of  North  America,  where 
we  shall  have  in  the  next  chapter  to  trace  his  footsteps. 


CHAPTER    X. 

1844-1846. 

CANADA.1 

OUR  North  American  colonies  had  something  like  a 
hereditary  claim  on  the  services  of  Mr.  Burns. 
It  has  been  the  lot  of  two  of  his  near  relatives  to  be 
engaged  for  a  series  of*  years  in  the  service  of  the  church 

1  This  chapter  was  kindly  prepared  by  the  late  Rev.  Robert  Burns, 
D.D.,  professor  of  theology  in  Knox's  College,  Toronto,  than  whom 
none  knew  the  field  of  labour  better,  or  had  done  more  to  ad 
vance  the  work  of  Christ  throughout  its  length  and  breadth.  It  is 
given  with  only  such  revision  as  the  revered  author  would  himself 
have  given  to  it  had  he  been  spared  to  impart  to  it  his  final  touch. 
Besides  him,  and  chiefly  through  him,  I  am  indebted  also  to  the 
following  friends  who  have  assisted  in  furnishing  the  materials  on 
which  the  narrative  is  based,  viz.  Rev.  Alexr.  Cameron,  of  the  Free 
Church,  Ardersier,  formerly  of  Canada;  Mr.  Hector  Macpherson, 
lay  missionary  at  St.  Martin's,  Perthshire,  formerly  band-major  of 
the  93d  Sutherland  Highlanders;  Rev.  Daniel  Clark,  of  Indian 
Lands,  Glengarry,  Canada ;  Mr.  Donald  Catanach,  of  Lochiel,  and 
his  sister,  Mrs.  Kelly ;  Rev.  Alexr.  N.  Somerville,  of  Anderston 
Free  Church,  Glasgow ;  Sergeant  Long,  formerly  of  the  93d,  now 
of  the  Gymnasium,  Glasgow ;  Mr.  James  Hosack,  merchant, 
Quebec;  the  Rev.  John  Clugston,  formerly  of  that  city,  now  of 
Stewarton;  Mr.  William  Macintosh,  now  of  Belleville,  C.W. ; 
Rev.  Farquhar  M'Rae  of  Knockbain;  Mrs.  M'Nider,  formerly  of 
Montreal,  now  of  Vincent  Street,  Edinburgh ;  Messrs.  James  Court, 
John  Dougal,  Thos.  Allan,  James  Orr,  R.  M'Corkle,  Montreal,  and 
Farnham. 


jEt.  29-31.]       DEPARTURE  FOR  CANADA.  257 

in  that  important  and  thriving  province  of  the  British 
crown.  His  uncle,  Dr.  George  Burns,  of  the  Free 
Church  at  Corstorphine,  was  in  1817  called  to  be  the 
first  minister  of  the  Church  of  Scotland  in  the  city  of  St. 
John,  New  Brunswick,  and,  with  a  short  interval,  he 
laboured  in  that  important  sphere  for  the  period  of 
fourteen  years;  while  another  uncle,  Dr.  Robert  Burns, 
formerly  of  Paisley,  was  for  fifteen  years  secretary  to  the 
Glasgow  Society  for  sending  out  Ministers  and  Teachers 
to  the  Colonies  of  British  North  America,  and  was  him 
self  for  a  quarter  of  a  century  employed,  first  as  pastor, 
and  afterwards  as  theological  professor,  at  Toronto,  in 
Canada  West.  The  latter  having  arrived  at  Montreal  in  the 
spring  of  1844  as  one  of  the  first  deputies  of  the  young, 
fresh,  and  already  renowned  Free  Church  of  Scotland, 
the  question  was  at  once  put  to  him,  "  Have  you  brought 
your  nephew  with  you?"  In  fact,  the  revivals  in  Scot 
land  were  more  spoken  of  in  Canada  than  in  Scotland 
itself,  and  the  Free  Church  deputy  carried  home  with  him 
earnest  commissions  from  the  good  people  of  Quebec, 
Montreal,  Kingston,  Toronto,  and  almost  everywhere,  for 
the  presence  and  labours  of  Mr.  Burns,  and  others  of 
similar  spirit.  Written  communications  to  the  Colonial 
Committee  at  Edinburgh  had  also  preceded  him;  and 
when  he  reached  Scotland  in  June  of  that  year,  he  found 
that  the  proposal  to  visit  Canada  had  been  made  to  Mr. 
Burns,  and  that  proposal  having  been  seconded  by  the  full 
information  now  given  him,  all  difficulties  were  removed, 
and  in  the  course  of  a  few  weeks  Mr.  Burns  embarked  in 
the  brig  Mary  for  Montreal,  a  free  passage  to  and  from 


258  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1844-46. 

Canada  having  been  guaranteed  to  him  by  the  generous 
Christian  proprietors  of  the  vessel.  Mr.  Burns  sailed 
from  Greenock  to  Montreal  on  the  roth  August,  1844, 
and  reached  Montreal  on  Thursday,  September  26th,  of 
the  same  year.  In  this  connection  the  names  of  Mr. 
James  R.  Orr,  merchant  in  Montreal,  and  of  Captain 
Kelso,  the  commander  and  proprietor  of  the  vessel, 
deserve  honourable  mention.  With  the  first  of  these 
gentlemen  Mr.  Burns  stayed  during  the  greater  part  of 
his  residence  in  Montreal;  and  the  names  of  both  are 
associated  with  the  first  propitious  dawning  of  the  Free 
Church  era  in  Canada. 

The  following  extracts  from  his  journal  will  show  the 
feelings  with  which  he  approached  this  new  sphere  of 
labour,  and  the  spirit  in  which  he  entered  on  it : — 

"In  every  circumstance,  even  to  the  least,  I  have  seen 
infinite  grace  towards  me  on  this  occasion.  The  ship  in 
which  I  am  is  an  excellent  one.  As  there  is  no  cabin 
passenger  but  myself,  I  have  the  cabin  as  quiet  as  my 
own  study  could  be,  and  a  state-room  in  which  to  meet 
with  God.  The  means  provided  for  me  by  the  Lord 
have  so  exactly  met  my  wants,  that  I  go  forth  truly 
'without  purse,'  having  only  two  shillings  remaining  in 
the  world;  and  yet  I  am  infinitely  rich,  'having  nothing, 
and  yet  possessing  all  things.'1  I  trust  I  shall  be  enabled 
not  only  to  pray  much,  but  also  to  study  more  deeply  the 
divine  word,  and  prepare  more  regularly  for  the  profitable 
discharge  of  my  awful  trust.  ...  I  have  got  some 
beginning  made  among  the  crew.  To-night  we  had  fine 
1  See  note,  p.  225. 


JEt.  29^31.]  ARRIVAL   AT    QUEBEC.  259 

weather,  and  met  on  deck  for  worship.  It  was  sweet  and 
solemn,  the  voice  of  prayer  and  praise  blending  with  the 
winds  in  the  midst  of  the  mighty  deep.  Oh  that  I  may 
be  prepared  for  glorifying  God  fully  in  my  body  and 
spirit,  which  are  his  ! "  On  another  occasion  he  says : 
"To-day  we  have  been  becalmed,  and  I  feel  the  retire 
ment  sweet.  I  think  I  can  say  through  grace  that  God's 
presence  or  absence  alone  distinguishes  places  to  me. 
But  ah !  I  am  yet  untried.  I  know  but  little  of  what  is 
in  me  as  yet,  and  still  less  of  the  depth  of  his  redeeming 
love.  ...  I  have  sometimes  had  glimpses  both  of  the 
depth  of  sin  and  of  redeeming  love;  still,  I  will  need 
very  special  teaching  if  I  am  to  be  of  use  in  the  western 
world.  .  .  . 

"September  2,  1844. — This  morning  beautifully  clear; 
a  gentle  north-east  breeze,  wafting  us  to  our  desired 
haven,  brought  us  in  sight  of  American  land,  after  a 
delightful  run  of  twenty-three  days.  .  .  .  Our  seasons 
of  divine  worship  have  been  increasingly  pleasant  of  late, 
although  I  see  no  mark  of  a  divine  work  of  grace  in  any 
one  around  me.  Part  of  my  daily  work  has  been  to  teach 
the  ship-boys  to  read.  One  of  them  is  an  interesting 
black  from  Africa.  Oh  that  my  heart  were  enlarged  in 
pleading  for  the  ingathering  of  all  nations  to  Emmanuel ! " 

On  September  loth  he  reached  Quebec,  and  in  his 
journal  we  find  the  following  characteristic  notice : — "In 
God's  great  mercy  we  arrived  here  yesterday,  after  a 
delightful  passage  of  thirty-six  days.  As  it  was  the  day 
of  holy  rest,  I  did  not  go  ashore,  but  had  worship  on 
board,  and  spoke  on  the  twenty-second  chapter  of 


260  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1844-46. 

Revelation.  In  the  evening  I  was  put  on  shore,  and 
after  looking  a  little  at  the  aspect  of  the  town,  I  took  up 
my  position  alone,  and  yet  not  alone,  at  the  market-place, 
close  to  the  river,  and  began  to  repeat  the  fifty-fifth  of 
Isaiah.  A  crowd  of  Canadians  and  of  British  sailors  soon 
gathered,  who  at  first  seemed  mute  with  astonishment, 
but  soon  showed  me  that  the  offence  of  the  cross  had  not 
ceased  by  their  mocking  and  threatened  violence.  How 
ever,  I  got  a  good  opportunity  of  witness-bearing  for 
God  and  his  Christ;  and  when  I  left  them  had  some 
interesting  conversation  with  some  individuals  who  fol 
lowed  me.  When  I  came  down  again,  at  half-past  eight, 
to  the  place  where  the  ship's  boat  was  to  meet  me,  I 
got  into  conversation  with  a  company  of  young  sailors, 
two  of  whom  remembered  well  having  heard  me  at  New 
castle  at  the  quay  and  in  the  corn-market.  Some  of  our 
poor  soldiers  and  sailors  were  going  about  intoxicated. 
Though  it  were  only  to  reach  these  two  classes  of  degraded 
men,  it  would  be  to  me  a  reward  for  crossing  the  great 
ocean.  Who  knoweth  what  may  be  the  fruit  of  this 
evening's  testimony  among  the  wondering  crowd  !  .  .  . 
I  have  had  on  board  the  ship  a  time  for  solemn  observa 
tion  of  the  character  and  ways  of  the  unconverted,  which 
I  trust  will  be  profitable.  The  only  book  I  have  had 
with  me  beside  the  book  of  God  is  Owen  on  the  Glory 
of  Christ,  which  I  find  precious  indeed.  I  have  had 
some  seasons  of  great  nearness  to  the  God  and  Father  of 
our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  have  found  his  word  full  of 
power  and  refreshment." 

On  reaching  Montreal  he  at  once  found  himself  in  the 


JEt.  29-31.]  NEW    AND    OLD    FRIENDS.  261 

midst  both  of  new  and  of  old  friends.  The  faces  of  the 
old  soldiers  whom  he  had  known  at  Aberdeen  and  at 
Dundee  must  have  been  a  sight  peculiarly  pleasant  to 
him,  and  a  happy  omen  for  the  future : — 

"  When  we  came  into  the  harbour  two  Christian  gentlemen, 
Mr.  Orr  and  Mr.  M'Kay,  came  on  board,  and  before  leaving 
my  little  cabin  we  had  sweet  communion  at  the  mercy-seat 
together.  I  live  with  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Orr,  a  godly  couple  from 
Greenock,  in  a  delightful  situation  at  the  head  of  the  town. 
Truly  goodness  and  mercy  are  heaped  on  me.  .  .  .  Be 
fore  leaving  Scotland  I  observed  that  the  93d  Regiment,  the 
depot  of  which  I  laboured  among  at  Aberdeen  in  autumn, 
1840,  had  removed  from  Kingston  to  Montreal,  and  I  trusted 
that  somehow  I  might  get  in  among  them ;  but  what  was  my 
joy  and  wonder  to  be  told  that  there  were  about  thirty  godly 
men  among  sergeants  and  privates  who  have  a  hired  room 
near  the  barracks  in  which  some  of  them  teach  a  daily  school 
for  poor  children  gathered  from  the  streets,  as  well  as  a  Sab 
bath-school,  and  in  which  they  meet  for  social  prayer  every 
Friday  from  six  to  half-past  eight.  This  is  the  Sutherland 
regiment,  of  which  in  its  early  days  the  Rev.  Ronald  Bayne, 
an  eminent  man  of  God — afterwards  at  Inverness,  and  then  at 
Elgin — was  chaplain ;  and  that  enjoyed  until  lately  the  com 
mand  of  Colonel  M'Gregor,  a  distinguished  Christian  officer, 
now  at  the  head  of  the  constabulary  force  of  Dublin.  .  .  . 
I  had  hardly  arrived  when  I  was  told  they  were  looking  with 
desire  to  my  coming,  and  that  they  wished  me  to  attend  their 
prayer-meeting,  and  to  preach  to  them  next  Sabbath.  I  ac 
cordingly  went  last  night,  in  company  with  two  pious  Scotch 
men.  .  .  .  When  we  got  to  the  place  I  found  such  a 
scene  as  I  never  before  saw :  a  room  crowded  with  soldiers, 
wives,  and  children,  who  were  met  not  to  hear  a  man  speak, 
but  to  wait  upon  Jehovah,  as  their  custom  was.  It  put  me 
in  mind  of  the  centurion  of  old.  I  enjoyed  the  meeting  ex 
ceedingly,  speaking  upon  Moses  at  the  burning  bush.  One 


262  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1844-46. 


of  the  soldiers  prayed,  as  well  as  Mr.  M'Intosh  and  myself. 
In  the  soldier's  prayer  I  was  struck  by  the  petition  that  they 
might  cherish  such  expectations  of  good  through  my  instru 
mentality  as  were  warranted  by  his  word,  and  were  accord 
ing  to  his  mind.  They  seemed  all  to  feel  too  that  nothing 
but  the  presence  of  God  himself  would  be  of  any  avail.  I 
found  it  very  affecting  to  them  and  me  to  allude  to  the  church 
of  our  fathers  in  the  furnace,  and  to  the  people  of  Ross  and 
.  Sutherland,  from  among  whom  the  regiment  was  at  first 
raised.  .  .  . 

"  Tuesday,  September  24.^/1. — Sabbath  was  a  good  day,  suffi 
cient  to  remind  me  of  September  22d,  1839,  the  day  of  the 
second  communion  at  Kilsyth.  At  half-past  nine  A.M.  I 
preached  on  the  quay,  OR  the  entry  of  Jesus  into  Jerusalem, 
and  his  purging  the  temple — congregation  large  and  fixed.  At 
eleven  I  preached  in  Mr.  Wilks's  church  (Congregational) 
from  the  words,  '  When  the  enemy  shall  come  in  like  a  flood, 
the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  shall  lift  up  a  standard  against  him.' 
At  half-past  one  P.M.  I  addressed  the  93d  Regiment  in  Mr. 
Esson's  church — very  fixed  in  their  attention — more  so  than 
I  have  seen  soldiers  before.  At  seven  I  again  preached  in 
Mr.  Esson's  to  a  full  church,  on  '  If  any  man  will  come  after 
me/  &c.,  and  was  much  aided. 

"Saturday,  December  i^th. — During  the  present  week  my 
work  has  gone  on  as  before,  but  in  addition  my  conflicts  in 
soul  about  it  have  been  deeper  than  before,  and  several  new 
doors  have  been  opened,  (i .)  Two  hundred  and  fifty  of  the  7 1  st 
Regiment  have  come  to  the  cavalry  barracks,  whom  I  visited 
on  Tuesday  and  Friday,  and  whom  I  am  to  see  again  on 
Tuesday,  if  the  Lord  will.  It  seems  very  remarkable  that 
the  93d  and  yist  Regiments  are  the  only  ones  whose  depots 
I  visited  in  Scotland,  and  that  the  whole  of  the  93d  and  so 
many  of  the  ;ist  should  now  be  here.  I  have  met  with  a 
number  of  the  ;ist  whom  I  knew  well  in  Dundee,  and  this 
prepares  my  way  among  them.  (2.)  I  have  got  liberty  and 
more  than  liberty  from  the  commanding  officer  of  the  89th 


JEt.  29-31.]  THE    93D    AND    7 1  ST.  263 


(Irish)  Regiment  to  meet  with  the  men  in  their  schoolroom 
from  week  to  week.  This  seemed  so  unlikely,  as  he  is  said 
to  be  a  Romanist,  that  I  had  given  up  thoughts  of  applying, 
but  one  of  the  men  in  the  hospital  wanted  me  to  ask  a  favour 
for  him,  and  this  gave  me  an  introduction.  (3.)  We  have 
got  most  wonderfully  the  use  of  a  large  room  exactly  opposite 
the  French  church  for  holding  meetings  in,  both  in  French 
and  English — all  for  nothing — the  owner  being  a  friend  of 
the  gospel — a  hearer  of  Dr.  Carruthers  the  Independent, 
whose  church  met  for  a  long  time  in  this  very  place.  This 
seems  a  remarkable  arrangement,  as  it  is  the  very  best  place 
in  the  city  for  reaching  the  people." 

When  the  Free  Church  was  opened  at  C6te  Street, 
Montreal,  the  soldiers  of  the  93d  had  a  distinct  service 
allotted  to  them  in  the  afternoon.  On  the  arrival  of 
Mr.  Burns  this  service  devolved  on  him;  but  besides 
preaching  to  the  entire  regiment  on  the  Sabbath,  he 
preached  twice  during  the  week  in  one  of  the  largest 
rooms  in  the  barracks;  and  he  went  frequently  to  the 
regimental  hospital  to  address  the  sick  and  speak  to  the 
patients  personally.  Such  was  the  high  estimation  in 
which  he  was  held  by  soldiers  both  of  that  and  of  other 
regiments  and  of  different  denominations,  that  on  several 
occasions  when  men  of  the  regiment  were  sick,  English 
men  and  Irishmen,  Episcopalians  and  Roman  Catholics, 
have  sent  to  him  earnest  messages  soliciting  his  visits  and 
his  prayers.  To  quote  the  words  of  Mr.  Hector  Macpher- 
son,  then  sergeant-major  of  the  band  of  the  regiment 
(now  a  lay-missionary  at  St.  Martin's,  Perthshire):  "I 
shall  never  forget  the  first  sermon  he  preached  on  the 
first  Sabbath  after  his  arrival.  He  gave  out  in  the  usual 


264  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1844-46. 

way  the  320!  Psalm  to  be  sung,  and  had  read  the  first 
four  lines,  when  he  began  to  unfold  the  feelings  and 
experience  of  a  penitent  believer,  in  a  way,  to  me  at  least, 
never  opened  up  before  nor  since,  and  which  was  to  my 
afflicted  spirit  as  good  news  from  a  far  land.  It  was  like 
oil  and  wine  to  my  afflicted  spirit  It  was  also  greatly 
blessed  to  others  of  my  fellow-soldiers.  The  man  of  God 
continued  to  address  us  in  much  freedom  of  heart  and  of 
power  for  three  hours,  concluding  somewhat  abruptly, 
but  with  words  which  indicated  -  a  spirit  of  winning  affec 
tion  to  every  one:  'I  see  your  time  is  up,  but  I  hope  to 
have  farther  opportunities  of  addressing  you/  and  solemnly 
pronounced  the  apostolic  benediction." 

The  many  opportunities  of  hearing  Mr.  B.,  enjoyed 
by  the  men  of  the  93d  Regiment,  were  eagerly  improved 
by  them;  and  the  following  description  of  the  bearing  of 
his  preaching  upon  them,  and  which  has  been  drawn  by 
one  of  themselves,  then  a  non-commissioned  officer,  is 
singularly  graphic: — "I  have  known  the  Rev.  W.  C.  B. 
to  send  this  famous  regiment,  these  heroes  of  Balaclava, 
home  to  their  barracks,  after  hearing  him  preach,  every 
man  of  them  less  or  more  affected ;  not  a  high  word,  or 
breath,  or  whisper  heard  among  them;  each  man  looking 
more  serious  than  his  comrade;  awe-struck,  'like  men 
that  dreamed  they  were;'  and  when  at  home,  dismissed 
from  parade,  they  could  not  dismiss  their  fears.  Out  of 
thirty  men,  the  subdivision  of  a  company  under  my 
charge,  living  in  the  same  room,  oiAyfive  were  bold  enough 
that  Sunday  evening  to  go  out  to  their  usual  haunts;  and 
these  must  go  afraid,  as  if  by  stealth,  their  consciences  so 


JEt.  29-31.]  THE  PLACE  D'ARMES.  265 

troubled  them;  the  other  twenty-five,  each  with  Bible  in 
hand,  bemoaning  himself.  Now,  looking  at  the  whole 
regiment  from  what  took  place  in  this  one  room  of  it, 
you  may  be  able  to  judge  of  Mr.  B.'s  powers  as  an  ambas 
sador  of  Christ  with  clear  credentials ! " 

While  in  the  city  of  Montreal,  and  freely  proclaiming 
the  riches  of  grace  in  churches,  and  barrack-rooms,  and 
hospitals,  Mr.  Burns  found  the  field  too  narrow;  and  he 
went  out  to  the  highways,  and  streets,  and  squares  of  the 
city  which  was  the  especial  scene  of  his  apostolic  labours. 
For  the  first  two  or  three  nights  there  was  little  opposition, 
but  the  majority  of  his  hearers  being  Roman  Catholics,  the 
priests  were  made  aware  of  what  was  going  on  and  be 
came  alarmed,  and  violent  opposition  was  the  issue.  He 
never  indeed  used  the  word  Popery,  nor  any  term  directly 
marking  the  system,  or  calculated  to  give  needless  offence ; 
but  his  finger,  it  would  seem,  touched  the  sore  parts  of  the 
malady;  and  the  effect  was  just  as  of  old,  when  the  men 
that  turned  the  world  upside  down  were  assailing  the 
strongholds  of  heathen  superstition  and  sin.  He  writes 
in  his  journal: — 

"  Tuesday,  September  2Qth. — Evening  at  seven  in  open  air 
in  Place  d'Armes,  in  the  centre  of  the  city,  in  front  of  the 
great  Romish  cathedral.  The  proposal  of  this  tried  some 
spirits  among  us.  When  I  went  a  considerable  number  had 
assembled,  and  among  them  a  band  of  the  93d.  I  had  a  fine 
opportunity,  and  felt  the  power  of  the  living  God  with  us. 
Towards  the  end  our  enemies  made  a  commotion.  The 
mayor  of  the  city,  a  Roman  Catholic,  came  to  stop  me,  but  was 
restrained  by  God.  As  we  retired  about  half-past  nine  we 
were  mobbed,  chiefly  as  usual  through  the  excessive  fears  of 


266  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1844-46. 

friends  seeking  to  guard  me  from  violence.  The  mayor 
offered  his  protection,  but  I  said  to  the  people  in  his  presence, 
'  No  one  will  harm  me — it  is  my  own  friends  who  are  creating 
groundless  alarm.  I  would  ask  all  to  go  quietly  home,  and 
if  any  one  is  my  enemy  he  will  give  me  his  arm  and  we  will 
go  together.'  They  quietly  moved  away.  I  put  my  hand  on 
my  white  neckcloth  and  moved  on  unknown  to  the  multitude. 
If  the  kingdom  of  Satan  is  to  be  disturbed  here,  this  is  but 
the  shadow  of  what  will  yet  come,  and  then  shall  many  be 
offended.  .  .  . 

"Friday,  September  2jth. — At  half -past  five  in  Place 
d'Armes,  awfully  mocked  and  pelted,  though  with  nothing 
deadly,  yet  got  much  truth  delivered  both  while  here  and  after 
going  to  an  adjoining  street,  where  a  gentleman  walking  with 
me  was  struck  on  the  back.  While  in  the  Place  d'Armes, 
one  of  the  magistrates,  evidently,  I  think,  a  Romanist,  came 
and  ordered  me  to  remove,  threatening  me  with  the  exercise 
of  his  power  if  I  did  not.  I  said  I  was  doing  no  harm,  and 
would  continue,  and  that  he  might  take  me  to  prison  if  he 
pleased ;  I  was  ready.  He  shrunk  away  and  left  me  to  go 
on.  I  feel  that  standing  thus  in  the  breach,  though  it  may 
have  no  other  effect,  invigorates  my  own  faith,  lifts  a  testi 
mony  honouring  to  God,  and  sets  me  on  a  high  vantage- 
ground  in  preaching  in  the  churches.  .  .  . 

"  Saturday,  September  28^. — This  evening  I  was  again  in 
the  field  about  six  o'clock.  A  great  number  assembled,  and, 
in  contrast  with  the  previous  night,  they  seemed  to  have  ears 
given  them  to  hear.  This  continued  for  some  time,  but  after 
wards  they  began  to  throw  gravel,  &c.,  and  to  jostle  me  in  the 
crowd.  Little  evil  might  have  come  of  this,  had  not  some 
who  befriended  me  as  a  Scotchman  sought  to  save  me  from 
danger;  and  thus  my  back  being  turned  the  crowd  rushed  on 
me,  and  I  got  away  without  my  hat  and  one  of  the  tails  of 
my  coat  containing  a  handkerchief  and  Bible.  Their  enmity 
was  so  great  that  I  believe  the  Bible  was  torn  to  pieces  as 
well  as  the  rest,  the  hat  only  being  recovered.  I  got  into  a 


jEt.  29-31.]     "THE  MARKS  OF  THE  LORD  JESUS."  267 

shop,  where  many  who  trembled  for  me  would  have  had  me 
to  remain,  but  I  was  quite  above  all  fear,  and  went  out  again 
alone  among  the  people,  and  got  much  opportunity  of  declar 
ing  the  truth  on  the  way  home.  Surely  these  displays  of 
enmity  are  a  token  that  the  Prince  of  darkness  is  in  some 
degree  afraid ! " 

These  furious  onsets  are  described  by  eye-witnesses  as 
having  been  most  terrible,  and  as  having  more  than  once 
threatened  serious  consequences.  Thus,  on  one  occasion, 
that  evidently  referred  to  in  one  of  the  above  extracts,  his 
coat  was  torn,  his  hat  was  knocked  off  and  trampled  on  the 
ground;  and  his  pocket-Bible,  his  constant  companion, 
torn  from  his  hand.  On  the  other,  a  stone  thrown  with 
violence  inflicted  a  severe  wound  on  his  cheek,  and  it 
bled  freely.  A  few  of  the  93d  rushed  through  the  crowd, 
and  one  in  anxiety  said,  "What's  this?  what's  this?" 
Smiling,  he  replied,  "  Never  mind,  it's  only  a  few  scars  in 
the  Master's  service."  He  was  carried  into  the  medical 
chamber  of  Dr.  Macnider,  near  at  hand,  when  that 
beloved  Christian  physician  skilfully  sewed  up  the  wound. 
He  came  forth  speedily  as  if  nothing  had  taken  place; 
and  looking  round  calmly  from  his  reassumed  position, 
he  exclaimed  in  the  words  of  the  great  apostle  of  the 
Gentiles: — "I  bear  in  my  body  the  marks  of  the  Lord 
Jesus." 

Another  hot  day  of  battle  is  thus  vividly  described  by 
the  Rev.  William  Arnot,  of  the  Free  High  Church,  Edin 
burgh,  who  happened  to  be  in  Montreal  at  the  same  time, 
and  who  himself  bravely  joined  him  on  the  forlorn  hope. 
"Once,"  he  writes,  "I  went  with  him  to  the  Haymarket 


268  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1844-46. 

Square,  where  he  meant  to  preach  in  English.  I  went 
somewhat  anxious  for  his  safety,  with  intent  to  help  him 
if  need  should  arise.  A  circle  soon  gathered.  He  began 
to  preach.  More  assembled  outside— thicker  and  thicker 
the  girdle  grew,  but  the  roughest  were  outside.  William 
and  I  stood  alone  in  the  middle  of  the  ring,  hedged  very 
closely  in,  but  the  gentlest  nearest  us.  Where  they  stood 
at  first,  they  remained.  No  possibility  of  movement. 
Noise  and  throwing  of  dirt  increased.  When  he  became 
somewhat  wearied  I  now  and  then  took  up  the  address, 
and  the  change  of  voice  operated  a  little  in  our  favour  for 
getting  a  hearing.  One  Irish  voice  from  the  outside 
interrupted  William  at  one  time,  shouting  clear  over  all 
the  din,  'The  devil's  dead.'  A  great  laugh  followed. 
When  it  hushed,  William  struck  in  with  a  plaintive  voice, 
tinged  almost  with  the  sarcastic,  'Ah !  then,  you  are  a  poor 
fatherless  child!'  This  raised  a  laugh  in  his  favour,  and 
under  cover  of  it  he  was  enabled  to  proceed  for  a  while. 
We  were  besmeared  with  mud,  thrown  from  the  outer 
circles,  but  not  hurt. 

"The  violent  opposition  of  the  Irish,  however,  eventually 
drove  him  off.  He  desisted,  as  the  first  missionaries 
did,  when  the  persecution  became  violent,  and  went  to 
another  city." 

At  length  the  hostile  Romanist  mayor  was  replaced  in 
his  office  by  another  of  different  spirit — an  excellent 
Protestant  gentleman,  of  the  Wesleyan  body,  who  lent  the 
full  weight  of  his  authority  and  moral  support  to  the  cause 
of  order  and  of  peace.  Appearing  seasonably  at  one  of 
the  meetings  where  tumultuous  disturbances  were  appre- 


jEt.  29-31.]  THE    FRENCH    CANADIANS.  269 

bended,  he  speedily  succeeded  in  calming  the  storm,  and 
the  assembly  soon  dispersed  without  injury  to  any  one. 
Thereafter  he  waited  on  Mr.  Burns  for  consultation  on 
the  case.  As  soon  as  he  had  stated  the  object  of  his 
visit,  said  Mr.  Burns,  "Let  us  pray;"  when  as  they  knelt 
together  he  touched  the  mayor  on  the  shoulder  and  said, 
"You'll  pray."  He  did  pray,  asking  the  divine  direction, 
and  a  blessing  on  the  labours  of  Mr.  Burns,  and  left  him 
with  the  single  request  that  he  would  send  him  notice 
when  and  where  he  would  next  preach. 

The  city  of  Montreal  was  only  one,  though  perhaps 
the  most  important  scene  of  Mr.  Burns'  Canadian 
labours.  His  mission  was  to  the  whole  dominion  of 
Canada,  which  may  be  considered  now  as  including, 
or  as  designed  to  include,  all  the  dependencies  of  the 
British  crown  in  North  America.  In  1844  the  name 
embraced  only  two  branches  of  one  province,  Canada 
East  and  Canada  West;  the  former  being  now  termed 
the  province  of  Quebec,  and  the  latter  that  of  Ontario. 
Lower  Canada  was  then,  as  it  had  been  for  ages  and  still 
is,  settled  by  French  Canadians,  speaking  the  French 
language,  and  subject  to  debasing  superstition  and  a 
dominant  priestcraft.  The  whole  land  groans  under  the 
tyrannical  sway  of  perhaps  the  most  wealthy  and  powerful 
hierarchy  under  the  dominion  of  the  see  of  Rome.  We 
have  no  doubt  that  in  seeing  their  splendid  palaces,  their 
magnificent  cathedrals,  colleges,  and  convents;  in  seeing 
the  lovely  land  almost  wholly  "given  to  idolatry,"  the 
spirit  of  Mr.  Burns  was  greatly  stirred  within  him.  Hence 
the  interest  he  took,  all  the  time  he  was  in  Canada,  in  the 


270  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1844-46. 

state  of  the  poor  "habitants,"  the  benighted  French 
Canadian  Roman  Catholics;  and  hence  the  avidity  and 
the  success  with  which,  as  we  shall  presently  see,  he 
revived  his  knowledge  of  the  French  language,  so  as  to  be 
able,  in  a  comparatively  short  space  of  time,  to  speak 
intelligibly  and  fluently  in  the  French  tongue. 

Canada  West,  or  Ontario  as  it  is  now  called,  may  be 
termed  a  Protestant  country,  inhabited  too  no  doubt  by 
many  Roman  Catholics  especially  from  Ireland,  and  by 
not  a  few  settlers  from  Germany  and  the  United  States ; 
but  unquestionably  the  English  and  the  Scottish  elements 
greatly  preponderate.  The  leading  Protestant  denomina 
tions  are,  Episcopalians,' Presbyterians,  Methodists,  Bap 
tists,  and  Congregationalists.  Of  these,  the  first  three  are 
each  nearly  equal  in  point  of  numbers,  amounting  to  not 
much  less  than  one  million  in  all.  The  population  of  the 
whole  "Dominion,"  including  Nova  Scotia  and  New 
Brunswick,  is  estimated  at  four  millions.  Prior  to  the  era 
of  the  Disruption  in  1843,  the  state  of  our  countrymen  in 
Canada  was  anything  but  promising.  The  framework  of 
a  Presbyterian  church  was  indeed  set  up,  and  a  number 
of  pious  ministers  had  been  from  time  to  time  sent  out 
both  by  the  Establishment  and  the  Secession;  and  the 
annals  of  the  early  Presbyterian  church  are  adorned 
with  a  few  noble  names.  Generally  speaking,  however, 
the  system  was  cold,  formal,  and  stiff;  and  spiritual 
religion  in  the  line  of  Scottish  Presbyterianism  was  low. 
The  Disruption  wrought  wonders  for  Canada.  Many 
pious  men  in  the  cities  and  in  the  land  generally  sighed 
for  a  change;  and  the  arrival  of  deputies  from  the  Free 


jEt.  29-31.]       VISIT    TO    A    ROMAN    CATHOLIC    COLLEGE.         271 

Church  in  regular  succession  for  five  years,  formed  quite 
a  hew  era  in  the  religious  history  of  the  province. 

No  Protestant  missionary  can  be  useful  to  any  great 
extent  in  "Lower  Canada"  who  is  not  able  to  converse 
and  to  preach  in  the  French  language;  and  Mr.  Burns 
very  soon  felt  the  necessity  of  revising  his  attainments  in 
that  direction.  So  successful  was  he  in  this,  that  he  not 
only  addressed  the  "habitants"  regularly  in  their  own 
language,  but,  seemingly  with  the  view  of  acquiring  still 
greater  facility  in  the  use  of  it,  he  wrote  a  large  proportion 
of  his  Canadian  journal  in  the  French  language.  As  a 
specimen  of  his  manner  of  dealing  with  his  French 
auditors,  and  the  admirable  tact  with  which  he  met 
occasional  cases  of  argument  and  appeal,  we  select  the 
following  letter  addressed  to  friends  in  Scotland  from  a 
place  at  some  distance  from  Montreal : — 

"Farnham,  Lower  Canada,  April  2ist,  1845. — MY  DEAR 
FRIENDS, — When  I  last  wrote  to  Mr.  Milne  about  a  month 
ago,  I  was  at  the  French  Canadian  Missionary  House  at  St. 
Re",  twenty-three  miles  from  where  I  now  am.  I  returned  to 
Montreal  shortly  after,  and  had  the  great  pleasure  of  receiv 
ing  on  my  arrival  your  welcome  letter.  I  desire  to  thank  you 
for  your  great  kindness  in  ministering  to  my  temporal  wants, 
but  much  more,  as  you  yourselves  say,  for  seeking  to  bear  me 
on  your  hearts  at  a  throne  of  grace.  My  temporal  wants  are 
few,  and  Canada  can  easily  supply  them  all  •  but  my  spiritual 
necessities  are  very  great,  and  I  dwell  indeed  in  a  dry  and 
parched  land,  where  no  water  is ;  yet  I  cannot  deny  that  I 
find  by  experience  that  the  God  of  Israel  is  everywhere 
present  with  his  poor  people,  and  that  his  presence  is  not 
excluded  from  the  recesses  of  a  Canadian  forest.  I  could 
not  but  remark  that  your  season  for  specially  remembering 


272  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1844-46. 

me  was  very  nearly  one  when  I  needed  very  special  support, 
and  when  I  saw  the  Lord  very  clearly  leading  me  in  a  path 
that  I  knew  not.  On  the  second  day  after  I  received  your 
letter  (28th  March)  I  again  left  Montreal,  with  the  view  of 
visiting  some  desolate  settlements  of  Protestants  (chiefly 
Scotch  and  Irish)  in  the  quarter  where  I  still  am,  and  also 
desiring  to  find  some  opening  among  the  poor  French 
Canadians,  who  are  the  principal  inhabitants  here  and 
around.  One  of  my  fellow-travellers  was  a  young  Canadian 
student  at  the  French  college  of  St.  Hyacinthe,  with  whom 
I  had  some  conversation.  He  said  if  I  were  at  their  college 
they  would  soon  convince  me  that  I  was  in  error.  The  open 
ing  was  too  favourable  to  be  neglected,  and  I  said  that  if 
I  was  in  the  neighbourhood  I  would  certainly  call  upon  him. 
In  consequence  of  this  .the  following  Wednesday  (April  2d) 
I  set  out  for  Yamaska,  the  seat  of  the  college.  TJie  thaw 
here  was  so  rapid  at  that  time  that  the  most  of  the  bridges 
were  swept  away  by  the  breaking  up  of  the  ice,  which  till 
then,  as  you  may  suppose,  had  formed  so  strong  a  covering, 
that  the  heaviest  waggons  could  pass  and  repass  upon  the 
rivers.  In  consequence,  I  found  that  the  stage  could  not 
proceed,  and  that  I  must  either  go  on  foot  or  return.  I  felt  it 
my  duty  to  go  on ;  and  though  the  distance  was  considerable 
(eighteen  miles)  in  deep  roads,  I  easily  made  it  out,  and 
reached  the  college  on  Thursday  at  seven  o'clock.  I  must 
also  mention  a  circumstance  which  happened  by  the  way, 
which  was  remarkable  when  connected  with  what  it  led  to. 
When  I  was  about  half-way  I  was  a  little  fatigued,  and  was 
wishing  to  find  some  house  where  I  might  rest  a  little ;  but 
the  houses  were  all  French,  and  I  saw  no  appearance  of  a 
public  inn.  However,  the  Lord  directed  me.  Beside  the 
road  I  saw  a  sheep  which  had  got  into  a  muddy  ditch,  and 
seemed  to  be  unable  to  get  out.  I  of  course  laid  hold  of  it 
and  pulled  it  out,  thinking  of  the  parable  of  Jesus.  The 
people  in  the  nearest  house  came  out,  and  we  got  into  con 
versation  about  the  lost  sheep  in  the  gospel.  I  asked  them 


JEt.  20-31.]        VISIT   TO    A    ROMAN    CATHOLIC    COLLEGE.        273 

if  there  was  any  house  where  I  could  refresh  myself;  they 
invited  me  in  with  them.  I  told  them  on  entering  who  I 
was ;  that  if  they  wished  it  I  might  pass  on,  or  if  otherwise, 
that  I  might  speak  to  them  the  more  freely.  They  did  not 
object  to  receive  me  as  a  Protestant  and  a  Scotch  minister  of 
the  gospel,  and  when  we  began  to  converse  about  the  nature 
of  my  religion  as  compared  with  theirs,  they  were  so  en 
gaged  that  it  was  difficult  to  get  away  from  them,  after  re 
maining  with  them  a  full  hour  and  a  half.  They  askecl  me 
to  remain  during  the  night,  as  they  said  that  with  such 
roads  I  could  not  reach  my  destination.  However,  as  I  was 
obliged  to  return  from  Yamaska  the  following  day  (Friday) 
in  order  to  fulfil  another  engagement,  I  resolved  to  go 
forward,  and  bade  them  adieu.  I  got  easily  forward,  being 
supported  by  a  strong  sense  of  duty,  and  by  the  presence,  I 
trust,  of  the  great  Master  himself,  and  on  arriving  called 
for  the  young  man  I  have  alluded  to.  He  seemed  more  care 
less  than  before,  and  was  evidently  afraid  to  show  to  any  of 
those  around  him  any  mark  of  anxiety.  He  said,  'If  you 
wish  to  see  any  of  the  priests  I  will  let  them  know.'  'No/  I 
replied ;  '  I  have  no  such  desire  on  my  own  account,  as  I 
have  no  doubt  that  they  are  in  deadly  error,  and  that  this 
book  (the  Bible)  contains  the  truth  of  God.  It  is  for  your 
benefit  that  I  am  come,  and  if  you  have  any  desire  to  be 
instructed,  you  must  ask  them  to  converse  on  the  subject  in 
your  presence.  He  hesitated  at  this,  but  said, '  If  you  be  here 
to-morrow,  you  may  call  at  twelve  o'clock,  when  it  will  be 
more  convenient  than  now.'  I  spent  the  night  in  a  French 
inn,  and  the  object  of  my  visit  becoming  known,  occasioned 
doubtless  a  good  deal  of  conversation,  and  led  in  particular 
two  strangers  to  ask  me  to  converse  with  them  on  the  subject. 
At  the  hour  appointed  I  went  to  the  college,  and  found  the 
young  man  of  the  same  mind  as  before.  However,  he  said, 
'I  will  go  and  see  what  the  priests  say.'  He  returned  after 
some  time  to  tell  me  that  they  absolutely  refused  to  speak 
with  me  on  these  things  unless  I  met  them  entirely  alone. 

s 


274  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1844-46. 

Of  course  I  had  no  wish  for  this,  as  it  might  have  been 
turned  to  a  bad  purpose;  and  after  warning  a  number  of 
the  young  men  of  the  awful  danger  of  allowing  themselves  to 
be  blindly  led  by  those  who  feared  the  light,  I  came  away, 
and  set  out  on  my  journey.  These  young  men  told  me  they 
were  not  allowed  to  see  the  Bible,  although  not  younger  than 
seventeen.  As  I  came  along  the  street  in  front  of  the  French 
church,  thinking  that  I  had  seen  the  end  of  my  visit,  to  my 
surprise  I  met  the  man  in  whose  house  I  had  been  the 
previous  day,  and  whom  some  business  had  brought  to  the 
village.  On  learning  the  result  of  my  visit  to  the  college, 
he  said,  'Come,  we  will  go  to  the  curd  (parish  priest)  and 
converse  with  him.'  I  told  him  I  was  willing,  provided  he 
understood  that  it  was  on  his  account  that  we  went.  '  He 
entered,  and  after  a  little  returned  and  invited  me  in.  I 
there  met  three  priests  and  a  number  of  their  poor  parish 
ioners,  and  after  explaining  the  circumstances  which  led  to 
our  meeting,  we  had  a  solemn  and  interesting  interview  for 
some  time,  during  which  I  had  an  opportunity  of  stating 
some  important  truths  which  may  yet  be  blessed,  and  of 
bringing  before  them  the  question  of  their  own  personal  sal 
vation.  I  have  indeed  cause  to  wonder  at  the  strength  given 
me  on  this  occasion,  and  also,  that  though  our  intercourse 
was  altogether  in  a  foreign  tongue,  I  felt  scarcely  more  diffi 
culty  than  in  English.  Since  that  time  I  have  been  preach 
ing  among  the  Protestants  exclusively,  although  now  and 
then  I  find  an  opportunity  of  meeting  a  few  Canadians. 
Their  spiritual  sleep  is  indeed  deep,  and  such  as  no  power 
but  that  of  God  can  break,  even  so  far  as  to  lead  them  to 
hear  the  truth.  Their  leaders  cause  them  to  err,  and  the 
poor  people  love  to  have  it  so.  I  have  seen  nothing  very  re 
markable  of  a  spiritual  nature  among  our  countrymen  since 
I  came  to  Canada,  but  our  meetings  are  often  very  solemn, 
and  during  these  past  days  I  have  seen  as  much  appearance 
of  impression  as  since  I  came  to  this  land.  It  is  my  inten 
tion  to  return  soon  to  Montreal  for  a  time,  and  it  may  be 


JEt.  29-31.]  INVERNESS    SETTLEMENT.  275 

that  when  this  reaches  you  I  shall  be  attempting  again  to 
reach  the  multitude  there  in  the  open  air,  and  that  in  both 
languages.  You  will  then  see  what  need  we  have  of  your 
prayers.  My  heart  is  often  among  you,  and  I  do  often  plead 
for  your  salvation,  and  the  advancement  of  Emmanuel's  glory 
in  you.  I  close  these  lines  with  the  words  I  spoke  on  here 
yesterday  evening:  'The  grace  of  God  that  bringeth  salva 
tion  hath  appeared  to  all  men,  teaching  us  that,  denying  un 
godliness  and  worldly  lusts,  we  should  live  soberly,  right 
eously,  and  godly  in  this  present  world;  looking  for  that 
blessed  hope,  and  the  glorious  appearing  of  the  great  God  and 
our  Saviour  Jesus  Christ,  who  gave  himself  for  us,  that  he 
might  redeem  us  from  all  iniquity,  and  purify  unto  himself  a 
peculiar  people,  zealous  of  good  works/ 

"May  these  glorious  ends  be  accomplished  in  you  and  me 
to  his  name's  glory !  Commending  you  to  God  and  to  the 
word  of  his  grace,  which  is  able  to  build  you  up,  and  to  give 
you  an  inheritance  among  all  them  that  are  sanctified,  I  am 
ever  yours  in  the  bonds  of  the  gospel, — W.  C.  BURNS." 

After  a  second  visit  of  a  few  days  to  Quebec,  where  it 
will  be  remembered  he  first  opened  his  commission  as  a 
herald  of  the  cross  on  American  ground,  he  was  invited 
to  visit  Leeds  and  the  Gaelic  district  of  Inverness  settle 
ments,  about  fifty  miles  from  the  city.  It  was  on  this 
occasion  he  revived  his  knowledge  of  the  Gaelic  language, 
already  somewhat  familiar  to  him  from  his  visits  to  the 
Highlands  of  Perthshire;  and  the  raftsmen  who  were  his 
fellow -voyagers  on  the  St.  Lawrence  were  valuable  assist 
ants  to  him  in  this  work,  while  he  imparted  to  them  the 
rich  treasures  of  evangelical  truth.  The  settlers  at  Inver 
ness  heard  from  his  lips  the  glorious  gospel  in  the  language 
most  familiar  to  them,  and  the  blessed  results  were  deep 
and  lasting.  When  Mr.  Clark  of  Quebec  and  Dr.  Burns 


276  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1844-46. 

of  Toronto  visited  the  same  place  in  1863  they  found  a 
fresh  revival  of  religion,  specially  marked  by  distinct  me 
morials  of  the  earlier 'labours  of  Mr.  Burns.  The  visit  of 
these  gentlemen  was  in  the  midst  of  harvest;  but  the 
labourers,  eager  to  hear,  found  two  hours  at  mid-day, 
besides  two  hours  in  the  evening,  to  wait  on  the  preaching 
of  the  Word. 

In  regard  to  the  attainments  of  Mr.  Burns  in  the  lan 
guage  of  the  settlers,  we  have  been  favoured  with  the 
following  testimony  of  the  Rev.  Mr.  M'Rae,  of  Knock- 
bain,  one  of  our  ablest  Gaelic  scholars.1  Mr.  M.  is 
speaking  of  a  visit  to  Brodick,  in  the  Isle  of  Arran,  in  1847, 
when  Mr.  B.  was  his  fellow-labourer: — "As  I  was  always 
at  hand  to  address  the  people  in  Gaelic,  he  made  less 
use  of  that  language  than  otherwise  he  might  have  done. 
But  on  one  occasion  he  read  a  psalm  in  Gaelic,  and  com 
mented  upon  it,  when  many  of  the  people  remarked  that 

they  understood  him  better  than  they  did  Mr.  ,  a 

minister  who  had  been  recently  preaching  to  them.  On 
several  occasions,  when  addressing  the  people  in  English, 
he  introduced  Gaelic  words  and  phrases,  and  pointed  out 
their  expressiveness  and  beauty.  For  instance,  speaking  of 
the  term  'adoption]  he  said,  'In  your  own  beautiful  language 
it  is  uchd-mhachd,  bosom-sonship  S  and  again  commenting  on 
2  Corinthians  v.  20:  'I  beseech  you  in  Christ's  stead,'  he 
said,  'In  your  own  language  it  is  very  striking,  as  uchd 
Chriosd,  out  of  Christ's  bosom,'  as  if  the  preacher  were  a 
voice  from  Christ's  own  heart  inviting  perishing  sinners. 
Mr.  B.'s  knowledge  of  Gaelic  was  wonderful,  considering 
1  Letter  dated  I2th  December,  1868. 


JEt.  29-31:.]         PROFICIENCY    IN    GAELIC    LANGUAGE.  277 

the  short  time  he  had  devoted  to  the  study  of  it."  "  He 
pronounced  the  Gaelic  with  astonishing  accuracy,  show 
ing  a  mastery  over  the  very  shibboleths  of  the  language." 
"The  copy  of  the  Gaelic  Scriptures  which  he  used  he  had 
received  from  a  soldier  in  a  Highland  regiment,  and  he 
manifestly  regarded  it  as  a  valuable  memento." 

The  following  notices  from  an  intelligent  correspondent 
afford  some  interesting  glimpses  of  his  labours  elsewhere: 

"At  Williamstown,  where  the  church  was  denied  him 
by  the  minister  and  session,  the  innkeeper  readily  allowed 
Mr.  Burns  to  preach  under  his  roof,  to  a  very  respectable 
audience  of  attentive  listeners.  At  Lochiel  he  stood  in 
a  waggon  by  the  roadside  and  freely  proclaimed  the  glad 
tidings  of  salvation,  one  of  his  hearers,  against  his  wishes, 
holding  an  umbrella  over  his  head  to  protect  him  from 
the  scorching  rays  of  a  Canadian  sun. 

"  In  the  afternoon  he  preached  in  a  barn,  from  Psalm 
xvii.  8,  which  sermon  was  blessed  for  the  conversion  of 
one  individual,  who  is  now  one  of  the  principal  elders  of 
the  Free  Church  there. 

"  In  Kenyon  he  preached  in  English,  but  many  of  the 
Gaelic  people  waited  to  hear  him.  A  pious  old  woman, 
who  understood  no  English,  was  asked  why  she  remained. 
She  replied,  'I  thought  it  would  be  a  privilege  to  be  in 
cluded  in  that  dear  minister's  prayers.  And  another  thing 
did  me  good :  he  seemed  to  dwell  particularly  on  one 
word,  spoken  in  such  sweet  tones,  it  sent  a  glow  to  my 
heart — the  word  'salvation;'  what  does  that  mean?' 

"  During  the  communion  services  at  Indian  Lands,  where 
his  labours  on  a  previous  visit  had  been  blessed  to  many, 


278  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1844-46. 

he  preached  for  several  successive  days  to  crowds  of 
eager  listeners,  who  with  one  accord  declared  they  had 
never  heard  such  glorious  truths.  In  addressing  the 
communicants,  one  of  his  persuasive  remarks  was,  'If 
you  cannot  come  in  by  the  saint's  door,  oh !  come  in  by 
the  sinner's !'  A  poor  idiot  who  had  been  present  remained 
after  the  congregation  dispersed,  and  walked  around  the 
small  tent  (where  Mr.  Burns  still  lingered,  engaged  in 
prayer),  several  times,  exclaiming,  'You  touch  my  heart, 
you  touch  my  heart.'  Mr.  B.'s  attention  was  attracted  to 
him;  one  of  the  people  told  him  not  to  mind  the  man,  he 
was  a  fool.  'Ay,  ay,  one  of  Christ's  fools,  perhaps/  which 
rebuked  the  man.  Learning  that  there  was  a  small  colony 
of  French  Canadians  several  miles  distant,  he  immediately 
decided  upon  visiting  them,  and  having  first  addressed 
the  English  people  of  the  place,  in  a  grist-mill,  he  then 
preached  to  the  French  quite  fluently  in  their  own  language. 
They  listened  as  if  spell-bound.  He  afterwards  conversed 
with  them  individually  in  fluent  French,  and  they  united 
in  saying,  '  He  was  the  best  priest  they  ever  heard  speak 
ing.'" 

In  moving  from  place  to  place  on  his  evangelistic  tours 
in  the  country  districts,  Mr. 'Burns  did  not  often  avail 
himself  of  the  conveyances  readily  provided  by  friends, 
but  if  at  all  practicable  would  invariably  travel  on  foot, 
so  as  to  avail  himself  of  the  opportunities  afforded  in 
this  way  of  speaking  a  word  in  season  and  out  of  season 
to  groups  of  labourers  working  in  the  fields,  or  any  one 
whom  he  happened  to  meet  travelling  on  the  highway.  It 
is  only  those  who  have  been  in  Canada  that  can  know  how 


JEt.  29-31.]  UIN    JOURNEYINGS    OFTEN."  279 

trying,  and  therefore  how  rare  such  foot  travelling  must 
be,  owing  to  the  extremes  of  heat  and  cold,  and  the  rude 
state  of  the  roads.  When  going  on  long  journeys,  and 
obliged  to  sail  on  the  lakes,  it  was  his  constant  practice 
to  preach  on  board  the  steamers  to  all  who  might  be 
disposed  to  hear  him.  On  these  occasions  he  more  par 
ticularly  addressed  himself  to  the  deck  passengers,  usually 
composed  of  emigrants  and  persons  of  the  labouring  and 
of  the  poorer  classes.  The  calm  and  peaceful  surface 
of  the  expanding  lakes,  and  the  even  flow  of  the  mighty 
rivers,  greatly  favoured  such  evangelistic  efforts.  The 
more  intelligent  and  respectable  managers  on  such  con 
veyances  encouraged  these  efforts  by  granting  a  free 
passage;  and  there  cannot  be  a  doubt  that  such  unre 
quited  and  humble  methods  of  doing  good  have  been 
frequently  owned  by  a  blessing  from  on  high.  If  Mr. 
Burns  was  known  afterwards  in  China  as  "the  man  of  the 
book,"  he  was  equally  so  known  in  Canada,  as  well  as 
in  his  native  land. 

The  following  short  sketch  taken  from  his  journal  may 
give  some  idea  of  the  variety  and  extent  of  his  labours 
as  a  missionary  in  Canada  West,  while  it  embraces  also 
places  visited  by  him  within  the  line  of  East  or  Lower 
Canada.  "I  have  preached  at  St.  Eustache,  Lachute, 
St.  Andrews,  Hawkesbury,  L'Original,  and  Vankleekhill, 
and  yesterday  evening  I  preached  twice  in  French,  but 
these  meetings  have  not  been  large.— Cornwall,  Saturday, 
July  26//i,  1845.  In  the  course  of  these  last  weeks  I 
have  preached  often  in  English  and  in  French,  at  Lochiel, 
Indian  Lands,  Kenyon,  Roxbury,  Finch,  Martintown, 


280  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1844-46. 

Williamstown,  Lancaster,  &c.  I  have  had  nine  little  French 
meetings  since  the  last  date.     In  general  they  were  well 
disposed  to  listen  to  the  word.     Some  of  our  English 
meetings  have  been  very  large  and  serious;  but  alas!  the 
spiritual  deadness  of  this  country  is  very  great.     It  became 
at  last  necessary  for  me  to  bear  a  distinct  testimony  to  the 
principles  of  the  Free  Church.     The  report  of  the  pro 
ceedings  of  the  Assembly  of  that  church  are  interesting. 
Their  prosperity  in  an  external  point  of  view  is  very 
remarkable.     May  their  spiritual  prosperity  be  in  propor 
tion.     There  was  formerly  at  Martintown  near  this,  a  true 
minister  of  Jesus  Christ  named  Connel,  who  appears  to 
have  been  the  means  of  saving  many  souls.     He  died  ten 
years  ago,  but  his  memory  is  blessed,  as  is  that  of  all  the 
just.    After  having  preached  at  Cornwall,  and  further  down 
on  the  shores  of  the  St.  Lawrence,  I  crossed  the  Salmon 
river  to  Dundee,  quite  near  New  York  state,  and  from  that 
place  I  preached  as  I  went  along  towards  Montreal,  where 
I  arrived  last  Thursday;  having  visited  on  my  way  Fort 
Covington,  in   New  York  state,  La  Riviere   De  Loup, 
Lake  Strove,  Huntingdon,  St.  Michael's,  Durham,  North 
Georgetown.     Sometimes  I  have  been  a  little  encouraged, 
but  in  general  spiritual  religion,  which  alone  saves  the 
human  soul,  appears  to  be  very  rare.     Nevertheless  I  have 
met   with   some   people   who    seem   to   love   the   Lord. 
Yesterday  I  tried  again  to  preach  out  of  doors,  but  with 
little  success.     They  stoned  and  pelted  me  with  mud, 
but  by  the  grace  of  God  I  escaped  danger.     One  poor 
man  in  the  crowd  recognized  me  as  the  person  whom  he 
had  seen  beaten  at  Dublin  near  the  custom-house.     Al- 


yEt.  29-31.]  MANIFOLD    JOURNEYS    AND    LABOURS.  281 

though  a  Romanist,  he  appeared  yesterday  much  disposed 
to  listen  to  the  word,  and  his  testimony  in  my  favour  will 
be  undoubtedly  useful  among  his  countrymen."  After  a 
fortnight's  labour  at  By  town,  now  the  city  of  Ottawa,  where 
Mr.  Wardrope,  the  excellent  minister  there,  had  been  re 
cently  settled,  he  visited  Bristol,  Perth,  Lanark,  Dalhousie, 
Beckwith,  Smith's  Falls,  Carleton  Place,  St.  Andrews, 
Brockville,  Prescott,  and  Kingston.  At  this  last  place  he 
remained  some  weeks,  and  besides  supplying  the  Free 
Church  there,  he  preached  seven  times  to  the  soldiers  of  the 
7  ist  Regiment  whom  he  had  formerly  seen.  The  principal 
officer  gave  him  liberty  to  do  so,  and  this  he  devoutly 
notices  as  a  proof  of  encouragement  from  God.  He 
preached  also  in  the  country  all  around,  particularly 
Gananoque,  Glenburnie,  and  two  other  places;  meeting 
everywhere  with  encouragement  more  or  less.  He  visited 
also  Cobourg,  Belleville,  and  other  places  adjacent,  such 
as  Demorestville,  Picton,  and  Napanee.  When  at  King 
ston  he  received  through  Dr.  Begg,  who  had  come  out  as 
a  deputy  from  the  Free  Church,  a  letter  inviting  him  to 
visit  France.  The  impression  on  his  mind  by  this  circum 
stance  is  thus  noted  in  his  journal: — "Perhaps  the  Lord 
intends  to  call  me  thither,  to  bear  testimony  to  his  truth. 
May  his  will  be  done !  Nevertheless,  I  must  go  to  the 
upper  part  of  this  province;  to  London,  for  example, 
and  its  vicinity."  He  then  adverts  to  his  visits  to, 
and  missionary  labours  at,  Fredericksburg,  Peterborough, 
Ottonabee,  Port  Hope,  Clarke,  Newcastle,  Toronto,  Nia 
gara,  Streetsville,  and  Esquesing;  "preaching,"  as  he  says, 
"everywhere  the  word  of  God  which  liveth  and  endureth 


282  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1844-46. 

for  ever."  "At  Toronto,"  he  says,  "I  had  much  pleasure  in 
meeting  with  the  young  men  who  are  at  college  preparing 
for  the  work  of  the  ministry.    There  are  some  among  them 
who  seem  to  be  true  Christians;  and  they  are  all  making 
satisfactory  progress  in  their  studies."      In  the  summer  of 
1846  he  visited  a  considerable  portion  of  the  western  terri 
tory,  preaching  at  Oakville,  Wellington  Square,  Hamilton, 
London,  St.  Thomas,  Williams,  Lobo,  Southwold,  Dun- 
wich,  Aldbro,   Mora,   Eckford,  Chatham,  Amherstburgh 
near  the  boundary  line,  Detroit  in  the  United  States,  and 
Port  Sarnia,  meeting  everywhere  with  encouragement.     At 
Amherstburgh,  he  preached  to  a  congregation  of  blacks, 
formerly  slaves,  who  interested  him  much.      At  Sarnia 
he  preached  by  means  of  an  interpreter  to  an  interesting 
assembly  of  American  Indians,  who  are  under  the  instruc 
tions  of  the  Methodist  missionaries;  and,  as  might  have 
been   expected,    the   meeting   and    exercises   were   very 
solemn   and   edifying.     Two   months'  labours  were  be 
stowed   on   Imperial,  Woodstock,   Beechville,   Bradford, 
Lower  Stratford,  &c.     In  1846  most  of  the  places  visited 
by  Mr.  Burns  in  Canada  West  were  as  yet  unsupplied 
either  with  Free  Churches  or  ministers;  and  his  labours 
and  varied  ministrations  were  singularly  blessed  of  God, 
as    means    of   uniting    and    quickening    the    members. 
Among  the  ministers  whom  he  found  settled  in  those 
parts,  we  notice  the  names  of  Messrs.  Wardrope,  Graham, 
and  Macalester,  all  of  whom  often  spoke  of  the  great 
refreshing  and  spiritual  edification  enjoyed  by  them  and 
their  people  from  his  visits.     Of  the  labours  also  of  the 
Free  Church  deputies,  particularly  Dr.  Bonar,  Mr.  Arnot, 


JEt.  29-31.]          REVIVAL    SCENES    IN    THE    FAR    WEST.  283 

Mr.  Somerville,  and  Mr.  Munro,  he  speaks  with  great 
interest.  These  were  the  ministers  who  had  the  charge 
of  the  "Free  Church"  congregation  at  Cote  Street, 
Montreal,  during  his  residence  in  Canada,  and  each  of 
them  appreciated  the  value  of  his  labours,  and  readily 
took  part  with  him  in  them. 

Among  the  varied  testimonies  we  have  received  to  the 
good  effects  of  the  visit  of  Mr.  Burns  to  Canada,  one  of 
the  most  valuable  is  that  of  the  Rev.  Alexander  Cameron 
of  Ardersier,  whose  opportunities  of  information  were 
peculiarly  favourable,  "  It  was  my  lot,"  says  he,  "shortly 
after  the  return  of  Mr.  Burns  from  Canada,  to  labour 
among  the  Highlanders  of  Glengarry  for  some  years  until 
health  failed.  I  found  the  people  in  a  very  interesting 
state  of  mind, — many  of  them  cherishing  a  tenderness 
of  conscience  and  a  brokenness  of  spirit,  and  thirsting 
eagerly  for  the  Word  of  life.  Some  of  all  ages  were  in 
this  condition,  but  especially  young  men  and  young 
women.  The  crowds  that  congregated  on  the  Sabbaths 
at  Lochiel,  the  most  central  station  at  which  I  preached, 
were  sometimes  very  great.  In  the  district  of  Glengarry, 
where  there  are  now  seven  or  eight  ministers,  there  was 
then  only  one,  Mr.  Daniel  Clark  of  Indian  Lands,  and 
myself;  consequently  the  people  came  from  all  quarters, 
travelling  five,  ten,  or  even  twenty  miles  and  upwards. 
Many  of  them  started  on  the  Saturday  so  as  to  be  forward 
in  time  for  the  morning  service.  The  poor  Roman 
Catholics  observing  all  this,  thought  the  heads  of  their 
Protestant  neighbours  were  turned.  In  one  sense  it  was 
easy  to  preach  to  these  thirsty  souls,  for  the  word  of  God 


284  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1844-46. 

was  precious  in  those  days.  It  was  the  same  wherever  I 
went;  no  matter  where  sermon  was  intimated  to  be 
preached  in  any  school-room  or  district,  the  place  would 
be  crowded,  even  although  such  meetings  were  continued 
in  different  places  nearly  the  whole  week,  as  sometimes 
happened  in  winter;  and  often  a  few  of  the  more  ardent 
spirits  would  attend  all  these  meetings,  travelling  from 
place  to  place  for  this  purpose.  The  face  of  things  began 
gradually  but  steadily  to  change.  Old  customs  and  in 
veterate  habits  were  one  by  one  abandoned.  Balls  and 
merry-makings  and  New  Year's  festivals,  so  frequent  in 
that  country,  were  fast  disappearing.  Some  of  the  leaders 
in  such  things  with  their  own  hands  cast  their  fiddles  and 
bagpipes  into  the  fire;  and  instead  of  the  sounds  of  revelry 
the  voice  of  praise  and  spiritual  melody  began  to  be  heard 
in  their  dwellings.  Zion  was  meanwhile  putting  on  her 
beautiful  garments.  Communion  seasons  were  now  more 
like  those  in  old  Ferintosh  than  the  former  scanty  gather 
ings  in  the  'backwoods.'  This  state  of  things  I  ascribe 
chiefly  under  God  to  the  labours  of  Mr.  Burns.  Doubt 
less  many  other  able  and  excellent  men,  especially  some 
from  the  Free  Church  at  home,  laboured  faithfully,  and  I 
believe  successfully,  in  Glengarry;  but  the  visit  of  Mr. 
Burns  in  my  estimation  was  the  crowning  visit,  and  the 
impression  produced  by  his  preaching  and  his  godly 
demeanour  was  deep,  pervasive,  and  abiding.  The  great 
day  alone  shall  fully  declare  it." 

The  following  testimony  in  regard  to  the  spirit  of  his 
mind  when  engaged  in  missionary  labour  in  the  district 
of  Glengarry  is  well  deserving  of  record.  It  is  from  the 


'JEt.  29-31.]'  PERSONAL    TRAITS.  285 

communication  of  a  Christian  minister  who  had  long 
laboured  on  the  same  spot,  and  although  specially  illus 
trative  of  Mr.  Burns'  character  in  connection  with  that 
locality,  its  leading  features  are  more  or  less  reflected  from 
all  the. scenes  of  his  labours.  "  He  appeared  to  have  con 
tinually  in  view  an  impression  that  he  should  do  some 
thing  for  God,  for  his  own  soul,  for  the  souls  of  others, 
and  for  eternity.  His  conversation  was  that  of  a  man  of 
extensive  information,  who  knew  how  to  apply  it  effec 
tually  to  the  best  of  purposes.  His  disposition  was 
amiable,  his  feelings  were  tender;  combined  with  a  clear 
judgment,  great  firmness,  caution  and  patience,  qualities 
essential  to  dealing  properly  with  unreasonable  persons 
and  with  difficult  questions.  He  did  not  consider  that  he 
had  a  warrant  to  proceed  in  any  sacred  duty  without  a 
consciousness  of  having  the  divine  presence.  I  have 
sometimes  seen  him  on  this  point  in  very  great  per 
plexity,  earnestly  wishing  and  praying  for  a  special  mes 
sage  direct  from  Heaven,  and  doubtful  which  was  duty, 
to  proceed  or  to  keep  silence :  like  Moses  who  prayed, 
'  If  thy  presence  go  not  with  us,  carry  us  not  up  hence ! ' " 
The  following  sketch  under  the  hand  of  an  intelligent 
office-bearer  of  our  church  in  Glengarry,  at  whose  house 
Mr.  Burns  sojourned,  and  by  whom  he  was  conducted  on 
his  missionary  way,  may  illustrate  the  obstacles  which 
stand  in  the  way  of  itinerating  labour  in  Canada,  and 
the  manner  in  which  they  were  met  and  conquered  by 
Mr.  Burns.  "  A  furious  snow-storm  having  come  on,  he 
was  detained  for  a  week;  and  the  state  of  the  roads  pre 
vented  any  public  meetings  being  held;  but  he  improved 


286  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1844-46. 

the  time  by  conversing  on  matters  pertaining  to  the  king 
dom  with  our  household,  including  farm-servants,  among 
whom  were  several  French  Canadians.  We  found  him 
remarkably  agreeable  and  sociable  as  a  guest,  entertaining 
us  with  incidents  relative  to  his  labours  in  Ireland,  and 
those  parts  of  Scotland  where  revivals  have  taken  place. 
The  recital  of  incidents  connected  with  such  themes 
always  caused  his  countenance  to  beam  with  a  heavenly 
joy.  Much  of  his  time  also  was  spent  in  retirement  and 
over  his  Bible,  which  he  often  carried  to  the  table  at 
meal  times,  referring  to  it  whenever  a  pause  in  the  conver 
sation  gave  him  an  opportunity.  Having  an  appointment 
to  preach  in  the  Congregational  chapel,  Indian  Lands,  so 
soon  as  the  snow-storm  subsided,  he  and  I  made  a  des 
perate  effort  to  fulfil  the  engagement.  Taking  a  powerful 
team  of  horses  and  a  strong  sleigh,  we  found  the  roads  in 
an  almost  impassable  state;  the  horses  floundering  in  the 
snow,  which  in  some  places  almost  hid  them  from  our 
view;  and  in  other  places  they  were  incapable  of  moving 
forward  one  step,  till  I  got  out  and  made  a  track  before 
them.  In  remarking  on  the  state  of  the  roads  I  hap 
pened  to  say,  'This  is  awful!'  but  was  instantly  checked 
by  my  dear  fellow-traveller  saying, '  Oh !  my  dear  sir,  there 
is  nothing  awful  but  the  wrath  of  God.'  Although  travel 
ling  at  the  rate  of  only  one  mile  an  hour,  we  arrived  at 
our  destination  in  due  time,  where  we  found  a  goodly 
number  assembled:  and  he  delivered  an  impressive  ser 
mon,  taking  for  illustration  things  that  he  had  noticed 
along  our  route,  such  as  the  clearances  in  the  forest,  with 
the  other  usual  symptoms  of  progress  in  the  settlements." 


JEt.  29-31.].  THE    FREE    CHURCH    DEPUTIES.  287 

References  having  been  more  than  once  made  to  the 
services  of  the  deputies  from  the  Free  Church  to  Canada, 
it  may  not  be  unsuitable  to  insert  the  following  notices 
from  one  of  the  friends  who  have  contributed  materials 
for  this  chapter: — "When  I  arrived  in  Montreal,  in  1842, 
the  spiritual  condition  of  the  three  congregations  was 
deplorably  low,  and,  with  very  few  exceptions,  it  was  so 
throughout  the  country.  But  I  make  special  reference  to 
Montreal,  where  there  were  a  very  few — like  the  gleanings 
of  the  vintage — who  were  longing  and  waiting  for  the  sal 
vation  of  Zion.  These  few  were  led  to  unite  in  prayer  to 
the  exalted  Head  of  the  Church  to  hasten  his  coming  by 
whom  he  would;  and  ^was  graciously  pleased  to  hear 
their  cry,  and  send  his  servants.  The  first  was  Dr.  Burns  of 
Paisley,  whose  first  sermon  was  from  Revelation  i.  17,  18. 
To  some  this  sermon  was  the  fulfilment  of  the  promise, 
'When  the  poor  and  the  needy  seek  water,'  &c.  I  think 
Dr.  Burns  was  followed  by  Mr.  John  Bonar  (afterwards 
Dr.  Bonar),  full  of  love,  and  meekness,  and  wisdom, 
and  undaunted  courage.  He  was  pre-eminently  honoured 
of  God  in  gathering  and  uniting  the  scattered  sheep,  and 
in  organizing  the  Cote  Street  congregation,  and,  indeed,  of 
advancing  the  interests  of  the  church  throughout  the  whole 
province.  In  his  arrival  was  beautifully  seen  the  majestic 
goings  forth  of  Him  who  is  wonderful  in  counsel.  Mr. 
Bonar  was  succeeded  by  other  eminent  servants  of  God, 
whose  special  mission  was  to  supply  the  Cote  Street  congre 
gation,  which  was  then  the  great  centre  of  the  Free  Church 
in  Canada."  Among  these  may  be  specially  noted  Mr. 
Arnot,  then  of  Glasgow,  now  of  the  Free  High  Church, 


288  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1844-46. 

Edinburgh;  Mr.  Somerville  of  Anderston,  Glasgow;  Mr. 
Munro  of  Rutherglen;  Mr.  Macnaughton  of  Paisley,  now 
of  Belfast;  Mr.  Buchanan  of  Bothwell,  now  of  D'Urban, 
S.  Africa;  Professor  King,  now  of  Halifax,  Nova  Scotia; 
Mr.  J.  C.  Burns  of  Kirkliston;  Dr.  Begg  of  Edinburgh; 
Mr.  Paterson  of  Tranent;  the  late  Mr.  Miller  of  Dundee, 
and  afterwards  of  Newcastle;  Mr.  Cobban  of  Braemar; — 
who,  during  periods  more  or  less  extended,  laboured  in 
the  cities,  and  occasionally  in  the  rural  districts,  to  the 
edifying  of  multitudes  of  hearers,  and  to  the  effect  of 
laying  firm  and  deep  the  foundations  of  what  in  its 
character  as  a  "united  church"  may  now  with  perfect 
propriety  be  called  the  "Free  Presbyterian  Church  of 
Canada." 

Mr.  Burns  returned  to  Scotland  after  about  two  years 
of  incessant  labour  in  Canada  in  the  same  vessel  in  which 
he  had  before  sailed  for  the  West,  arriving  in  Glasgow  on 
the  1 5th  September,  1846.  He  was  still  in  vigorous 
health,  yet  showing  but  too  evident  traces  of  the  exhaust 
ing  and  peculiarly  trying  scenes  which  he  had  passed 
through.  The  clear  tones  of  a  voice  of  more  than  ordinary 
compass  and  power  were  gone;  his  mind  and  spirit  were 
worn  and  jaded;  and  he  had  already  begun  to  acquire  a 
certain  aged  look  which  he  never  afterwards  wholly  lost. 
He  had  indeed  emphatically  "endured  hardness  as  a 
good  soldier  of  Jesus  Christ,"  and  he  bore  the  marks 
of  it  more  or  less  to  his  grave. 


CHAPTER    XI. 
1846 — 1847. 

CALL   TO    THE    CHINESE    FIELD. 

MY  readers  will  remember  a  statement  from  my 
brother's  own  hand  of  the  circumstances  of  his 
first  consecration  to  the  missionary  work,  and  of  the  re 
markable  train  of  events  by  which  the  fulfilment  of  his 
purpose  was  temporarily,  though,  as  it  seemed,  indefinitely, 
delayed.  That  purpose  still  remained  unchanged.  He 
was  still  as  much  as  ever,  and  all  through  those  laborious 
and  eventful  intervening  years,  a  missionary  at  heart,  and 
only  waited  the  intimation  of  the  Master's  will  as  to  the 
time  and  the  place  of  his  appointed  work.  He  had  heard 
the  general  summons  of  the  divine  Commander,  "  Who 
will  go  for  me?"  and  he  had  resolutely  answered,  "Here  am 
I,  send  me."  That  answer  had  been  recorded  in  heaven, 
and  lived  evermore  within  his  heart.  Amid  all  his  home 
labours  he  spoke  and  acted  under  the  solemn  sense  of  it 
— spoke  and  acted  as  a  missionary  just  about  to  go  forth 
to  a  distant  land,  and  only  addressing  a  few  parting  words 
to  his  brethren  at  home  ere  the  final  summons  to  depart 
should  reach  him.  How  that  summons  came  at  last,  and 
in  what  spirit  it  was  obeyed,  will  be  best  told  in  his  own 
words,  in  the  continuation  of,  the  same  statement  just 


2QO  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1846-47. 

referred  to,  dated  at  sea,  "Thursday,  July  29th,  1847,  lat- 
25°  30'  south;  Ion.  28°  40'  west. — .  .  .  From  this 
time  (July  23d,  1839)  until  the  Disruption  I  appeared  to 
have  a  special  work  to  do  in  my  own  country,  and  having 
no  call  to  the  missionary  field  I  thought  no  further  of  it 
than  this,  that  I  did  not  feel  it  would  be  lawful  for  me  to 
settle  at  home,  but  only  to  comply  with  present  calls  of 
duty  to  preach  the  Word.  In  the  year  1843,  and  still 
more  in  1844,  I  found  my  heart  very  much  drawn  off 
from  the  home  field — the  days  of  God's  great  power  with 
me  seeming  to  be  in  a  great  measure  past,  and  ecclesias 
tical  questions  having  taken  so  deep  a  hold  on  the  public 
mind,  that  it  was  not  in  a  state  as  before  to  be  dealt  with 
simply  about  the  question  of  conversion.  In  these  cir 
cumstances  I  went  at  the  call  of  some  friends  to  Dublin 
in  1844  to  try  the  field  there,  but  finding  no  great  open 
ing  I  returned  to  Scotland,  and  the  way  being  made  very 
clearly  open  for  my  going  on  a  visit  to  Canada,  I  sailed 
for  Montreal,  August  10.  In  Canada  I  found  sufficient 
evidence  that  it  was  indeed  the  call  of  God  which  I  obeyed 
in  going  to  it;  but  after  labouring  there  for  nearly  two  years, 
and  having  gone  over  the  ground  which  seemed  providen 
tially  laid  out  for  me,  I  felt  that  unless  I  were  to  remain 
there  for  life,  the  time  was  come  for  my  departure.  I 
was  confirmed  in  this  view  by  having  had  my  mind  afresh 
directed  towards  India  by  a  letter  from  an  acquaintance 
there,  and  also  by  a  call  from  our  continental  committee 
to  make  use  of  my  newly  acquired  knowledge  of  French 
by  visiting  the  continent  of  Europe.  I  accordingly  sailed 
from  Quebec  for  Scotland  on  August  2oth,  1846,  having 


JEt.  31-32.]  FINAL   CALL   TO    MISSIONARY   WORK.  291 

a  deep  impression  that  I  should  find  no  special  work  to 
do  in  Scotland  that  would  detain  me  there  longer  than  a 
few  months,  but  feeling  quite  uncertain  what  would  be 
my  ultimate  destination.  On  my  arrival  I  was  asked 
anew  to  go  to  the  Continent,  but  against  this  there  were 
objections.  I  did  not  see  any  prospect  of  doing  much 
there  during  a  brief  visit,  and  I  could  not  but  reflect  that 
at  my  period  of  life  it  must  be  now  decided  whether  I 
was  to  preach  from  place  to  place  to  the  end  or  go  to  a 
heathen  field,  as  originally  destined.  At  any  rate  I  felt 
that  I  could  decide  on  nothing  until  I  had  paid  a  few 
visits  to  those  home  fields  with  which  I  had  formerly  been 
connected.  This  work  occupied  me  during  the  autumn 
and  the  early  part  of  the  winter.  I  might  have  protracted 
the  period  indefinitely;  being  encompassed  with  invita 
tions  on  every  hand ;  but  as  I  did  not  see  or  feel  any 
special  blessing  in  this  work,  I  preached  no  more  than  I 
could  not  avoid  doing,  and  then  came  the  question,  What 
is  my  duty  with  reference  to  the  future?  About  the  end 
of  the  year,  at  the  time  of  the  Parsee's  ordination  in  Edin 
burgh,  I  arrived  at  the  clear  decision  that  I  was  not  at 
liberty  to  labour  any  longer  as  hitherto  without  ascertain 
ing  whether  our  missionary  committee  would  still  desire 
me  to  fulfil  my  original  intention.  I  accordingly  called 
on  Dr.  Candlish,  and  having  laid  before  him  my  views, 
and  joined  with  him  in  imploring  divine  guidance,  he 
stated  that  he  thought  it  was  clearly  my  duty  to  go  as 
originally  destined  to  the  heathen,  provided  that  I  found 
no  special  cause  as  heretofore  to  detain  me,  and  said  that 
he  would  confer  with  others  on  the  subject.  He  did  so, 


2Q2  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1846-47. 

but  found  that  though  no  one  would  object  to  my  going 
if  I  wished  to  do  so,  yet  as  the  Indian  stations  were  all 
occupied,  there  was  no  special  opening  for  me.  At  this 
very  time,  and  while  they  were  actually  conversing  on  the 
matter,  a  letter  came  to  the  convener  of  the  Foreign  Mis 
sion  Committee,  Dr.  James  Buchanan,  from  James  Hamil 
ton  of  Regent  Square,  London  (convener  of  the  English 
Presbyterian  Church  Missionary  Committee),  making 
earnest  inquiry  whether  Dr.  B.  could  point  out  any 
minister  or  preacher  in  Scotland  who  might  be  suitable 
to  go  as  their  first  missionary  to  China,  seeing  they  had 
contemplated  this  mission  for  more  than  two  years,  but 
had  as  yet  been  disappointed  in  rinding  suitable  agents. 
This  seemed  to  Dr.  B.  a  providential  coincidence,  and 
without  communicating  with  me,  he  wrote  mentioning  a 
few  names  and  mine  among  the  rest.  Some  weeks  elapsed 
without  my  hearing  anything  further  on  the  subject;  but 
meanwhile  my  own  experience  more  and  more  pointed  my 
thoughts  and  desires  to  the  foreign  field,  and  at  last  in 
the  beginning  of  February  a  letter  came  to  me  from  Mr. 
Hamilton,  in  which,  after  reminding  me  of  my  original 
design  and  prospects  regarding  an  eastern  mission,  he 
mentioned  the  position  of  their  own  missionary  scheme, 
and  asked  what  my  views  in  regard  to  embarking  in  such 
an  undertaking  now  were.  As  he  wished  a  speedy  answer 
I  could  only  reply  that  the  matter  was  too  varied  in  its 
bearings  and  of  too  momentous  a  character  to  be  at  once 
decided  on;  but  that  it  would  be  the  subject  of  prayer 
and  consideration,  as  well  as  of  conference  with  the  ser 
vants  of  God  around  me.  On  receipt  of  my  letter,  their 


JEt.  31-32.]  SEEKING   LIGHT.  293 

missionary  committee  instructed  Mr.  Hamilton  to  send 
me  an  express  and  earnest  call  to  become  their  church's 
first  missionary  to  China.  I  received  this,  but  still  found 
myself  unable  to  arrive  at  a  final  decision.  Regarding 
the  importance  of  the  work  there  could  be  no  doubt ;  but 
when  I  considered  on  the  one  hand  the  manner  in  which 
God  had  hitherto  called  me  to  labour,  and  the  many  calls 
at  home  and  abroad  which  I  still  had  to  preach  the  word 
as  heretofore;  and  on  the  other  considered  the  uncertainty 
of  my  being  suited  to  the  peculiarities  of  the  Chinese 
field,  I  felt  embarrassed,  and  though  I  wrote  a  letter  of 
acceptance,  I  could  not  send  it  off,  but  rather  suspended 
the  case  by  letting  them  know  my  difficulties,  and  my 
need  of  delay,  with  a  view  of  getting  further  light.  I  also 
urged  them  in  the  interval  to  look  out  for  others,  and 
mentioned  two  ministers  to  whom  they  might  apply. 
Another  ten  days  elapsed,  during  which  I  was  in  Edin 
burgh,  as  I  had  been  for  some  time  previously,  preaching 
in  St.  Luke's,  &c.,  and  now  also  assisting  Dr.  Duncan  in  his 
junior  Hebrew  class,  his  health  being  imperfect.  The  call 
to  China  was  gradually  assuming  more  and  more  import 
ance  in  my  view,  and  though  some  of  God's  servants  seemed 
to  doubt  whether  it  was  a  field  suitable  to  my  habits,  &c., 
yet  the  prevailing  opinion  seemed  to  be  that  I  ought  to 
go.  Feeling  that  I  must  resume  communication  with  the 
English  committee,  I  went  out  before  doing  so  to  Kilsyth, 
at  the  communion  season  on  the  first  Sabbath  of  March, 
that  I  might  sit,  it  might  be,  for  the  last  time  at  the  table 
of  the  Lord  Jesus  on  earth  with  my  beloved  parents,  and 
that  I  might  have  the  aid  of  their  counsel,  and  that  of  my 


294  LIFE    OF    REV-    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1846-47. 

cousins  David  and  Charles  J.  Brown  (of  Glasgow  and 
Edinburgh),  who  were  expected  to  be  my  father's  assist 
ants.  On  the  Monday  after  the  communion  I  wrote  to 
London  again  to  let  it  be  known  that  I  was  still  weighing 
the  matter  brought  before  me,  and  that  with  a  view  to 
arrive  at  a  final  and  satisfactory  decision,  I  would  be  glad 
to  be  furnished  with  information  in  regard  to  the  nature 
of  the  work  in  which  they  would  wish  or  expect  me  to  be 
engaged,  and  also  to  learn  what  length  of  time  it  would 
require  to  attain  an  adequate  knowledge  of  the  language 
with  a  view  to  preach  the  gospel  in  it.  I  also  stated 
generally  on  the  subject,  ist.  That  I  did  not  make  such 
inquiries  as  if  difficulties  would  be  sufficient  to  keep  me 
back,  were  the  path  of  duty  in  other  respects  plain ;  but 
simply  in  order  that  I  might  have  full  materials  for  com 
paring  this  call  with  others  that  were  given  me,  as  from 
France,  &c.  2d.  That  as  devoted  to  the  missionary  work 
I  felt  that  unless  it  appeared  that  God  detained  me  at 
home  by  some  special  call,  I  must  go  to  some  field  where 
Christ  had  not  been  named,  &c.  In  reply  to  this  letter 
Mr.  Hamilton  wrote  that  he  believed  the  difficulties  of 
the  Chinese  language  had  been  overestimated,  but  that 
they  expected  about  the  end  of  March  from  China  Mr. 
Hugh  Matheson,  one  of  their  committee,  who  would  bring 
them  full  and  recent  information,  and  that  this  would  be 
communicated  to  me.  At  this  time  I  spent  four  weeks 
preaching  in  Bute  and  Arran,  and  on  the  loth  of  April 
I  went  to  Edinburgh  to  preach  in  Mr.  Moody  Stuart's. 
The  impression  of  my  duty  now  became  so  strong  that  I 
felt  I  could  no  longer  hesitate  about  signifying  my  willing- 


yEt.  31-32.]  THE   DECISION.  295 

ness  to  go,  and  on  Monday  I  wrote  to  that  effect.  I  saw 
that  I  would  dishonour  my  profession  of  the  gospel,  and 
thus  wound  the  honour  of  Jesus,  if  I  seemed  to  linger  any 
longer;  and  though  I  had  not  heard  again  from  London, 
I  felt  that  on  general  grounds,  and  taking  even  the  most 
discouraging  view  of  the  case,  it  was  my  duty  to  go 
forward.  The  committee  met  on  this  very  day,  and  so 
discouraging  was  the  view  given  by  Mr.  M.  of  the  field 
and  of  the  missions  there,  as  compared  with  our  missions 
in  India,  that  the  committee  resolved  to  recommend  to  the 
Synod  about  to  meet  at  Sunderland  the  following  Tuesday 
to  give  up  thoughts  of  a  mission  to  China,  and  begin  in 
place  a  mission  in  Hindustan.  When  I  heard  of  this 
decision,  which  the  receipt  of  my  letter  did  not  seem  to 
have  altered,  I  was  at  a  loss  how  to  act,  but  saw  that  now 
matters  were  coming  to  a  crisis,  and  that  the  issue  would 
be  either  to  shut  up  my  path  toward  China  or  set  me  free 
from  their  call  altogether.  I  did  not  feel  any  sympathy 
with  their  proposal  to  draw  back,  and  fearing  lest  they 
might  do  so,  and  thus  dishonour  the  command  and 
promise  of  the  exalted  Jesus,  I  was  the  more  pressed  in 
spirit  to  go  forward,  that  such  a  consequence  might  be 
avoided.  I  accordingly  resolved  to  go  up  to  Sunderland 
on  the  2oth,  and  meet  the  Synod  on  the  matter.  I  did 
so,  and  on  Wednesday  the  2ist  I  found  that  the  Synod 
were  bent  on  prosecuting  the  mission,  and  so  on  Thursday 
I  was  ordained  to  the  work.  ...  In  this  manner 
from  step  to  step  my  path  has  been  hedged  up  in  this 
important  matter;  and  now  I  find  myself  in  the  midst  of 
the  great  ocean  studying  Chinese,  and  having  the  prospect, 


296  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1846-47. 

if  the  Lord  will,  of  spending  the  rest  of  my  days  in  that 
vast  empire  of  heathen  darkness.  'The  people  that 
walked  in  darkness  have  seen  a  great  light,  and  to  them 
that  dwell  in  the  land  of  the  shadow  of  death,  upon  them 
hath  the  light  shined.'" 

One  or  two  sentences  from  the  ordinary  entries  in  his 
journal  will  complete  the  history  of  this  interesting  junc 
ture,  and  throw  some  additional  light  on  the  circumstances 
of  the  call  which  now  came  to  him,  and  of  the  posture  of 
his  soul  towards  it: — 

The  call  to  this  work  came  to  me  some  months  before  I  had 
full  light  to  comply  with  it ;  but  the  way  at  last  was  made  in 
all  respects  very  plain.    ...    On  Tuesday,  April  9th,  I  met 
in  Glasgow  James  Denniston,  returned  from  Jamaica,  and  on 
his  way,  if  God  will,  to  Constantinople  as  a  missionary  to  the 
Jews.     Thus,  after  so  long  an  interval,  we  met  again  in  the 
place  where  nine  years  before,  at  the  University,  he  had  given 
himself  to  the  Lord  to  go  to  the  circumcision,  and  I  to  go  to 
the  Gentiles.    Having  been  so  long  engaged  in  other  work,  we 
had  now  the  near  prospect  of  entering  on  the  fields  in  regard 
to  which  the  vows  of  God  were  upon  us.     It  was  a  confirm 
ing  interview.     To  sovereign  grace  be  the  praise— the  end 
less,  unutterable  praise !    .    .    .    I  came  up  to  Sunderland  to 
Confer  upon  the  matter,"  and  "found  to  my  joy  that  the  mind 
:  the  Synod  was  to  ®>  forward;  and  I  being  now  ready,  and 
my  way  hedged  in,  I  was  next  day  ordained  according  to 
Acts  xni.,  and  the  day  following  I  was  in  London.    The  Pres 
bytery  of  Newcastle  ordained  me-the  only  one  within  whose 
ids  I  had  previously  laboured;    Dr.   Paterson  presided 
(m  his  own  church  we  were  met),  being  the  only  minister 
laming  in  his  place  of  those  with  whom  I  had  laboured  in 
:c.;  William   Chalmers1  preached  at  the  ordination, 

1  Now  the  Rev.  Professor  Chalmers,  D.D.,  of  the  English  Presby 
terian  College,  London. 


HIS    ORDINATION.  297 


being  not  only  my  cousin,  but  a  minister  born  at  Malacca, 
the  centre  of  the  early  Chinese  mission  under  Dr.  Milne,  &c. 
These  were  interesting  coincidences ;  and  still  more  so  was 
the  fact  that  Dr.  Morrison,  the  first  evangelical  Chinese 
missionary,  whose  Chinese  Bible  I  am  now  studying,  was 
the  son  of  an  elder  in  the  English  Presbyterian  Church,  and 
was  brought  up  as  a  Christian  in  the  High  Bridge  Church, 
Newcastle-on-Tyne,  where,  in  1841,  I  laboured  for  three 
months,  little  thinking  of  such  a  position  as  that  which  I  now 
occupy." 

My  readers  will  willingly  linger  a  little  longer  in  the 
retrospect  of  this  memorable  ordination  solemnity,  which 
formed  so  important  an  era  in  the  history  of  missions  to 
the  far  East;  and  with  this  view  will  read  with  interest  the 
following  lines  written  at  the  time  by  an  eye-witness, 
himself  a  devoted  friend  of  the  Chinese  cause,  and  a  deep 
sharer  in  all  the  hopes  and  fears  and  prayerful  aspirations 
of  that  solemn  time : — 

"  By  far  the  most  solemn  and  striking  matter  at  the  meet 
ing  of  Synod  has  been  the  setting  apart  of  William  C.  Burns 
as  a  missionary  to  China.  Who  could  have  believed  that 
such  would  have  taken  place  only  two  days  before?  Such  an 
ordination  has  scarcely  ever — if  ever — taken  place.  It  is 
perfectly  marvellous.  The  thing  was  done  suddenly  (2  Chron 
icles  xxix.  36),  yet  I  cannot  think  hastily,  for  God  hath  evi 
dently  been  preparing  his  servant  for  it  these  months  past. 
The  more  I  reflect  upon  all  the  circumstances  since  the  time 
of  our  first  speaking  to  him  on  the  2ist  December,  when  we 
told  him  of  the  strait  in  which  the  Church  was  for  want  of 
missionaries  to  China,  up  to  the  decision  of  the  Synod  on  the 
2 1  st  April  to  ordain  him  the  very  next  day,  the  more  I  am 
amazed  at  the  wondrous  things  which  have  come  to  pass,  and 
cannot  doubt  that  God  has  been  in  them  of  a  truth. 

"On  the  2 1st  December,  1846,  Mr.  Burns  was  much  at  a  loss 


298  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1846-47- 

as  to  the  future;  but  seeing  no  open  door,  and  no  special  call 
to  labour  at  home,  he  placed  himself  in  the  hands  of  the 
Foreign  Mission  Committee  to  go  to  India,  his  original  des 
tination.  The  committee  were  obliged,  from  the  state  of  their 
funds,  to  refuse  his  services.  Shortly  afterwards  Mr.  James 
Hamilton  wrote  to  him,  asking  if  he  would  go  in  the  service 
of  the  English  Presbyterian  Church  in  the  mission  proposed 
to  China.  This  was  made  the  subject  of  much  thought  and 
prayer,  and  it  was  long  before  he  could  at  all  discover  the 
path  which  the  Lord  was  indicating  in  the  matter.  Dr.  Dun 
can  strongly  urged  him  to  go;  others  as  decidedly  dissuaded 
him,  and  endeavoured  to  show  to  him  that  Scotland  had  still 
claims  upon  him.  He  himself  inclined  to  go  for  a  time  to 
the  Continent,  and  it  was  long  before  he  could  see  that  he 
had  any  call  from  the  English  Presbyterian  Church,  or  that 
China  was  the  field  to  which  he  should  devote  himself.  On 
the  loth  April  he  was  still  in  darkness;  on  the  nth  he  preached 
in  Edinburgh  (St.  Luke's),  from  Jeremiah  xv.  16,  and  John  xii. 
36,  « Walk  while  ye  have  the  light.'  Light  dawned  upon  him 
that  day ;  his  heart  was  enlarged  towards  the  heathen ;  his 
prayers  were  full  of  pleadings  on  their  behalf.  Next  morning 
he  came  to  breakfast,  and  to  our  utter  amazement  told  us  he 
no  longer  saw  his  way  to  refuse  the  call,  and  intended  to  write 
to  London  to  that  effect  that  day.  A  note  received  the  fol 
lowing  morning  mentioned  that  he  had  done  so.  His  desire 
was  to  have  a  conference  at  the  meeting  of  Synod  the  follow 
ing  week  at  Sunderland,  when  future  plans  might  be  decided 
upon, 

"  The  very  day  he  wrote  his  note,  placing  himself  at  the  dis 
posal  of  the  church  for  China,  the  Foreign  Mission  Committee 
had  a  meeting,  when  it  was  decided  to  abandon  China— to 
undertake  Central  India  instead.  The  information  which  the 
Committee  had  received  regarding  the  number  of  missionaries 
already  in  the  field,  the  difficulty  of  acquiring  the  language, 
and  the  country  being  still  so  generally  closed,  led  to  that 
conclusion.  Mr.  Burns  was  informed  of  that  decision.  An 


jEt.  31-32.]  LETTER    OF    AN    EYE-WITNESS.  299 

elaborate  report  was  drawn  up  in  his  best  style  by  Mr. 
Hamilton  to  lay  before  the  Synod. 

"  Tuesday  morning  the  2Oth  April,  at  nine  o'clock  the  com 
mittee  met  in  Sunderland.  After  much  consultation  the 
brethren  came  to  one  mind,  that  we  must  not  abandon  China — 
the  Church  was  committed  to  it — and  Mr.  Hamilton  was  in 
structed  to  draw  up  an  entirely  different  report.  No  com 
munication  had  been  received  from  Mr.  Burns;  but  the  Church 
resolved  that  its  duty  was  to  keep  by  China,  and  to  prosecute 
the  missionary  work  there,  as  had  been  resolved  upon  two 
years  before.  Mr.  Burns  arrived  in  Sunderland  the  next 
day.  His  mind  was  unchanged.  China  was  still  his  field, 
whether  the  Presbyterian  Church  abandoned  it  or  no;  and  he 
was  not  a  little  amazed  when  he  heard  of  the  proceedings  in 
committee  the  preceding  day. 

"  The  new  report  was  read  in  Synod ;  Mr.  Hamilton  spoke 
and  others  followed.  Mr.  Welsh  was  asked  to  pray  for  guid 
ance  in  the  matter,  and  Mr.  Burns  was  then  invited  to  address 
the  brethren.  He  did  so;  giving  an  account  of  his  early  life — 
his  dedication  to  the  missionary  work — his  arrest  in  Scotland, 
when  the  Lord  gave  testimony  to  the  word  of  his  grace,  and 
the  reasons  for  the  resolution  now  formed.  The  people  were 
much  affected,  as  was  the  speaker ;  he  was  obliged  frequently 
to  pause,  and  at  last  to  stop  altogether.  A  meeting  for  con 
ference  was  shortly  afterwards  summoned,  at  which  he  fully 
opened  up  his  wishes  in  the  matter,  especially  as  regarded 
ordination.  He  wished  to  go  forth  only  as  an  evangelist,  not 
to  administer  sacraments;  '  Christ  sent  me  not  to  baptize,  but 
to  preach  the  gospel.'  Acts  xiii.  was  read ;  Mr.  P.  L.  Miller 
prayed;  and  after  much  discussion  it  was  resolved  that  he 
should  be  ordained  the  next  day  at  ten  o'clock,  and  proceed 
to  China  forthwith. 

"The  ordination  services  took  place  in  a  church  in  which 
he  had  often  preached,  and  by  a  Presbytery  (the  only  one  in 
England)  within  whose  bounds  he  had  laboured  for  several 
months  with  no  small  success — a  Presbytery  from  which 


300  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1846-47. 

Morrison  also  went  forth,  for  his  father  was  an  elder  of  High 
Bridge  Church,  Newcastle;  and  not  the  least  remarkable  coin 
cidence  was  the  fact  that  the  minister  who  preached  had  been 
born  and  baptized  in  China.  The  service  was  commenced 
by  the  moderator,  Mr.  Anderson,  giving  out  Psalm  Ixxii. 
8-1 1.  He  read  Acts  xiii.,  and  sung  Paraphrase  xxiii.  11-15  : 

'  Lo  !  former  scenes,  predicted  once 

Conspicuous  rise  to  view; 
And  future  scenes,  predicted  now, 

Shall  be  accomplish'd  too. 
Sing  to  the  Lord  in  joyful  strains! 

Let  earth  his  praise  resound, 
Ye  who  upon  the  ocean  dwell, 

And  fill  the  isles  around ! 

'  O  city  of  the  Lord !  begin 

The  universal  song ; 
And  let  the  scatter'd  villages 

The  cheerful  notes  prolong. 
Let  Kedar's  wilderness  afar 

Lift  up  its  lonely  voice ; 
And  let  the  tenants  of  the  rock 

With  accents  rude  rejoice ; 

'  Till  'midst  the  streams  of  distant  lands 

The  islands  sound  his  praise ; 
And  all  combin'd,  with  one  accord, 

JEHOVAH'S  glories  raise.' 

The  prayers  were  remarkable  for  enlargement  and  fervency- 
bearing  upon  every  point  connected  with  the  solemn  work  of 
the  day.  Mr.  Chalmers  took  as  his  text  John  xix.  30,  'It  is 
finished ;'  and  viewed  the  words,  ist.  In  reference  to  God  •  2d 
to  man-closing  with  an  application  to  the  occasion-what 
was  left  for  Christ's  disciples  to  do.  The  ordination  service 
was  conducted  by  Dr.  Paterson  with  extreme  simplicity  and 
apostolic  fervour.  After  the  questions  had  been  satisfactorily 
nswcrcd,  Mr.  Burns  knelt  down-Dr.  Paterson  prayed,  and 
laid  hands  on  him-as  did  the  other  ministers,  and  so  the 


JEt.  31-32.]  ORDINATION    CHARGE.  301 

first  missionary  of  the  English  Presbyterian  Church  was  'set 
apart  by  the  laying  on  of  the  hands  of  the  Presbytery.'  The 
charge  followed,  which  was  suited  to  the  occasion,  and  suited 
to  the  man  to  whom  it  was  addressed.  Dr.  Paterson  said, 
'This  is  a  very  solemn  occasion  to  us,  and  it  is  also  a  very 
solemn  occasion  to  you,  dear  brother.  You  yesterday  told  us 
how  the  Lord  had  directed  your  heart  to  offer  yourself  for  this 
work,  and  to  respond  to  the  call  of  the  Church  to  go  forth 
unto  the  Gentiles.  You  told  us  that  you  did  not  require  to 
return  to  your  home,  but  were  ready  to  set  out  with  your 
little  scrip  on  the  morrow.  And  now,  I  would  address  to 
you  the  words  of  the  Lord  to  Saul,  'Rise,  brother,  stand 
upon  thy  feet,'  &c.,  Acts  xxvi.  16-18.  You  have  seen  what 
few  of  us  have ;  you  have  seen  in  the  past  the  Spirit  of  God 
going  forth  in  his  wondrous  power,  giving  testimony  to  the 
word  of  his  grace,  and  the  spirits  of  men  bowing  before  him 
as  mighty  trees  shaken  by  the  wind.  You  have  seen  whole 
multitudes  awed  by  his  presence,  and  constrained  to  acknow 
ledge  that  the  Lord  was  revealing  himself  of  a  truth.  Have  you 
not  seen  these  things?  Can  you  not  testify  to  them?  The 
Lord  hath  now  called  thee  for  this  purpose,  that  you  may  go 
forth  'a  minister  and  witness  of  those  things  which  thou  hast 
seen.'  While  yet  a  stripling,  he  chose  you  for  a  great  work,  by 
which  he  designed  to  prepare  a  people  for  a  great  event,  and  to 
bring  many  forth  to  testify  for  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  as  the 
great  and  only  Head  of  the  Church.  But  he  also  sends  you 
forth  to  testify  of  those  things  in  the  which  he  will  appear  unto 
thee — in  which  he  will  YET  appear  unto  thee, '  delivering  thee 
from  the  people  and  from  the  Gentiles,  unto  whom  now  he 
sends  thee.'  Yes,  brother,  he  has  been  preparing  you  for 
another  work,  and  he  will  go  before  you  to  open  up  the  way 
and  guide  you  in  all  your  steps.'  Verse  18  was  then  com 
mented  on  by  Dr.  P.  Dr.  P.  continued:  'I  charge  thee  there 
fore  before  God,  and  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  who  shall  judge 
the  quick  and  the  dead  at  his  appearing  and  his  kingdom; 
preach  the  word;  be  instant  in  season,  out  of  season;  reprove, 


302  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1846-47. 

rebuke,  exhort,  with  all  long-suffering  and  doctrine.  For  the 
time  will  come  when  they  will  not  endure  sound  doctrine  ; 
but  after  their  own  lusts  shall  they  heap  to  themselves  teachers, 
having  itching  ears;  and  they  shall  turn  away  their  ears  from 
the  truth,  and  shail  be  turned  unto  fables'  (2  Timothy  iv.  1-4). 
Yes,  soon,  very,  very  soon  the  time  will  come  when  they  will 
not  endure  sound  doctrine ;  for  they  have  naturally  itching 
ears,  and  turn  away  from  the  truth.  '  But  watch  thou  in  all 
things,  endure  affliction,  do  the  work  of  an  evangelist,  make 
full  proof  of  thy  ministry.3 

"'If  nature  be  shrinking  within  you,  if  you  feel  yourself  very 
weak  in  the  contemplation  of  this  great  work  to  which  you 
have  been  set  apart,  let  me  direct  you  to  another  passage 
(Matthew  xxviii.    18-20),  'ALL  power  is  given  unto  me  in 
heaven  and  in  earth.     Go  ye  THEREFORE.'    Yes,  he  has  all 
power  and  all  authority,  and  must  reign  till  he  hath  put  all 
enemies  under  his  feet.    'The  earth  is  the  Lord's,  and  the  ful 
ness  thereof.'     He  is  King  of  nations  as  well  as  King  of  his 
Church;  he  has  power  to  protect  and  uphold,  and  he  will  de 
liver  you  from  the  nations  unto  whom  now  he  sends  you     Ah  ! 
look  to  him-to  him  alone.     You  may  see  the  stars  shining 
around  you,  you  may  think  of  many  a  bright  light  who  has 
gone  before  into  the  dark  places  of  the  earth ;  but  let  me  counsel 
you  to  turn  from  these,  and  look  to  Jesus.     He  is  now  on  the 
throne,  he  will  shield  you,  he  will  watch  over  you,  he  will  send 
down  an  abundant  unction  on  your  soul,  he  will  supply  all  your 
ed.     Go  forth  then  in  his  strength.     Remember  that  God 
hath  given  the  heathen  to  his  Son  for  an  inheritance-  re 
member  that  Jesus  hath  promised  to  be  with  you  alway  even 
unto  the  end  of  the  world.     Go  forth  even  as  a  little  child, 

by  Him  who  walketh  in  the  midst  of  the  seven  golden 
candlesticks,  and  who  holdeth  the  stars  in  his  right  hand 
May  thy  dwelling  henceforth  be  in  the  secret  place  of  the  Most 
gh  and  thy  lodging  under  the  shadow  of  the  Almighty !  > 

Tins  brief  sketch  gives  only  an  idea  of  the  style  of  the 
address,  which  was  listened  to  with  great  attention  and  under 


JEt.  31-32.]  HIS    DEPARTURE.  303 

deep  emotion  by  many  of  the  congregation  in  the  crowded 
church.     Psalm  xcviii.  1-4  was  then  sung: 

'  O  sing  a  new  song  to  the  Lord, 

For  wonders  he  hath  done : 
His  right  hand  and  his  holy  arm 

Him  victory  hath  won. 
The  Lord  God  his  salvation 
Hath  caused  to  be  known; 
His  justice  in  the  heathen's  sight 
He  openly  hath  shown. 

'  He  mindful  of  his  grace  and  truth 

To  Israel's  house  hath  been; 
And  the  salvation  of  our  God 

All  ends  of  th'  earth  have  seen. 
Let  all  the  earth  unto  the  Lord 

Send  forth  a  joyful  noise; 
Lift  up  your  voice  aloud  to  him, 

Sing  praises,  and  rejoice.' 

"After  the  service,  Mr.  Miller,  formerly  of  Dundee,  and  Mr. 
Irving  of  Falkirk  accompanied  him  to  Dr.  Paterson's  house, 
and  were  afterwards  joined  by  Mr.  Nisbet,  &c.,  where  prayer 
was  made,  and  at  four  o'clock  Mr.  B.  left  for  Newcastle,  and 
preached  that  evening  in  Groat  Market  Chapel.  I  joined 
him  there  at  ten  o'clock.  A  considerable  number  were  wait 
ing  to  bid  him  farewell.  We  went  to  the  lodging,  sung 
Psalm  c.,  'ALL  people,'  &c.,  read  Mark  xvi.,  upon  verse  3  of 
which  he  remarked  how  the  women  still  went  on,  not  know 
ing  how  the  stone  would  be  rolled  away,  and  applied  it  to  our 
duty  in  similar  circumstances.  We  spoke  of  how  marvellously 
the  difficulties  had  been  removed  already  in  this  matter.  He 
was  filled  with  astonishment  at  the  way  in  which  it  had  been 
gone  about — so  little  of  man  in  the  whole  matter — so  little 
preparation  in  the  sight  of  the  world — and  the  Church  so 
harmonious.  We  prayed  together  and  then  parted.  The  next 
morning  at  five  o'clock,  I  heard  his  heavy  foot  pass  my  door 
in  time  for  the  train  to  London,  on  his  way  to  China  as  the 
first  missionary  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  England." 


304  LIFE   OF   REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1846-47. 

It  will  have  been  observed  that  my  brother  in  finally 
accepting  the  call  of  the  Synod  declared  himself  willing, 
without  returning  even  for  a  parting  visit  to  Scotland,  to 
proceed  at  once  to  his  distant  sphere  of  labour.     It  is 
said  that  when  publicly  asked  in  presence  of  the  court 
how  soon  he  could  be  ready  to  enter  on  his  work,  he 
replied  with  prompt  decision,  "To-morrow."    This  resolute 
tone  and  attitude  of  spirit  was  eminently  characteristic  of 
him.     As  a  man  that  warreth,  he  entangled  not  himself 
with  the  affairs  of  this  life,  and  moved  about  ever  as  a  free 
and  unencumbered  _  soldier,  ready  at  a  moment's  warning 
to  march  at  the  Master's  command  to  any  quarter  of  the 
world.     Amongst  the  memories  of  his  old  classic  studies 
the  miles  expeditus^  was  ever,  as  I  remember,  a  favourite 
name  and  idea  with  him,  and  to  that  model  did  he  ever 
strive  to  discipline  and  brace  his  spirit.     Long  as  he  had 
doubted,  and  patiently  as  he  had  sought  and  waited  for 
light  as  to  the  will  of  God  in  this  matter,  now  that  that 
will  to  him  was  clear  he  was  utterly  without  hesitation  and 
without  fear.     Even  the  difficulties  which  stood  in  the 
way,  and  which  at  that  very  time  had  been  so  greatly 
magnified  as  almost  to  have  postponed  for  the  time  the 
attempt  to  enter  a  field  so  unpromising,  instead  of  daunt 
ing,  only  fired  his  spirit,  and  made  him  more  impatient  to 
press  on,  life  a  brave  soldier  rushing  to  the  breach  in 
rlorn  hope.     "This,"  writes  he  in  his  journal,  "only 
strengthened  my  resolution  to  go  forward,  fearing  lest  the 
name  of  that  Lord  to  whom  all  power  is  given  in  heaven 


u  armour'  and  so 

march  or  battle. 


JEt.  31-32.]  FAREWELL   TO   HOME.  305 

and  on  earth  might  be  dishonoured;  and  I  came  to  Sunder- 
land  to  confer  about  the  matter,  when  I  found  to  my  joy 
that  the  mind  of  the  Synod  was  to  go  forward."  Now 
then  that  the  matter  was  decided,  his  voice  was  for  imme 
diate  action.  The  day  before  he  had,  I  believe,  left  his 
father's  house  with  the  fixed  resolution  that  so  it  should 
be.  He  did  not  say  farewell  to  those  that  were  at  home 
in  the  house,  but  he  none  the  less  and  solemnly  took 
farewell.  "I  was,"  says  an  elder  sister,  "the  only  person 
at  home  when  he  left,  our  parents  being  both,  I  think,  in 
the  north.  I  remember  Dr.  Hamilton's  letter  earnestly 
asking  him  to  be  the  pioneer  missionary  for  whom  the 
English  Presbyterian  Church  had  been  so  long  seeking. 
This  letter  was  followed  by  one  from  Mrs.  Barbour,  in 
which  she  reminded  him  that  in  an  address  to  the 
Students'  Missionary  Association  in  Edinburgh,  he  had 
said  to  this  effect,  that  when  young  men  gave  themselves 
to  the  Lord  for  the  work  of  the  ministry,  they  were  not  to 
prescribe  to  him  where  their  field  of  labour  should  be,  but 
should  be  willing  to  go  anywhere,  'even  to  China.'  I  re 
member  he  smiled  on  reading  this,  and  said  he  did  not 
remember  having  said  even  to  China,  but  went  imme 
diately  and  looked  at  the  address,  and  said,  'Yes  it  is — 
even  to  China.'  Before  receiving  this  call  he  was  studying 
the  Gaelic,  and  seldom  had  the  Gaelic  psalm-book  out  of 
his  hand,  but  soon  after  this  we  saw  that  the  Gaelic  was 
laid  aside  and  the  Encyclopedia  was  brought  out,  and  he 
was  busy  studying  the  Chinese  characters.  I  don't  think 
he  gave  a  decided  answer  to  James  Hamilton  before  the 
meeting  of  the  Synod  at  Newcastle;  but  having  heard  that 


306  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1846-47- 

some  timid  persons  were  daunted  by  some  difficulties  that 
stood  in  the  way,  he  said,  'That's  the  very  thing  that 
makes  my  call  clear  to  go,'  and  at  once  packed  his  little 
carpet-bag  to  start  for  Newcastle.  The  day  he  went  off 
he  was  long  in  papa's  study  in  prayer,  and  then  coming 
out  he  silently  wrung  my  hand  and  looked  solemnly  round 
as  if  taking  a  farewell  look  of  the  house;  he  had  his  Bread- 
albane  plaid  over  his  arm,  and  after  reaching  the  front 
door  he  turned  and  hung  it  up  in  the  lobby,  taking  one 
belonging  to  his  mother  instead,  and  giving  me  an  expres 
sive  look  as  he  did  so.  I  was  very  much  overcome,  and 
watched  his  receding  figure  with  the  feeling  that  he  would 
not  return.  I  went  into  the  study  to  give  vent  to  my 
feelings,  and  found  the  Bible  left  open  at  Isaiah  Ixiv., 
'Oh,  that  thou  would  rend  the  heavens/  &c.  On  going 
up  to  the  drawing-room  I  found  the  Gaelic  Testament  and 
psalm-book  neatly  put  into  one  of  the  shelves,  as  if  he 
had  done  with  them,  and  I  then  said,  'William  will 
return  no  more.'  In  a  very  few  days,  as  you  know,  it 
was  all  decided,  and  the  first  announcement  we  received 
was  from  Mr.  Irving  of  Falkirk,  who  kindly  came  straight 
from  the  Synod  meeting  to  give  us  the  tidings."  So  he 
writes  in  his  journal,  the  thread  of  which  I  now  gladly 
resume:— "I  had  fully,  though  not  formally,  taken  leave 
of  all  friends  in  Scotland  before  coming  up  to  the  Synod, 
and  therefore  thought  it  duty  to  act  upon  the  text,  'Let 
me  first  go  and  bid  them  farewell,'  &c.,  and  without  re 
turning  back  to  hasten  on  my  way.  This  view  approved 
itself  to  others,  and  I  hoped  to  have  gone  off  at  once 
through  France,  and  to  have  been  in  China  in  July  by  the 


J£t.  31-32.]  PARTING   THOUGHTS.  307 

steam  communication  lately  established.  This  was  over 
ruled,  however,  on  the  ground  that  I  would  reach  the 
field  at  a  trying  season,  and  by  a  trying  route;  and  so  it 
was  resolved  that  I  should  wait  for  this  present  vessel, 
and  in  the  interval  visit  the  churches  in  this  Synod.  I 
have  been  accordingly  in  most  of  them — Liverpool,  Man 
chester,  Birmingham,  Brighton,  London,  &c.  &c.,  and  see 
much  cause  to  adore  the  wisdom  and  grace  of  God  in 
this  delay.  I  do  not  hope  again  to  see  my  dear  parents 
before  setting  out;  but  my  brother  Islay  and  his  wife  from 
Dundee  have  come  up  to  see  me  away,  and  were  with  me 
to-day  along  with  two  others  occupied  in  my  outfit  (Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Ballantyne),  when  we  took  possession  of  my  little 
cabin  and  of  the  ship  for  the  Lord  in  the  exercise  of  his 
worship.  .  .  .  My  beloved  parents  still  spared  to  us 
seem  to  rejoice  in  giving  me  up  to  the  Lord  for  this 
'honourable'  work.  Yes,  'it  is  an  honourable  work,'  as 
Dr.  M'Donald  of  Ferintosh  said  to  me  in  his  own  veteran 
spirit,  when  the  Lord  permitted  me  to  meet  with  him  once 
more  in  Glasgow  at  the  late  communion  there.  .  .  . 
Before  leaving  Scotland  I  preached  in  Bute,  Arran,  &c., 
and  had  many  calls  to  other  places ;  but  as  no  very  special 
blessing  seemed  to  attend  the  word,  I  did  not  feel  myself  at 
liberty  to  refuse  a  call  to  labour  among  the  heathen,  and 
that  call  came  to  me  as  one  originally  self-devoted  to  that 
work  should  the  Lord  call  me.  It  is  thus  in  one  view  a 
dark  and  solemn  dispensation  in  my  case  to  leave  this 
land.  I  go  away  because,  either  through  my  sin  or  the 
people's,  God's  Spirit  worketh  not  among  us  as  in  years 
past.  But  it  may  be  that  this  is  God's  own  way  of  shutting 


308  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1846-47. 

me  out  from  the  home  field,  and  sending  me  far  hence  to 
other  Gentiles.  'They  essayed  to  preach  the  gospel,  &c., 
but  the  Spirit  suffered  them  not,'  and  then  the  vision  of 
the  man  of  Macedonia  appeared,  and  they  'went  over  to 
help  them.'  Who  hath  directed  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord? 
A  man's  goings  are  of  the  Lord:  how  then  can  a  man 
understand  his  own  way?  THOU  wilt  guide  me  with  thy 
counsel,  and  afterwards  receive  me  to  glory.  Hosanna ! 
Amen." 

In  such  a  strain  of  exalted  faith  and  hope,  and  with 
such  solemn  musings,  alike  of  the  past  and  of  the  future, 
he  closed  the  eventful  period  of  his  home  and  colonial 
ministry,  and  turned  his  face  toward  those  new  scenes  to 
which  his  divine  Master  was  pointing  the  way. 


CHAPTER   XII. 

1847. 

DEPARTURE    FOR   CHINA. 

THE  missionary's  departure  from  England,  though 
delayed  in  the  manner  above  described,  took  place 
at  last  somewhat  suddenly.  The  ship  in  which  he  was 
to  sail,  the  Mary  Bannatyne,  was  dropping  slowly  down 
the  Channel  under  a  light  breeze  towards  Portsmouth, 
and  it  was  expected  that  several  days  would  elapse  before 
we  should  have  to  join  her  there.  He  had  accordingly 
made  several  preaching  engagements  for  the  intervening 
days,  and  was,  on  the  evening  of  Tuesday,  the  8th  June, 
in  the  very  act  of  entering  the  Scotch  Church  at  Wool 
wich  in  fulfilment  of  one  of  these,  when  an  express  from 
London  reached  him,  conveying  the  information  that 
a  favourable  wind  had  sprung  up  and  carried  the  ship 
by  a  rapid  run  to  Portsmouth,  and  that  not  an  hour 
was  to  be  lost  if  he  wished  to  join  her  before  she  sailed. 
He  accordingly  hastened  at  once  to  the  railway  station  in 
hopes  to  catch  the  last  train,  but  was,  happily  as  it  turned 
out,  too  late.  Next  morning  he  and  I  set  out  together, 
not  without  some  fears  of  after  all  missing  the  passage, 
but  happily  arrived  in  good  time.  On  reaching  the 
harbour  we  saw  the  ship  riding  at  anchor  in  the  roads, 


310  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1847. 


and  procuring  a  boat  reached  it  in  half  an  hour.     Finding 
that  the  vessel  would  not  after  all  sail  till  the  evening,  I 
resolved  to  remain  on  board,  and  return  by  the  latest 
boat.     We  retired  to  the  little  cabin  and  spent  the  time 
in  reading  the  sacred  Word,  and  in  pouring  out  our  hearts 
in  prayer,  for  the  last  time  it  might  be  in  this  world  to 
gether.     He  read  the  iyth  chapter  of  St.  John,  and  the 
last  of  2  Timothy  from  the  loth  verse  to  the  end,  accom 
panying   the   slow  and   interrupted   reading  with   many 
gracious  and  quickening  words  out  of  the  fulness  of  the 
heart.     The  latter  passage  especially  he  bade  me  mark 
and  remember,  and  convey  it  to  his  friends  and  brethren 
at  home  as  a  parting  message  of  love.     Coming  to  the  last 
words  he  paused  for  a  moment  and  said :  "The  last  words 
are,  'Salute  Prisca,'  &c.;  this  you  must  do  for  me:  for  I 
could  not  write,"  and  burst  into  a  flood  of  tears.     We 
wept  together.      In  the  course  of  the  afternoon  he  had 
shut  himself  up  for  an  hour  or  two  for  the  purpose  of 
writing,  and  I  saw  afterwards  on  the  table  a  sheet  of 
paper  half-written  addressed  to  his  mother;  but  the  effort 
had  been  too  much  for  him,  and  he  had  given  it  over. 
After  again  joining  in  prayer  we  embraced  and  parted, 
he  again  and  again  exclaiming  as  he  lay  upon  my  neck, 
'O!  is  it  not  blessed;  is  it  not  wondrous  grace  to  be 
separated  in  this  way,  separated  for  such  a  cause  and  for 
such  a  work?"     His  last  words  were,  "Remember  our 
father  and  mother."    As  we  pushed  off  from  the  vessel's 
side,  he  called  after  me  and  pointed  to  his  Bible,  which 
he  held  up  in  his  hand,  as  if  to  say  that  there  was  the  only 
thing  worth  living  for  in  all  the  world,  and  the  one  ever- 


^t.  32.]  THE  "MARY  BANNATYNE.  311 

lasting  bond  of  union  for  those  who  are  parted  here.  A 
fresh  breeze  sprung  up ;  the  light  cutter  flew  before  the 
wind,  and  in  a  few  moments  we  had  left  the  vessel  far 
behind  us;  but  long  as  I  watched  its  lessening  form  in 
the  deepening  darkness  I  seemed  to  see  him  standing  in 
the  same  attitude  still.  I  felt  that  I  had  parted  not 
from  a  brother  only,  but  from  one  far  above  me,  a  true  and 
eminent  saint  of  God.  Just  as  we  were  nearing  the  shore 
they  had  drawn  up  their  anchor  and  spread  their  sails  to 
the  winds. 

Three  hours  afterwards  he  was  again  in  his  cabin, 
resuming  with  more  calm  and  collected  thoughts  the 
interrupted  letter  to  his  mother : — 

"  On  board  the  '  Mary  Bannatyne]  off  Portsmouth, 
June  9//z,  1847,  11.30  P.M. — MY  DEAR  MOTHER, — My 
embarkation  has  been  at  the  last,  as  I.  will  tell  in  detail, 
rather  sudden  and  hurried.  I  expected  not  to  leave 
London  until  to-morrow  morning,  but  the  ship  got  quickly 
round  to  Portsmouth,  and  last  night  when  entering  the 
door  of  Mr.  Thomson's  church  at  Woolwich  to  preach,  a 
messenger  from  London  met  me  to  say  that  I  must  get  to 
Portsmouth  without  losing  an  hour  lest  the  ship  should  be 
gone.  I  endeavoured  accordingly  to  leave  London  by 
the  last  train,  but  was  too  late,  and  happily  so,  for  in  case 
I  had  got  away  I  would  not  have  seen  I.j  but  as  it  was 
graciously  arranged,  I  came  away  at  seven  A.M.,  and  had 
J.,  I.,  and  Mrs.  I.  to  the  station,  and  I.  all  the  way.  He 
was  on  board  during  most  of  the  day,  and  left  us  in  the 
evening.  My  heart  was  too  full  to  put  pen  to  paper  at 
that  time,  and  I  left  as  I  thought  all  news  for  him  to  give; 


312  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1847. 

but  since  he  went  away  I  find  that  by  our  pilot  I  may 
still  send  a  few  lines,  which  I  cannot  omit  the  duty  of 
attempting.     I  have  now  entered  on  a  new  sphere  of  duty 
and   trial,   I  mean  on  board  ship.     Much  fidelity  and 
wisdom  are  needed  to  be  a  witness  for  the  Lord  in  such 
circumstances,  and  I  have  in  this  matter  as  well  as  with 
reference  to  ulterior  designs  much  need  of  fervent  believ 
ing  prayer.     Do  not  forget  us.     May  all  that  "sail  with  us 
be  given  to  Jesus.    We  have  already  begun  worship  in  the 
cuddy,  and  I  hope  it  may  be  continued  throughout,  if 
possible,  morning  and  evening.     I  felt  it  a  great  privilege 
to  have  I.  with  me  at  the  last.     May  this  separation  for 
the  gospel  be  to  each  of  us  a  blessing.     Ah !  what  grace 
is  manifested  in  such  a  separation !     Why  am  I  not,  as 
many,  going  forth  in  search  of  mammon;  or  put  to  sea,  as 
some  are,  because   they  are  unprofitable  even  in  man's 
account  on  land?    Who  maketh  thee  to  differ?     O!  to 
live  under  the  full  influence  of  Christ's  constraining  love ! 
To  us  to  live  will  thus  be  Christ,  and  to  us  to  die  will  be 
gain.     We  know  not   the  progress  nor  the  end  of  this 
voyage,  nor  what  news  may  reach  us  from  Britain  should 
we  reach  our  destination.     Yet  I  rejoice  to  go.     I  feel 
that  I  am  where  it  is  the  Lord's  gracious  will  that  I  should 
be,  and  I  would  join  with  all  his  people  in  praying,  'Thy 
will  be  done  on  earth  as  it  is  in  heaven.'     All  the  ends  of 
the  earth  shall  yet  remember  and  turn  to  the  Lord;  and 
11  the  kindreds  of  the  people  shall  do  homage  unto  him; 
for  the  kingdom  is  the  LORD'S,  and  he  is  the  Governor 
among   the   nations.     On  his  vesture  and   on  his  thigh 
there  is  a  name  written,  King  of  kings  and  Lord  of  lords! 


^Et  32-]  CHINESE    STUDIES.  313 

Now  may  the  God  of  peace  sanctify  you  wholly,  and  I 
pray  God  your  whole  spirit  and  soul  and  body  be  pre 
served  blameless  unto  the  coming  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ.  Faithful  is  he  that  calleth  you,  who  also  will  do 
it.  Brethren,  pray  for  us !  Salute  all  the  brethren  for  us. 
Thus  in  haste  again  writes,  dearest  mother,  your  affection 
ate  son, — WM.  C.  BURNS." 

Such  was  his  farewell,  full  alike  of  solemn  tenderness, 
and  of  brave,  resolute  hopefulness,  to  his  native  land,  and 
to  the  home  of  his  birth  and  early  years.  The  progress 
of  his  voyage,  and  his  unwearied  labours  for  Christ  in 
the  narrow  sphere  now  meanwhile  assigned  to  him,  will 
be  best  followed  in  the  words  of  his  own  journal,  which 
again  becomes  more  or  less  continuous : — 

"At  Sea,  Wednesday,  June  23^,  1847. — It  is  now  a  fortnight 
since  I  embarked  in  this  vessel;  and  thus  far  God  hath  gra 
ciously  prospered  our  way.  For  a  week  after  we  set  sail  we 
were  detained  by  contrary  and,  in  general,  stormy  winds  at 
the  mouth  of  the  British  Channel,  but  since  that  time  the 
weather  has  been  delightful,  and  we  have  been  wafted 
speedily  on  our  way,  so  that  to-morrow  morning,  if  the  wind 
continue  favourable,  we  shall  pass  by  Madeira.  During  the 
first  few  days  I  was  rather  sick,  but  I  have  been  able  from 
the  beginning  to  do  a  little  at  my  Chinese  studies,  and  during 
the  last  few  days  my  progress  has  been,  I  think,  encouraging. 
We  have  had  public  worship  every  evening  in  the  public 
cabin,  and  to-day  I  succeeded  in  getting  it  begun  also  in  the 
morning.  .  .  . 

"At  Sea,  lat.  23°  south,  long.  29°  west,  Wednesday,  July 
28//Z. — It  is  seven  weeks  this  day  since  I  came  on  board  this 
vessel.  Hitherto  we  have  been  all  mercifully  preserved, 
and  have  advanced  steadily,  though  not  very  rapidly,  on  our 
voyage.  Some  of  the  crew  have  had  illness,  but  they  are 


314  LIFE   OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1847. 

again  able  for  their  duties.  I  have  suffered  a  good  deal,  and 
still  suffer  almost  daily,  from  nausea,  which  abridges  my 
ability  for  close  application  to  study.  I  am,  however,  able  to 
do  a  little  from  day  to  day  in  acquiring  the  Chinese,  and 
occasionally  I  make  more  rapid  advances.  The  work  is 
pleasant  and  profitable  from  the  Bible  being  my  text-book, 
and  in  consideration  of  the  momentous  end  which  I  have  in 
view.  Morrison  was  enabled  to  accomplish  a  great  work  in 
preparing  such  a  version  of  the  New  Testament  as  that  which 
it  is  my  privilege  to  study.  I  have  felt  much  interested  by 
his  Memoirs,  which  I  am  again  reading.  He  was  a  spiritual 
man  as  well  as  a  man  of  strong  natural  parts,  and  was  thus 
both  naturally  and  by. grace  qualified  for  the  work  of  trans 
lation.  .  .  . 

"I  have  been  graciously  permitted  hitherto  to  maintain 
family  worship  in  the  cabin  every  evening,  and  generally  also 
in  the  morning,  although  with  occasional  difficulty,  the  desire 
not  being  as  yet  very  great.  The  illness  of  one  of  the  seamen 
opened  my  way  a  good  deal  in  the  forecastle,  and  I  now  have 
worship  there  also  at  least  twice  a  week.  On  Sabbaths  all 
join  with  us  excepting  one  or  two.  When  shall  the  cry  be 
heard  among  us  :  'What  shall  I  do  to  be  saved?'  Yesterday 
afternoon  we  passed  Trinidad,  a  very  picturesque  island,  un 
inhabited  except  by  a  few  goats  and  swine.  It  stands  quite 
alone  in  the  midst  of  this  vast  ocean.  Should  our  voyage  be 
favourable,  we  shall  not  again  see  land  until  near  the  Chinese 
seas.  The  Island  of  St.  Paul's  comes  first  in  sight.  I  was 
glad  to  find  on  crossing  the  line  that  the  heathenish  practices 
which  used  to  be  common  on  shipboard,  and  of  which  Dr. 
Morrison  gives  an  account  in  his  journal  forty  years  ago,  had 
no  place  among  us.  All  went  on  as  usual,  with  only  some 
passing  allusions  to  the  subject.  Such  changes  among  our 
seamen  are  hopeful. 

1  Do  thou  thy  glory  far  advance 

Above  both  sea  and  land,'  Psalm  xxxvii. 
"Lat.  33° south,  Ion.  14°  west.    Thursday,  August  yh.— This 


-^Et.  32.]  A    MAN    OVERBOARD.  315 

morning  at  half-past  four  o'clock,  Thomas  M'Leod,  an  ap 
prentice  in  the  ship,  fell  overboard  and  was  drowned.  They 
tried  to  render  him  assistance,  but  all  was  vain,  as  it  was 
dark  and  rainy,  and  the  wind  was  changing  at  the  time.  He 
was  aged  about  seventeen,  a  native  of  Rothesay,  and  the  son 
of  a  widow.  The  evening  before  last  I  had  worship  in  the 
steerage  or  half-deck  with  him  and  some  of  the  other  men, 
and  was  led  to  speak  specially  of  the  danger  of  sudden  death 
to  which  they  were  exposed.  He  seemed  attentive,  and 
answered  me  the  question  in  the  Shorter  Catechism,  l  What 
is  Prayer?'  I  had  also  conversed  and  prayed  with  him  pre 
viously  when  sick.  This  is  all  I  can  say  of  his  case.  He  is, 
alas  !  now  numbered  with  those  whom  '  the  sea  will  give  up ' 
at  the  last  day  to  stand  before  the  great  white  throne.  It  is 
sad  to  see  and _/£<?/  how  little  this  solemn  event  seems  to  affect 
us.  Who  can  tell  but  it  may  be  the  precursor  of  other  dis 
plays  of  the  Lord's  righteous  hand?  May  I  and  others  be 
taught  to  prepare  for  the  Lord's  coming !  I  am  still  enabled 
to  continue  worship  morning  and  evening  (with  occasional 
interruptions  in  the  morning)  in  the  cabin.  In  the  half-deck 
and  in  the  forecastle  I  have  the  fullest  liberty  to  do  all  I  can 
for  these  precious  souls.  I  am  sometimes  refreshed  in  these 
exercises,  though  I  cannot  see  any  special  evidences  of  fruit. 
'  Let  us  not  be  weary  in  well-doing.'  We  are  now  about 
1600  miles  from  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope.  The  weather  has 
been  fine  hitherto,  but  this  being  the  winter  season  in  these 
southern  regions  it  is  now  becoming  cold,  and  may  be  ex 
pected  to  be  stormy.  I  go  on  pretty  regularly  with  my 
Chinese,  and  find  it  gradually  become  more  familiar,  although 
it  is  evident  from  the  nature  of  the  language  that  it  must  re 
quire  long  practice  to  render  it  at  all  natural  to  a  European 
mind  and  tongue.  I  occupy  myself  much  in  translating  the 
English  New  Testament  into  Chinese,  and  comparing  these 
rude  attempts  with  Morrison's  version.  This  I  find  an  ad 
mirable  method  of  mastering  the  substance  of  the  language, 
although  the  peculiar  Chinese  manner  of  thought  and  expres- 


316  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1847. 

sion  can  only  be  fully  attained  from  studying  native  authors. 
This  I  am  also  practising  to  a  certain  extent.     .     .     . 

"  Thursday,  August  ibth. — Since  the  previous  date  we  had 
some  very  stormy  weather,  with  an  intervening  calm  of  some 
days.  The  wind,  however,  when  strongest,  was  favourable, 
and  has  been  therefore  less  severely  felt.  On  Tuesday  (24th) 
it  blew  almost  a  hurricane  from  the  north-west.  I  was  stand 
ing  on  the  poop  when  a  lofty  wave  broke  over  the  vessel.  By 
its  force  and  the  rolling  of  the  vessel  I  was  lifted  from  the 
deck,  but  having  a  firm  hold  I  was  mercifully  preserved.  My 
watch  was  filled  with  salt  water,  and  the  chain  snapped. 
How  in  a  moment  might  the  pulse  of  life  have  been  thus  ar 
rested  !  l  Thou  wilt  keep  him  in  perfect  peace  whose  mind  is 
stayed  on  thee ;  because  he  trusteth  in  thee.  Trust  ye  in  the 
Lord  for  ever;  for  in  the  Lord  Jehovah  is  everlasting  strength.' 
In  the  cabin  our  conversation  occasionally  turns  upon  the 
things  of  God.  I  have,  however,  more  to  do  generally  in 
witnessing  for  our  God  and  Saviour's  authority  and  grace  by 
my  own  walk  than  by  words.  Indeed,  when  one  is  so  closely 
connected  with  others  as  in  the  cabin  of  a  ship,  a  holy  and 
consistent  deportment  is  indispensable  in  order  to  maintain 
without  shame  a  verbal  testimony  for  the  truth.  I  have 
reason  to  bless  the  Lord  for  much  of  his  comforting  presence 
in  this  my  little  cabin,  where  I  am  so  much  alone,  and  also 
for  timely  aid  in  more  public  occasions.  How  holy  and  how 
useful  is  the  Lord  willing  that  I  should  be !  This  is  a  solemn 
thought,  involving  an  unknown  amount  of  responsibility. 

Hitherto  have  ye  asked  nothing  in  my  name/  &c.  One  of 
my  daily  duties  is  to  teach  Dr.  Morrison's  little  daughter  to 
read.  She  had  just  got  the  alphabet,  but  is  now  making 
encouraging  progress-an  interesting  child.  She  commits  to 

emory  verses  of  hymns,  and  has  now  got  'The  Lord's  my 
Shepherd,'  &c.  Jesus,  look  on  this  child,  for  thy  name's  sake- 
Amen.  For  the  last  few  weeks  I  have  little  nausea,  and  am 

)le  to  make  encouraging  progress  in  the  Chinese.     .     .     . 

"Entrance  of  Java  Sea  (opposite  North  Island],  Satur- 


jEt.  32.]  ANJER    BAY.  317 

day  night,  October  gt/i. — I  am  now  near  the  close  of  another 
week  of  mercy  and  faithfulness  manifested  toward  me  on 
the  part  of  a  redeeming  covenant  God.  On  Sabbath  morn 
ing  last  we  were  in  shallow  water,  but  no  land  had  been 
seen,  the  weather  being  thick.  At  ten  A.M.  the  curtain  was 
uplifted,  and  opposite  my  cabin  window  appeared  the  high 
land  of  Sumatra  at  the  mouth  of  Sunda  Straits.  This  joy 
ful  sight  at  this  moment  served  to  unite  the  passengers  in  a 
short  meeting  for  divine  worship  when  there  seemed  little 
likelihood  of  their  assembling,  the  steward  having  brought 
word  that  neither  the  captain  nor  any  of  the  crew  could  attend. 
I  sung  Psalm  cxv.  1-4,  10,  read  and  commented  shortly  on 
Ephesians  iii.,  and  concluded  with  prayer.  I  did  not  go  to 
dinner,  as  I  wished  to  seek  a  right  view  of  the  sin  of  trampling 
on  the  Lord's-day,  and  to  praise  him  for  his  great  mercy  in 
saving  our  ship's  company  from  the  temptation  to  violate  it 
at  Anjer,  as  they  might  have  done.1  ...  On  Tuesday 
morning  we  were  within  ten  miles  of  Anjer,  sailing  slowly 
over  a  glassy  sea  covered  with  the  canoes  of  the  Javanese 
and  Malays  fishing,  or  bringing  off  provisions  to  offer  for  sale. 
Six  or  seven  canoes  came  under  my  cabin-window  to  trade 
with  the  captain,  &c.  I  looked  out  to  them,  and  when  they 
stroked  their  naked  arms  and  breasts  to  intimate  that  they 
wished  clothes,  I  could  only  smile,  shake  my  head,  and  hold 
up  an  open  book  (the  book  of  God),  to  let  them  know  that  I 
was  come  to  teach  them,  and  not  to  trade  or  clothe  their 
bodies.  They  understood  my  meaning,  and  looked  to  me 
again  and  again  smiling,  as  if  well  pleased;  and  one  man  put 
his  hands  together  as  if  in  the  attitude  of  prayer.  In  the 
afternoon  God  sent  us  for  a  short  time  a  favourable  breeze, 
which  carried  us  to  Anjer  Bay  about  five  o'clock ;  but  left  us 
outside  the  anchorage,  which,  owing  to  the  current,  we  did 
not  reach  until  seven  A.M.  of  Wednesday  (October  6th).  .  .  . 
I  had  many  quiet  opportunities  of  meeting  the  natives  who 

1  It  had  been  for  some  days  anticipated  that  they  would  reach 
Anjer  on  the  Lord's-day. 


318  LIFE    OF   REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1847. 

came  on  board  to  trade.  I  particularly  spoke  to  two  Malays, 
Acsan  and  Cassiden^\\o>  waited  most  of  the  day  on  the  poop 
in  charge  of  provisions  which  had  been  bought  and  sent  on 
board.  In  compliance  with  their  entreaties  (they  are  contin 
ually  begging,  and  understand  a  good  deal  of  English  here) 
I  covered  each  of  them  with  a  long  white  shirt  (the  two  made 
for  me  by  Mrs.  Hardy,  my  worthy  hostess  at  Kingston,  Upper 
Canada),  and  spoke  to  them  as  I  best  could  of  Jesus'  blood- 
washed  garment  of  salvation,  longing  for  the  time  when  many 
of  their  nation  shall  be  found  sitting  at  Jesus'  feet  as  disciples, 
thus  clothed  and  in  their  right  mind.  A  subsequent  request 
which  they  made  for  soap  to  keep  their  shirts  clean  afforded 
a  new  emblem  by  which  to  instruct  them.  I  also  met  a  Mr. 

S ,  second  mate  of  'the  Regina  of  Bombay,  a  large  vessel 

passing  down  from  China.  I  found  him  to  be  a  brother-in- 
law  to  Mr.  Smith,1  late  Church  missionary  to  China,  whose 
book  I  have  been  reading  with  interest  and  profit.  I  gave 
him  two  religious  books,  with  an  inscribed  promise  to  pray 
for  him.  May  I  remember  and  be  enabled  to  fulfil  all  such 
engagements!  .  .  . 

"Java  Sea,  Monday,  October  nth.— I  had  opportunities  of 
speaking  further  to  some  of  the  poor  Malays,  and  learned 
from  them  a  few  words  of  their  language,  which  seems  easy 
for  a  European  to  pronounce.  They  seem  a  simple  people, 
rather  fitted  to  obey  than  to  rule;  but,  as  may  be  expected, 
they  are  awfully  deceitful.  When  going  to  speak  to  some  of 
them  in  a  canoe  close  to  the  vessel,  I  saw  sitting  near  me  on 
the  quarter-deck  an  old  gray-haired  man,  unlike  any  person 

had  before  seen.  I  thought  with  myself  who  he  could  be, 
but,  strange  to  say,  never  thought  of  China  as  his  country 
until  he  came  round  to  where  I  was  standing,  and  I  perceived 

is  gray  and  scanty  hair  plaited  into  the  tail  and  hanging 

down  his  back.     He  was  not  like  any  representation  of  the 

Chinese  that  I  had  seen,  much  Itssplumj  and  more  intelligent, 

ie  was  the  first  of  that  great  nation  that  I  had  seen  in 

1  Afterwards  Bishop  of  Victoria,  Hong-Kong. 


JEt.  32.]  MUSINGS    ON   THE    PAST.  3 1 9 

person.  I  exchanged  with  him  a  few  words  in  English,  which 
he  spoke  very  well,  and  when  he  learned  that  I  knew  a  little 
of  Chinese,  he  took  out  a  paper  (a  receipt  for  goods  that  had 
been  bought  from  him)  written  in  English  and  Chinese,  to 
see  if  I  knew  the  characters.  I  recognized  some  of  them, 
and  found  that  I  had  got  the  correct  pronunciation.  I  went 
on  deck  soon  after  with  a  part  of  the  Chinese  Scriptures 
(New  Testament),  that  I  might  show  it  to  him,  but  he  was 
just  leaving  the  vessel,  and  our  intercourse  ended.  I  had  at 
least  mentioned  to  him  the  name  of  Jesus.  .  .  .  On  Satur 
day  forenoon  we  were  in  company  of  two  vessels  from  Lon 
don  to  China,  the  barque  Anne  and  Jane,  which  sailed  a  fort 
night  before  us,  and  the  ship  Marquis  of  Bute,  which  belongs 
to  the  same  owners  as  this  vessel,  and  sailed  a  month  later. 
Her  master,  Captain  Bannatyne,  is  from  Rothesay.  He  was 
on  board  for  some  hours.  It  was  indeed  a  cause  of  thankful 
ness  that  all  this  preceded  the  Lord's-day ;  and  that  on  Sab 
bath  (yesterday)  no  one  came  near  us  to  be  a  cause  of  temp 
tation.  We  had  public  worship  on  the  poop  as  the  day  was 
fine.  ...  I  preached  from  Matthew  xxviii.  18-20,  'All 
power  is  given  unto  me  in  heaven  and  on  earth.  Go  ye 
therefore,  &c.  And,  lo !  I  am  with  you  alway,  even  unto  the 
end  of  the  world.  Amen.'  I  felt  much  supported  in  opening 
up  briefly  these  mighty  words,  and  had  an  opportunity  of 
speaking  to  present  circumstances  among  ourselves,  while  I 
showed  on  the  one  hand  the  duty  of  Christ's  ministers,  and 
on  the  other  the  duty  and  responsibility  of  those  individuals, 
parents,  masters,  &c.,  to  whom  this  gospel  comes  in  obeying 
it  themselves,  and  allowing  it  to  have  free  course  among  those 
placed  under  them.  The  rest  of  the  Sabbath  I  spent  in  my 
own  cabin,  and  though  there  was  no  further  meeting  for  wor 
ship  on  board,  yet  I  trust  the  presence  of  God  was  among  us. 
The  name  of  the  vessel  that  joined  us  on  Saturday,  Marquis 
of  Bute,  reminds  me  of  circumstances  worthy  of  being  re 
corded,  but  hitherto  omitted.  In  the  month  of  March  last  I 
visited  Bute  and  Arran,  preaching  in  Arran  to  a  divided 


320  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1847. 

people  without  a  minister  at  Brodick,  and  in  Rothesay  to  the 
desolate  congregation  of  the  lamented  Peter  M 'Bride,  a  faith 
ful  and  much-honoured  servant  of  God,  cut  down  in  the  midst 
of  signal  usefulness,  particularly  in  his  native  parish  of  Knap- 
dale,  in  visiting  which  he  died.  When  at  Rothesay  I  was 
asked  to  preach  in  the  parish  of  Kingarth  at  an  inn  in  Kil- 
chattan  Bay.  The  people  came  out  well,  many  belonging  to 
the  Established  Church,  and  some  impression  seemed  to  be 
made.  One  evening  when  preaching  on  'the  new  birth,'  I 
made  allusion  to  one  whom  I  had  known  ten  years  before  in 
their  neighbourhood,  who  seemed  evidently  to  have  under 
gone  that  great  change.  This  was  Mr.  John  Smith,  the 
Marquis  of  Bute's  head  gardener  (at  Mountstuart,  some  miles 
from  where  we  were),  who  was  a  remarkable  man  of  God;  but 
was  hated  on  this  account,  and  at  the  time  of  the  Disruption 
was  cast  out  of  his  situation  for  following  the  protesting 
church.  He  had  died  only  a  few  months  before,  and  his 
memory  was  sweet  to  many  and  to  me  also,  as  I  had  often 
enjoyed,  along  with  James  Denniston,  the  solemn  privilege, 
when  we  were  teaching  in  Bute  as  tutors  during  the  summer 
months,  of  visiting  his  abode  and  being  benefited  by  his 
heavenly  converse  and  prayers.  Having  been  led  to  ask 
about  his  widow,  I  determined  to  call  on  her  in  returning  to 
Rothesay,  at  the  cottage  which  he  had  built  in  the  midst  of  a 
garden  which  he  had  rented,  and  which  he  cultivated  in  his 
last  days  for  his  support.  I  somehow  deferred,  however,  my 
intended  visit  until  the  last  time  that  I  passed  from  Kingarth, 
and  this  was  well  ordered.  The  last  evening  I  was  there  the 
poor  people  insisted  on  my  accepting  a  few  pounds  as  a  token 
of  their  gratitude,  and  to  defray  my  expenses.  I  refused  it 
as  I  was  not  in  want,  but  had  at  last  to  yield.  The  following 
day  I  called  on  Mrs.  Smith,  found  her  unwell  and  troubled 
in  other  ways.  Her  husband  had  been  always  open-handed, 
saying  the  marquis  would  not  see  him  want  in  his  old  clays, 
and  now  he  was  gone,  and  his  poor  widow  said  few  inquired 
how  she  was  provided  for.  She  told  me  what  I  had  not 


JEt.  32.]  MUSINGS    OF    THE    PAST.  321 

heard,  that  her  husband  held  many  meetings  for  prayer  in 
Kilchattan  Bay,  and  that  when  debarred  by  the  factor  from 
the  people's  houses,  he  hired  the  very  room  where  I  had 
spoken  of  him,  and  met  the  people  there,  and  that  he  was  in 
the  act  of  beginning  one  of  these  meetings  when  the  letter 
was  put  in  his  hands  which  dismissed  him  from  his  place. 
I  had  worship  with  her — poor  woman — reading  Psalm  xxxvii. 
as  applicable  to  his  case,  and  then  told  her  of  the  money  that 
had  been  given  me,  and  that  I  doubted  not  God  intended  it 
for  her.  She  wept  as  she  received  it,  saying,  '  That  will  just 
free  me  from  my  difficulty.  The  term  is  near,  and  on  Satur 
day  I  had  to  say  to  the  collector  for  the  schemes  of  the 
Church  for  the  first  time  that  I  could  give  nothing.'  Of  the 
other  places  which  I  visited  when  last  in  Scotland  I  spent 
the  longest  time  in  Montrose  and  neighbourhood,  ministering 
to  a  vacant  congregation  in  the  town,  and  to  Mr.  Bain  of 
Logic's  congregation  during  his  absence  at  Malta.  No  very 
remarkable  blessing  appeared  in  either  place,  but  among  Dr. 
Brewster  of  Craig's  people— especially  the  children  in  the 
school  at  the  fishing  village — a  gracious  work  of  the  Holy 
Spirit  seemed  to  be  going  on,  chiefly  through  the  instrumen 
tality  of  the  female  teacher.  Preaching  there  in  the  begin 
ning  of  winter  I  met  their  venerable  pastor,1  who  seemed  to 
be  ripening  for  the  Lord's  garner,  and  was  a  few  months  after 
called  away.  I  also  there  met  once  more  that  dear  man  of 
God,  Andrew  Bonar  of  Collace,  who  had  been  there  before, 
but  Barnabas-like,  '  seeing  the  grace  of  God,  he  was  glad,' 
and  returned  again  to  exhort,  instruct,  and  comfort  them. 
At  Logic  I  found  Mr.  T.  usefully  employed  as  teacher  and 
elder,  one  of  those  who  professed  to  have  experienced  a  change 
of  heart  during  the  awakening  at  Aberdeen  in  1840.  When 
at  Manchester  in  the  month  of  May  I  found  also  Mr.  M., 

1  The  Rev.  James  Brewster,  D.  D. ,  brother  of  the  late  distinguished 
Sir  David  Brewster,  and  himself  a  man  of  fine  culture  as  well  as  deep 
piety.  He  was  our  father's  near  neighbour  in  his  first  parish,  and 
an  endeared  and  valued  friend. 

X 


722  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1847. 

converted  at  Dundee,  and  Mr.  J.  from  Perth,  both  employed 
as  missionaries,  and  coming  forward  to  the  ministry.  May 
all  such  prove  to  be  indeed  living  branches  of  the  true  Vine, 
and  bear  much  fruit  by  abiding  in  Him ! 

"Monday,  October  2$th. — Since  the  previous  date  I  have 
been  able  to  do  comparatively  little  at  the  Chinese  on  ac 
count  of  the  heat,  which  has  been  very  great  and  oppressive. 
We  have  made  good  progress  during  the  last  week,  and  are 
now  about  seven  hundred  miles  only  from  our  destination. 
We  are  to-day,  however,  nearly  becalmed,  and  the  future  is 
with  our  God,  who  reigneth  over  all.  .  .  .  Taking  into- 
view  the  state  of  my  own  soul,  and  my  future  prospects  in 
nearing  the  coast  of  China,  I  felt  it  duty  to  spend  the  rest  of 
the  day  (Sunday,  October  24th,  after  divine  service)  in  my 
own  cabin,  and  did  not  leave  it  to  dinner  or  tea,  or  indeed 
at  all.  I  trust  my  soul  feasted  in  the  Lord's  presence,  and 
upon  his  truth  and  grace.  My  heart  visited  many  past  scenes 
of  labour  and  many  far-distant  friends  and  brethren  in  the 
faith  of  Jesus ;  and  I  enjoyed  more  than  usual  liberty  and 
depth  both  in  confessing  sin  and  in  pleading  for  grace  to 
myself  and  others.  ...  I  have  often  found  of  late  the 
chapters  in  Mr.  M'Cheyne's  Calendar  for  the  daily  reading 
of  the  Scriptures  exceedingly  suitable  to  my  wants.  His 
Memoir  and  Remains  also  I  find  now  more  valuable  than  ever. 
I  am  reading  also  again,  and  with  new  interest  as  we  approach 
the  scene  of  his  labours,  the  memoirs  of  Dr.  Morrison  the 
Chinese  missionary.  The  earlier  part  of  these  memoirs 
especially  contains  a  precious  development  of  his  very  genuine 
and  eminent  spiritual  character.  He  appears  to  have  been 
indeed  an  upright  servant  of  the  living  God.  Oh  !  for  grace 
to  follow  in  this  respect  in  his  footsteps.  Dr.  Milne  was  a 
precious  man  of  God,  and  his  Chinese  tracts— some  of  which 
I  have— seem  to  be  of  much  value.  In  these,  his  works,  I 
doubt  not,  will  follow  him.  His  life  by  Philip  has  too  much 
of  Dr.  Philip  and  too  little  of  Dr.  Milne  to  possess  all  the 
interest  and  importance  which  might  belong  to  such  a  work. 


^Et.  32.]  STORM    IN    THE    CHINA    SEAS.  323 

And  yet  some  of  the  biographer's  views  seem  striking  and 
useful. 

"  Monday,  November  %th. — Subsequently  to  the  previous 
date  for  about  ten  or  twelve  days  we  had  calms  or  very  light 
winds,  so  that  we  made  little  progress  except  to  the  eastward. 
The  captain  was  glad  at  getting  so  far  to  the  east  (close  to 
the  coast  of  Luzon,  a  large  island  belonging  to  the  Spaniards, 
in  which  Manila  is  the  chief  port),  as  he  counted  on  meeting 
the  north-east  monsoon,  and  so  running  direct  across  towards 
the  north-west  to  Hong- Kong.  But  how  short-sighted  is 
human  wisdom  even  in  these  natural  things !  On  Saturday 
night  last  it  began  to  blow  a  gale  which  continued  to  increase 
during  the  whole  of  Sabbath,  and  since  this  morning  has 
been  so  very  severe  that  some  part  of  the  main-mast  has  been 
blown  away,  and  until  this  moment  (half-past  eight  o'clock 
P.M.)  we  are  running  under  bare  poles,  i.e.  unable  to  carry 
the  smallest  sail,  at  the  mercy  of  the  winds  and  waves,  or 
more  truly  at  the  mercy  of  that  living  God  '  who  bringeth  the 
wind  out  of  his  treasures.'  During  the  day  the  wind  was  from 
the  west,  and  we  were  fast  drifting  towards  the  land,  which 
is  thought  to  be  very  near.  Had  this  continued  our  danger 
must  have  soon  been  imminent ;  but  as  it  is  ordered  in  the 
Lord's  mercy,  the  wind  has  gone  more  into  the  south,  and 
though  the  storm  still  rages  we  drift  rather  towards  our 
wished-for  port,  and  the  hope  of  deliverance  gladdens  every 
heart.  I  trust  these  things  are  ordered  for  spiritual  good  to 
some  or  many,  as  well  as  to  manifest  the  glory  of  a  present 
God.  I  have  been  kept  in  perfect  peace  hitherto,  I  trust, 
from  having  the  mind  stayed  on  the  Lord.  The  Lord  has 
also  wondrously  again  begun  to  open  a  door  among  us  for 
delivering  the  testimony  of  his  truth.  On  Thursday  week  I 
found  unexpectedly  a  favourable  opportunity  of  asking  again 
that  public  worship  should  be  resumed;1  and  had  the  request 
granted  cordially,  although  I  was  still  to  be  confined  to 

1  There  had  latterly  been  less  liberty  in  this  respect  than  he  had 
at  first  hoped. 


324  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1847. 

worship  in  the  cuddy,  and  not  to  go  into  the  forecastle.  I  took 
the  liberty  thankfully ;  but  again  renewed  my  protest  against 
the  restriction.  Worship  accordingly  was  held  every  night 
until  this  storm  began,  which  made  yesterday  a  silent  Sabbath; 
and  this  evening,  when  I  did  not  think  of  proposing  worship, 
it  was  requested  for  the  first  time  by  one  of  the  passengers. 
Thus  I  trust  the  truth  is  gaining  ground  among  us.  The 
moral  atmosphere  of  our  society  has  been  for  weeks  past  a 
good  deal  purified.  Sung  Psalm  xlvi.;  read  Isaiah  xxvi. 

"  Tuesday  Evening,  November  qth. — During  last  night  the 
storm  abated,  and  this  morning  revealed  the  land  very  near 
— about  twelve  or  fifteen  miles  off.  Had  the  storm  overtaken 
us  fifteen  hours  sooner  our  peril  must  have  been  imminent, 
as  we  were  then  within  six  or  eight  miles  of  the  shore ;  and 
as  it  was,  had  the  wind  not  changed  from  west  to  south  we 
must  soon  have  been  in  great  jeopardy,  and  in  still  greater 
suspense  and  alarm.  We  have  been  during  to-day  advancing 
prosperously  on  our  course,  and  I  do  trust  that  that  almighty 
and  holy  Being  whose  mercies  have  been  so  great  has  still 
greater,  even  saving  mercies  in  store  for  many  among  us.  I 
am  encouraged  to  hope  this  more  than  before,  after  having 
been  much  cast  down  about  an  hour  ago.  No  one  came  at 
worship  time,  and  the  captain  came  in,  looked  at  the  baro 
meter,  and  went  on  deck.  I  had  gone  into  my  cabin,  and 
was  spreading  the  matter  before  the  Lord  when  the  steward 
came  to  tell  me  the  captain  was  waiting  for  worship.  We 
had  only  him  and  Dr.  Morrison,  but  the  meeting  was  sweet; 
portion  in  order,  Cornelius  and  Peter,  &c.— opening  of  the 
door  of  faith  to  the  Gentiles,  Acts  x. ;  and  from  some  conversa 
tion  after  we  had  concluded  I  entertain  the  hope  that  I  may 
soon  have  full  liberty  as  before  to  visit  among  the  crew. 
Should  it  be  so,  may  the  Holy  Spirit  be  present  giving  liberty 
to  preach  Jesus  crucified  for  sin  as  the  refuge  for  dying  souls, 
and  spiritual  liberty  to  every  soul  to  receive  him  as  a  Saviour 
and  Lord  unto  eternal  life!  Jesus  hath  the  key  of  David. 
He  openeth  and  no  man  shutteth.  It  is  five  months  this  day 


^Et.  32.]  ARRIVAL    AT    HONG-KONG.  325 

since  I   came  on  board  this  vessel.     The  Lord  hath  been 
gracious  and  true! 

"Hong-Kong,  Tuesday,  December  7th. — After  the  storm  of 
November  8th  we  had  favourable  winds,  and  anchored  in 
Hong- Kong  Bay  at  midnight  on  Saturday  the  I3th.  On 
Monday  I  came  on  shore,  meeting  a  very  kind  and  Christian 
welcome  from  the  friends  of  the  gospel  here,  and  finding 
such  doors  of  useful  labour  immediately  opened  to  me,  as 
confirm  me  in  the  soundness  of  those  convictions  of  duty 
which  brought  me  here.  I  am  most  comfortably  boarded 
with  a  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Power,  close  to  the  mission  premises 
of  the  London  Society.  Mr.  Stevenson1  has  been  prevented 
from  coming  out  to  minister  to  the  Presbyterians  here,  and 
this  gives  me  a  greater  hold  of  my  own  countrymen,  to  whom 
I  have  opportunity  of  preaching  once  every  Lord's-day  in 
the  London  Society's  chapel.  My  progress  in  Chinese  is 
slow  compared  with  my  desires ;  but  still  I  hope  encourag 
ing  considered  in  the  view  of  the  difficulties  of  this  very 
peculiar  and  hard  language.  On  my  arrival  I  was  permitted 
once  more  to  hear  from  my  beloved  parents— all  well.  Our 
deliverance  from  the  perils  of  the  deep  appears  now  the 
greater,  since  we  have  heard  within  the  last  few  days  that  the 
Anne  and  Jane,  from  London,  with  which  we  were  in  com 
pany  in  the  Java  Sea,  was  on  the  8th  ult.  driven  on  shore 
near  Manila  and  totally  lost.  All,  however,  were  saved  except 
one  of  the  crew  and  a  passenger,  Mr.  Rogers  from  Edinburgh, 
who  were  washed  off  a  raft  to  which  they  had  betaken  them 
selves,  and  were  drowned.  Another  vessel  also  narrowly 
escaped,  getting  into  Manila  with  the  loss  of  all  her  masts." 

1  The  Rev.  George  Stevenson,  now  of  Pulteney  Town,  Wick,  an 
early  and  much  valued  friend,  who  had  been  invited  to  undertake 
the  pastoral  charge  of  the  Free  Church  congregation  at  Hong-Kong, 
but  had  been  by  providential  circumstances  prevented. 


CHAPTER    XIII. 

1847- 

THE    FIELD    AND    ITS    PIONEERS. 

proper  is  a  compact  territory.  You  would 
only  need  to  'cut  off  a  few  projections  and  fill 
up  a  few  indentations  in  order  to  bring  it  into  either  a 
circle  or  a  square ;  for  its  length  and  breadth  are  nearly 
equal.  It  includes  more  than  a  million  square  miles;  and 
lying  between  the  twentieth  and  forty-second  parallels 
of  northern  latitude,  it  enjoys  on  the  whole  an  excellent 
climate.  Two  noble  rivers1  flow  down  its  centre,  and 
fertilize  the  most  populous  regions  in  the  world.  The 
ocean,  sprinkled  with  islands,  washes  its  eastern  and 
southern  coasts.  The  mountains  of  Thibet  are  its  western 
barrier;  and  on  the  north  it  is  still  guarded  by  a  wall 
thirteen  hundred  miles  in  length,  which  it  cost  the  united 
labours  of  the  nation  to  erect  two  thousand  years  ago. 
Over  this  wall  or  over  these  mountains,  you  instantly 
land  on  bleak  deserts  and  barren  wastes;  and  it  is  no 
wonder  that  in  contrast  with  the  encircling  solitudes, 
the  Chinese  should  have  called  their  teeming  soil,  '  The 
Flowery  Land.' 

1  The  Hwang-ho  and  Yang-tze-Keang,  the  "Yellow  River"  and 
the  "Son  of  the  Ocean." 


vEt.  32.]         CHINA:  THE  LAND  AND  THE  PEOPLE.         327 

"  Wide  as  the  surface  is,  the  swarming  inhabitants  re 
quire  it  all.  From  the  safest  calculations,  as  the  imperial 
census,  the  present  population  cannot  be  less  than  three 
hundred  and  sixty  millions,  or  a  third  of  the  world's  in 
habitants.  To  stow  away  such  a  multitude  needs  the 
utmost  economy  of  room;  and  in  its  expedients  for  squeez 
ing  existence  into  the  smallest  possible  compass,  the 
Chinese  continent  resembles  the  cabin  of  a  ship.  Crops 
are  grown  in  places  where  you  would  think  none  but  the 
birds  could  have  planted  them;  and  in  their  anxiety  to 
leave  every  inch  available  for  culture,  they  contrive  to 
put  past  themselves  and  their  families  in  all  inconceivable 
corners.  They  cannot  double  their  area,  but  their  genial 
sky  allows  them  to  double  their  harvests  by  sowing  two 
crops  in  the  year;  and  as  land  is  so  precious,  many  of 
this  evenly-minded  and  compressible  people  are  content 
to  live  on  the  water.  Most  of  their  rivers  are  strewed  with 
these  floating  cottages."1 

But  in  truth  the  crowded  life  of  the  Chinese  people  is 
due  not  so  much  to  the  narrowness  of  the  land,  as  to  the 
variety  of  its  surface.  The  sterile  and  inhospitable  char 
acter  of  a  large  part  of  the  empire  compresses  a  popula 
tion  which  on  the  average  is  not  more  dense  than  that 
of  England  into  a  comparatively  limited  space.  To  the 
west  are  vast  mountain  ranges,  with  giant  peaks,  frowning 
gorges,  and  forests  of  cedar  and  of  pine ;  in  the  centre  is 
a  hilly  region,  gradually  softening  down  into  those  gentle 
breezy  slopes  on  which  the  tea  plantations  flourish;  while 

1  China  and  the  Chinese  Mission,  by  the  Rev.  James  Hamilton, 
pp.  i,  2. 


328  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1847. 

to  the  east  and  seaward  there  stretch  out  wide  and  fertile 
plains,  studded  with  towns  and  villages,  and  cultivated 
every  inch  like  one  vast  garden.  It  is  this  last  region 
that  constitutes  that  teeming  hive  of  human  life  with 
which  we  are  familiar,  and  of  which  alone  till  recently  we 
could  be  said  to  possess  any  authentic  knowledge. 

The  people  are  quiet,  industrious,  orderly,  mechanically 
civil,  and  artificially  refined,  deeply  sunk  indeed,  like  all 
heathen  nations,  in  ungodliness  and  sin,  but  addicted 
rather  to  the  quieter  than  the  ruder  vices.  They  are 
intensely  sensual,  but  not  fierce  or  cruel;  though  the  very 
apathy  and  shallowness  of  their  nature  renders  them  on 
occasions  singularly  reckless  of  the  shedding  of  blood 
They  love  their  children,  and  have  more  than  any  other 
heathen  people  of  the  sentiment  of  home  and  family  life; 
and  yet  the  inconvenience  of  an  overcrowded  country 
induces  them  to  expose  by  myriads  their  female  offspring. 

Their  religion  is  a  strange  medley  of  diverse  creeds, 
dwelling  together  in  peace,  and  blending  more  or  less 
together  in  the  ideas  and  life  of  the  people.  "  The  first 
of  these  was  founded  by  Confucius  in  the  sixth  century. 
It  is  the  religion  of  the  literati,  and  of  the  present  emperor; 
but  there  is  no  reason  why  it  should  be  called  a  religion, 
except  that  its  votaries  believe  in  nothing  besides.  It 
consists  of  a  few  moral  and  practical  maxims,  and  evades 
the  existence  of  God  and  the  immortality  of  the  soul. 
The  Confucians  are  the  atheists  and  the  philosophic 
utilitarians  of  China.  Next  comes  the  Taou  sect,  whose 
founder,  Laou-tsze,  lived  in  the  days  of  Confucius.  Un 
like  the  Confucians,  who  believe  in  nothing  supernatural, 


;Et.  32.]  CHINESE    RELIGIONS.  329 

the  followers  of  Laou-tsze  have  peopled  earth  and  air 
with  all  sorts  of  spirits  and  demons.  They  deal  in  magic, 
and  are  constantly  consulting  maniacs  and  others  whom 
they  deem  possessed;  and  it  used  to  be  their  great  problem 
to  discover  the  elixir  of  immortality.  They  are  the  fana 
tics  of  China.  And  then  we  have  a  sect  not  of  Chinese 
but  Indian  origin,  and  far  more  popular  than  the  other 
two,  the  Buddhists.  The  object  of  their  ambition  is  to 
lose  all  personal  identity,  and  be  absorbed  into  Buddha. 
Contemplation  and  abstraction  of  mind  are  their  highest 
enjoyments,  and  to  lose  all  contact  with  earthly  things — 
to  live  'without  looking,  speaking,  hearing,  or  smelling/ 
is  the  nearest  approach  to  perfection.  They  are  the 
mystics  and  ascetics  of  China."1  Such  as  it  is,  the  religion 
of  this  strange  and  singular  people  obtrudes  itself  every 
where.  The  land  teems  with  images.  "  Their  temples, 
houses,  streets,  roads,  hills,  rivers,  carriages,  and  ships, 
are  full  of  idols;  every  room,  niche,  corner,  door,  and  win 
dow,  is  plastered  with  charms,  amulets,  and  emblems  of 
idolatry."2 

Add  to  these  particulars  one  or  two  characteristic 
features  more, — their  singular  reverence  for  the  tombs 
and  for  the  memories  of  their  ancestors, — their  ancestral 
tablets  and  ancestral  religious  rites;  their  one  written, 
and  their  many  spoken,  languages ;  their  universal  system 
of  education  and  of  literary  examination  and  degrees,  upon 
which,  by  a  remarkable  anticipation  of  our  recent  civil 
service  reforms,  the  appointment  to  all  public  offices  of 

1  China  and  the  Chinese,  pp.  9,  10. 

2  Medhurst's  China,  p.  219. 


330  LIFE    OF   REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1847. 

trust  and  profit  depends;  their  strange  and  whimsical,  but 
often  rich  and  showy  costume — the  tails  and  silk  robes 
of  the  men,  and  the  cramped  feet  of  the  women;  their 
eager  curiosity,  especially  in  the  inland  districts,  about 
the  persons  and  the  movements  of  strangers,  making  the 
hapless  traveller  often  ten  minutes  after  his  arrival  the 
centre  of  an  excited  crowd,  which  fills  doors  and  windows, 
and  almost  stops  the  traffic  of  the  streets ;  their  fortune 
tellers,  their  story-tellers,  their  jugglers,  and  their  rude  but 
vastly  popular  stage-plays,  held  in  the  open  air,  at  the  ex 
pense  usually  of  some  rich  citizen,  and  open  to  all  comers; 
their  pleasant  life  in  canals  and  rivers,  in  boats  which 
serve  often  for  weeks  together  both  for  locomotion  and 
lodging,  and  which,  moored  close  to  the  gate  of  some 
populous  town  or  city,  make  the  stranger  at  once  at  home 
in  the  place  of  his  sojourning;  their  multitudinous  and 
meaningless  religious  ceremonies,  in  which  there  is  scarcely 
anything  of  religion  or  religious  belief;  and  in  fine,  their 
measurement  of  time  not  by  weeks  but  by  the  periodical 
recurrence  of  market-days,  evermore  painfully  reminding 
the  missionary  that  he  dwells  in  a  Sabbathless  land;— and 
we  shall  be  able  to  form  a  tolerably  distinct  idea  of  the 
circumstances  and  scenes  in  the  midst  of  which  we  have 
now  to  place  ourselves,  and  with  which,  in  the  course  of 
our  narrative,  we  shall  become  more  and  more  familiar. 

Towards  this  vast  and  interesting  field  the  missionary 
spirit  of  the  Christian  Church  was  at  a  very  early  period 
directed.  The  charm  of  mystery  and  distance  exercised 
a  certain  fascination  over  imaginative  minds,  in  behalf  of 
a  people  whose  peaceful  industry  and  prosaic  artificial 


JEt.  32.]  EARLIEST    CHINESE    MISSIONS.  331 

civilization  lent  to  them  little  of  the  interest  of  romance. 
Ardent  spirits  longed  to  pierce  the  barriers  of  that  great 
unknown  land,  and  to  claim  the  first  kingdom  of  the  far 
east  for  Christ.  As  early,  probably,  as  the  seventh 
century,  certainly  as  early  as  the  eighth,  Christian  mis 
sionaries  from  the  Nestorian  Churches  in  Persia  found 
their  way  to  China,  and  sowed  the  seeds  of  a  Christian 
belief  and  profession,  the  traces  of  which  survived,  though 
with  little  power  or  purity,  for  several  centuries.1  During 
the  twelfth  century  the  western  world  was  filled  with 
rumours  and  tales,  probably  not  altogether  without  a 
basis  of  truth,  of  a  Christian  king  ruling  over  a  Christian 
people  in  the  country  immediately  to  the  north  of  China; 
who  under  the  name  of  Prester  John  exercised  the  func 
tions  at  once  of  priest  and  king,  and  handed  down  both 
name  and  office  to  his  successors  for  several  generations. 
During  the  thirteenth  and  fourteenth  centuries  we  trace 
the  footsteps  of  pioneers  of  nobler  mould  and  of  more  pure 
and  enlightened  Christian  views,  conspicuous  amongst 
whom  was  the  Franciscan  John  de  Monte  Corvino;  a  man, 
says  Neander,  "in  whom  we  recognize  the  pattern  of  a 
true  missionary."  After  labouring  for  a  season  in  Persia 
and  India,  he  found  his  way  at  length  to  Pekin,2  obtained 
influence  and  favour  at  the  imperial  court,  translated  the 
New  Testament  and  the  Book  of  Psalms  into  the  ver 
nacular  tongue,  laboured  for  the  education  of  the  young 
and  the  rearing  up  of  native  missionaries,  baptized  six 
thousand  converts  and  founded  two  churches,  one  of  which 
was  so  near  the  royal  palace,  that  the  emperor  could  hear  in 

1  See  Neander's  Church  History,  v.  115.  2  Anciently,  Camlxilu. 


332  LIFE    OF   REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1847. 

his  chamber  the  voices  of  the  children  singing  the  praises 
of  God.     While  yet  only  fifty-eight  years  in  age  he  had 
already  grown  gray  in  the  midst  of  labours  and  hardships 
whose  record  is  on  high,  and  the  results  of  which  the  day 
shall  declare.1     He  was  no  unworthy  precursor  to  another, 
bearing  a  still  more  illustrious  name,  who  appeared  on  the 
scene  two  centuries  and  a  half  later.     In  the  year  1553 
the  ardent  and  holy  Francis  Xavier  arrived  at  the  island 
of  Sancian,  on   his  way  to   the   neighbouring   coast  of 
China,  on  the  evangelization  of  which  he  had  set  his  heart. 
After  all  his  labours  in  India  and  Japan,  he  deemed  that 
he  had  accomplished  nothing  unless  he  had  unfurled  the 
standard  of  the  cross  in  the  great  eastern  empire,  and 
claimed  possession  of  its  vast  domains  for  Christ.     After 
manifold  obstacles  and  difficulties  he  seemed  at  last  on 
the  eve  of  the  accomplishment  of  his  cherished  purpose. 
From  the  little  islet  on  the  shore  he  could  look  across  to  the 
rocky  coast  of  the  land  which  he  so  ardently  longed  to 
enter,  and  was  in  daily  expectation  of  a  native  merchant 
junk  to  convey  him  there.     His  purpose  was  to  land  fur 
tively  under  cloud  of  night;  he  was  almost  sure  to  be  seized 
and  imprisoned  ere  yet  he  had  almost  begun  his  work; 
but  he  would  at  least,  he  thought,  have  Chinese  fellow- 
prisoners,  and  in  their  hearts  he  might  sow  the  seeds  of  a 
harvest  that  should  spring  up  after  he  was  dead.     But  the 
great  Master  who  so  often  accepts  the  purpose  for  the  deed, 
and  in  whose  vast  field  of  labour  "one  soweth  and  another 
reapeth,"  had  ordained  it  otherwise.     While  still  waiting 
for  the  expected  vessel,  he  was  seized  with  a  virulent 

1  Neander,  vii.  76-77. 


FRANCIS    XAVIER.  333 


fever,  under  which  he  sunk.  "Stretched  on  the  naked 
beach,  with  the  cold  blasts  of  a  Chinese  winter  aggra 
vating  his  pains,"  he  wrestled  alone  with  the  last  enemy, 
yet  his  countenance  was  lit  up  with  heavenly  brightness, 
and  tears  of  holy  joy  streamed  from  his  eyes,  as  he 
exclaimed  with  his  last  breath,  "O  Lord,  in  thee  have  I 
trusted!  I  shall  never  be  confounded."1  The  fallen  standard 
was  soon  taken  up  by  other  and  not  unworthy  hands. 
The  Italian  Jesuit,  Valignano,  halting  at  Macao  on  his 
way  to  Japan,  cast  his  eyes  wistfully  towards  the  neighbour 
ing  shores  of  China,  still  sternly  closed  against  the  gospel, 
and  exclaimed,  "O  Rock,  Rock,  when  wilt  thou  open!" 
Not  satisfied  with  mere  aspirations,  he  deputed  two  of  the 
ablest  and  most  devoted  of  his  companions  to  attempt  an 
entrance  into  the  forbidden  territory.  The  enterprise  was 
successful.  With  that  remarkable  combination  of  zeal 
and  subtlety  which  is  characteristic  of  their  order,  they 
contrived  to  establish  themselves  on  Chinese  soil,  first 
under  the  disguise  of  Buddhist  priests,  and  then  under  the 
garb  of  Chinese  literati;  and  a  few  years  afterwards  we 
find  one  of  their  number,  Matthew  Ricci,  filling  an  im 
portant  literary  office  at  the  capital,  and  high  in  the  favour 
of  the  emperor,  while  labouring  with  devoted  zeal  for  the 
propagation  of  the  faith  which  he  had  come  to  preach. 
He  died  in  1610,  amid  the  tears  of  his  brethren  and  the 
reverential  mourning  of  the  entire  community,  having 
spent  twenty-seven  years  of  incessant  labour  in  China,  and 
leaving  behind  him  more  than  three  hundred  churches  in 
a  land  in  which  he  had  been  in  modern  times  the  first 

1  In  te,  Domine,  speravi;  non  confundar  in  setemura. 


334  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1847. 

Christian  missionary.     After  him  followed  in  succession 
Adam  Schaal  (ob.   1666)  and  Ferdinand  Verbiest  (ob. 
1688),  men  in  every  way  worthy  to  tread  in  his  footsteps, 
and  to  carry  forward  the  work  which  he  had  so  auspi 
ciously  begun.     Like  him  they  were  men  of  science  as 
well  as  men  of  faith ;  and  as  in  his  case,  a  position  of  influ 
ence  and  honour  was  speedily  opened  to  them  as  savans, 
which  would  have  been  denied  to  them  as  missionaries. 
But  though  they  were  patronized  and  protected  not  for  the 
sake  of  their  message,  but  for  their  skill  in  arranging  the 
calendar,  casting  cannon,  and  negotiating  treaties,  they 
seem  never  to  have  lost  sight  of  the  great  purpose  of  their 
mission,  for  which  alone  they  sought  to  live  and  were 
ready  any  moment  to  die.     While  themselves  pleading 
the  cause  of  Christ  at  the  court  and  in  the  capital,  they 
were  enabled  at  the  same  time  to  stretch  their  protecting 
shield  over  their  humbler  brethren  in  the  provinces,  and 
to  further  the  admission  of  fresh  labourers  within  the 
jealously  guarded  bounds  of  the  empire.     Of  the  extent  of 
their  success  we  may  form  some  estimate  from  the  fact  that 
in  the  single  year  1671,  in  which,  after  a  season  of  perse 
cution,  their  churches  were  again  opened,  but  all  attempts 
at  conversion  were  prohibited,  we  find  mention  of  no  fewer 
than  20,000  baptisms;  of  its  quality,  however,  in  a  scrip- 
-1  and  evangelical  point  of  view,  it  is  more  difficult  to 
judge.     It  is  impossible  wholly  to  separate  the  character 
>f  the  men  from  the  deadly  poison  of  the  system  in  which 
they  had  been  born  and  bred,  and  which  must  have  shed 
ts  pernicious  influence  more  or  less  into  all  their  teach 
ing.     Yet  we  are  permitted  to  believe  that  the  one  foun- 


JEt.  32.]  ROMISH    MISSIONS.  335 

dation  at  least  of  saving  doctrine  really  was  laid.  "Their 
earlier  tracts,"  says  Dr.  James  Hamilton,  "are  very  different 
from  the  legendary  stuff  circulated  in  Popish  lands.  A 
missionary  well  acquainted  with  them  says, '  On  the  Trinity 
and  incarnation  they  are  clear;  while  the  perfections  of  the 
Deity,  the  corruption  of  human  nature,  and  redemption 
by  Christ  are  fully  stated;  and  though  some  unscriptural 
notions  are  now  and  then  introduced,  yet  all  things  con 
sidered,  it  is  quite  possible  for  humble  and  patient 
learners  to  discover  by  such  teaching  their  sinful  condi 
tion,  and  trace  out  the  way  of  salvation  through  a 
Redeemer.'  And  as  some  of  their  first  missionaries  were 
earnest  men,  and  evinced  their  zeal  in  cheerful  martyrdom, 
some  of  their  converts  appear  to  have  been  exemplary 
Christians."  It  is  impossible,  for  instance,  to  read  with 
out  deep  interest  of  the  learned  Mandarin  Paul,  so  called 
because  on  his  conversion  he  desired  to  be  the  apostle  of 
his  countrymen,  and  who  henceforth  lived  only  to  advance 
amongst  high  and  low  the  cause  he  loved:  or  of  his 
widowed  daughter  Candida,  who  after  providing  for  those 
of  her  own  house,  consecrated  the  whole  remainder  of  her 
fortune  to  the  service  of  Christ — founding  churches,  printing 
Christian  books,  building  hospitals  for  outcast  children, 
teaching  the  blind  story-tellers  in  the  streets  to  tell,  in 
place  of  their  fabulous  tales,  the  story  of  the  Cross, — who 
gained  even  from  the  emperor  the  title  of  "the  virtuous 
woman,"  and  "was  bewailed  when  she  died  by  the  poor 
as  their  mother,  by  the  converts  as  their  pattern,  and  by 
the "  missionaries  as  their  best  friend."1  So  we  may 

1  Medhurst's  China,  228. 


336  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1847. 

fondly  trust  that  the  unwearied  faith  and  patience  of  so 
many  devoted  labourers,  albeit  with  defective  or  erroneous 
views  of  the  truth  they  loved,  were  not  unowned  by  the 
Master,  and  that  amid  much  earthly  dross  there  may  have 
been  many  grains  of  precious  gold,  which  shall  be  found 
"unto  praise  and  honour  and  glory  at  the  appearing  of 
Jesus  Christ."     From  the  days  of  Verbiest  until  now,  the 
Romish  church  has  never  been  without  its  representatives 
in  China.    Of  these  the  French  missionaries  De  Fontaney, 
Gerbillon,  Bovet,  and  Le  Comte,  with  their  successors 
during  the  i8th  and  ipth  centuries,  were  especially  dis 
tinguished  for  zeal,  ability,  and  success.     Hindered  and 
interrupted  often  by  imperial  interdicts  or  open  persecu 
tion,  they  still  held  their  ground  and  laboured  unceasingly, 
sometimes  openly,  sometimes  secretly,  for  the  propagation 
of  the  faith.     At  the  time  at  which  our  narrative  begins 
they  numbered  170  missionaries  and  upwards  of  200,000 
converts.     Meanly  as  we  may  estimate  the  character  of 
their  work  or  the  quality  of  its  results,  to  them  belongs 
the  undisputed  honour  of  having  been  first  in  the  field, 
and  of  having  held  forth  a  bright  example  of  faith  and 
zeal,  which  the  Reformed  Churches  were  but  too  slow  to 
follow. 

In  the  year  1806  Robert  Morrison,  the  first  Protestant 
missionary  to  China,  was  set  apart  to  the  work,  in  Swallow 
Street  Scotch  Church,  London,  under  the  auspices  of  the 
London  Missionary  Society,  and  arrived  at  Macao  on 
September  4th,  1807.  "There,  in  a  warehouse  which  he 
rented,  he  plodded  on  in  his  secret  labours  at  the  lan 
guage,  hardly  venturing  out  among  the  suspicious  inhabi- 


JEt.  32.]  MORRISON   AND    MILNE.  337 

tants,  and  hiding  the  lamp  by  which  he  studied  behind  a 
volume  of  Henry's  Commentary.  After  ten  years  of  toil 
he  completed  a  herculean  task,  and  printed  in  six  quartos 
a  Dictionary  of  Chinese;  and  after  being  joined  by  a  like- 
minded  labourer,  Dr.  Milne,  had  the  happiness  to  trans 
late  into  Chinese  the  entire  Word,  which,  by  the  amazing 
ingenuity  and  industry  of  a  brother  missionary,  was 
printed  in  a  new  and  beautiful  style."  He  was  a  man 
indeed  singularly  fitted  by  the  gifts  alike  of  nature  and  of 
grace  for  the  work  which  he  had  undertaken,  and  specially 
at  the  particular  stage  which  that  work  had  then  reached, 
with  "talents  rather  of  the  solid  than  of  the  showy  kind; 
fitted  more  for  continued  labour  than  for  sudden  bursts 
of  genius,"  and  with  a  shrewd  caution  which  was  of  great 
price  in  "  a  station  where  one  false  step  at  the  beginning 
might  have  delayed  the  work  for  years."  For  eighteen 
long  years  he  laboured  on  unobtrusively  and  unweariedly, 
himself  but  little  seen,  but  his  eye  ever  fixed  on  the 
Master  and  the  Master's  business.  He  died  in  1834, 
having  been  preceded  twelve  years  by  his  beloved  brother 
and  true  yoke-fellow  Dr.  Milne.  Though  the  time  of 
fruit  was  not  yet,  they  were  honoured  to  gather  some 
precious  firstfruits  of  China  unto  Christ,  conspicuous 
amongst  whom  were  Leang  Afah  and  Keuh  Agang, 
who  long  survived  them  as  consistent  disciples  and 
zealous  and  successful  preachers  of  the  gospel.  But 
their  work  was  that  of  pioneers  rather  than  of  cultivators 
of  the  land;  gathering  little  fruit  themselves,  but  pre 
paring  the  seed  for  many  harvests  yet  to  come.  Their 
true  monument  is  the  Chinese  Bible  and  the  Chinese 

Y 


338  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1847. 

.  College,1  and  the  enduring  memory  of  that  "work  of  faith 
and  labour  of  love  and  patience  of  hope"  in  the  midst 
of  all  discouragements  and  difficulties,  by  which,  though 
dead,  they  yet  speak  to  all  that  follow  after  them,  and 
which  shall  be  remembered  to  their  honour  in  that  day 
"when  they  that  sowed  and  they  that  reaped  shall  rejoice 
together."  They  will  be  ever  recognized  and  honoured 
as  the  true  fathers  of  the  Chinese  Protestant  Missions  and 
of  the  Chinese  Protestant  Church. 

With  the  opening  of  the  five  ports  to  foreign  residents 
and  foreign  traffic  in.  1842,2  just  eight  years  after  Mor 
rison  had  closed  his  work  on  earth,  a  great  impulse  was 
naturally  given  to  the  cause  of  Chinese  missions,  and  re 
presentatives  of  all  the  great  societies  in  Britain  and  in 
America  speedily  hastened  to  the  field.  Within  four  years 
there  were  already  in  China,  or  on  the  way  to  it,  fifty 
Protestant  missionaries.  The  field  so  long  jealously 
guarded  and  hedged  around  was  suddenly  thrown  open 

1  The  Anglo-Chinese  College  founded  at  Malacca,  in  1818  for  the 
cultivation  of  English  and  Chinese  literature,  and  thereby  promoting 
the  propagation  of  Christianity  in  the  far  East.     Dr.  Morrison  him- 

If  made  the  munificent  offering  of  £1500  towards  the  carrying  out 
this  object,  in  which  we  must  recognize  the  true  precursor  of  the 
lucational  missionary  institutes  originated  by  Dr.  Duff  in  Hindu- 
stan  twenty  years  later. 

2  By  the  treaty  of  Nanking,  1842,  the  ports  of  Canton,  Amoy,  Foo- 
Chow   Nmg.po   and  Shanghai  were  opened,  and  Hong-Kong  was 
ceded   to  Bntajn.     By  the  treaty  of  Tien-sin,   r858,  the  ports  of 
Neu-Chwang,  Teng-Chow,  Tai-wan,  Swatow,  and  Kien-Chow,  and 
he  nver  Yang-tse-kiang  up  to  Hankow  were  opened  to  commerce. 

By  convention  of  Peking,  l86o,  Tien-sin  was  opened  to  trade,  and 
Cowloon  ceded  to  Britain 


THE    FIELD    THROWN    OPEN. 


339 


and  lay  white  unto  the  harvest,  and  eager  reapers  were 
hastening  from  every  side  to  cut  it  down. 

Such  were  the  main  incidents  in  the  past  history  of  the 
work  on  which  the  subject  of  this  memoir  now  entered, 
with  the  ardent  zeal  of  a  Xavier,  with  the  patient  con 
stancy  of  a  Morrison,  and  with  a  consecration  of  heart 
and  an  abnegation  of  self  equal  to  any  of  those  who  had 
ever  trod  that  distant  shore. 


CHAPTER    XIV. 

1847—1850. 

BREAKING   GROUND. 

FORTY  years  have  elapsed,"  said  the  Rev.  James 
Hamilton,  in.  his  report   to  the  Synod  early  in 
the  next  year,  "since  a  young  man,  a  native  of  Newcastle, 
and  brought  up  in  one  of  our  Presbyterian  Churches, 
effected  his  circuitous  and  almost  clandestine   passage 
as  the  first  Protestant  missionary  to  the  Chinese  empire. 
Arriving  solitary  on  a  shy  and  unwelcoming  shore,  with 
no  Christian  friend  to  cheer  him,  and  no  European  arm 
to  shelter  him,  that  faithful  servant  of  Jesus  spent  years  of 
lonely  and  perilous  toil  in  conquering  a  language  with  which 
scarce  an  Englishman  had  dared  to  grapple.     But  many 
a  happy  change,  the  harbinger  of  changes  happier  still, 
may  thankfully  be  recognized  in  Mr.  Burns'  entrance  on 
his  work.     Proceeding  boldly  to  his  destination,  an  hon 
oured  passenger  in  one  of  Britain's  gallant  argosies,  and 
needing  no  alien  interposition  to  smuggle  the  evangelist 
into  a  land  which  Britain  then  forbade  the  evangelist  to 
tread,  landing  in  open  day,  and  beneath  the  glad  assur 
ance  of  the  Union  banner,  he  found  the  missionaries  of 
two  hemispheres,  as  well  as  Chinese  Christians,  there  be 
fore  him.     And  whilst  we  would  join  our  dear  friend  in 


JEt.  32-35.]  FIRST   WORK    IN    CHINA.  341 

commemorating  these  bright  distinctions  of  his  lot,  we 
record  with  special  thankfulness  the  progress  which  he 
has  already  made  as  a  Chinese  scholar.  The  wonderful 
labours  of  Morrison  and  his  coadjutors  notwithstanding, 
the  language  still  remains  of  all  human  dialects  the  might 
iest  barrier  to  intercourse ;  .  .  .  and  with  all  the  helps 
afforded  by  his  predecessors  in  this  arduous  work,  and 
with  all  the  facilities  for  quiet  and  unmolested  study  in 
an  English  settlement,  we  fully  reckoned  that  years  might 
pass  before  Mr.  Burns  could  make  any  practical  essay  in 
that  appalling  tongue.  Already,  however,  before  faith 
and  energy  its  terrors  seem  to  disappear;  and  although  it 
is  only  a  year  since  our  brother  began  to  apply  his  mind 
to  the  study,  and  though  he  had  only  been  two  months 
arrived  when  last  he  wrote — we  record  it  with  joy  and 
wonder — he  was  already  attempting  to  publish  the  Word 
of  life  in  the  speech  of  Sinim.  Having  obtained  access 
to  the  prisoners  in  the  public  jail,  he  was  enabled  to  read 
the  Scriptures  to  them,  and  even  to  address  them  briefly 
so  that  they  understood." 

To  this  last  incident  he  thus  refers  in  his  journal  of 
date  January  4th,  1848: — 

"During  the  past  month  I  have  been  making  some 
progress  in  the  Chinese,  and  have  had  some  opportunities 
of  bringing  into  use  the  measure  of  knowledge  already 
acquired.  A  fortnight  ago  Dr.  Morrison  (whose  little 
daughter  I  still  give  a  lesson  to,  and  with  whose  Chinese 
comprador  I  read  the  Scriptures  in  English  and  Chinese) 
asked  me  to  go  and  visit  in  the  prison  three  Chinese  cri 
minals  under  sentence  of  death  for  murder,  and  who  were 


342  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1847-50. 

in  deep  distress  and  anxious  to  be  visited  by  the  ministers 
of  Christ.  Unable  to  do  much,  I  felt  called  to  do  what 
I  could;  and  as  the  execution  of  the  sentence  was  delayed 
longer  than  usual  in  consequence  of  the  absence  of  the 
governor,  I  had  almost  daily  opportunities  of  meeting 
these  poor  men.  I  generally  went  alone,  but  at  other 
times  in  company  with  the  Chinese  preacher  Chin-Seen. 
They  were  very  anxious  to  hear  of  the  way  of  salvation 
through  Jesus,  and  evidently  strove  to  understand  my  broken 
Chinese.  Although  unable  to  say  much  to  them  I  made 
them  read  with  me  Christian  books,  and  on  several  occa 
sions  I  even  joined  with  them  in  prayer,  through  the 
medium  of  their  own  tongue.  They  did  not  speak  the 
Canton  dialect,  which  I  am  chiefly  studying,  and  this  no 
doubt  made  my  rude  attempts  less  intelligible;  yet  I  felt 
encouraged,  and  enjoyed,  I  think,  something  of  the  power 
of  grace  in  praying  with  and  for  them.  One  of  these 
poor  men  has  received  a  commutation  of  his  sentence." 

This  first  beginning  of  his  work  in  the  sphere  of  direct 
missionary  effort  is  characteristic,  and  must  have  been 
peculiarly  congenial  to  him.  Like  that  divine  Master  in 
whose  steps  he  walked  so  closely,  it  was  ever  his  delight 
most  of  all  and  first  of  all  to  care  for  those  for  whom  few 
else  cared,  to  leave  the  ninety  and  nine  in  the  safe  and 
quiet  pastures,  and  go  to  seek  the  utterly  lost  in  the  far 
wilderness.  The  publicans  and  sinners  in  the  highways 
and  hedges,  the  neglected  crowds  of  railway  labourers  or 
factory  workers,  the  soldiers  in  the  rough  barrack-room, 
or  amid  the  terrible  temptations  of  the  great  city  streets, 
had  ever,  in  his  native  land  and  in  Canada,  had  a  special 


Mt.  32-35.]  FIRST    WORK    IN    CHINA.  343 

attraction  for  him,  as  those  to  whom,  as  most  needing,  he 
owed  the  deepest  debt  of  compassion  and  help.  He 
loved  to  walk  like  Christ  on  the  shady  side  of  the  world, 
and  to  be  as  a  "brother  born"  to  the  sorrowful,  the  outcast, 
the  forsaken.  And  so  it  was  that  in  China  by  a  singular 
coincidence  it  happened  that  his  first  care  was  directed 
to  that  very  class  to  whom  three  hundred  years  before  the 
apostolic  Xavier  had  looked  as  the  probable  objects  of 
his  first  missionary  efforts — only  that  now  in  these  happier 
times,  it  was  not  needful  to  become  a  prisoner  in  order  to 
become  the  teacher  of  prisoners.  It  was  quite  in  the 
spirit  too  of  his  whole  life  thus  immediately  to  begin  his 
work  with  such  imperfect  means  of  communication  as 
were  then  at  his  disposal,  instead  of  waiting  until  a  more 
perfect  knowledge  of  the  language  should  have  given  him 
the  advantage  of  clear  and  fluent  utterance.  In  haste 
to  reach  the  souls  of  those  he  had  come  so  far  to  seek, 
he  was  impatient  of  the  last  barrier  that  still  separated 
him  from  them;  and  if  he  could  not  yet  break  down  that 
partition  wall,  he  might  yet  at  least  hold  broken  converse 
with  them  through  those  narrow  chinks  and  openings 
which  he  had  already  made.  He  could  speak  only, 
indeed,  with  stammering  words  and  broken  sentences; 
but  those  stammering  words  and  broken  sentences  might 
still  convey  some  grains  of  the  precious  gold — reflect  some 
glimmerings  of  the  eternal  saving  light — and  that  infinite 
blessing  he  dared  not  even  for  a  moment  withhold.  Be 
sides,  while  seeking  to  teach  those  poor  prisoners  the  way 
of  life,  he  would  be  at  the  same  time  learning  something 
from  them.  He  would  sharpen  and  polish  his  rude  in- 


344  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1847-50. 

strument  in  the  very  act  of  using  it,  exercise  his  stammer 
ing  tongue  and  correct  his  broken  sentences,  while  by 
their  means  he  sought  to  instruct  and  comfort  others.     It 
was  on  the  same  principle  that,  as  he  tells  us  in  his  first 
letter  from  Hong-Kong,  he  from  the  first  attended  regu 
larly  the  daily  Chinese  service  conducted  by  natives  at 
the  mission-house,  and  gave  lessons  in  English  to  the 
boy  that  waited  on  him  along  with  another,  while  "  they 
repaid  him  with  their  Chinese,  which  he  endeavoured  to 
speak  with  them  as  best  he  could;  sometimes  succeeding 
in  being  understood,  arid  sometimes  provoking  a  smile 
only."     Dr.  Hamilton  I  believe  is  perfectly  right  in  attri 
buting  his  remarkable  success  in  mastering  the  difficulties 
and  disarming  "the  terrors"  of  this  singular  tongue  mainly 
to  the  "  faith  and  energy  "  with  which  he  girded  himself 
to  the  task.     He  had  indeed  naturally  a  more  than  ordi 
nary  faculty  for  the  study  of  language,  and  that  faculty 
had  at  an  early  period  received  the  very  best  discipline 
and   training;   but   the   natural   faculty  was   more   than 
doubled  by  the  intense  and  concentrated   energy  with 
which,  when  called  for  by  the  highest  ends,  he  used  it. 
Here,  as  in  everything  else  which  concerned  the  service 
of  his  divine  Master,  whatever  his  hand  found  to  do  he 
did  it  with  his  might.    As  before  in  the  case  of  the  French 
in  Canada,  so  here  he  might  be  said  for  the  time  to  have 
almost  wholly  lived  in  the  element  of  Chinese  thought 
and  Chinese  speech.     He  spoke  Chinese,  wrote  Chinese, 
Chinese,  heard  Chinese,  sang  in  Chinese,  prayed  in 
Chinese.     Far  into  the  night  sometimes  might  his  voice 
be  heard  reciting  aloud  the  words  of  life,  or  pouring  out 


•ffit.  32-35-]  STUDY   OF   THE    LANGUAGE.  345 

his  heart  before  God  in  the  broken  accents  of  that  strange 
tongue  which  for  Christ's  sake  he  had  determined  with 
as  little  delay  as  possible  to  make  his  own.  Six  years 
after  this,  as  I  heard  recently  from  a  relative,  when  on 
a  visit  to  England,  he  surprised  a  company  of  friends 
by  suddenly  pronouncing  the  blessing  before  meat  in 
Chinese,  and  then  calmly  repeating  the  same  in  English. 
It  was  only  an  extreme  instance  of  that  which  was  in 
reality  the  ruling  principle  of  his  whole  missionary  life. 
From  the  first  and  in  everything  "to  the  Chinese  he 
became  as  a  Chinese  that  he  might  gain  the  Chinese  " — 
lived  in  their  world,  thought  their  thoughts,  spoke  their 
words.  It  was  thus  alone,  as  it  seems  to  me,  that  he 
was  enabled  in  after-years,  as  the  prompt  and  fearless 
pioneer  of  the  missionary  band,  to  make  those  rapid 
transitions  from  one  sphere  of  labour  to  another,  which 
required  in  each  case  the  forgetting  of  one  language 
and  the  learning  of  another.  The  acquiring  of  a  new 
Chinese  dialect  was  comparatively  an  easy  task  to  him, 
because  he  lived  habitually  in  a  Chinese  element,  and  was 
thoroughly  imbued  with  the  very  spirit  of  all  Chinese 
thought  and  speech. 

The  following  extracts  from  his  journals  and  letters  will 
still  further  illustrate  the  nature  of  his  work,  and  the 
spirit  which  actuated  him  during  the  first,  and  necessarily 
in  a  great  measure  preparatory  and  tentative,  part  of  his 
missionary  life : — 

"Hong-Kong,  Dec.  27^/2,  1847. — MY  DEAR  MOTHER, — 
I  am  again  allowed  the  opportunity  of  addressing  you 
from  this  distant  shore,  that  you  may  know  something  of 


346  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1847-50. 

what  I  am  doing,  and  that  I  may  find  at  last  some  vent 
for  those  feelings  which  the  thought  of  those  from  whom 
I  am  so  far  removed  awakens.  I  have  been,  since  I  last 
wrote,  going  on  with  my  Chinese  studies,  and  I  desire  to 
be  thankful  that  I  am  enabled  to  make  a  little  progress, 
while  the  difficulties  that  still  remain  to  be  encountered 
before  I  can  attain  to  anything  like  a  full  mastery  of  the 
language,  are  so  many  that,  were  it  not  for  the  greatness 
of  the  end  in  view,  I  would  be  disposed  to  abandon  the 
undertaking."  Then  after  referring  to  his  visits  to  the 
prisoners,  "It  is  encouraging,"  he  continues,  "even  already 
to  be  able  to  point  even  in  a  few  expressions  to  the  Lamb 
of  God  who  taketh  away  the  sin  of  the  world— to  that 
Root  of  Jesse  to  whom  the  Gentiles  are  to  seek  and  find 
his  rest  to  be  glorious.  Among  our  own  countrymen  last 
Lord's-day  was  interesting,  as  that  on  which  for  the  first 
time  a  congregation  met  here  in  connection  with  the 
Presbyterian  Church.  The  place  of  meeting  at  present 
is  central  and  convenient  (an  old  bungalow,  immediately 
behind  the  club-house);  and  though  the  numbers  attending 
may  not  at  first  be  very  large,  yet  it  is  hoped  that  by  the 
blessing  of  God  this  may  form  the  beginning  of  that  which 
shall  issue  in  important  results,  both  among  the  Chinese 
and  amongst  our  own  countrymen." 

To  this  congregation  he  continued  to  minister  during 
the  whole  period  of  his  stated  residence  in  Hong-Kong, 
without,  however,  undertaking  the  task  of  constituting  a 
regular  church,  or  "entangling  himself  in  any  way  that 
might  retard  his  labours  among  the  Chinese."  Meantime, 
while  his  spare  time  and  spare  thoughts  were  given  to  his 


JEt.  32-35.]  "HIS    OWN    HIRED    HOUSE."  347 

countrymen,  his  main  strength  and  his  whole  heart  were 
still  with  those  in  whose  behalf  he  had  come,  and  with 
whom,  in  the  whole  circumstances  of  his  life,  he  more  and 
more  identified  himself.  Leaving  the  comfortable  lodging 
in  a  European  family  in  which  he  had  been  at  first 
received,  he  removed  to  a  hired  house  of  his  own  in  the 
midst  of  the  native  population,  where  he  might  bury  him 
self  out  of  sight  with  Chinese  companions  and  in  a 
Chinese  home.  His  mode  of  life  there  must  have  been  a 
very  humble  one  in  the  eyes  even  of  his  humbler  neigh 
bours,  if  one  may  judge  from  a  significant  incident  which 
he  afterwards  playfully  told  me.  There  had  been  some 
commotion  in  the  neighbourhood  in  consequence  of  some 
petty  robbery  or  other  misdemeanour,  and  an  excited 
crowd  was  passing  before  the  door  in  eager  pursuit  of  the 
culprit.  "  Oh !  you  need  not  look  there,"  cried  one  from 
amongst  the  throng,  "it  is  only  a  poor  foreigner" 

"  Corner  of  Aberdeen  Street,  Queeris  Road,  Tuesday, 
February  z^th,  1848. — During  these  two  months  mercy 
has  abounded  towards  me.  May  I  have  grace  to  bless 
and  glorify  the  God  of  my  life  and  salvation!  In  my 
work  among  the  British  population  I  have  been  in  some 
degree  encouraged,  though  not  in  any  manner  fitted  to 
show  me  that  they  ought  to  be  the  principal  object  of  my 
efforts  to  promote  the  kingdom  of  God.  Our  meetings 
on  Sabbath  continue  rather  to  increase,  but  on  week-days 
very  few  attend.  Early  in  January  I  began  to  feel  my 
need  of  having  the  assistance  of  some  native  of  this 
province  to  read  with  me,  in  order  that  I  might  get 
acquainted  with  the  colloquial  dialect,  and  acquire  as  far 


348  LIFE    OF   REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1847-50. 

as  possible  the  right  mode  of  intonating  each  word — a 
point  of  the   greatest  importance  in  order  to  effective 
speaking,  and  one  of  the  greatest  difficulty.     The  Lord  has 
graciously,  I  trust,  guided  me  in  this.     A  brother  mission 
ary  spoke  of  my  want  to  Mr.  Gutzlaff,  who  kindly  fur 
nished  me  with  a  teacher,  a  young  man  from  Canton  city, 
whom  I  have  found  very  suitable.     He  came  to  me  on 
January  25th.     After  a  week  or  two  I  found  it  would  be 
desirable,  in  order  to  give  full  employment  to  my  teacher, 
and  also  to  open  up  my  way  into  Chinese  society,  that  I 
should  get  him  if  possible  to  open  a  small  Chinese  school; 
and  I  thought  it  would  be  well  if  I  could  get  a  house  having 
accommodation  for  this  purpose,  and  where  I  might  my 
self  live  with  none  but  Chinese  around  me,  and  so  be 
obliged  to  speak  the  language  at  all  times.     It  is  in  this 
view  that  I  have  taken  the  house  in  which  I  now  am.     I 
entered  it  a  week  ago  (February  226),  and  found  myself 
alone,  with  none  but  my  two  Chinese  servants,  to  whom, 
however,  I  had  been  providentially  directed,  and  whom  I 
found  willing  from  the  first  day  to  come  and  worship  with 
me.     We  read  and  have  continued  to  read  together  in 
Matthew's  Gospel  (Morrison's  version),  and  I  pray  with 
them  imperfectly.      These  beginnings  have  encouraged 
me.      'Who   hath   despised   the   day   of  small   things?' 
Yesterday  my  teacher  came  to  live  here,  and  he  expects 
to  be  able  to  open  a  school  in  the  lower  flat  of  this  house, 
which  was  formerly  a  druggist's  shop,  and  is  very  suitable 
for  this  purpose,  and  also  for  collecting  a  small  congrega 
tion,  should  the  Lord  incline  them  to  come,  and  give  fit 
ness  to  enter  on  the  solemn  work  in  a  manner  so  public." 


t.  32-35.]  "WHOM  HAVE  I  IN  HEAVEN  BUT  THEE?"   349 


But  while  he  thus  "thought  it  good  to  be  left"  amongst 
heathen  strangers  and  amid  strange  associations  and  ways 
of  life  "alone,"  he  still  did  not  feel  lonely.  Here  as  else 
where  to  him  one  place  differed  from  another  mainly  in 
the  degree  in  which  he  possessed  the  felt  presence  of  God,1 
and  enjoyed  a  holy  freedom  and  enlargement  of  heart  in 
His  service.  The  chief  effect  of  solitude  was  to  bring 
him  nearer  to  those  from  whom  for  the  gospel's  sake  he 
had  been  so  far  separated,  and  to  impart  an  increased 
tenderness  and  fervour  to  his  affectionate  remembrances 
and  prayers: — On  the  28th  March  he  writes  to  his 
mother : — 

"After  having  had  worship  with  my  Chinese  family 
(two  servants,  a  teacher,  and  three  boys)  I  take  up  my 
pen  to  endeavour  to  hold  some  kind  of  communication, 
from  this  distant  region  of  the  earth,  with  those  who 
are  dearest  to  me  on  it.  I  feel,  as  I  did  last  time, 
the  want  of  hearing  from  any  of  you;  but  I  have  been 
comforted  in  some  degree  by  the  absence  of  any  bad 
news,  whether  by  the  papers  or  by  Mrs.  K.'s  letters. 
May  the  living  and  true  God  be  the  God  and  Redeemer 
and  portion  of  each  of  my  beloved  friends,  and  be 
more  and  more  gracious  to,  and  more  and  more  glorious 
in  the  eyes  of  my  beloved  parents  as  they  advance  to 
the  borders  of  the  unseen  and  eternal  world !  May  you 
be  enabled  to  say  with  the  divine  Psalmist,  'Whom 
have  I  in  heaVen  but  thee?  and  there  is  none  upon 

1  The  reader  will  remember  the  touching  entry  on  page  259:  "I 
think  I  can  say  through  grace  that  God's  presence  or  absence  alone 
distinguishes  places  to  me." 


35°  LIFE    OF   REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS. 


[1847-50. 


the  earth  whom  I  desire  besides  thee:  my  flesh  and  my 
heart  faileth,  but  God  is  the  strength  of  my  heart  and 
my  portion  for  ever!'     'As  for  me   I  shall  behold   thy 
face  in  righteousness;   I  shall  be  satisfied  when  I  awake 
with  thy  likeness.'     May  your  faith  be  as   the   shining 
light,  shining  more  and  more  unto  the  perfect  day !     Oh ! 
that  I  might  hear  in  this  far  land  of  those  of  our  dear 
kindred  that  as  yet  love  not  Jesus,  having  the  eye  divinely 
opened   to  behold   His  beauty  and  preciousness !     For 
myself  I  am  here  in  the  midst  of  a  people  of  a  strange 
language,  and  who  know  not  the  true   God  nor  Jesus 
Christ  whom  he  hath  sent  to  be  the  light  and  life  of  men 
and  yet  I  cannot  say  that  I  am  solitary  or  forsaken      I 
-I  indeed  more  at  home  here  than  I  did  when  I  was 
st  among  you  in  Scotland,  when  the  weight  of  that  call 
which  I  believe  I  obeyed  in  coming  here  was  resting  upon 
making  me  as  a  stranger  among  my  own  kindred 
en  I  last  wrote  I  had  newly  taken  up  my  abode  here 
my  Chinese  domestics,  and  had  been  encouraged  by 
feehng  able  to  read  and  pray  with  them  (though  feebly) 
their  own  tongue.     My  teacher  had  not  then  joined 
I  was  uncertain  whether  he  would  succeed  in 
school  formed  on  the  principles  of  the  gospel 


-ke  any  effort!  believe  we  could  — orenuti: 


JEt.  32-35-]  AN    EARLY   VISITOR.  351 

the  first  instance  I  want  to  go  on  gradually  until  the  char 
acter  of  the  school  becomes  fixed  on  right  principles,  and 
until  I  see  that  it  really  promises  to  accomplish  more  than 
that  which  I  sought  it  for  at  the  outset,  viz.  bringing  me 
into  such  intercourse  with  the  people  as  might  enable  me 
to  acquire  the  language  as  they  speak  it,  and  might  open 
up  the  way  for  preaching  the  Word  among  them  when  I 
am  able  to  do  this.  Three  of  the  boys  stay  with  us  in  the 
house,  and  all  of  them  come  regularly  to  worship  in  the 
morning,  when  we  have  a  little  meeting  of  seventeen  or 
eighteen  persons  in  all.  The  school  is  of  course  shut  up 
on  Sabbath,  but  the  last  two  Sabbaths  most  of  the  boys 
have  been  with  us  most  of  the  day  learning  a  Christian 
book,  and  have  also  attended  Chinese  worship  of  their 
own  accord  at  the  chapel  of  the  London  Society,  where  a 
native  at  present  officiates.  Soon  after  the  school  was 
opened  it  was  interesting  to  me  one  morning  about  six 
o'clock,  and  before  any  one  was  on  foot  but  myself,  to  see 
a  Chinese  woman  with  a  little  boy  of  eleven  or  twelve 
knocking  to  be  admitted  to  the  school.  I  thought  of  that 
blessed  time  approaching  when  the  mothers  of  China 
will  bring  their  children  to  the  feet  of  Jesus  that  he  may 
bless  them.  The  Chinese  are  diligent  in  learning  after 
their  own  manner.  They  begin  with  the  morning  light 
and  continue  to  con  over  their  insipid  task  (insipid,  as  we 
would  reckon  it)  until  evening.  They  are  an  intelligent 
and  interesting  race,  and  when  the  gospel  takes  hold  of 
them  in  elevating  and  saving  power,  they  will  be  interest 
ing  in  another  manner." 

Amid  such  quiet,  patient,  but  unobtrusive  labours  the 


352  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1847-50. 

first  fourteen  months  of  his  residence  in  Hong-Kong 
passed  away.  Longing  for  great  things,  yet  not  despising 
the  day  of  small  things,  he  was  content  meanwhile  to 
occupy  faithfully  the  narrow  sphere  assigned  him,  and  to 
wait  in  patience  till  the  great  Master  should  open  a  wider 
door.  The  time,  however,  was  now  come  for  a  further  and 
bolder  night.  His  proficiency  in  the  spoken  language 
of  the  Canton  province  was  now  sufficient  to  enable  him 
at  least  intelligibly  to  declare  his  message.  The  shores 
of  continental  China  with  its  teeming  towns  and  villages 
lay  before  his  eyes,  and  he  longed  to  be  in  the  midst  of 
the  vast  harvest-field.  It  was  true  that  as  yet  the  per 
missive  liberty  of  intercourse  with  the  native  population 
was  confined  within  the  limits  of  the  five  open  ports,  nor 
had  any  Protestant  missionary  hitherto  extended  his 
labours  much  beyond  their  precincts.  There  would,  he 
knew,  be  much  difficulty  and  possibly  some  danger  in 
the  attempt;  but  there  was  no  manifest  impossibility,  and 
an  impossibility  alone  was  in  his  view  a  sufficient  hind 
rance  to  one  who  would  go  forward  in  a  great  work  in 
the  name  of  the  Lord.  He  would  at  least  knock  at  the 
door,  and  see  whether  that  divine  almighty  hand  would 
open  it.  "  You  desired,"  said  he  in  one  of  his  letters, 
"  that  three  doors  might  be  opened  to  me,— the  door  of 
entrance  into  the  language,  the  door  of  access  into  the 
country,  and  the  door  of  admittance  for  the  Lord's  truth 
into  men's  hearts.  The  first  of  these  has  been  opened 
in  an  encouraging  degree  already;  and  it  now  remains  to 
seek  by  prayer  and  actual  trial  that  the  other  two  doors 
may  be  opened  also."  He  announced  accordingly  the 


^Et.  32-35.]  LABOURS    ON    THE    CONTINENT.  353 

discontinuance  both  of  his  Sunday  English  services  and  of 
the  Chinese  school  at  Hong-Kong,  and  steadfastly  turned 
his  face  towards  the  "regions  beyond:" — On  January 
29th,  1849,  he  writes: — 

"The  routine  of  my  work  hitherto  has  been  in  learning 
the  Chinese  language,  with  the  important  accompaniment 
of  preaching  from  week  to  week  among  my  own  country 
men.  Now,  however,  I  am  entering  as  far  as  can  be 
foreseen  on  a  new  sphere  and  mode  of  labour,  being 
about  to  discontinue  my  temporary  position  both  among 
the  Chinese  and  English,  and  go  forth  among  the  people 
of  these  shores  with  the  Word  of  eternal  life  in  my  hands, 
and  gradually  also  on  my  tongue.  Yesterday  (Sabbath, 
28th)  I  intimated  the  discontinuance  of  my  English 
preaching,  and  to-day  I  have  given  warning  to  my  servants, 
&c.,  that  the  school,  which  is  at  present  interrupted  by  the 
Chinese  New  Year,  will  not  be  again  re-opened.  To  this 
decision  I  have  been  clearly  led,  as  we  have  yet  no  pros 
pect  of  any  minister  from  Scotland,  nor  of  any  other 
missionary  who  might  take  up  the  educational  part  of  the 
work  among  the  Chinese,  and  I  had  but  one  alternative 
before  me,  viz.  that  of  either  proceeding  to  form  a  church 
and  locating  myself  among  my  countrymen  and  in  my 
Chinese  school ;  or  that  of  leaving  both,  and  going  forth 
into  the  field  at  large  in  order  at  once  to  attain  in  a 
proper  manner  the  spoken  language,  and  to  spread  abroad 
the  gospel  of  salvation  among  these  unsaved  millions. 
This  latter  course  I  have  felt  it  my  duty  to  adopt,  al 
though  it  is  one  accompanied  with  many  difficulties  and 
dangers  of  different  kinds.  But  the  work  must  be  done, 


354  LIFE    OF   REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1847-50. 

and  I  am  enabled  joyfully  to  say,  'Lord,  here  am  I,  send 
me.'  The  young  man  who  has  been  teaching  the  school 
and  myself  will  not,  I  think,  return  to  me;  but  the  other 
two  assistants  will  go  forth,  I  trust,  with  me,  and  perhaps 
others  also.  Certainly  my  past  habits  and  experience  fit 
me  above  most  preachers  for  attempting  this  mode  of 
missionary  work;  but  whether,  and  how  far,  I  may  be 
succeeded  in  it  is  with  the  Lord,  at  whose  command  alone 
I  go  forth.  I  need  not  add  that  in  these  circumstances 
I  shall  have  special  need  of  special  prayer  to  be  made  in 
my  behalf,  and  in  behalf  of  the  people  among  whom  I  may 
be  led  from  time  to  time.  China  is  not  only  forbidden 
ground  to  a  foreigner,  but  it  is  a  land  of  idols  and  a  land 
without  a  Sabbath.  How  great  then  muirt  be  that  power 
which  can  alone  open  up  my  way  and  make  it  successful ! 
But  JESUS  hath  said,  'All  power  is  given  unto  me  in 
heaven  and  on  earth;'  and  JEHOVAH  hath  said  to  the  Son, 
'Ask  of  me  and  I  will  give  thee  the  heathen  for  thine 
inheritance,  and  the  uttermost  parts  of  the  earth  for  thy 
possession.'  Let  the  weak  then  say,  I  am  strong!  I 
shall  not  add  more  by  coming  down  to  matters  of  lesser 
moment.  May  the  souls  of  God's  people  among  you 
prosper  and  be  in  health,  and  may  many  be  brought  nigh 
who  are  now  far  off  in  heart  from  the  living  God!  With 
love  to  all  who  love  the  Lord  and  seek  his  face, — I  am, 
dear  mother,  your  affectionate  son,— WM.  C.  BURNS." 

The  event  fully  justified  the  decision  which  he  had 
taken,  and  the  brave  and  resolute  spirit  in  which  he  pre 
pared  himself  for  its  accomplishment.  The  difficulties 
and  dangers  with  which  he  laid  his  account  were  indeed 


&t.  32-35.]        RECEPTION  BY  THE  PEOPLE.         355 

not  wanting,  but  in  the  midst  of  them  all  his  way  was 
opened  and  his  course  prospered  to  a  degree  which  he 
had  scarcely  dared  to  hope.  While  there  were  frequent 
risks  from  the  assaults  of  robbers  and  the  jealous  spirit 
and  policy  of  the  local  authorities,  he  met  everywhere 
amongst  the  great  body  of  the  people  with  that  friendly 
reception  which  they  have  been  since  found  in  other  cases 
to  accord  to  any  stranger  who  frankly  casts  himself  upon 
their  kindness.  He  possessed  in  large  measure  that 
genial  human  sympathy,  and  that  quiet  self-possession  and 
promptitude  of  fit  reply,  which,  Mr.  Fortune  tells  us,  form 
the  best  passports  to  the  good  humour  and  friendly  enter 
tainment  of  a  Chinese  crowd ;  and  a  foreigner  who  trusts 
himself  in  places  where  foreigners  are  rare  must  expect  to 
live  very  much  in  the  midst  of  crowds.  So  he  found  his 
way  with  comparatively  little  trouble  or  interruption  from 
village  to  village,  and  seldom  failed  at  least  of  a  numerous 
and  inquisitive,  if  not  earnestly  attentive  audience.  Even 
the  personal  privations  and  hardships  which  he  had  re 
garded  as  inevitable  were  much  less  serious  than  he  had 
anticipated :  so  that  he  very  soon  sent  back  to  Hong-Kong 
a  heavy  cloak  which  he  had  brought  away  with  him,  with 
the  significant  message  that  "he  did  not  need  to  sleep  on 
the  hills."  His  chief  danger  throughout  arose  from  the 
general  repute,  sadly  belied  in  his  case,  of  the  untold 
wealth  possessed  by  foreigners,  and  the  consequent  sensa 
tion  produced  among  the  robber-class  by  the  arrival  of  a 
European  stranger.  Anything  therefore  in  the  shape  of 
gold,  or  that  looked  like  gold,  he  found  the  greatest 
possible  hindrance  to  his  quiet  and  peaceful  progress,  and 


356  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1847-50, 

a  light  purse  the  necessary  condition  of  a  light  heart. 
Years  after  this  I  remember  that  when  I  gave  him  a  small 
pocket-Bible  in  place  of  a  much  valued  one  which  he  had 
lost,  he  said  with  a  significant  smile,  that  his  only  objec 
tion  to  it  was  the  gilt  clasp,  which  he  feared  would  one 
day  attract  the  greedy  eyes  of  some  Chinese  robber,  and 
cause  the  theft  of  the  book  for  the  sake  of  the  gold — an 
apprehension  which  was  soon  afterwards  in  point  of  fact 
fulfilled.  From  the  following  extracts  it  will  be  seen  that 
such  "perils  of  robbers"  were  the  only  serious  perils  he 
encountered  in  this  difficult,  and  as  it  seemed  to  many  at 
the  time,  somewhat  daring  undertaking : — 

"At  Shap-Pat-H(Kiing  (or  Eighteen  Villages),  February 
26th,  1849. — MY  DEAR  MOTHER, — I  have  had  the  privi 
lege  of  again  hearing  from  you,  and  this  privilege  has  been 
even  greater  than  usual,  from  the  fact  which  the  date  of 
this  letter  intimates,  that  I  am  now  no  more  among  our 
countrymen,  but  am  dwelling  among  this  heathen  people 
— alone,  were  it  not  for  the  presence  of  a  covenant  God 
and  Saviour.  In  following  out  the  purpose  intimated  in 
my  last,  I  left  Hong-Kong  on  Wednesday  the  yth  current 
for  the  opposite  continent  of  China,  and  have  been,  since 
that  time,  going  from  place  to  place  with  my  Chinese 
assistants  and  one  servant,  much  as  I  used  to  do  in  Scot 
land  in  days  that  are  past.  In  some  places  I  have  spent 
only  one  day;  in  others  I  have  remained  for  a  longer 
time,  the  population  being  large  and  the  door  open.  As 
yet  I  have  been  furthered  and  prospered  far  beyond  what 
I  looked  for;  and  although  the  difficulties  are  many,  even 
of  an  outward  kind,  yet  I  do  not  despond  in  looking  to 


^Et.  32-35.]        THE  SCATTERED  VILLAGES.  357 

the  future.  One  of  our  difficulties  arises  from  the  constant 
fear  the  people  are  in  of  robbers,  who  suppose,  though 
in  my  case  without  cause,  that  foreigners  have  much 
money  with  them;  and  again  in  places  where  there  are 
mandarins  a  foreigner  is  likely  to  be  dislodged  at  once. 
This  was  my  experience  at  first  setting  out;  for  I  had  spent 
only  one  night  at  Cowloon,  opposite  to  Hong-Kong,  when 
I  was  warned  to  remove,  and  so  had  to  retreat  for  the 
time.  The  people  also  at  present  are  in  constant  appre 
hension  of  war  with  England,  and  this  makes  them  more 
suspicious  of  foreigners  who  come  into  their  borders. 
But  with  all  this  I  have  hitherto  had  great  liberty  of  access 
to  the  population,  and  as  far  as  I  have  been  able  to 
declare  my  message  I  have  found  attentive,  and  in  some 
cases  earnestly  attentive  hearers.  .  .  .  The  valley 
I  am  now  in  is  full  of  villages,  as  its  name  intimates.  It 
is  also  the  seat  of  a  market  held  nearly  every  third  day, 
to  which  the  people  of  the  surrounding  country  resort, 
and  this  makes  it  an  important  centre  of  operations. 
Yesterday — the  Christian  Sabbath — was  the  market-day 
here.  I  was  out  among  the  people  about  three  hours, 
and  had  much  support  from  God.  What  need  have  I  of 
the  presence  of  the  Lord  of  the  Sabbath  in  a  land  like 
this,  that  I  may  not  lose  my  own  soul  in  seeking  to 
save  the  souls  of  others !  I  shall  probably  need  to  leave 
this  place  soon,  as  the  master  of  the  house  I  am  now  in 
does  not  promise  us  lodgings  even  for  another  night. 
But  the  Lord  will  provide.  '  They  shall  not  be  ashamed 
that  wait  for  me.'" 

It  will  have  been  observed  with  what  feeling  he  speaks 


358  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1847-50. 

of  his  position  in  finding  himself  for  the  first  time  in  a 
Sabbathless  land,  and  of  the  dreary  round  of  the  secular 
market-days,  irrespective  of  all  the  hallowed  mementos 
and  signs  of  a  higher  world.    He  often  recurs  to  this,  and 
evidently  felt  it  as  the  sorest  of  all  privations — almost 
like  the  blotting  out  of  the  sun  from  the  sky  of  his  daily 
life.     His  words  vividly  remind  one  of  the  feelings  ex 
pressed  by  the  Psalmist,  when,  under  a  similar  sense  of 
spiritual  deprivation  and  exile,  he  remembered  the  Lord 
from  the  land  of  Jordan,  and  of  the  Hefmonites,  and  from 
the  hill  Mizar.     "When  I  remember  these  things  my  soul 
is  cast  down  within  me:  for  I  had  gone  with  the  multitude, 
I  went  with  them  to  the  house  of  God,  with  the  voice  of 
joy  and  praise,  with  a  multitude  that  kept  holy-day.    Why 
art  thou  cast  down,  O  my  soul,  and  why  art  thou  dis 
quieted  within  me?     Hope  thou  in  God,  for  I  shall  yet 
praise  him  for  the  help  of  his  countenance."    It  was  under 
the  impulse  of  such  feelings  that  he  would  from  time  to 
time  break  away  from  his  solitary  labours  amongst  those 
heathen  villages,  and  make  a  rapid  visit   to  the  com 
paratively  Christian  community  at  Hong-Kong,  for  the 
sake  "of  retirement  and  the  privileges  of  the  Christian 
Sabbath."     He  snatched  one  of  those  seasons  of  sacred 
retreat  about  a  month  after  the  date  of  the  letter  just 
quoted:  but  after  a  brief  space  he  is  again  at  his  work, 
and  dates  the  i6th  April,  from  "the  village  of  Pan-Seen, 
to  the  north  of  Hong-Kong  about  eighty-five  miles  :"- 

DEAR  MoTHER,-After  writing  you  from  Hong-Kong 

the  end  of  last  month,  I  remained  there  a  few  days 

longer,  to  enjoy  the   advantage  of  retirement   and   the 


A    SABBATHLESS    LAND.  359 


privileges  of  a  Christian  Sabbath,  and  on  the  4th  of  the 
present  month  returned  again  to  this  continent  of  China. 
Since  coming  back  I  have  visited  four  villages  of  1000 
to  1500  inhabitants  each,  remaining  generally  for  a  few 
days,  and  embracing  such  opportunities  as  are  given  me, 
both  in  going  out  among  the  people,  and  in  the  visits 
which  many  pay  to  us,  to  make  known  something  of  the 
gospel  message.  We  were  some  time  ago  invited  to  come 
to  the  village  where  we  now  are;  and  not  only  do  we  here 
enjoy  the  fullest  external  liberty  to  speak  to  the  people, 
but  there  are  some  who  receive  us  with  much  cordiality, 
and  seem  to  manifest  some  interest  in  our  message.  One 
man  in  particular  who  this  evening  worshipped  with  us 
seems  as  if  his  mind  were  opening  to  the  truth.  But  ah  ! 
when  I  speak  thus  you  must  not  judge  of  such  a  case  as 
if  it  were  similar  to  those  which  we  remember  at  Kilsyth, 
Dundee,  and  Perth,  in  days  that  are  past!  There  is 
among  this  people  no  Sabbath,  no  Bible,  no  distinct 
knowledge  even  of  the  existence  of  one  only  living  and 
true  God  ;  and  in  my  present  circumstances  it  is  not  a 
little  encouragement  to  find  tokens  even  of  a  distinct  and 
cordial  apprehension  of  the  simplest  principles  of  divine 
truth.  How  little  are  many  who  neglect  the  great  salva 
tion  among  you  aware  that  they  are  indebted  for  all  that 
is  pure  and  elevated  in  their  knowledge  to  that  holy  Book 
which  they  despise  !  Were  it  not  my  abiding  conviction 
that  the  Lord  hath  sent  me  here,  and  that  His  grace  can 
be  made  sufficient  for  us  in  all  circumstances,  I  would 
sometimes  be  overwhelmed  when  regarding  the  state  of 
this  blinded  people,  and  the  danger  to  which  my  own 


360  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1847-50. 

soul  is  exposed  in  dwelling  among  them.  From  day  to 
day  I  have  enjoyed  many  tokens  of  the  Lord's  guiding 
and  supporting  hand;  but  while  this  is  the  case,  I  cannot 
say  that  as  yet  I  have  seen  any  clear  indications  in  the 
state  of  this  people  that  the  day  of  their  spiritual  deliver 
ance  is  at  hand.  In  other  days  it  has  been  my  solemn 
privilege  to  enter  into  the  labours  of  others,  and  it  may 
be  that  here  I  am  to  labour  where  others  are  to  reap.  .  .  . 
April  ijt/1. — This  morning  I  resume  my  pen  in  haste  to 
conclude  this  letter.  From  morning  to  morning  the 
Lord's  mercies  are  ever  new.  Great  is  His  faithfulness. 
.  .  .  I  am  about  to-day  to  remove  to  a  village  further 
on.  My  messenger  waits,  and  I  must  in  haste  conclude, 
praying  for  all  covenant  blessings  to  my  beloved  parents, 
kindred,  &c.,  and  for  grace  and  peace  to  all  the  churches 
of  the  living  God. — I  ever  am,"  &c. 

At  his  first  starting  from  Hong-Kong  he  had  character 
istically  "left  his  assistants  to  direct  the  boat  to  any  quar 
ter,"  on  the  long  extended  coast,  "they  thought  best," 
having  "no  other  plan  but  that  of  making  known  the 
gospel  by  tracts  and  speech,  leaving  all  the  rest,  as  well  as 
this  the  greatest,  to  the  gracious  care  of  God."  And  so 
he  went  on  from  day  to  day  in  his  work  of  faith  and 
patience,  passing  on  from  village  to  village  with  the  divine 
message,  which  it  was  the  joy  of  his  life  to  declare,  simply 
as  Ae  Unseen  Hand  of  his  Master  seemed  to  open  and 
point  the  way— now  lingering  for  a  while  in  one  spot, 
now  pressing  rapidly  on,  as  the  Pillar  of  Cloud  appeared 
to  halt  or  to  move  onwards  before  him.  "As  soon  as  he 
reached  a  village,  he  commenced  to  read  his  Bible  aloud, 


/Et.  32-35.]  MODE    OF    OPERATION.  361 

say,  under  the  shade  of  a  tree — soon  the  villagers  began 
to  gather,  and  he  explained  to  them  the  nature  and  object 
of  the  Gospel.  Usually  some  one  would  ask  him  at  meal 
time  where  he  was  to  eat?  and  he  as  usually  partook 
of  what  was  set  before  him  by  some  hospitable  villager. 
As  evening  approached,  some  one  would  offer  him  a 
night's  shelter;  and  thus  he  often  went  on  from  week  to 
week,  preaching  the  word,  and  lacking  nothing."  Mean 
while,  it  was  his  lot  almost  wholly  "to  plough  in  hope, 
and  to  sow  in  hope," — intensely  longing  for  the  fruit  of 
souls,  yet  willing  either  to  gather  it  in  with  his  own  hands 
or  to  sow  the  seeds  of  a  harvest  to  be  reaped  by  others. 
The  entries  in  his  journal  are  at  this  period  singularly 
brief  and  hurried — mere  jottings,  evidently  hastily  noted 
down  overnight  in  the  midst  of  outward  discomforts  and 
almost  constant  movement — but  only  on  that  account 
speak  the  more  impressively  of  the  abundance  and  self- 
denying  nature  of  his  labours : 

"We  went  to  Cowloon,  but  they  took  me  to  a  school- 
house  rented  by  the  London  Mission,  and  after  one  day's 
stay  among  a  listless  people  we  were  obliged  to  leave  in 
consequence  of  the  mandarin's  remonstrating  with  the 
landlord  of  the  house.  On  Thursday  the  London  mis 
sionaries  came  over,  and  I  went  back  with  them  to  the 
Chinese  Medical  Hospital  (Hong-Kong).  On  Friday  we 
again  landed  directly  opposite  at  Tseen-Sha-Tein,  had 
good  openings  and  favour  among  the  villages,  and  lodged 
in  a  mat-shed — I  eating,  as  I  had  the  previous  day,  and 
have  done  since,  with  my  Chinese  companions,  but  not 
putting  on  in  the  meantime  any  part  of  the  Chinese  dress. 


362  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1847-50. 

On  Saturday  we  removed  to  Tseen  Wan  (Shallow  Bay) 
village,  a  distance  of  perhaps  twenty-five  Chinese  miles ; 
the  people  very  friendly,  but  generally  speaking  the 
Hak-ka,  not  the  Puntee  or  Canton  city  dialect.  Here  we 
remained  until  Wednesday  (yesterday),  when  we  crossed 
the  hills,  a  distance  of  20  or  25  Chinese  miles  (probably 
7  or  8  English  miles),  to  this  valley  covered  with  villages 
(Shap-Pat-Hceung).  To-day  I  have  been  out,  and  have 
had  more  encouragement  in  the  aspect  of  the  people,  and 
also  in  my  ability  to  communicate  to  them  the  great 
truths,  (i)  That  there-  is  but  one  true  God,  His  character, 
&c. ;  (2)  That  all  men  are  sinners — idolaters,  &c.;  and 
(3)  That  there  is  a  Saviour  and  only  one,  Jesus  the  Son 
of  the  living  God. 

11  Shap-Pat-Hceung. — Much  encouraged  at  Pat-Hceung. 
Left  it  on  Tuesday  the  2oth.  2ist  at  Cum-Teen.  Many 
people — attention — at  night  fear  of  robbers.  22d.  Came 
here.  Door  opened.  Many  people.  Attention. 

"S/nim-Chan,  March  $tti,  Monday. — Came  here  on 
Friday,  after  being  six  days  at  Shap-Pat-Hceung,  and  three 
days  at  Sin-Teen.  People  friendly.  Arrived  on  the 
market-day.  Great  press  to  see  the  foreigner,  but  all 
friendly.  On  Saturday  messenger  arrived  from  Hong- 
Kong—robbed  by  the  way  of  the  money  he  was  bringing. 
In  my  own  room— not  an  every-day  privilege  in  this  land 
—Oh!  for  the  Spirit  of  grace  to  improve  it. 

"  Chinese  Hospital,  Hong-Kong,  March  29^.— We  staid 
at  Shum-Chan  until  Wednesday  the  14*,  visiting  the  sur 
rounding  villages.  i4th.  Removed  westward  to  Sheung- 
Poo-Tan,  visiting  villages  to  the  west,  Kak-Teen,  Kong- 


JEt.  32-35.]  ITINERARY    NOTES.  363 

Ha,  Wong-Kong,  &c.,  eight  days.  At  Sheun-Poo-Tan, 
people  very  friendly  and  attentive — Kak-Teen,  not  so. 
Thursday,  returned  to  Shum-Chan;  invited  to  go  back 
into  the  country;  crossed  the  Yuen-Long,  and  thence  on 
foot  to  Pai-Teung  beside  Cap-Shui-Man,  and  thence  by 
boat  to  this  place — way  prospered — arrived  here  at  six 
o'clock  P.M.,  just  as  Dr.  Hirschberg,  a  dear  brother  who 
gives  us  lodging  here,  was  about  to  land  from  Cowloon,  to 
which  he  goes  every  Monday.  Here  I  have  ordered  a 
Chinese  dress,  and  I  trust  that  next  week  I  may  again  go 
forth  into  the  country.  The  seven  weeks  I  have  already 
spent  there  have  been  full  of  encouragement." 

Brief  as  these  itinerary  notes  are,  they  will  give  the 
reader  a  tolerably  distinct  idea  of  the  character  of  the 
missionary's  life  and  work  during  this  first  and  tentative 
effort  to  carry  the  gospel  message  into  the  interior  of  the 
Chinese  territory.  The  lodging  in  the  "mat-shed;"  the 
frequent  alarms  of  robbers;  the  arrival  of  the  messenger 
from  Hong-Kong  without  the  expected  money  supplies; 
the  summary  dismissal  by  the  mandarin  and  the  friendly 
bearing  of  the  people  generally;  the  eager  rush  at  the 
market  town  "to  see  the  foreigner;"  the  valleys  thick- 
sown  with  villages;  the  journeys  on  foot,  without  purse 
or  scrip  or  change  of  raiment,  over  the  hills;  the  signifi 
cant  and  touching  allusion  to  the  rare  privilege  of  a  night 
"in  his  own  room;"  the  brief  breathing  time  of  retire 
ment  and  prayer,  in  the  midst  of  the  poor  and  suffering, 
in  the  Chinese  hospital, — all,  naked  as  they  are  alike  of 
detail  and  colouring,  form  together  the  elements  of  a 
picture  of  apostolic  faith  and  zeal,  and  self-denying  labour 


364  LIFE    OF    REV-    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1847-50. 

which  rises  to  the  mind's  eye  as  vivid  as  it  is  impressive 
and  rare.  The  reader  will  have  noticed  too,  the  passing 
allusion  to  his  gradual  adoption  at  this  time  of  the 
Chinese  habits  alike  in  food  and  in  dress;  a  matter  in 
which,  I  believe,  he  has  been  hitherto  almost  entirely 
singular  amongst  missionaries  of  the  Protestant  faith.  The 
circumstance  admits  of  easy  explanation.  I  daresay  there 
was  to  him  a  certain  charm  in  being  thus  entirely  like  to 
those  whose  servant  he  desired  to  be  for  Christ's  sake, 
and  thus  visibly  to  walk  in  the  steps  of  him  who  would 
"be  all  things  to  all  pen  if  by  any  means  he  might  save 
some."  But  that  was  not  his  main  reason,  or  one  which 
he  himself  ever  gave.  His  practice  in  this  respect  was 
singular,  mainly  because  his  sphere  of  labour  and  his  cir 
cumstances  were  singular.  Within  the  limits  of  the  five 
open  ports,  or  in  any  place  where  the  sight  of  a  foreigner 
is  a  common  and  everyday  occurrence,  there  was  in  his 
view  no  advantage  whatever  in  the  adoption  of  the 
Chinese  dress  and  mode  of  life;  but  in  inland  towns  and 
villages  it  was  essential,  unless  one  wished  to  be  the 
centre  of  a  noisy  street  crowd,  and  to  be  gazed  at  like  a 
gorilla  or  an  ourang-outang.  He  found  it  of  the  greatest 
importance,  with  a  view  to  the  peaceful  prosecution  of 
his  work,  to  avoid  this,  and  therefore  he  did  avoid  it. 
When  Dr.  Morrison  arrived  at  Hong-Kong,  "he  adopted," 
says  Dr.  Medhurst,  "the  dress  and  manners  of  the  natives, 
allowing  his  hair  and  nails  to  grow,  eating  with  the  chop 
sticks,  and  walking  about  the  factory  in  thick  Chinese 
shoes.  In  this,  as  he  afterwards  acknowledged,  he  meant 
well,  but  he  judged  ill;  for  in  the  first  place  the  confine- 


JEt.  32-35.]  ADOPTION    OF    CHINESE    DRESS.  365 

ment  and  hard  fare  injured  his  health;  then,  his  singular 
habits  deprived  him  of  the  association  of  his  countrymen ; 
and  lastly,  his  intercourse  with  the  natives  was  hindered 
rather  than  helped  by  it.  Had  he  been  residing  entirely 
among  the  Chinese,  far  separated  from  Europeans,  the 
adoption  of  the  Chinese  costume  might  have  prevented 
immediate  observation  and  conduced  to  permanent  settle 
ment;  but  in  Canton,  where  there  is  a  marked  difference 
between  the  Chinese  and  Europeans,  the  attempt  to  unite 
the  habits  of  such  opposite  classes  only  excited  the  anim 
adversions  and  suspicions  of  both.  The  Catholics  in 
Macao  dress  all  their  priests  and  catechists  in  the  Euro 
pean  costume,  which  is  a  sort  of  protection  against  native 
interference;  but  when  they  send  agents  into  the  interior, 
they  clothe  them  after  the  Chinese  fashion,  in  order  to  avoid 
the  gaze  of  the  populace,  and  the  annoyance  of  the  police" 
These  sagacious  and  discriminating  remarks,  written 
more  than  thirty  years  ago,  have  been  since  fully 
justified  by  the  experience  of  those  who,  whether  as 
missionary  or  scientific  pioneers,  have  passed  beyond 
the  lines  of  European  residence,  and  pushed  their  way 
"into  the  regions  beyond."  There,  for  a  foreigner  simply 
to  show  himself  in  his  foreign  dress  is  to  become  the 
signal  for  the  assembling  of  an  idle  and  inquisitive  crowd, 
which  grows  and  swells  as  he  passes  along.  A  graphic 
instance  may  be  given  from  Mr.  Fortune's  interesting 
narrative  of  a  Residence  among  the  Chinese,  Inland,  on 
the  Coast,  and  at  Sea.  "When  we  landed  from  our 
boats,"  says  he,  "a  large  crowd  assembled  round  us,  and 
followed  us  into  the  city  (Pinghoo),  increasing  as  we 


366  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1847-50. 

went  along.  Every  now  and  then  a  little  urchin  ran  past 
to  give  warning  on  ahead,  so  that  we  found  the  whole 
street  aware  of  our  approach,  and  every  door  and  window 
crowded  with  anxious  faces.  All  went  on  quite  well, 
however,  although  the  crowd  contained  some  mischievous 
looking  fellows  in  its  ranks.  When  we  entered  a  shop 
the  scene  outside  was  quite  fearful.  The  street  was  very 
narrow  and  literally  crammed  with  human  beings,  all 
anxious  to  see  us  and  to  find  out  what  we  were  buying. 
In  more  than  one  instance  the  pressure  was  so  great  as 
to  endanger  the  fronts  of  the  shops;  and  anxious  as  the 
Chinese  are  for  trade,  I  believe  the  poor  shop-keepers  were 
heartily  glad  when  they  got  rid  of  us."1  An  introduction 
like  this  into  any  community  could  scarcely  facilitate  the 
quiet  discharge  of  any  serious  work,  and  least  of  all  the 
furtherance  of  that  eternal  kingdom  which  "cometh  not 
with  observation."  In  rapid  missionary  journeys,  indeed, 
by  canal  or  river,  where  the  object  is  simply  to  distribute 
books  and  declare  the  gospel  message  at  each  village  and 
hamlet  by  the  way,  and  then  pass  quickly  on,  the  singularity 
of  the  European  dress  may  be  even  of  advantage,  as  sig 
nalizing  the  stranger's  arrival,  and  immediately  gathering 
an  eager  audience  round  him.  The  little  unwonted  excite 
ment  passes  off  harmlessly,  as  the  strange  visitor  is  off 
and  away  before  the  crowd  has  grown  into  a  tumult  and 
suspicious  citizens  and  jealous  mandarins  have  taken  the 
alarm.  But  to  make  a  more  lengthened  sojourn  in  such 
a  community,  and  go  about  one's  work  steadily  and  quietly, 
one  must  cease  to  wear  the  garb  of  a  stranger. 

1  PP.  327-328. 


-fit.  32-35.]  RETURN    TO    HONG-KONG.  367 

After  about  a  week's  repose,  Mr.  Burns  was  again  at 
his  work  (April  ist),  and  continued  his  evangelistic 
movements  amongst  the  continental  villages  for  about 
six  weeks  longer,  pushing  his  way  still  further  inland  to 
the  north  and  the  west.  At  the  close  of  that  period, 
however,  the  hot  and  rainy  season  rendered  further  pro 
gress  for  the  present  impracticable,  while  at  the  same 
time  the  more  suspicious  and  less  friendly  attitude  of  the 
people  as  he  advanced  westward  gradually  more  and 
more  closed  the  door  against  him.  He  accordingly 
returned  to  Hong-Kong,  and  took  up  his  abode  in  a 
manner  somewhat  more  permanent,  under  the  friendly 
roof  of  his  endeared  friend  Dr.  Hirschberg,  first  on 
Morrison's  Hill  and  then  at  his  new  hospital  in  Victoria. 

Here  he  remained,  with  only  one  brief  interruption,  for 
the  next  eight  months,  perfecting  his  knowledge  of  the 
Chinese  language,  and  becoming,  as  he  says,  less  and  less 
"at  home  with  the  pen  and  more  with  the  Chinese  pencil;" 
doing  the  work  of  a  Barnabas  amongst  the  sick  and  suffer 
ing  in  the  hospital  beside  him ;  and  co-operating  zealously 
with  his  esteemed  host  in  all  his  other  works  and  labours 
of  love.  But  the  nature  of  his  occupations  during  this 
quiet  interval,  as  well  as  the  views  and  aspirations  which 
animated  him,  will  be  best  learned  from  his  own  words, 
which  will  appropriately  close  the  history  of  this  first  stage 
of  his  Chinese  life  :— 

"  Chinese  Hospital,  Hong-Kong,  June  2\st,  1849. — MY 
DEAR  MOTHER, — My  last  letter  would  not  prepare  you 
for  hearing  from  me  again  so  soon,  and  that  too  from  this 
place.  I  went  on  last  occasion  more  to  the  westward 


368  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1847-50. 

(having  already  visited  a  good  part  of  those  who  speak 
my  dialect  to  the  north),  and  there  we  found  the  people 
everywhere  so  averse  to  the  presence  of  a  foreigner,  that 
after  sleeping  nine  successive  nights  on  the  water  in  going 
from  place  to  place,  and  not  being  allowed  to  lodge  on 
shore,  I  returned  here,  where  I  have  again  resumed  my 
quiet  studies,  and  where  I  enjoy  opportunities  of  doing 
what  I  can  amongst  this  people,  not  only  in  speaking  to 
the  patients  in  the  hospital,  but  in  visiting  others  in  the 
neighbourhood.  The  season  also  at  present,  both  from 
great  rain  and  great  heat,  is  not  so  favourable  for  that 
mode  of  life  which  I  have  been  following  for  some  pre 
vious  months  on  the  opposite  continent.  I  trust  that  in 
due  time  my  path  may  be  further  opened,  and  that  it  may 
graciously  be  made  plain  by  the  Lord  in  what  way  and 
in  what  place  I  am  to  be  more  permanently  employed 
upon  these  shores.  I  do  not  think  at  present  of  return 
ing  to  the  continent,  but  it  is  possible  that  my  path  may 
be  made  plain  to  do  so  sooner  than  I  can  anticipate. 
Perhaps  you  are  by  this  time  aware  that  Dr.  James  Young, 
a  much  valued  friend  here,  offered  himself  some  time  ago 
to  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  England  as  a  missionary. 
The  last  mail  has  brought  to  him  the  intimation  of  his 
offer  of  service  being  accepted;  but  where  and  how  we 
may  be  located  and  employed  on  these  shores  is  not  yet 
fully  determined;  nor  can  Dr.  Y.  leave  his  present  em 
ployment  until  the  close  of  the  present  year.  It  was  a 
great  mercy  that  in  my  last  journey  as  well  as  in  the  two 
previous  ones  I  was  preserved  from  every  danger,  although 
surrounded  with  perils  seen  and  unseen.  The  night 


JEt.  32-35.]  DANGER    OF    PIRATES.  369 

before  I  landed  here  we  were  not,  I  suppose,  above  half 
a  mile  from  a  Macao  passage-boat  when  it  was  attacked 
by  pirates  and  robbed  with  the  loss  of  some  lives.  The 
firing  was  so  loud  that,  in  the  darkness,  we  supposed  it 
must  be  some  English  war-steamer  in  pursuit  of  pirates. 
I  was  at  this  time  on  board  the  Chinese  passage-boat 
from  Canton,  and  no  evil  was  allowed  to  come  nigh  to 
us.  The  person  who  has  charge  of  the  Chinese  hospital 
where  I  am  now  lodged  is  a  converted  Jew,  Dr.  Hirsch- 
berg,  connected  with  the  London  Missionary  Society.  I 
have  long  enjoyed  his  friendship,  and  now  for  a  season  I 
am  very  favourably  situated  in  lodging  with  him,  both  for 
learning  the  language  and  for  speaking  a  little  among  the 
patients  who  come  seeking  cure  to  their  bodily  diseases. 
It  is  little  indeed,  however,  that  I  can  add  regarding 
tokens  of  an  encouraging  nature  among  the  people.  But 
the  day  of  mercy  and  deliverance  promised  will  come, 
and  then  these  ends  of  the  earth  shall  remember  and  turn 
unto  the  Lord.  You  have  need  to  pray  for  all  of  us  who 
labour  here,  that  we  may  be  endued  with  a  patient  and 
persevering  spirit,  for  the  natural  and  spiritual  difficulties 
of  the  field  are  of  no  common  kind.  .  .  .  Commend 
me,  dear  mother,  to  the  prayers  of  God's  people.  May 
you  and  my  father  never  forget  me,  when,  either  one  or 
both,  you  draw  near  the  glorious  high  throne  of  our  Father 
in  heaven.  Jesus  is  the  way.  In  His  blood  we  have 
access :  in  Him  we  are  complete ! " 

Again,  about  a  month  after,  July  25th,  he  writes: — 
"  I  take  up  my  pen  (not  so  much  used  in  these  days  as 

my  Chinese  pencil)  to  write  a  few  lines  that  you  may 

2  A 


370  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1847-50. 

know  something  of  my  present  affairs.  During  the  past 
month  I  have  been  quietly  resident  here;  and  while  I  have 
thus  enjoyed  much  leisure  for  study,  I  have  also  had  daily 
opportunities  of  taking  part,  both  as  a  hearer  and  as  a 
speaker,  in  the  meetings  which  are  held  for  the  good  of 
the  patients  and  of  the  household.  As  I  had  no  present 
need  for  my  former  native  assistants  who  journeyed  with 
me  on  the  mainland,  they  left  me  more  than  a  month  ago, 
and  I  am  thus  in  the  meantime  alone,  and  co-operating 
with  others  as  formerly  at  home  and  in  my  own  tongue. 
This  kind  of  position  suits  me,  and  will  probably  continue 
to  be  my  position  here  until  at  least  Dr.  Young  is  ready 
to  join  me,  which  is  not  until  the  beginning  of  next  year. 
.  .  .  Do  not  cease,  dear  parents,  to  pray  for  me,  that 
I  may  be  still  graciously  kept  and  divinely  quickened  and 
enlarged  in  the  way  of  God's  testimonies.  The  removal 
of  such  pillars  as  John  M 'Donald  and  also  Sir  Andrew 
Agnew  would  overwhelm  the  minds  of  God's  people,  were 
it  not  that  they  are  not  man-worshippers,  but  have  their 
faith  staid  on  Him  who  ever  liveth,  and  hath  an  unchange 
able  priesthood.  While  Jesus  lives,  the  Church  which  is 
His  body  shall  live  also,  each  member  receiving  by  faith 
out  of  His  fulness  and  grace  for  grace.  How  securely 
must  the  Church  of  the  living  God  be  built,  when  it  can 
stand  unshaken  while  so  many  who  seemed  to  be  pillars 
are  removed!  But  in  the  Church  above,  those  who  are 
'made'  to  be  pillars  'shall  go  no  more  out.'  Blessed, 
holy,  glorious  society  of  the  redeemed  in  the  presence  of 
God  and  the  Lamb !  May  our  hearts  be  ever  there  until 
amazing  grace  open  the  door  of  that  inner  sanctuary,  and 


-ffit  32-3S-1  DEPARTURE    FOR    CANTON.  371 

call  us  to  come  in !  Oh  !  when  shall  the  nations  on 
earth — the  many  millions  of  these  distant  Gentiles — hear 
the  call  of  the  Son  of  God,  bringing  them  into  the  Church 
below  to  be  prepared  for  the  Church  above!  The  change 
will  be  great  indeed  when  this  takes  place !  May  we 
have  grace  to  pray  and  labour  that  the  time  may  be 
hastened !  You  will  remember  me,  dear  father,  to  all  who 
ask  of  my  welfare,  and  engage  the  praying  to  pray  much 
and  more  in  our  behalf,  and  that  China's  gates  may  be 
opened  to  the  King  of  glory!" 

One  more  effort  (November,  1849)  to  resume  his  evan 
gelistic  labours  on  the  mainland,  in  which  he  was  met  with 
obstacles  still  more  formidable  than  on  the  last  occasion, 
and  returned,  robbed  and  stripped  of  everything  but  the 
clothes  necessary  to  cover  him,  and  his  work  at  Hong- 
Kong  and  its  vicinity  closed.  He  sailed  with  Dr.  Young, 
whose  brief  but  bright  career  was  for  the  next  four  years 
intimately  associated  with  his,  for  Canton  on  the  last  day 
of  February,  1850. 


CHAPTER    XV. 

1850-51. 

CANTON. 

WE  have  already  remarked  that  Mr.  Burns'  labours 
on  Chinese 'soil  had  been  hitherto  mainly  pre 
paratory  and  tentative.  The  question  of  a  permanent 
centre  of  operations  for  the  infant  mission  had  not  even 
yet  been  determined.  The  balance  of  opinion,  however, 
in  the  home  committee  had  been  for  some  time  back 
turning  more  and  more  decidedly  towards  Amoy,  and  in 
this  judgment  Dr.  Young  very  strongly  concurred.  Mr. 
Burns  himself  so  far  acquiesced  in  it  as  to  have  actually 
taken  his  passage  for  that  port  on  September  5th,  1849, 
when  his  course  was  arrested  by  an  attack  of  fever,  brought 
on  as  he  thought'  by  the  anxieties  of  the  decision  and  ex 
posure  to  the  sun  during  the  numerous  "  salutations  "  of 
a  hurried  leave-taking.  The  decision,  however,  had  clearly 
not  been  taken  without  some  misgiving.  On  his  recovery 
from  illness  the  suspended  purpose  was  for  the  present 
silently  dropped,  and  was  never  afterwards  resumed,  until 
he  had  fully  proved  by  prayer  and  earnest  effort  whether 
another  and  still  wider  door  nearer  at  hand  were  not  open 
to  him.  It  is  probable  that  from  the  first,  and  whilst 
wandering  amongst  the  villages  opposite  Hong-Kong,  his 


iEt.  35-36.1  CANTON.  373 

eye  had  been  turned  towards  Canton,  the  great  centre  of 
life  in  Southern  China,  towards  which  at  each  successive 
movement  westward  he  approached  nearer  and  nearer. 
Cowloon,  the  point  at  which  he  first  landed,  is  distant  from 
that  city  only  about  ninety  miles,  and  the  whole  district 
lying  between,  and  which  he  had  been  since  traversing, 
might  be  regarded  as  in  its  immediate  vicinity,  and  as 
the  natural  pathway  of  advance  towards  it.  It  was  the 
great  centre,  too,  of  that  dialect  which  for  the  last  two 
years  he  had  been  so  laboriously  studying,  and  which  was 
the  only  form  of  the  Chinese  spoken  language  which  as 
yet  he  knew.  Any  one,  therefore,  that  knew  him  might 
almost  have  predicted  that  he  would  not  pass  it  by  with 
out  making  some  effort  to  bring  to  the  ears  of  its  heathen 
myriads  the  message  of  life.  It  might  indeed  be  that  the 
will  of  the  Master  as  well  as  the  growing  conviction  of 
the  Church  was  calling  him  elsewhere,  and  that  He  had 
no  work  for  him  to  do,  no  people  for  him  to  gather  "  in 
that  city;"  but  he  was  unwilling  too  hastily  and  rashly  to 
adopt  so  important  a  conclusion.  He  will  at  least  knock 
at  its  gates  earnestly  and  patiently,  and  see  whether  there 
were  an  entrance  there  for  his  message  and  his  Master  or 
not. 

The  prospect  at  the  outset  was  not  very  encouraging, 
nor  did  it  on  further  trial  greatly  brighten.  The  door 
of  entrance  even  to  a  settled  residence  in  the  city  was 
never  fully  opened  to  him.  He  succeeded,  indeed,  at 
last,  after  many  harassing  disappointments,  in  securing 
the  expiring  lease  of  a  lodging  from  a  brother  missionary 
about  to  return  to  Scotland;  but  that  was  only  for  a  period 


374  LIFE   OF   REV<    WILLIAM   c'    BURNS.  [1850-51. 

of  eight  months,  and  at  its  close  his  position  would  be  as 
unfixed  and  as  uncertain  as  ever.  In  other  respects,  too, 
the  aspect  of  the  field  was  scarcely  more  promising. 
Whilst  he  enjoyed  abundant  opportunities  of  sowing  the 
precious  seed,  and  was  seldom  without  a  goodly  group 
of  apparently  attentive  hearers,  yet  it  seemed  to  him  that 
his  words  did  not  tell  upon  them.  There  was  attention 
more  or  less  fixed,  but  no  impression.  They  listened  to 
the  truth,  and  possibly  carried  away  some  glimpses  of  it, 
but  it  did  not  take  hold  and  keep  hold  of  them.  Few 
of  his  casual  hearers  'ever  came  back  of  their  own  accord 
to  hear  him  again,  or  sought  the  preacher  out  to  inquire 
further  of  his  message  and  his  doctrine.  He  was  even 
tempted  sometimes  to  doubt  if  the  Chinese  were  in  their 
present  state  even  susceptible  of  those  deep  spiritual  im 
pressions  which  he  had  seen  in  former  days  and  longed 
to  see  again;  whether  a  lengthened  period  of  preparation, 
and  the  long  and  patient  sowing  of  many  labourers,  might 
not  be  necessary  ere  any  one  might  hope  to  "return  re 
joicing  bringing  his  sheaves  with  him."  Yet  he  went  on 
patiently  and  hopefully,  and  speaks  of  himself  as  as 
happy  here  and  in  the  midst  of  his  self-denying  and  ap 
parently  unproductive  work  as  "he  could  be  anywhere 
in  all  the  world."  There  is  nothing  in  his  life,  as  it  seems 
to  me,  more  admirable,  and  in  the  whole  circumstances 
of  the  case  more  remarkable,  than  this  patient  and  stead 
fast  continuance  in  well-doing  in  the  midst  of  the  most 
prosaic  and  uninteresting  labours,  and  amid  the  dead  calm 
of  a  more  than  heathen  apathy,  equally  as  when  borne 
along  by  the  exhilarating  breath  of  sympathetic  enthusiasm 


^Et.  35-36.]  WORKING    AND    WAITING.  375 

and  almost  uninterrupted  success.  "The  two  works," 
says  Mr.  Moody  Stuart,  "were  singularly  diverse  in  their 
character,  and  were  such  as  have  rarely,  if  ever  before, 
been  allotted  to  one  man  to  accomplish.  Those  who 
knew  William  Burns  only  as  the  enthusiastic  preacher 
from  town  to  town  throughout  the  land  would  have  looked 
upon  him  as  the  last  man  in  the  Church  who,  after  eight 
years  of  what  seemed  the  highest  religious  excitement, 
with  thousands  crowding  to  hear  him,  would  set  himself 
to  what  was  then  reckoned  the  almost  hopeless  task  of 
thoroughly  mastering  the  Chinese  language;  would  seclude 
himself  from  his  own  countrymen,  and  live  among  a 
people  so  different,  teaching  their  children  that  he  might 
learn  their  language,  and  then  adopt  their  dress,  and  their 
ways,  till  in  strange  places  the  authorities  were  sometimes 
slow  to  believe  him  when  he  claimed  to  be  an  Englishman." 
Such  mainly  had  been  his  work  for  many  months  at  Hong- 
Kong,  and  such  too,  at  least  not  more  exciting  or  spirit- 
stirring,  was  his  life  at  Canton.  Meanwhile  Dr.  Young 
had  gone  on  before  him  to  Amoy,  and  wrote  from  month 
to  month  most  hopefully  of  the  prospects  of  the  work  there, 
and  urged  him  earnestly  to  join  him.  He  still  hesitated. 
There  was  not  much  indeed  in  the  way  of  positive  encour 
agement  to  detain  him  at  Canton;  no  "great  and  effectual 
door  "  visibly  opened  to  him  and  loudly  calling  upon  him 
to  enter;  but  yet  there  was  not,  on  the  other  hand,  any 
clear  and  decisive  indication  that  God  had  no  work  for 
him  to  do  there.  It  even  seemed  to  him  sometimes  as 
the  months  passed  on  as  though  a  prospect  of  ultimate 
success  were  beginning  to  dawn  upon  him,  and  as  he  saw 


376  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1850-51. 

the  stolid  countenances  of  his  hearers  now  and  then  light 
ening  up  with  something  like  intelligent  and  earnest 
interest,  his  heart  yearned  over  them  with  a  wistful  hope 
fulness,  and  he  felt  as  if  he  could  not  leave  them  so  long 
as  the  faintest  hope  of  a  day  of  power  and  blessing  among 
them  remained: — "  If  you  do  not  hear,"  said  he,  "  so  in 
teresting  accounts  from  Canton"  (as  those  recently  re 
ceived  from  Amoy),  "  you  must  ascribe  it  in  part  to  the 
defects  of  your  correspondent,  but  still  more,  it  may  be, 
to  the  difficulties  of  this  very  important  station — a  station 
so  difficult  and  important,  that  I  believe  no  agent  who  is 
in  any  degree  suited  for  it,  and  who  has  a  heart  to  love 
and  labour  for  its  proud  and  suspicious  people,  should  be 
encouraged  to  leave  it.  Last  Tuesday  evening,  when 
looking  on  an  assembly  of  from  fifty  to  sixty  engaged 
listeners,  while  a  native  was  addressing  them  before  I  did 
so,  my  heart  said,  '  How  can  I  leave  these  dear  and  pre 
cious  souls  for  whom  there  are  so  few  to  care?  I  can 
now  tell  them  of  the  way  of  life  with  some  measure  of 
clearness  and  acceptance,  and  so  long  as  God  gives  me 
standing  ground  to  gather  and  address  them,  I  must  go 
on  to  do  so,  leaving  the  issues  in  His  own  hand,  with 
whom  it  is  to  bless  and  save !  Help  us  to  maintain  the 
combat  in  this  great  heathen  city,  until  its  gates  are  opened 
to  the  King  of  glory !  Brethren,  pray  for  us  that  the  word 
of  the  Lord  may  have  free  course  and  be  glorified!" 

But  those  distinct  intimations  of  the  Master's  will,  for 
which  he  had  so  long  waited,  came  at  last.  The  door  he 
had  sought  and  hoped  to  enter  was  finally  closed;  the, 
standing-ground  which  alone  he  desiderated  as  a  warrant 


^Et.  35-36.]  DEPARTURE    FOR    AMOY.  377 

to  remain  was  taken  from  him.  Shortly  after  the  expiry 
of  the  lease,  he  had  received  notice  to  remove  from  the 
premises  he  had  hitherto  occupied,  and  all  efforts  to  obtain 
another  suitable  station  had  failed.  This,  taken  in  con 
nection  with  the  open  door  and  brightening  prospects  at 
Amoy,  seemed  to  him  decisive  of  the  path  of  duty.  Diffi 
culties  in  the  ordinary  sense  of  the  word  had  little  influ 
ence  with  him :  rather  only  did  they  rouse  him  to  a  more 
determined  resolution  to  "  go  forward  "  in  the  course  of 
service  set  before  him,  in  the  strength  of  Him  before 
whom  the  mountains  flow  down,  and  whose  word  is  "not 
bound;"  but  the  slightest  indication  of  His  will,  the  faintest 
whisper  of  His  voice,  was  to  him  imperative.  Such  an 
intimation  had  now,  he  believed,  been  distinctly  given  to 
him ;  and  he  prepared  himself  without  delay  to  obey  it. 
He  sailed  from  Canton,  after  a  residence  of  sixteen 
months,  in  July,  1851,  and  reached  Amoy  on  the  5th 
day  of  that  month. 


CHAPTER    XVI. 

1851-54- 


AMOY. 


A  SAIL  of  four  hundred  miles  in  a  north-easterly 
direction  from '  Hong-Kong,  along  a  bold  and  pre 
cipitous  coast,  rising  occasionally  to  a  commanding  eleva 
tion,  brings  us  to  a  group  of  islands  scattered  over  the 
wide  and  spacious  estuary  of  one  of  those  rivers  which 
here  and  there  break  the  continuity  of  the  rocky  barrier. 
One  of  these  is  Amoy,  separated  from  the  mainland  only 
by  a  narrow  channel,  in  the  midst  of  which  again  lies  the 
smaller  islet  of  Ku-long-soo,  facing  the  town  and  harbour, 
and  forming  in  the  waters  between  an  inner  and  safer 
anchorage.  In  approaching  the  city  through  this  inlet, 
a  long  line  of  fortifications,  rising  from  the  water's  edge 
and  bristling  with  cannon,  frowns  upon  us  from  the  right, 
and  would  be  indeed  a  formidable  defence  were  an  in 
vading  enemy  simple  enough  to  advance  in  this  direction. 
Though  only  six  or  eight  miles  long  by  two  or  three 
broad,  and  consisting  mainly  of  rugged  and  barren  hills, 
with  immense  boulders  scattered  over  them  in  wild  con 
fusion,  the  island  contains  within  its  narrow  bounds 
upwards  of  a  hundred  towns  and  villages,  and  a  popula 
tion  of  250,000  souls. 


JEt.  36-39.]  AMOY   AND    ITS    ENVIRONS.  379 

Of  this  teeming  hive  of  human  life,  about  150,000  are 
congregated  in  the  city  which  occupies  the  south-west 
corner  of  the  island.  It  is  a  poor  place,  with  close 
narrow  streets,  and  rather  more  dirty  than  most  other 
Chinese  towns.  "The  people  have  generally  an  emaciated 
and  sallow  appearance,  partly  from  poverty  and  the 
crowded  state  in  which  they  live,  but  also  from  the 
prevalence  of  opium- smoking.  There  are  upwards  of 
600  public  opium-smoking  places,  and  the  drug  is  said  to 
be  used  very  extensively  in  private  houses." 

Though  not  a  place  of  very  great  commercial  import 
ance,  it  is,  -by  its  position  and  easy  means  of  communi 
cation,  a  most  convenient  and  commanding  centre  for 
missionary  operations.  Though  within  the  limits  of 
Southern  China,  it  yet  forms  a  sort  of  advanced  post 
towards  the  north,  with  which  communication  is  frequent 
and  easy.  Before  it  lies  the  vast  province  of  Fo-kien, 
the  great  black-tea  country,  with  its  teeming  myriads  of 
industrious,  peaceful,  and  comparatively  friendly  people; 
and  behind  it,  at  the  distance  of  a  few  hours'  sail,  the 
beautiful  island  of  Formosa,  with  its  three  millions  of 
Chinese-speaking  inhabitants.  Within  a  distance  of  forty 
miles  is  a  population  of  some  millions,  speaking  nearly  the 
same  dialect,  and  accessible  in  all  directions  by  canal  and 
river  navigation.  The  city  of  Chang-chow  alone,  of 
which  Amoy  may  be  said  to  be  the  port,  lying  a  few  miles 
up  the  river,  contains  a  population  of  from  200,000  to 
500,000  souls.  The  view  here  as  described  by  travellers 
is  magnificent.  "I  had  heard,"  says  the  Rev.  Wm. 
Gillespie,  of  the  London  Missionary  Society,  "of  the  plain 


380  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1851-54- 

of  Chang-chow;  now  I  saw  it.  From  a  hill  at  the  back 
of  the  city,  yet  within  the  walls,  a  grand  panorama  pre 
sented  itself.  There  lay  stretching  far  up  the  country 
a  rich  and  luxuriant  strath,  and  a  noble  river  winding 
along  at  the  foot  of  the  hills.  It  reminded  me  of  the 
strath  ofTay." 

Over  this  wide  and  fertile  garden  of  souls  the  Christian 
missionary  is  free,  with  scarcely  any  hindrance,  to  roam  at 
large.  "In  visiting  Amoy,"  says  the  same  writer  just 
quoted,  "the  first  thing  that  strikes  a  foreigner  coming 
from  the  south,  is  the -feeling  of  delight  which  he  experi 
ences  in  rambling  everywhere  unmolested.  After  being 
forcibly  turned  back  on  entering  within  the  gates  of  the 
southern  metropolis,  as  has  been  my  experience  re 
peatedly,  it  is  pleasant  to  revel  in  the  unrestrained  luxury 
of  rambling  through  the  streets  and  everywhere  within  and 
without  the  walls  of  Cap-die,  Amoy,  Chang-chow,  &c." 

Of  the  circumstances  of  missionary  life  in  this  interest 
ing  field,  I  am  tempted  to  give  the  following  lively  and 
graphic  picture  from  the  pen  of  the  Rev.  James  Johnston, 
who  two  years  afterwards  joined  the  mission.  In  describ 
ing,  to  some  juvenile  correspondents,  the  "Gospel  Boat," 
in  which  he  performed  his  missionary  journeys,  he  says: — 

"It  is  not  like  anything  you  have  seen  in  England.  It 
is  a  genuine  Chinese  boat,  and  that  is  not  to  be  seen 
anywhere  but  in  China;  so  I  must  describe  it  to  you  as 
well  as  I  can.  Suppose  yourself  to  be  looking  at  a  wooden 
swan,  about  twenty-three  feet  long  by  ten  feet  wide,  with 
a  little  cabin  six  feet  by  four,  standing  about  two  feet 
above  the  back,  which  has  been  made  even  and  boarded 


JEt.  36-39.]  MISSIONARY    LIFE    AT    AMOY.  381 

over;  and  if,  instead  of  the  long  neck,  you  put  a  pair  of 
eyes  on  the  breast,  and  paint  the  whole  blue,  you  will 
have  a  good  idea  of  the  cut  of  my  boat.  Add  to  this,  one 
tall  mast,  and  one  short  one  at  the  head,  with  square  sails 
made  of  bamboo  poles  across,  and  a  thin  network  of 
bamboo  slips,  lined  with  bamboo  leaves,  with  the  neces 
sary  ropes  and  oars,  and  anchor  and  rudder,  and  we  are 
fully  rigged.  A  strange  cut  and  rig  you  will  think  it,  and 
some  wise  youth  will  say,  'She  has  too  much  breadth  of 
beam  for  her  length;  and  if  she's  round  in  the  bottom, 
like  the  body  of  a  swan,  she  won't  take  hold  of  the  water;' 
but  that  is  just  what  the  Chinese  wish  their  boats  not  to 
do :  instead  of  making  their  boats  to  go  through  the  water, 
and  giving  them  the  form  of  a  fish,  as  in  England,  they 
make  them  to  skim  over  the  water,  and  give  them  the  form 
of  a  water-fowl.  In  this  they  are  right;  and  I  think 
there  are  few  boats  in  England  that  could  keep  up  with 
the  Amoy  boats ;  with  a  fair  wind  and  tide,  I  have  often 
gone  from  six  to  seven  miles  in  half  an  hour. 

"It  was  on  a  beautiful  morning  in  September  that  I  set 
out  on  my  excursion,  with  two  Chinese  evangelists,  and 
five  or  six  others  as  servants  or  boatmen.  There  were 
many  other  boats  on  the  water,  some  going  in  one  direc 
tion,  some  in  another;  and  as  we  sailed  through  the  fine 
harbour,  we  saw  vessels  of  all  kinds,  from  the  British 
'brig-of-war'  to  the  clumsy  junks,  with  their  shapeless 
and  unwieldy  hulks,  and  boats  from  all  the  towns  and 
villages  around  Amoy.  Each  district  having  a  form  of  its 
own,  we  could  tell  the  place  from  which  they  came,  and 
form  an  opinion  of  the  cargo  of  each,  by  knowing  the 


382  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1851-54- 

commodity  for  which  the  district  is  famous.  There  were 
large  junks  with  spices  from  Singapore,  and  others  with 
the  hardy  productions  of  the  north.  Those  long  boats, 
covered  with  mats,  are  from  Chang-chow,  laden  with  silks 
or  sugar;  and  those  with  cabins  bring  fruit,  and  vege 
tables,  and  rice  from  Pechuia,  or  Chibh-bey.  But  we 
have  not  time  to  notice  all ;  we  can  only  glance  at  the 
hundreds  as  we  pass,  and  admire  the  busy  appearance  of 
the  whole,  and  the  gay  colours  of  their  flags,  of  every 
shape  and  hue.  The  wind  was  against  us,  but  as  it  cooled 
the  air,  and  the  tide  favoured  us,  we  did  not  mind. 
Everything  looked  beautiful  and  cheerful;  and  as  we 
glided  on,  passing  many  a  boat  more  gaily  painted  than 
ours,  but  not  so  good  at  sailing,  all  seemed  in  good  spirits, 
and  the  boatmen,  who  were  all  Christians,  began  to  sing 
their  Chinese  hymns,  in  which  we  all  heartily  joined. 

"After  a  few  hours'  sailing,  we  anchored  at  the  mouth 
of  the  river,  and  left  the  boat  to  come  up  at  full  tide; 
while  the  evangelists  and  I  went  on  to  visit  one  or  two  of 
the  villages. 

"You  cannot  well  understand  the  effect  the  first  arrival 
of  a  foreigner  in  one  of  the  towns  of  China  produces.  The 
excitement  caused  by  a  lord-mayor's  show  in  London,  or 
the  arrival  of  a  menagerie  in  a  country  town  in  England, 
is  nothing  to  it;  and  as  the  oldest  inhabitants  of  this  dis 
trict  had  never  seen  or  even  heard  of  a  foreigner  being  in 
these  parts,  the  whole  population  was  in  commotion.  As 
I  passed  along  the  road,  the  labourers  in  the  field  ^tood 
still  and  stared,  and  those  who  had  the  presence  of  mind 
shouted  to  their  companions  in  the  adjoining  field  to  come 


PREVIOUS    LABOURERS.  383 


and  look,  while  some  of  the  boys  ran  before  to  bear  the 
news  to  the  village,  and,  on  reaching  it,  I  found  that  every 
house  had  turned  out  its  occupants;  old  and  young  were 
standing  ready  to  receive  our  company;  every  kind  of 
occupation  and  amusement  was  at  an  end,  and  had  been 
relinquished  so  suddenly,  that  everything  stood  where  it 
just  happened  to  be  when  the  strange  news  arrived.  The 
blacksmith  had  left  the  red-hot  iron  to  cool  on  the  anvil, 
the  shoemaker's  awl  was  sticking  in  the  old  shoe  he  was 
patching,  old  matrons  had  risen  up  from  the  spinning- 
wheel,  and  boys  had  scarcely  time  to  snatch  up  the  toys 
they  were  playing  with,  even  the  beggar  stood  with  the 
rice-bowl  in  his  hand,  asking  no  alms.  And  it  was  long 
before  any  of  them  returned  to  their  occupations;  it  was 
an  idle  time  to  the  old,  and  a  holiday  to  the  young.  .  .  . 
It  is  very  curious  to  hear,  in  these  distant  heathen  places, 
the  great  truths  of  the  gospel  passing  from  mouth  to 
mouth,  as  you  go  along  the  streets,  and  it  is  pleasant  to 
hear  the  children  using  the  name  of  Jesus,  even  when 
they  know  but  little  of  what  Jesus  did.  After  we  had 
been  some  time  there,  I  often  heard  the  boys  calling  out 
in  their  own  language,  'Jesus  Christ  is  God,'  or  'Jesus  is 
God/  or  'Siong  Te  T'hian  lang'—  'God  loves  men.'" 

When  Dr.  Young  reached  Amoy  in  March,  1850,  he 
found  two  bands  of  labourers  already  on  the  field:— 
Messrs.  Stronach  and  Young  of  the  London  Society,  and 
Messrs.  Talmage  and  Doty  of  the  American  Board  of 
Missions.  Both  of  them  had  hopefully  broken  ground, 
and  numbered  at  this  time  between  them  twenty  adult 
converts,  of  whom  eight  belonged  to  the  former,  and 


384  LIFE   OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1851-54. 

twelve  to  the  latter.  Into  hearty  sympathy  and  co-opera 
tion  with  these  brethren  Dr.  Young  at  once  entered, 
whilst  devoting  himself  specially  to  that  department  of 
the  work  which  more  peculiarly  belonged  to  him.  He 
was  soon  at  the  head  of  two  native  schools  numbering 
together  thirty  children,  who  rapidly  grew  to  eighty,  and 
"over  some  of  whom  he  was  in  due  time  permitted  to 
rejoice  as  Christians,"  besides  a  hospital  for  the  sick,  in 
which  while  he  ministered  to  the  diseases  of  the  body,  two 
native  evangelists  pointed  the  way  to  the  Divine  Physician 
of  souls.  He  was  especially  useful  in  curing  the  disease 
of  opium-smoking,  by  the  introduction  of  a  medicine 
which  soothed  the  imperious  craving  for  the  noxious  drug, 
and  thus  rendered  the  effort  to  break  off  the  habit  more 
easy.  By  means  of  this  treatment  many  permanent  cures 
were  effected,  and  the  demand  for  the  medicine  was  soon 
so  great  as  to  become  a  self-supporting  business.  Into 
the  work  thus  hopefully  begun  Mr.  Burns  at  once  threw 
himself  with  characteristic  energy,  locating  himself  in  the 
midst  of  the  native  population  in  an  upper  chamber  above 
the  school,  and  commencing  the  study  of  the  Amoy  dialect 
with  the  sound  of  Chinese  voices  perpetually  in  his  ears. 
A  few  days  afterwards  he  gives  his  first  impressions  of  the 
place  and  of  the  work  in  a  letter  to  his  mother : — 

Amoy,  July^th,  1851.— MY  DEAR  MOTHER,— As  you  see 
from  the  date  I  am  now  at  Amoy,  having  left  Canton  only  a 
few  days  after  I  last  wrote  you,  and  having  been  here  already 
ten  days.  My  expectations  of  getting  the  house  I  had  in 
view  at  Canton  were  completely  disappointed,  and  my  way 
seemed  hedged  up  to  come  here.  I  embarked  accordingly 
at  Whampoa  in  the  English  barque  Herald  for  Amoy  on  the 


&t.  36-39.]  FIRST   DAYS    AT   AMOY.  385 

evening  of  June  26th,  and  after  spending  the  Sabbath  and 
Monday  at  Hong- Kong  by  the  way,  we  reached  here  on  the 
forenoon  of  July  5th.  The  passage  was  a  delightful  one,  and 
very  refreshing  to  the  bodily  frame  after  sixteen  months  in 
Canton.  The  days  I  spent  in  Hong- Kong  were  pleasant.  I 
had  two  opportunities  of  preaching  in  Chinese,  and  stayed  with 
my  old  friend  Dr.  Hirschberg.  ...  I  have  found  a  very  kind 
Christian  welcome  among  the  missionary  brethren,  English 
and  American,  here,  and  my  expectations  are  more  than  ex 
ceeded  in  all  I  have  seen  as  yet  of  Amoy  as  a  place  and  as  a 
missionary  station.  I  stayed  for  three  nights  with  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Stronach  of  the  London  Missionary  Society,  members 
of  old  in  the  Albany  Street  Congregational  Church,  Edin 
burgh  ;  and  I  am  now  very  much  to  my  mind  lodged  in  the 
middle  of  the  Chinese  population,  in  a  little  room  connected 
with  the  school  which  was  made  over  to  Dr.  Young  by  an 
American  missionary  on  his  removal  here  a  year  ago.  Thus 
settled  down  amid  Chinese  voices,  and  with  a  Christian 
native  servant  (who  prays  with  me ;  I  cannot  yet  pray  with 
him  in  his  own  dialect),  and  a  Chinese  teacher  who  comes 
daily,  I  am  endeavouring  to  exchange  my  Canton  for  the 
Amoy  Chinese.  To  speak  this  new  dialect  publicly  and  well 
may  require  a  good  deal  of  time;  but  even  already  I  can  make 
myself  easily  understood  about  common  things,  and  am  able 
to  follow  a  good  deal  of  what  I  hear  in  Chinese  preaching. 
Dr.  and  Mrs.  Young  are  well,  and  seem  to  be  getting  on  well, 
through  the  divine  blessing  and  guidance.  I  feel  it  a  great 
privilege  to  be  connected  with  him.  as  well  as  with  the  other 
missionary  brethren  here,  who  all  go  on  in  much  harmony, 
and  not  without  tokens  of  divine  encouragement.  The  people 
here  present  a  striking  contrast  to  the  people  of  Canton  in 
their  feelings  and  deportment  towards  foreigners.  Here  all 
is  quiet  and  friendly,  and  although  there  is  here  also  a  great 
apathy  on  the  subject  of  the  gospel,  yet  a  good  many  seem  to 
listen  with  attention,  and  the  missionaries  have  inquirers  who 
come  to  be  taught.  I  was  preaching  last  Sabbath-day  (in 

2  B 


386  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1851-54- 

English  of  course)  from  the  words  :  '  Because  iniquity  shall 
abound,  the  love  of  many  shall  wax  cold'  (Matthew  xxiv.) ;  and, 
alas !  I  felt  they  were  solemnly  applicable  to  my  own  state  of 
heart.  Unless  the  Lord  the  Spirit  continually  uphold  and 
quicken,  oh !  how  benumbing  is  daily  contact  with  heathen 
ism  !  But  the  Lord  is  faithful,  and  has  promised  to  be  '  as 
rivers  of  water  in  a  dry  place,  and  as  the  shadow  of  a  great 
rock  in  a  weary  land.'  May  you  and  all  God's  professing 
people  in  a  land  more  favoured,  but,  alas !  also  more  guilty, 
experience  much  of  the  Lord's  own  presence,  power,  and  bless 
ing,  and  when  the  enemy  comes  in  as  a  flood,  may  the  Spirit 
of  the  Lord — yea,  it  is  said,  'the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  shall — 
lift  up  a  standard  against  him.'" 

His  allusion  here,  as  well  as  often  in  other  letters, 
to  the  "benumbing  influence  of  continual  contact  with 
heathenism,"  and  the  danger  generally  of  losing  the  keen 
edge  and  high  tone  of  practical  godliness  while  dwelling 
in  a  land  in  which  all  the  usual  means  and  incentives  of 
the  spiritual  life  are  in  so  great  a  measure  withdrawn,  is 
at  once  touching  and  instructive,  and  suggests  to  us  an 
aspect  of  the  missionary  life  which  most  of  us  at  home 
but  little  think  of.  We  are  apt  to  regard  the  Christian 
missionary  as,  by  the  very  act  of  his  consecration  to  so 
sublime  a  vocation,  at  once  raised  to  a  region  of  exalted 
faith  and  fervour  far  above  us,  in  which  all  the  ordinary 
perils  to  the  life  of  the  soul  are  unknown.  The  idea  of 
a  carnal,  formal,  perfunctory,  unspiritual,  and  common 
place  missionary,  seems  to  us  almost  a  contradiction  in 
terms.  We  think  naturally  of  those  brave  athletes  of  the 
Cross  very  much  as  ordinary  Christians  in  early  days 
thought  of  the  ascetic  recluses  of  the  desert,  as  men  by 
the  very  nature  of  their  calling  pre-eminently  devoted  in 


JEt.  36-39-]  DANGERS    OF    THE    MISSIONARY   LIFE.  387 

heart  to  God,  and  almost  as  a  matter  of  course  and  ipso 
facto,  "full  of  faith  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost."  No  mistake,  I 
believe,  can  be  more  grievous.  The  whole  history  of  mis 
sionary  life  and  labour  abundantly  shows  how  possible  it 
is  to  lose  the  life  of  faith,  even  while  seeking  the  propaga 
tion  of  the  faith;  to  leave  house  and  home  and  kindred  for 
Christ's  sake  and  the  gospel's,  and  yet  in  a  heathen  land 
to  breathe  little  either  of  the  love  of  Christ  or  the  grace 
of  the  gospel.  Most  of  us  little  think  how  hard  a  thing  it 
must  be  for  a  solitary  wanderer  in  such  a  land  as  China, 
to  maintain  the  life  of  Christian  godliness  in  the  very 
atmosphere  and  element  of  heathenism — without  a  Sab 
bath;  without  Christian  fellowship  or  brotherhood;  without 
a  Christian  face  to  look  into  or  a  Christian  hand  to  grasp ; 
with  an  utter  disbelief  of  all  Christian  truths,  and  of  every 
thing  belonging  to  a  higher  world,  looking  out  from  the 
eyes  of  all  around  him;  with  nothing  left  to  feed  the  inner 
springs  of  the  soul,  but  his  Bible,  his  closet  (if  indeed  he 
can  command  a  closet),  and  his  God.  The  brightest 
lamp  will  burn  dim  in  an  impure  and  rarified  atmosphere. 
It  is  only  by  a  special  miracle  that  the  children  of  Israel 
can  thrive  and  be  of  fair  countenance  on  the  pulse  and 
water  of  Babylon.  The  palm-tree  of  the  desert  "knoweth 
not  when  heat  cometh,"  but  it  is  because  its  roots  are 
watered  by  hidden  springs  far  under  ground.  We  can 
understand  then  how  it  was  that  the  subject  of  this 
memoir,  while  wandering  amid  the  heathen  villages  on 
the  mainland,  so  intensely  longed  for  a  Sabbath  at  Hong- 
Kong,  and  so  continually  cast  himself  on  the  succour  of 
his  brethren's  prayers,  not  only  for  the  success  of  his 


388  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1851-54- 

labours,  but  for  the  very  life  of  his  own  soul.  "The 
wilderness  and  the  solitary  place"  were  indeed  often  made 
glad  for  him,  and  the  parched  ground  became  as  "a  pool, 
and  the  thirsty  land  springs  of  water;"  but  he  felt  that  it 
was  so,  and  could  only  be  so,  by  a  special  miracle  of  grace. 

The  effort  "to  exchange  the  Canton  for  the  Amoy 
Chinese,"  did  not  prove  so  arduous  a  one  as  he  had  pro 
bably  expected.  Embued  as  he  now  was  with  the  spirit 
and  fundamental  principles  of  the  language,  the  transition 
from  one  form  of  it  to  another  became  to  him  compara 
tively  natural  and  <easy.  While,  as  we  have  seen,  he  was 
from  the  first  able  to  make  himself  understood  on  com 
mon  matters,  and  to  comprehend  a  good  deal  of  what  he 
heard  in  the  public  worship  of  God,  its  unaccustomed 
form  soon  became  sufficiently  familiar  to  him  to  admit  of 
his  himself  using  it  in  public  discourse.  By  the  beginning 
of  the  next  year  we  find  him  again  at  his  congenial  work 
of  spreading  the  good  news  of  the  kingdom  among  the 
towns  and  villages  around,  where  the  name  of  Christ  had 
not  yet  been  named:  of  date  February  7,  1852,  he  writes 
in  his  journal: — 

"  I  am  now  engaged  a  good  deal  in  the  work  of  spread 
ing  the  gospel  among  this  people,  being  in  the  gracious 
arrangements  of  God's  providence  favoured  with  the  co 
operation  of  professing  Christians,  both  in-doors  and  in  the 
open  air.  One  of  these  baptized  since  I  came  here  by 
the  American  missionaries  aids  me  regularly,  and  others 
from  time  to  time.  We  have  meetings  in  the  chapel  of 
Tai-Hang,  where  Dr.  Young  resides,  but  get  greater 
numbers  in  the  open  air  when  giving  addresses  in  the  open 


>Et.  36-39.]  EVANGELISTIC    EXCURSIONS.  389 

places  of  the  city.  During  this  week  I  also  went  to  the 
neighbouring  country  (on  the  island)  among  the  villages, 
spending  a  night  in  one  of  these  in  the  house  of  my  ser 
vant,  and  preaching  the  word  with  my  companions  T. 
and  K.  in  six  different  villages.  .  .  .  The  work  increases 
in  interest  and  hopefulness.  '  Thy  kingdom  come ! ' " 

Again  on  March  6th  he  writes : — 

"On  Tuesday  the  24th  February  I  again  set  out  to  visit 
some  villages  on  the  island  of  Amoy,  and  returned  in 
much  mercy  on  Tuesday  the  2d,  being  absent  seven 
nights.  .  .  .  The  day  we  set  out  was  the  5th  of  the  first 
Chinese  month,  and  as  at  this  season  the  villages  are  full 
of  people  who  have  not  yet  returned  to  their  usual  em 
ployments,  we  had  large  audiences  everywhere.  We  gen 
erally  addressed  five  or  six  meetings  in  the  course  of  the 
day,  and  in  all  must  have  made  known  something  of  the 
truth  to  at  least  two  or  three  thousand  people.  .  .  . 
The  people  were  everywhere  friendly  and  attentive.  We 
distributed  a  large  number  of  tracts  and  hand-bill  copies 
of  the  ten  commandments.  May  the  seed  of  the  Word 
sown  spring  and  bear  fruit  to  the  glory  of  God  and  the 
salvation  of  souls ! " 

In  his  next  excursion  (March  i6th)  he  crossed  over  to 
the  mainland  directly  opposite  Amoy ;  and  in  the  course 
of  seven  days  made  a  circuit  of  thirty  villages,  sowing 
everywhere  plenteously  the  precious  seed.  Everywhere 
they  were  most  kindly  welcomed,  everywhere  met  with 
numerous,  willing,  and  often  attentive  audiences,  were 
everywhere  hospitably  entertained  by  the  people  free  of 
charge ;  and  such  was  the  missionary's  sense  of  the 


390  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1851-54- 

promising  aspect  of  the  field,  and  of  the  urgent  need  of 
additional  labourers  to  reap  the  ripening  harvest,  that  he 
gave  a  whole  year's  salary  to  the  funds  of  the  Committee 
to  hasten  on  the  work.1  "Surely,"  said  the  convener  in 
giving  in  the  next  report,  "  that  field  is  ripe  unto  harvest, 
when  the  reaper  sends  home  his  own  wages  to  fetch  out 
another  labourer!" 

The  next  year  his  expedition  took  a  wider  range,  in 
cluding  the  great  city  of  Chang-chow,  already  referred  to 
as  the  chief  centre  of  population  in  this  part  of  the  pro 
vince. 

"Amoy,  May  i&h,  1853.— Last  month  I  had  the  privilege 
of  paying  a  visit  to  Chang -chow-foo,  a  large  city  in  this 
neighbourhood,  at  the  distance  of  about  forty  English  miles. 
We  left  Amoy  on  the  morning  of  April  1 3,  and  returned  here 
on  the  26th,  being  absent  about  a  fortnight,  nine  days  of  which 
were  spent  at  Chang-chow,  preaching  to  large  and  very  in 
teresting  audiences  both  inside  and  outside  the  city.  A  week 
or  two  before  our  going,  two  native  Christians,  of  the  Ameri 
can  Mission  here,  had  visited  Chang-chow,  and  preached  to 
crowds  for  a  number  of  days  with  much  encouragement;  and 
as  they  were  purposing  to  go  again,  at  the  earnest  desire 
especially  of  one  of  them,  it  was  arranged  that  I  should  also 
go,  although  there  was  some  reason  to  fear  that,  unless  God 
should  graciously  open  our  way,  there  might  be  some  unwil 
lingness  on  the  part  of  the  authorities  to  allow  a  foreigner  to 
pay  more  than  a  brief  visit,  or  to  preach  at  large  to  the  people. 
To  avoid  difficulty  as  far  as  possible,  it  was  arranged  that  we 
should  live  on  the  river,  in  the  boat  which  carried  us  there, 
going  on  shore  only  to  preach.  On  our  arrival  we  immedi 
ately  went  on  shore,  and  being  at  once  surrounded  by  many 
people,  we  had  a  fine  opportunity,  within  a  few  steps  of  our 


JEt.  36-39.]  CHANG-CHOW.  391 

boat,  of  preaching  the  Word  of  Life  fully  and  without  hind 
rance.  We  continued  thus  to  preach  on  the  bank  of  the 
river  for  three  days,  going  upwards  from  our  boat  in  the 
morning,  and  downwards  in  the  afternoon,  and  addressing 
large  companies  for  three  or  four  hours  at  a  time,  until  we 
had  exhausted  all  the  suitable  stations  near  the  river.  We 
then  went  inwards,  but  still  outside  the  walls,  and  at  the  very 
first  station  at  which  we  preached,  a  man  came  forward  and 
pressed  us  to  go  further  on,  and  preach  again  opposite  his 
house.  This  man  the  following  morning  came  and  was  with 
us  at  worship  in  our  boat ;  and  when  it  began  to  rain,  and 
our  boat  was  more  uncomfortable,  the  same  individual  opened 
his  house  to  us,  and  here  we  stayed  (making  the  man  a  small 
remuneration)  for  five  days ;  and  going  on  from  this  as  our 
head-quarters,  still  inwards,  we  enjoyed  the  fullest  liberty, 
both  within  and  without  the  city,  of  preaching  to  large  and 
very  much  engaged  audiences.  I  do  not  think,  upon  the 
whole,  that  I  have  spent  so  interesting  a  season,  or  enjoyed 
so  fine  an  opportunity  of  preaching  the  Word  of  Life  since 
I  came  to  China,  as  during  these  nine  days.  The  people 
were  everywhere  urgent  in  requesting  that  a  place  might  be 
opened  for  the  regular  preaching  of  the  gospel  among  them ; 
and  I  am  glad  to  say  that  the  American  Mission  here  have 
already  sent  two  of  the  members  of  the  native  church  to  open 
an  out-station  in  this  important  and  very  promising  locality. 
Since  our  return  here  there  have  also  three  individuals  come 
here  at  their  own  expense,  to  inquire  further  into  the  nature 
of  the  gospel.  The  native  Christians  with  me  were  the  same 
with  whom  I  went  last  year  in  making  some  visits  to  the 
neighbourhood;  and  I  have  pleasure  in  adding,  that  they 
seem  to  be  moved  by  love  to  the  Saviour,  and  to  the  souls  of 
their  fellow-countrymen,  in  giving  themselves  to  this  work." 

In  a  private  letter  of  the  same  date,  after  referring  more 
briefly  to  the  above  particulars,  he  adds,  "  We  had  all " 
(himself  and  three  Chinese  evangelists)  "full  work;  for 


392  LIFE   OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1851-54- 

our  meetings  (of  course  in  the  open  air)  generally  lasted 
three  or  four  hours,  becoming  the  longer  the  more  inter 
esting.  You  would  have  rejoiced  could  you  have  seen 
me  the  last  two  evenings  of  our  stay  addressing  a  large 
and  attentive  audience  until  the  moon  was  up  (it  generally 
fell  to  me  to  speak  last) ;  I  felt  thankful,  indeed,  in  such 
circumstances  that  it  was  my  privilege  to  be  sent  to 
China  to  preach  Christ  crucified  as  the  power  of  God 
unto  salvation  to  every  one  that  believeth.  The  time  at 
which  we  were  thus  engaged  was  just  during  the  meeting 
of  the  English  Synoti,  and  we  may  believe  that  in  this  the 
promise  is  fulfilled,  '  While  they  are  yet  speaking,  I  will 
hear.'" 

To  any  one  who  ever  knew  the  writer  of  these  lines, 
and  who  remembers  how  sparing  he  was  of  his  words,  and 
how  jealously  guarded  in  everything  that  related  to  him 
self,  how  little  account  too  he  made  of  mere  surface 
appearances  of  interest  and  attention,  it  must  be  evident 
how  much  more  is  implied  in  such  expressions  as  coming 
from  him,  than  that  which  meets  the  eye.  Evidently 
when  he  speaks  thus  his  words  must  have  been  visibly 
telling  on  the  hearts  of  his  hearers,  and  he  must  have  felt 
sure  from  the  hushed  silence  and  earnest  look  with  which 
they  listened  to  him,  that  a  power  was  at  work  within 
them  mightier  than  his  words,  and  such  as  he  had  never 
known  on  Chinese  soil  before.  At  Canton  he  had  com 
plained  that  though  the  Chinese  listened  with  a  sort  of 
listless  attention  to  the  gospel  message,  it  never  seemed 
to  "take  hold"  of  the  Chinese  mind.  It  was  clearly 
taking  hold  of  the  Chinese  mind  now. 


-ffit.  36-39.]  TOKENS    OF    BLESSING.  393 

His  power  of  access,  indeed,  to  the  confidence  and 
regard  of  the  Chinese  people,  and  the  influence  he  ex 
erted  over  them,  seems  to  have  been  something  remark 
able,  and  far  beyond  what  one  would  ever  gather  from 
anything  he  ever  said  of  himself.  It  was  stated  by  one 
who  knew  him  and  his  work  in  China  well,  that  during 
the  time  of  the  insurgent  movements  in  the  Amoy  district, 
"  when  no  other  European  could  venture  out  among  the 
rebels,  he  was  free  to  go  where  he  liked :  '  That's  the  man 
of  the  Book,'  they  would  say,  'he  must  not  be  touched.' 
And  once  he  had  gone  on  one  of  his  little  tours,  and  as 
he  did  not  come  back  for  three  weeks,  his  friends  began 
to  be  quite  afraid  about  him,  when  he  appeared  fat  and 
well,  having  been  fed  up  by  a  tribe  he  had  got  such  access 
to,  that  they  would  scarcely  let  him  away."  Indeed  the 
chief  difficulty  of  his  biographer  arises  from  his  rigid  habit 
of  understating,  rather  than  amplifying  everything  that 
regarded  himself,  and  confining  himself  not  only  to  the 
real  truth,  but  to  the  bare  and  naked  truth.  He  had  such 
a  horror  of  the  overcolouring  of  facts  of  which  the  advo 
cates  of  missions  have  been  sometimes  accused,  that  he  did 
not  always  give  to  his  statements  the  true  and  adequate 
colours  of  life,  so  that  justly  to  estimate  his  work,  we  must 
often  look  at  it  rather  as  it  was  judged  of  by  others,  than 
as  it  was  regarded  by  himself. 

The  sequel  of  the  history,  as  regards  that  brief  day  of 
grace  for  Chang-chow,  is  sad  and  tragical.  In  October 
1 3th  of  the  same  year  he  writes: — 

"When  I  wrote  in  May,  I  made  allusion  to  an  interesting 
missionary  visit  which  I  had  paid,  in  company  with  members 


394 


LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1851-54- 


of  the  native  church  here,  to  a  large  city  in  this  neighbour 
hood Chang-chow.  I  also  mentioned  that  the  American 

Mission  here  had  the  view  of  establishing  permanently  an 
out-station  there,  and  were  about  to  send  two  of  their  native 
assistants  for  that  purpose.  The  sequel  to  this  proposal, 
which  is  of  a  very  affecting  kind,  and  very  different  from 
what  we  had  looked  for,  I  have  not  yet  mentioned  to  you. 
About  the  middle  of  May  the  native  assistant,  whom  I  have 
alluded  to  as  co-operating  with  me  here,  went  to  Chang-chow 
along  with  another  belonging  to  the  same  mission,  and 
rented,  as  a  place  of  meeting,  the  house  of  the  man  whom 
I  alluded  to  in  my  May  letter  as  having,  in  April,  received 
us  into  his  house,  and  taken  some  interest  in  our  work. 
They  had  gone  but  two  days  when  the  local  rebellion  broke 
out  in  this  neighbourhood,  and  had  had  in  Chang-chow 
but  one  Sabbath's  services  when  the  insurgents  reached  that 
city.  The  man  who  had  rented  them  his  house  took  part 
with  the  insurgents,  which  led  the  native  brethren  to  remove 
their  lodgings  to  another  place,  that  they  might  not  be  in 
volved.  When  the  insurgents  had  got  possession  of  the  city 
but  two  days,  in  consequence  of  their  showing  a  disposition 
to  rob  and  plunder,  the  populace  on  a  sudden  rose  en  masse 
upon  them,  and  put  nearly  all  who  were  within  the  city  to  an 
instant  death!  How  little  did  we  suppose  when  in  April 
preaching  the  gospel  in  these  streets,  that  in  the  course  of  a 
short  month  they  were  to  be  flowing  with  human  blood !  At 
the  time  of  this  awful  massacre  both  the  native  brethren  from 
Amoy  were  within  the  city ;  and  as  being  strangers,  from  the 
same  part  of  the  country  as  the  insurgents,  they  were  in 
imminent  danger  of  being  reckoned  as  belonging  to  them, 
and  sharing  in  their  dreadful  end.  The  one  who  is  now  here 
early  saw  his  danger,  and  with  difficulty  made  his  escape,  by 
dropping  from  the  city  walls.  The  other,  a  native  of  Canton 
province,  was  more  fearless,  being  in  company  with  some 
friends  engaged  in  business  in  Chang-chow.  He  also  did 
escape  at  this  time,  although  not  without  much  danger ;  but 


JEt.  36-39.]  TIME    OF   TRIAL.  395 

having  delayed  to  leave  the  city,  as  his  companion  wished 
him,  and  return  to  Amoy,  he  was  the  following  morning,  on 
a  sudden,  arrested  by  a  band  of  the  populace,  and,  despite 
all  his  friends  could  do,  was  dragged  before  the  mandarin, 
and  instantly  beheaded !  His  companion  having  separated 
from  him  the  day  before  this  occurred,  and  with  great  diffi 
culty  made  his  way  home  to  Amoy,  it  was  several  weeks 
before  we  heard  of  the  affecting  event.  Nor  was  this  all, — 
the  man  who  had  rented  them  his  house,  having  openly 
joined  the  insurgents,  was  seized  in  the  street  by  the  populace, 
and  publicly  beheaded!  This  was  the  melancholy  end  of 
one  who,  though  not  a  man  of  good  character  among  his 
countrymen,  had  a  few  weeks  before  welcomed  us  in  our 
mission,  joined  us  in  all  our  services,  and  seemed  to  have,  at 
least,  the  joy  of  a  stony-ground  hearer,  if  nothing  more. 
Since  that  time  the  people  of  Chang-chow  city  have  been 
engaged  in  almost  constant  fighting  with  the  insurgent  party ; 
and  although  the  insurgents  have  not  been  able  again  to 
recover  the  city,  yet  to  the  present  hour  it  is  so  shut  up,  that 
almost  no  communication  can  be  carried  on  between  it  and 
Amoy.  The  sufferings  of  its  inhabitants  have  been,  and  still 
are,  very  great.  A  native  of  the  city  who  had  become  in 
terested  in  the  gospel  message,  and  who,  as  well  as  other  two, 
came  down  to  Amoy  in  April  on  purpose  to  hear  it  more  fully, 
was  also  in  great  peril  of  being  seized  and  put  to  death,  like 
the  others.  His  house  was  surrounded  by  armed  men,  and 
he  only  made  his  escape  by  getting  through  the  roof,  and  run 
ning  along  the  tops  of  the  houses ;  with  difficulty,  after  some 
weeks  of  wandering,  he  got  here,  and  has  remained  under 
this  roof  since ;  it  being  still  unsafe  for  him  to  return  home." 

But  the  fire  thus  kindled  at  Chang-chow  was  never 
wholly  extinguished.  Fanned  by  the  occasional  visits 
of  other  missionaries,  and  by  the  fostering  care  of  the 
neighbouring  native  church  of  Chioh-bey  in  connection 
with  the  American  Board,  it  still  burned  on  with  more  or 


396  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1851-54- 

less  of  vitality  and  fervour  through  all  the  changes  of  an 
outwardly  checkered  and  disastrous  history.  Persecution 
came,  but  only  braced  and  purified  the  more  the  faith  of 
the  little  flock.  The  house  in  which  they  were  assembled 
was  more  than  once  assaulted  by  ruffians,  the  furniture 
broken,  and  the  roof,  door,  and  windows  almost  riddled 
with  stones;  yet  the  constancy  of  the  believers  remained 
unshaken,  and  the  number  of  inquirers  increased.  At 
length  "in  January,  1862,  Mr.  Douglas  visited  the  city  in 
company  with  one  of  the  American  brethren,  and  had  the 
privilege  of  baptizing  six  men,  the  first-fruits  of  this  long 
and  perilous  sowing  time  of  more  than  eight  years,  and 
soon  after  four  more  were  baptized."1  The  last  glimpse 
we  have  of  Chang-chow  is  a  singularly  sad  one.  First 
taken  by  the  Nanking  rebels  towards  the  close  of  1864, 
and  then  retaken  by  the  Imperial  forces  early  in  the  next 
year,  it  suffered  so  terribly  from  the  destructive  violence 
of  both,  as  to  be  reduced  to  a  scene  of  utter  desolation. 
"I  remained,"  says  one  of  the  missionaries,  who  visited  it 
soon  after  its  recapture,  "within  the  walls  for  three  hours, 
and  walked  through  a  great  part  of  the  city.  It  is  one 
mass  of  ruins,  and  I  know  it  is  within  the  mark  for  me  to 
say  that  not  ten  houses  out  of  a  hundred  are  left  standing. 
The  large  suburbs  outside  the  west  and  south  gates  are 
entirely  destroyed.  There  were  a  few  persons  inside 
attempting  to  clear  away  the  rubbish;  but,  alas!  how 
different  from  the  streams  and  crowds  of  people  I  once 
had  to  jostle  my  way  through !  I  never  saw  a  sacked  city 

1  Narrative  of  the  Mission  to  China,  &c.,  by  D.  Matheson,  Esq., 

pp.  46,  47. 


-ffit  36-39.]  A    SACKED    CITY.  397 

before,  and  I  trust  I  may  never  see  another.  No  human 
being  can  give  you  an  idea  of  the  harrowing  sight.  Here 
and  there  we  would  come  upon  a  woman  sitting  weeping 
over  the  ruins  of  what  was  once  her  home, — weeping 
bitterly.  On  asking  one  or  two  such  persons  some 
questions,  we  would  find  that  husband,  sons,  all  were 
gone,  and  she  alone  left  to  mourn  the  bitter  loss.  We 
entered  the  once  famed  Chang-chow  with  a  sad  heart,  and 
left  it  with  a  sadder." 

But  there  still  linger  amongst  the  ruins  the  remnants  of 
a  people  whose  hopes  are  not  bound  up  with  the  wreck 
of  their  earthly  homes,  but  who  "look  for  a  city  which 
hath  foundations,  whose  builder  and  maker  is  God." 

Of  date  March  i2th,  1853,  and  exactly  a  month  before 
his  visit  to  Chang-chow,  I  find  the  following  brief  entry 
in  his  journal,  in  reference  to  a  department  of  work  of  a 
very  different  kind,  but  which  had  been  occupying  much 
of  his  time  and  thoughts  for  several  months  past: — 

"In  the  great  mercy  and  by  the  gracious  and  constant 
aid  of  the  Lord  and  Saviour  I  was  enabled  on  the  loth 
to  complete  the  last  revised  copy  of  Bunyan's  Pilgrim 
(ist  part)  in  Chinese,  which  has  occupied  us  from  June 
ist,  1852,  until  now,  with  the  exception  of  a  month  at  the 
end  of  last  summer,  when  through  feverish  sickness  I  was 
obliged  to  lay  it  aside.  The  whole  has  been  looked  over 
by  Messrs.  Doty  and  A.  Stronach  with  their  teachers,  and 
the  work  has  been  benefited  by  a  number  of  their 
suggestions.  One  hour  after  finishing  the  last  sheet  in  the 
form  in  which  it  will  be  printed,  I  received  from  Shanghai 
a  copy  of  the  Pilgrim  in  Chinese,  printed  two  years  ago 


398  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1851-54. 

by  Mr.  Muirhead  of  the  London  Society,  chiefly  for  the 
use  of  pupils.  It  is  not,  however,  a  continuous  translation 
of  the  whole."  This  work  was  to  him  in  a  very  eminent 
degree  a  labour  of  love.  The  admiration  and  love  of 
early  years  grew  upon  him,  as  the  studious  care  of  a 
translator  brought  him  into  closer  contact  with  the 
thoughts  and  more  intimate  sympathy  with  the  spirit  of 
the  wondrous  dreamer.  It  was  a  subject  of  continual 
interest  to  watch  the  effect  of  the  mystic  allegory  on 
another  mind,  and  especially  on  a  Chinese  mind.  One 
graphic  incident  of  'this  kind  I  remember  his  telling  me 
a  year  or  two  afterwards.  When  occupied  with  the 
inimitable  portraiture  of  Ignorance,  the  Chinese  teacher, 
who  was  working  with  him,  and  who  was  then  only  half  a 
Christian,  was  greatly  taken  with  the  flippant  and  copious 
talker,  whose  fluent  tongue  and  knowledge  of  all  subjects, 
physical  and  metaphysical,  human  and  divine,  positively 
enchanted  him,  and  drew  forth  audible  expressions  of 
admiration  and  delight  as  he  proceeded  with  his  task;  and 
it  was  only  when  the  character  had  fully  developed  itself 
and  the  glittering  tinsel  fell  off  from  the  base  metal  beneath, 
that  noisy  approbation  gave  place  to  a  silent  thoughtful- 
ness  which  showed  that  the  master  had  achieved  his  object. 
He  was  pleased  also  to  mark  how  in  several  instances 
the  imagery  of  the  dream  fell  singularly  in  with  some  of  the 
familiar  incidents  of  Chinese  life,  as  in  the  inscriptions  set 
up  by  the  wayside  to  commemorate  important  events,  and 
admonish  wayfarers.  The  book  has  been  since  appro 
priately  embellished  with  a  series  of  very  spirited  illustra 
tions  by  Mr.  Adams,  a  Scottish  artist,  who  has  happily 


^Et.  36-39.]  CHINESE   PILGRIM'S  PROGRESS.  399 

succeeded  in  adapting  the  incidents  of  the  story  to  the 
characteristic  physiognomy  and  costume  of  Chinese  life. 

Another  task  of  a  similar  kind  in  which  he  was  engaged 
about  this  time,  was  the  editing  of  a  collection  of  hymns 
for  Chinese  worship,  which  from  the  first  became  a  great 
favourite,  especially  with  the  children,  and  has  since  ap 
peared  in  improved  and  enlarged  editions.  During  his 
visit  to  this  country  two  years  afterwards  he  used  to  talk 
with  delight  of  the  ardour  with  which  the  young  and 
fervent  converts  used  to  recite  or  sing  these  hymns, 
especially  a  series  of  twelve  didactic  and  practical  rhymes 
composed  by  one  of  the  London  missionaries,  and  which, 
like  the  songs  of  the  Reformation,  had  been  much  blessed 
in  deepening  in  many  hearts  the  lines  of  Christian  doc 
trine  and  duty.  One  of  these  in  particular  I  distinctly 
recal,  with  the  very  cadence  of  the  tune  to  which  he  used 
to  sing  it  to  us  in  the  characteristic  style  of  his  Chinese 
children  in  the  faith : — 

i. 

Strait  is  the  gate,  and  rough  the  way 

That  leads  to  heaven  and  endless  day; 

Few  enter  in,  and  very  few 

Their  journey  to  the  end  pursue. 

2. 

For  we  with  sin's  desires  must  fight, 
Mouth,  ears,  and  eyes  must  guard  aright, 
In  all  we  do  must  act  by  rule, 
Rein  in  the  heart  nor  play  the  fool. 

3- 

We  must  not  covet  sordid  pelf, 
Nor  injure  men  to  profit  self, 
Must  careful  be  to  speak  the  truth, 
And  far  must  flee  from  lusts  of  youth. 


400  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1851-54. 

4- 

We  must  not  cast  an  envious  eye 
On  those  whose  earthly  place  is  high, 
Nor  look  with  proud  and  scornful  thought 
On  those  who  fill  the  meanest  lot. 

5- 

This  heart  of  pride  must  be  laid  low, 
We  must  love  men,  though  hate  they  show; 
Serve  God,  though  to  our  worldly  loss, 
Believe  in  Christ,  and  bear  his  Cross. 

6. 

Alas !  weak  men,  devoid  of  grace, 
How  can  we  run  this  holy  race? 
Jesus,  from  heaven  Thy  Spirit  send 
To  guide  and  help  us  to  the  end ! 1 

Such  strains  as  these,  pealing  in  clear  and  strong, 
though  slightly  plaintive  notes,2  from  the  open  verandah 
or  housetop,  would  sometimes,  as  he  told  us,  meet  his  ear, 
and  be  his  first  greeting  as  he  returned  at  eventide  from 
some  distant  field  of  labour. 

1  Words   translated   from   the   Chinese   by  W.   C.   Burns,   and 
amended  by  Rev.  J.  D.  Burns  of  Hampstead,  1855. 

2  The  tendency  of  the  Chinese  to  leave  out  all  semitones  imparts 
a  character  quite  peculiar  to  the  manner  of  rendering  our  familiar 
tunes. 


CHAPTER    XVIL 

1854. 

FIRST-FRUITS. 

HITHERTO  the  abundant  and  patient  labours  which 
we  have  been  recording  had  been  rewarded  only 
by  hopeful  appearances  and  fair  promise,  but  the  mission 
ary  was  soon  to  witness  greater  things  than  these.  On 
the  i8th  of  January,  1854,  Mr.  Johnston,  shortly  after  his 
arrival,  wrote :  "  God  has  tried  the  faith  and  patience  of 
our  brethren  in  denying  them  the  privilege  of  gathering 
fruit  in  this  life  as  yet,  and  at  present  we  cannot  even 
speak  of  the  blossoms  and  buddings  of  the  spiritual 
vintage."  Most  singularly  it  happened  that  at  the  very 
time  when  these  words  were  written  events  were  in  pro 
gress  in  a  village  not  twenty  miles  distant  which  rendered 
them  no  longer  true,  and  which  may  be  said  to  have 
opened  a  new  era  in  the  history  of  the  mission.  Mr. 
Burns  left  Amoy  on  the  9th  January  on  another  preaching 
tour,  taking  with  him  as  usual  as  his  companions  and 
assistants  two  native  evangelists,  C.-C.  and  T.-C.  The 
former  had  been  with  him  before  in  almost  all  his  evan 
gelistic  journeys  since  he  came  to  Amoy,  and  was  a  man 
in  some  respects  remarkable.  He  had  belonged  in  the 

days  of  his  heathen  darkness  to  the  class,  so  numerous 

2  c 


402  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1854. 

in  China,  of  fortune-tellers,  and  possessed  in  large  mea 
sure  the  fortune-teller's  fluency  of  speech  and  readiness 
of  resource.  Attracted  by  the  preaching  of  the  gospel 
at  the  American  Chapel,  he  had  had  his  heart  touched 
by  the  simple  home  question  of  a  native  Christian,  "Are 
you  well?  Is  your  heart  at  peace?"  and  sought  and  found 
the  peace  of  God.  Rejoicing  in  that  pearl  of  great  price 
himself,  it  was  his  delight  henceforth  to  proclaim  and 
commend  it  to  others,  and  to  this  end  he  freely  devoted 
those  peculiar  gifts  which  he  had  formerly  employed  in 
the  pursuit  of  unlawful  gain.  He  was  quick,  buoyant, 
nimble,  fertile  in  argument,  anecdote,  and  happy  illustra 
tion,  ever  prompt  for  action,  and  ready  with  the  fit  word 
at  the  fitting  time.  The  other,  a  soldier,  had  been  sorely 
puzzled  to  understand  how  the  Christian  preachers  should 
spend  their  days  telling  those  gospel  stories  to  the  people, 
without  ever  asking  for  money  or  apparently  seeking  any 
earthly  reward.  He  had  often  enough  listened  at  the 
corners  of  the  streets  to  the  professional  story-tellers  of 
his  own  country,  and  well  remembered  how  adroitly  they 
used  to  stop  at  the  most  thrilling  part  of  the  tale,  and 
keep  the  expectant  crowd  in  suspense  until  they  had  been 
well  paid  to  tell  the  rest.  He  resolved  in  his  heart  to 
get  to  the  bottom  of  the  matter.  He  listened  with 
awakened  interest  to  the  Word  of  Life,  found  out  the 
great  secret,  and  became  a  teller  of  the  good  news  of 
grace  himself. 

The  course  of  the  missionary  band  lay  first  across  the 
wide  estuary  which  is  closed  in  by  Amoy  and  its  com 
panion  group  of  islands,  amid  scenery  which  the  mission- 


JEt.  39-]  PECHUIA.  403 

aries  describe  as  remarkably  resembling  the  Frith  of 
Clyde,  with  "  its  beautiful  variety  of  hill  and  island  and  far 
reaches  of  the  sea,  at  one  moment  lost  sight  of  and  again 
seen  stretching  far  round  promontory,  creek,  and  bay  " — 
then,  for  some  eight  or  ten  miles  further  along  the  course 
of  a  fine  winding  river.  Their  first  halting-place  was  at 
a  market-town  on  its  banks  of  about  3000  inhabitants, 
called  Pechuia  (White-water  Camp),  and  the  commercial 
centre  of  a  considerable  district,  full  of  agricultural  villages, 
where  their  course  was  arrested  in  a  manner  to  them  as 
unexpected  as  it  was  delightful.  "  Here,"  says  Mr.  Doty 
of  the  American  Mission,  "  they  intended  to  begin  work 
ing,  expecting,  after  a  few  days  at  longest,  to  go  forward, 
making  known  the  gospel  message  as  they  might  have 
opportunity,  and  just  where  the  Master  might  providen 
tially  lead  them.  But  for  two  months  continuously  the 
brethren  were  shut  up  to  this  one  place  and  the  nearest 
villages,  in  holding  forth  day  and  night  the  Word  of  Life. 
Almost  at  the  very  first  declaration  of  the  truth,  some 
persons  were  interested,  and  became  earnest  inquirers. 
From  that  time  to  the  present  the  work  has  been  gradually 
gaining  in  importance.  Mr.  Burns  has  rented  a  small 
building,  the  upper  floor  for  his  dwelling,  while  the  lower 
is  a  preaching  place.  This  is  visited  by  many  persons, 
who  come  in  on  market-days  from  all  the  surrounding 
region  for  purposes  of  trade.  There  are  twelve  such  days 
in  each  month.  Public  worship  is  held  on  the  Sabbath 
and  every  evening,  and  is  attended  by  a  goodly  number 
of  apparently  interested  listeners.  Of  a  few,  hope  is 
indulged  that  they  have  really  passed  from  death  unto 


404  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1854- 

life.  Numbers  have  renounced  their  idols.  Some  have 
burned  and  destroyed  them.  Others  have  given  them 
to  the  brethren  to  be  thus  dealt  with.  Two  of  our  native 
brethren  are  constantly  employed  in  connection  with 
Mr.  Burns. 

"In  March,  Mr.  Burns  and  two  brethren  made  a  tour 
of  some  weeks  further  in  the  interior,  visiting  some  places 
to  which  they  had  been  earnestly  invited  by  persons  who 
had  visited  them  at  Pechuia.  While  they  were  absent, 
two  other  native  brethren  continued  the  labours  at  the 
first  place.  At  this  time  it  was  my  privilege  to  make 
a  short  visit  there.  I  found  such  an  awakened  interest 
and  spirit  of  inquiry  as  I  had  never  before  met  with 
among  Chinese.  It  did  seem  as  if  the  Holy  Spirit  was  at 
work.  The  most  marked  cases  are  of  young  men  of 
some  education,  and  endowed  with  considerable  zeal  and 
energy.  These  are  very  active  in  efforts  to  awaken  the 
attention  of  others.  From  the  first  there  have  been 
opposers  of  the  movement,  and  recently  there  has  been 
manifested  a  disposition  to  annoy  and  disturb  the  public 
worship.  There  are  firm  idolaters  there,  and  the  spirit  of 
persecution  is  not  wanting." 

Mr.  Burns'  own  statement  is  to  the  same  effect,  though 
couched,  as  his  manner  was,  in  scrupulously  guarded  and 
naked  terms,  and  while  giving  some  additional  details, 
traces  briefly  the  further  progress  of  the  work.  "It  is 
exactly  four  months,"  he  writes,  May  8th,  1854,  "since  I 
first  set  out  this  season  on  a  missionary  tour;  and  you 
are  already  aware  that  God  so  remarkably  opened  the 
door  in  the  place  to  which  we  first  went,  that  we  found  it 


^Et.  39.]  THE   JOY    OF    HARVEST.  405 

our  clear  duty  to  remain  at  that  place  as  our  head-quarters 
for  a  longer  period  than  we  had  intended — visiting  the 
numerous  villages  and  market-towns  within  our  reach, 
while  we  carried  on  regular  services  at  Pechuia,  our  cen 
tral  station.  The  work  there  was  so  interesting  that  we 
felt  it  could  not  be  abandoned,  but  as  we  were  anxious  to 
extend  our  efforts  •  to  one  or  two  central  positions  farther 
inland,  it  was  necessary  that  other  agents  should  take  our 
place  in  order  to  leave  us  free  to  go  forward.  Accordingly, 
when,  two  months  ago,  I  returned  from  Amoy  to  Pechuia, 
an  addition  was  made  to  the  number  of  native  assistants, 
and  leaving  two  of  these  to  occupy  Pechuia,  I  proceeded 
on  the  pth  of  March  farther  inland,  in  company  with  the 
two  native  Christian  companions  with  whom  I  had  origin 
ally  set  out  on  the  Qth  of  January  from  Amoy.  The  place 
to  which  we  first  went  is  a  market-town,  somewhat  smaller 
than  Pechuia,  named  Bay-pay  (Horse-flat),  and  distant 
from  the  former  place,  across  the  hills,  about  seven  English 
miles.  To  this  place  we  had  been  invited  by  several  per 
sons,  and  here  we  remained  (well-lodged  and  free  of  rent) 
for  eleven  days,  in  the  course  of  which  we  visited  and 
preached  at  almost  all  the  villages  in  the  neighbourhood, 
from  thirty  to  fifty  in  number.  We  were  almost  every 
where  favourably  received,  and  our  message  listened  to 
with  attention,  although  there  were  no  cases,  as  at  Pechuia, 
of  persons  coming  out  and  declaring  themselves  on  the 
side  of  the  gospel.  While  at  Bay-pay,  we  heard  it  reported 
that  at  Pechuia  one  family  had  publicly  destroyed  their 
idols  and  ancestral  tablets  (the  latter  the  dearest  objects 
of  Chinese  idolatry),  and  that  another  man  had  closed  his 


406  LIFE   OF   REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1854- 

shop  on  the  Lord's-day,  refusing  admittance  to  a  person 
who  wished  to  trade  with  him.  Both  of  these  reports,  so 
interesting  to  us,  turned  out  to  be  true. 

"From  Bay-pay  we  proceeded  four  or  five  English 
miles  farther  on  to  Poolamkio  (South-bank  Bridge).  Here 
we  were  on  the  sea-coast,  I  suppose  about  fifteen  miles 
south  of  the  entrance  to  Amoy  harbour.  We  were  well 
received  here  also,  and  would  have  gladly  remained  for 
a  week  or  two,  proceeding  still  farther  south,  as  we  were 
invited  to  do,  but  our  books,  &c.,  were  becoming  few,  and 
our  lodging — which  would  have  been  very  comfortable 
had  we  had  sole  possession  of  it — being  partly  occupied  by 
opium-smokers  and  gamblers,  we  resolved,  after  a  stay  of 
only  four  days,  on  returning  to  Pechuia.  On  arriving,  we 
found  to  our  delight  that  the  work  there  had  made  decided 
progress  in  our  absence.  The  two  native  Christians 
(members  of  the  American  Mission  Church  at  Amoy) 
whom  we  had  left  in  charge,  seem  to  have  been  much 
aided  in  teaching  the  people.  The  preaching  room  had 
been  crowded  every  night  to  a  late  hour  by  from  forty  to 
sixty  persons,  and  those  who  had  from  the  beginning 
shown  an  attachment  to  the  truth  had  evidently  advanced 
in  knowledge  and  earnestness  of  spirit,  and  resolved  to 
obey  the  gospel  at  the  risk  of  much  reproach  and  opposi 
tion.  In  our  absence  the  station  had  also  had  the  benefit 
of  a  short  visit  from  Mr.  Doty  of  the  American  Mission. 
After  returning  from  our  inland  tour,  we  continued  our 
meetings  at  Pechuia  with  much  encouragement,  several 
members  of  the  native  church  in  Amoy  having  successively 
come  out  of  their  own  accord  to  aid  in  the  work.  During 


JEt.  39.]  .         THE    OFFENCE    OF   THE    CROSS.  407 

the  last  two  or  three  weeks,  however,  the  aspect  of  things 
at  Pechuia  has  been  considerably  changed;  for  while 
those  on  the  side  of  the  gospel  seem  to  go  on  in  a  way 
that  fills  our  hearts  ;with  thankfulness,  and  our  mouths 
with  praise,  a  disposition  has  been  shown  on  the  part  of 
others  to  interrupt  our  meetings,  which  has  obliged  us  at 
night  to  hold  them  upstairs,  and  more  privately.  The 
state  of  the  weather  also  at  this  rainy  season  has  prevented 
us  from  doing  so  much  as  before  among  adjacent  villages. 
When  I  left  Pechuia  last  Monday,  it  seemed  that,  includ 
ing  young  and  old,  there  might  be  about  twenty  persons 
who  have  declared  themselves  on  the  side  of  the  gospel, 
but  some  of  these  are  children,  and  two  or  three  are 
women  whom  we  have  not  seen — mothers  who  have  re 
ceived  the  truth  from  their  sons  or  husbands..  Among 
the  number  of  those  who  are  attached  to  the  gospel  are 
two  whole  families  of  six  members  each.  The  eldest  son 
in  one  of  these  families,  a  promising  youth  of  twenty,  early 
showed  much  decision,  having,  on  the  birth-day  of  'the 
god  of  the  furnace]  taken  his  god  and  put  it  in  the  fire. 
The  idol  having  been  but  in  part  consumed,  his  mother 
discovered  among  the  ashes  a  part  of  its  head,  and  father 
and  mother  together  beat  their  son  severely;  but  some  of 
the  other  Pechuia  inquirers  having  gone  to  comfort  the 
young  man,  and  reason  with  his  parents,  their  views 
underwent  so  sudden  and  entire  a  change,  that  in  a  day 
or  two  afterwards  they,  with  their  four  sons,  brought  out 
all  their  idols  and  ancestral  tablets  and  publicly  destroyed 
them  in  the  view  of  the  people.  The  father  I  have  two 
or  three  times  met  with,  and  he  seems,  along  with  his 


408  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1854- 

four  sons  (an  interesting  set  of  boys),  to  be  in  a  promising 
state  of  mind.  The  other  family  is  that  of  a  respectable 
cloth-dealer,  whose  shop  is  in  the  same  street  with  our 
lodging.  This  family  has  passed  through  remarkable 
trials,  which  seem  to  have  prepared  them  for  receiving  the 
gospel  on  its  first  announcement,  they  having  twice  lost 
all  their  property  by  robbers;  and  on  the  second  of  these 
occasions  having  had  their  house  burned,  to  cover  the 
robbers'  retreat — when  the  whole  family  were  obliged  to 
leap  from  an  upper  story,  and  yet  escaped  unhurt !  They 
are  a  very  interesting  family,  and  have  in  one  point  shown 
more  decision  than  I  have  before  seen  in  China,  having 
(while  yet  only  inquirers)  shut  their  shop  on  the  last  eight 
Sabbaths,  even  although  two  of  these  Sabbaths  were 
market-days.  The  family  adjoining  our  house  is  literally 
divided — two  against  three,  and  three  against  two.  The 
elder  brother  and  his  wife  oppose, — they  live  by  making 
paper  images  used  in  idolatrous  processions,  for  burning 
to  the  dead,  &c.;  the  mother,  second  son,  with  the 
youngest,  who  is  a  mere  boy,  are  on  the  side  of  the 
gospel.  The  second  son  formerly  made  images  with  his 
elder  brother,  but  has  now  given  up  his  trade,  and  has 
begun  a  general  business  in  one  half  of  the  shop  which 
they  have  in  common.  It  is  curious  thus  to  notice  that 
on  the  Lord's-day  the  younger  brother's  side  of  the  shop 
is  closed,  while  the  elder  brother's  side  remains  open! 
This  young  man,  when  we  were  absent  farther  inland, 
went  down  to  Amoy  with  the  desire  of  being  admitted 
into  the  visible  church;  and  though  he  has  not  yet  been 
baptized,  the  American  missionaries,  who  examined  him, 


,Et.  39.]  "A    GOOD    DAY."  409 

were  astonished  and  delighted  by  the  evidence  which  he 
gave  them  of  knowledge,  repentance,  and  faith;  and 
would  have  admitted  him  a  month  ago,  along  with  ten 
others  (Amoy  people),  had  it  not  been  that  my  two  native 
companions,  returning  the  day  before  to  Amoy,  urged  the 
expediency  of  delay." 

"Yesterday  we  had  a  good  day  here.  It  was  one  of  the 
market-days  (there  are  twelve  such  every  Chinese  month), 
and  the  people  came  in,  as  usual,  in  numbers  to  hear. 
Most  of  those  interested  in  the  truth  were  also  present. 
The  work  of  preaching  all  devolved  on  myself,  and  I  felt 
supported  more  than  usually.  In  the  afternoon  I  went 
alone  to  visit  a  village  in  the  neighbourhood :  and  in  my 
absence  a  number  of  the  inquirers,  &c.,  met  here  for 
worship  of  their  own  accord.  When  I  returned,  they 
were  joyfully  engaged  in  singing  hymns,  studying  the 
Scriptures,  &c.,  and  continued  so  during  most  of  the 
evening.  I  have  not  witnessed  the  same  state  of  things 
in  China  before.  It  is  said  among  the  people  that  we  have 
some  mode  of  enchanting  those  who  come  to  us.  In  no 
other  way  can  the  blind  world  account  for  the  impression 
made  on  some  of  those  who  are  receiving  the  truth." 

"  So  mightily  grew  the  word  of  God  and  prevailed." 
There  was  everywhere  the  stir  and  glad  excitement  of  a 
busy  harvest-field.  There  were  all  the  signs  of  the  coming 
of  the  kingdom  of  God  after  the  true  model  of  apostolic 
times;  the  general  and  wide-spread  interest,  individual 
decision  and  self-sacrifice,  the  division  of  families,  the 
separation  of  brother  from  brother  for  Christ's  sake  and 
the  gospel's,  the  test  of  persecution  and  the  fierce  opposi- 


410  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1854. 

tion  of  adversaries  around  the  wide  and  effectual  door,  the 
joy  of  first  love,  and  the  spontaneous  spread  of  the  sacred 
influence  from  village  to  village,  and  from  heart  to  heart. 
Well  might  Mr.  Burns  write,  in  regard  to  these  encour 
aging  tokens,  in  words  which  mean  much  as  coming  from 
him : — "  What  I  see  here  makes  me  call  to  mind  former 
days  of  the  Lord's  power  in  my  native  land.  In  my  own 
circle  of  observation  I  have  hardly  seen  so  promising  an 
appearance  of  the  coming  of  God's  kingdom  since  I  came 
to  China.  .  .  .  You  will  see  from  what  I  have  stated 
that  there  is  indeed  much  to  encourage  prayer  and  effort 
in  behalf  of  this  benighted  people;  and  that  we  have  also 
cause  for  admiring  thankfulness  to  our  covenant  God  and 
Saviour.  In  my  own  experience  the  Lord's  goodness  is 
so  great  and  unceasing,  that  while  friends  in  Scotland  may 
look  upon  me  as  an  exile,  I  feel  as  much  at  home  here  as 
I  would  wish  to  do  on  this  side  of  the  Jordan." 

The  cases  of  some  of  the  individual  converts  who  were 
the  first-fruits  of  this  gospel  harvest  are  briefly  referred  to 
by  Mr.  Burns  in  one  of  the  letters  just  quoted;  but  one  or 
two  additional  instances  may  be  given  from  the  letters  of 
other  missionaries : — 

"  A  family,  consisting  of  an  old  father,  the  mother,  He- 
Se,  and  their  three  sons,  Gong-lo,  Kwai-a,  and  Som-a,  all 
became  Christians.  Even  before  their  conversion  there 
was  much  real  union  and  affection  between  them.  When 
the  old  father  was  going  to  Amoy  to  be  baptized,  Som-a 
asked  to  be  allowed  to  accompany  him  for  the  same  pur 
pose.  He  was  told  he  was  too  young,  and  that  he  might 
fall  back  if  he  made  a  profession  when  he  was  only  a 


JEt.  39.]  INTERESTING    CASES.  411 

little  boy.  To  this  he  made  the  touching  reply,  '  Jesus 
has  promised  to  carry  the  lambs  in  his  arms.  As  I  am 
only  a  little  boy  it  will  be  easier  for  Jesus  to  carry  me.' 
No  further  words  were  needed ;  Som-a  accompanied  his 
father,  and  was  soon  afterwards  baptized.  Mr.  Johnston, 
who  relates  this  story,  adds  that  the  mother,  He-Se,  re 
ceived  all  her  Christian  instruction  from  the  male  members 
of  the  family,  as  she  dared  not  attend  the  public  preaching, 
but  her  sons  repeated  to  her  much  of  what  they  heard,  and 
she  was  the  first  female  baptized  in  Pechuia. 

"  Another  mother  said  she,  too,  wished  to  be  a  member 
of  the  religion  of  Jesus,  because  it  had  made  such  a  won 
derful  change  in  her  son.  '  It  must  be  a  good  thing/  she 
said,  '  to  be  connected  with  such  a  person  as  Jesus.'  She 
received  fuller  instruction  in  consequence." 

A  still  more  interesting  case  is  that  of  Si-boo,  who  has 
since  gone  to  labour  as  an  evangelist  among  his  own 
countrymen  at  Singapore : — "  On  Mr.  Burns'  first  visit  to 
Pechuia,  he  found  amongst  the  foremost  and  most  inter 
esting  of  his  hearers,  a  youth  of  about  eighteen  or  twenty, 
called  Si-boo.  Of  stature  rather  under  the  average  of  his 
countrymen,  with  an  eye  and  countenance  more  open 
than  usual,  and  a  free  and  confiding  manner,  he  soon 
attracted  the  attention  of  our  missionary.  His  position 
in  life  was  above  the  class  of  common  mechanics,  and  his 
education  rather  good  for  his  position.  His  occupation 
was  to  carve  small  idols  in  wood  for  the  houses  of  his 
idolatrous  countrymen,  of  every  variety  of  style  and  work 
manship,  some  plain  and  cheap,  and  some  of  the  most 
elaborate  and  costly  description. 


412  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1854. 

"Had  Si-boo  been  of  the  spirit  of  Demetrius,  he  would 
have  opposed  and  persecuted  Mr.  Burns  for  bringing  his 
craft  into  danger.  But  instead  of  that,  he  manifested  a 
spirit  of  earnest,  truthful  inquiry,  although  that  inquiry 
was  one  in  which  all  the  prepossessions,  and  prejudices, 
and  passions  of  mind  and  heart  were  against  the  truth — 
an  inquiry  in  which  all  the  influence  of  friends,  and  all 
his  prospects  in  life,  were  cast  into  the  wrong  balance. 
By  the  grace  of  God  he  made  that  solemn  inquiry  with 
such  simplicity  and  sincerity,  that  it  soon  led  to  an  entire 
conviction  of  the  truth  of  our  religion,  and  that  to  a  de 
cided  profession  of  his  faith  at  all  hazards;  and  these 
hazards,  in  such  a  place  as  Pechuia,  were  neither  few  nor 
small — far  greater  than  at  Amoy,  where  the  presence  of 
a  large  body  of  converts,  and  a  considerable  English  com 
munity,  and  a  British  flag,  might  seem  to  hold  out  a  pro 
spect  of  both  protection  and  support  in  time  of  need, 
though  such  protection  and  temporal  aid  have  never  been 
relied  on  by  even  our  Amoy  converts,  still  less  encour 
aged. 

"  One  of  the  first  sacrifices  to  which  Si-boo  was  called 
was  a  great  one.  His  trade  of  idol  carver  must  be  given 
up,  and  with  that  his  only  means  of  support;  and  that 
means  both  respectable  and  lucrative  to  a  skilful  hand 
like  him.  But  to  his  credit  he  did  riot  hesitate.  He  at 
once  threw  it  up  and  cast  himself  on  the  providence  of 
God,  and  neither  asked  nor  received  any  assistance  from 
the  missionary,  but  at  once  set  himself  to  turn  his  skill  as 
a  carver  in  a. new  and  legitimate  direction.  He  became 
a  carver  of  beads  for  bracelets  and  other  ornaments,  and 


SI-BOO.  413 


was  soon  able  to  support  himself  and  assist  his  mother  in 
this  way.  One  advantage  of  this  new  trade  was,  that  it 
was  portable.  With  a  few  small  knives,  and  a  handful  of 
olive-stones,  he  could  prosecute  his  work  wherever  he 
liked  to  take  his  seat,  and  he  frequently  took  advantage 
of  this  to  prosecute  his  Master's  work,  while  he  was  dili 
gent  in  his  own.  Sometimes  he  would  take  his  seat  in 
the  "  Good  News  Boat,"  when  away  on  some  evangelistic 
enterprise;  and  while  we  were  slowly  rowing  up  some 
river  or  creek,  or  scudding  away  before  a  favourable  wind 
to  some  distant  port,  Si-boo  would  be  busy  at  work  on 
his  beads;  but  as  soon  as  we  reached  our  destination,  the 
beads  and  tools  were  thrust  into  his  pouch,  and  with  his 
Bible  and  a  few  tracts  in  his  hand,  he  was  off  to  read  or 
talk  to  the  people,  and  leave  his  silent  messengers  behind 
him.  In  this  way  our  church  had  the  benefit  of  many  a 
useful  evangelist,  free  of  all  charge  on  her  funds;  for  Si-boo 
was  far  from  being  the  only  one  who  gave  hours  and  often 
days  of  gratuitous  service.  Some  of  the  same  occupation 
as  himself  employed  their  time  in  the  same  way. 

"The  love  of  Bible  studies  has  always  characterized 
the  converts  in  China.  Few,  if  any,  were  more  studious 
and  diligent  than  Si-boo,  and  few  more  successful  than 
he.  Morning,  noon,  and  night,  you  might  hear  his  clear 
and  cheerful  voice,  reading  aloud  some  portions  of  Scrip 
ture  or  Christian  classic;  or,  in  the  same  loud  tone,  for 
almost  all  Chinamen  read  aloud,  and  that  often  at  the  full 
pitch  of  their  voice,  committing  to  memory  some  favour 
ite  passage  of  the  Word  of  God.  Even  when  busy  at 
work,  that  extra  energy  which  in  him  led  sometimes  to 


414  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1854- 

an  exuberant  playfulness,  rather  opposed  to  the  stricter 
notions  and  more  staid  manner  of  some  of  his  friends, 
was  generally  expended  in  committing  to  memory  some 
verse  of  Scripture  or  favourite  hymn,  the  latter  being 
generally  sung  along  with,  or  after  the  process  of  com 
mittal,  so  frequently,  that  many  beside  himself  had  the 
privilege  of  hearing  both  hymn  and  tunes  if  they  were  so 
disposed. 

"  It  was  this  diligent  study  and  Christian  consistency 
of  character,  during  these  years  of  his  profession  of  the 
faith,  and  that  intelligent  acquaintance  with  the  system 
of  divine  truth,  which  marked  out  Si-boo  for  the  interesting 
mission  on  which  he  has  been  since  sent,  while  his  native 
energy  and  independence  would  both  incline  and  enable 
him  to  undertake  a  work  of  enterprise  and  difficulty." 

It  will  have  been  noticed  that  the  religious  movement 
we  are  now  describing  was  not  confined  to  Pechuia,  but  ex 
tended  more  or  less  over  the  whole  district,  with  its  scat 
tered  villages,  of  which  it  forms  the  centre.  At  Bay -pay 
especially,  the  work,  if  less  striking  in  its  manifestations  at 
the  outset,  was  in  the  end  even  more  steady  and  progressive. 
It  became  speedily  the  seat  of  a  fervent  and  prosperous 
church,  which  has  continued  to  this  day  to  grow  in 
numbers,  in  zeal,  and  in  fruitfulness.  Tried  in  a  more 
than  usual  degree  by  the  blasts  of  persecution,  it  has 
nobly  stood  the  test,  and  proved  itself  to  be  one  of  those 
trees  of  God's  planting,  "which  shaking  fastens  more." 
It  was  constituted  into  a  regular  Christian  community 
almost  as  early  as  its  elder  sister  at  Pechuia,  and  numbered 
in  1865  on  its  communion  roll  more  than  twice  as  many 


JEt.  39.]      "A  FIELD  WHICH  THE  LORD  HAD  BLESSED."       415 

members.  It  was  in  reference  to  this  favoured  field  of 
labour  that  one  of  the  missionaries  afterwards  wrote,  in 
returning  from  the  delightful  work  of  instructing  inquirers 
and  examining  candidates  for  baptism: — "  After  winding 
about  among  the  hills,  and  on  emerging  from  a  narrow 
rocky  path,  the  whole  rich  plain  in  which  Pechuia  stands 
burst  at  once  upon  our  view.  About  two  months  before, 
in  returning,  the  labourers  were  just  beginning  to  let  in 
the  irrigating  waters  and  to  break  up  the  hardened  soil; 
but  now  it  was  all  covered  with  the  verdure  of  the  grow 
ing  rice — a  beautiful  emblem  of  the  spiritual  harvest  which 
the  Lord  was  so  rapidly  gathering  by  our  hands."1 

Meanwhile  at  Amoy  also  the  spiritual  work  of  the  mis 
sionaries  grew  sensibly  in  interest  and  fruitfulness.  It 
seemed  as  if  the  mother  church  there  had  been  moved  to 
jealousy  by  the  fervour  and  love  of  her  own  daughters  in 
the  faith.  The  earnest  attention  of  hearers  at  all  the 
chapels  deepened,  and  inquirers  multiplied.  The  arrival 
of  one  and  another  too  from  distant  stations,  who  had  tra 
velled  all  the  way  in  search  of  the  priceless  pearl,  must  have 
chid  the  tardy  steps  of  those  who  had  heard  the  divine 
call  before  them,  but  were  halting  between  two  opinions : 

"We  have  great  reason,"  writes  Mr.  Doty,  "for  thank 
ful  praise  to  the  God  of  grace  for  the  tokens  of  his  favour 
that  we  are  enjoying  in  our  work  here.  Knowing  there 
were  some  persons  waiting  an  opportunity  to  offer  them 
selves  as  applicants  for  church-membership,  some  time  in 
January  we  appointed  a  special  meeting  for  the  purpose. 
We  were  both  surprised  and  cheered  to  find  about  thirty 

1  Letter  of  Rev.  Carstairs  Douglas. 


41 6  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1854. 

persons  of  both  sexes,  and  of  ages  varying  from  twenty 
years  up  to  near  seventy,  convened.  Though  among 
this  number  were  many  whom  we  cannot  regard  as  proper 
subjects  for  church-membership,  yet  most  have  manifested, 
and  still  do  continue  to  manifest,  an  interest  in  their  soul's 
salvation. 

"We  found  that  there  was  a  spirit  of  inquiry  and 
awakening,  quite  unknown  to  us  as  to  its  extent,  among 
those  who  had  been  statedly  hearing  the  word.  From 
the  time  of  that  first  meeting  for  conference  and  examina 
tion,  we  have  felt  it  to  be  our  duty  to  continue  to  hold 
similar  services,  and  so  to  meet  with  those  who  wish  in 
struction,  or  desire  to  be  received  to  church-fellowship. 
A  part  of  the  time  we  have  held  the  meeting  once  in  two 
weeks,  generally  once  a  week,  though  in  some  instances 
twice.  In  these  meetings  we  are  usually  engaged  from 
three  to  four  hours,  during  which  time  we  may  converse 
with  or  examine,  as  the  case  may  be,  three  or  four  indi 
viduals  in  the  most  searching  manner,  both  as  to  their 
experimental  knowledge  of  the  Holy  Spirit's  work  in  the 
heart,  and  their  acquaintance  with  Christian  doctrine. 
This  brings  us  into  the  closest  personal  contact  with  their 
minds,  and  enables  us  to  give  instruction,  to  correct  mis 
conceptions- of  truth,  guide  the  inquiring,  encourage,  warn, 
and  exhort,  so  as  to  meet  the  difficulties  of  each  individual, 
and  the  profit  of  all.  Of  those  applying,  after  several  ex 
aminations,  ten  were  admitted  to  baptism  on  the  last 
Sabbath  of  last  month,  March  26.  Two  of  these  are 
women,  one  aged  sixty-eight  years,  the  other  forty-seven; 
while  of  the  males,  their  ages  range  from  twenty  to  sixty- 


Mt.  39.]  VISIT   TO    SCOTLAND.  417 

four  years.  Our  meetings  continue  to  be  attended  with 
unabated  solemnity  and  interest,  and  by  increasing  num 
bers.  Among  those  recently  baptized,  as  well  as  among 
those  asking  to  be  numbered  among  God's  professing 
people,  there  are  several  cases  manifesting  more  clearly 
the  work  of  the  Spirit  with  power  than  anything  we  have 
heretofore  seen  among  the  Chinese.  Our  brethren  of  the 
London  Society's  Mission  are  sharing  largely  in  this  blessed 
visitation.  They  have  recently  received  seventeen,  nine 
of  whom  were  women,  to  church-fellowship,  and  numbers 
more  are  asking  for  the  same  privilege." 

It  was  amid  exhilarating  influences  and  prospects 
like  these  that  Mr.  Burns  made  a  brief  visit  to  this  coun 
try  during  the  summer  and  autumn  of  1854.  The  occa 
sion  of  his  journey  was  a  sad  one.  His  valued  colleague 
Dr.  Young,  had  at  the  close  of  the  previous  year  suffered 
a  heavy  affliction  in  the  unexpected  removal  of  an  endeared 
partner,  whose  life  had  seemed  alike  invaluable  to  himself 
and  to  the  cause  for  which  he  laboured;  and  though  he 
seemed  at  first  to  rally  from  the  blow,  it  soon  appeared 
that  he  had  received  both  in  mind  and  body  so  severe  a 
shock  as  to  render  a  return  to  his  native  land  for  a  season 
indispensable.  It  was  necessary  that  some  one  should 
accompany  him  on  the  voyage,  and  it  was  decided  after 
brief  conference  that  Mr.  Burns  should  undertake  that 
duty.  How  tenderly  he  watched  over  his  friend  during 
what  was  to  both  a  singularly  trying  journey,  and  how 
lovingly  he  cared  for  those  dear  to  him  after  his  early 
and  sudden  removal,  it  is  not  for  me  to  tell;  but  it  will  be 
remembered  in  his  behalf  in  the  great  day.  Dr.  Young 

2  D 


4i8 


LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS. 


[1854- 


died  at  Musselburgh  on  the  nth  of  February,  1855,  hav 
ing  laboured  only  for  four  years  in  the  work  to  which  he 
had  devoted  himself;  but  having  accomplished  much  in 
little  time.  He  will  be  ever  remembered  with  honour,  as 
one  of  the  first  pioneers  and  patient  sowers  in  a  field  of 
toil,  of  which  he  was  only  beginning  to  reap  the  fruit  when 
his  Master  summoned  him  away.  Many  in  Scotland  will 
remember  the  Chinese  Christian  nurse  who  accompanied 
him  to  Edinburgh  in  charge  of  his  child,  and  who  was 
one  of  the  first-fruits  of  his  faithful  labours  in  China.  She 
had  been  baptized  the  previous  year  along  with  her  own 
son  and  fifteen  others  at  Amoy.  "  She  was,  we  believe, 
the  first  converted  Chinese  woman  that  had  been  in  Scot 
land.  She  could  not  escape  observation  as  she  sat  in  the 
church-pew,  with  deep  thought  on  her  countenance, 
poring  over  the  Chinese  hymn-book,  bound  in  black, 
which  she  held  in  her  dark  bony  hand.  A  red  rose,  after 
the  fashion  of  her  country,  set  in  evergreen  leaves,  on  the 
knot  of  her  jet  hair,  tightly  combed  back,  relieved  the 
brown  face  almost  grim  with  gravity.  Her  black  peering 
eyes  watched  the  preacher.  The  unknown  tongue  did  not 
weary  her.  She  was  in  the  house  of  God  and  among  the 
friends  of  Jesus,  and  longed  all  the  week  long  for  the 
Lord's-day.  When  greeted  by  any  friend  at  the  close  of 
the  service,  her  face  could  hardly  be  recognized  as  the 
same.  Her  sparkling  eye,  and  a  look  of  laughter  irradi 
ated  it  all  over.  When  asked  if  she  did  not  weary  in  this 
country,  she  said  to  the  missionary,  'Here  where  I  can 
speak  so  little  to  man,  I  speak  the  more  to  God.'  At 
leaving  Edinburgh  she  said  she  had  been  happy  there, 


JEt.  39.]  BOO-A,    THE    CHINESE    NURSE.  419 

but  she  knew  it  was  because  she  loved  the  Saviour  she 
had  received  so  much  kindness. 

"  Those  who  remained  after  the  crowded  meeting  in  St. 
Luke's  Church,  can  never  forget  the  animated  dialogue 
carried  on  in  Chinese  between  Mr.  Burns  and  Boo-a,  to 
whom  it  was  very  trying  to  appear  in  the  great  assembly, 
but  for  the  willingness  she  felt  to  profess  her  faith  in 
Christ  before  her  Scottish  brethren,  one  of  whom  had  first 
carried  the  gospel  to  her  family  in  China.  Her  son  had 
already  been  baptized;  but  when  her  daughters  were 
mentioned  she  pointed  to  her  brow,  where  the  water  of 
baptism  had  been  sprinkled,  and  sorrowfully  shook  her 
head.  The  Sabbath  before  her  departure  she  sat  down 
at  the  Lord's  table,  by  her  own  earnest  desire,  and  much 
enjoyed  the  ordinance.  There  the  disciples  of  Jesus 
from  the  east  and  the  west,  the  north  and  the  south,  can 
meet  and  understand  the  common  language  of  its  sacred 
symbols,  feeding  through  them  on  the  one  Saviour,  even 
while  the  barrier  of  varied  tongues  prevents  other  inter 
course."1 

In  the  meanwhile  Mr.  Burns  was  actively  engaged  in 
endeavouring  to  extend  and  deepen  the  interest  in  the 
Chinese  cause,  which  had  already  begun  to  be  felt  in 
Scotland,  and  which  had  shortly  before  led  to  the  forma 
tion  of  an  auxiliary  society  in  aid  of  the  English  mission. 
He  sought  especially  to  engage  the  interest  of  those  con 
gregations  amongst  whom  he  had  chiefly  laboured  in 
former  years,  and  who  would  thus  most  readily  respond  to 

1  China  and  the  Missions  at  Amoy,  with  Notice  of  the  Opium 
Trade.  By  George  F.  Barbour,  Esq.  Edinburgh,  1855. 


420  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1854. 

his  calls  both  by  active  efforts  and  by  prayers.  Those 
who  then  renewed  their  acquaintance  with  him  were  struck 
with  the  change  which  so  short  an  interval  of  years  had 
made  upon  him.  The  effects  of  a  tropical  climate,  com 
bined  with  almost  incessant  and  exhausting  labours,  had 
sensibly  told  upon  the  vigour  of  a  frame,  which  the  rigours 
of  a  Canadian  winter  had  already  partially  broken.  The 
fresh,  sanguine,  youthful,  and  even  boyish  look,  which  his 
early  hearers  remembered  so  well,  had  given  place  to  an 
aspect  of  ripe  and  almost  fading  manhood,  which  seemed 
to  tell  of  the  lapse  not  of  six  but  of  twenty  years.  His 
countenance  was  sallow,  his  brow  furrowed,  his  head  tinged 
with  gray,  and  his  eye  if  still  bright  was  bright  with  a 
milder  brightness.  His  spirit  too  had  become  riper  and 
more  mellow.  Time  and  experience  had  wrought  in  him 
a  gracious  sweetness  and  human  kindliness  of  temper,  which 
in  the  young  Boanerges  were  less  conspicuous.  He  was 
more  genial,  more  loving,  more  freely  communicative  and 
companionable,  less  restrained  and  austere,  than  in  former 
days.  There  was  less  fire  perhaps,  but  even  more  fervour; 
less  of  the  Baptist— more  of  the  Christ.  It  seemed  as  if 
the  exalted  tone  of  Christian  devotedness  which  he  ever 
sustained  were  now  less  with  him  a  matter  of  effort  and 
struggle,  and  more  of  a  holy  habit  in  which  grace  had 
become  as  a  second  nature.  Comparative  exile  too  from 
the  household  of  faith,  amid  heathen  scenes  and  heathen 
faces,  made  his  heart  warm  towards  his  Christian  brethren, 
and  pour  itself  forth  in  fuller  loving  converse,  as  one  that 
felt  more  than  ever  at  home.  "His  intercourse  with  us 
in  private,"  writes  his  esteemed  brother-in-law,  the  Rev. 


JEt.  39.]        MELLOWING  EFFECT  OF  YEARS.         42! 

Thomas  Bain  of  Cupar  Angus,  "was  of  a  much  more 
genial  and  social  character,  while  at  the  same  time  equally 
hallowed  and  Christ-like.  He  took  great  interest  in  the 
children,  taking  down  all  their  names  that  he  might  remem 
ber  them  individually  in  prayer."  His  preaching  too  was 
considerably  altered.  The  fiery  intensity  and  somewhat 
spasmodic  energy  of  former  days  had  given  place  to  a  more 
full  and  equable  flow  of  spiritual  instruction  and  fervent 
appeal;  while  the  frequent  allusion  and  illustrative  anecdote 
from  the  scenes  of  his  distant  field  of  labour,  perpetually 
reminded  the  hearer  that  the  evangelist  had  become  the 
missionary.  In  every  other  way  too  we  were  reminded 
of  this.  While  his  bodily  presence  was  in  Scotland,  it 
was  evident  that  his  heart  and  more  than  half  his  thoughts 
were  still  in  China.  He  talked  of  Chinese  scenes,  sung 
Chinese  hymns,  recited  far  into  the  night  Chinese  chapters 
and  psalms,  and  abounded  in  details  of  Chinese  customs, 
traits,  and  ways  of  life,  such  as  he  too  seldom  indulged  in 
in  his  letters.  Nor  was  he  forgotten  by  those  whom  he  thus 
so  continually  remembered.  Of  this  he  received  a  pecu 
liarly  touching  proof  in  a  letter  addressed  to  him  as  their 
spiritual  father  by  the  infant  church  at  Pechuia,  which  in 
the  naive  simplicity  and  freshness  of  its  fervent  and  loving 
words  breathes  the  very  spirit  of  apostolic  times,  and  which 
well  deserves  a  permanent  record  in  connection  with  his  life 
and  labours.  The  benignant  look  of  strange  delight  with 
which,  one  morning  in  the  Free  Church  manse  at  Kilsyth, 
he  pored  over  this  precious  scroll,  and  deciphered  and  ex 
plained  to  us  its  mystic  hieroglyphic  lines,  is  to  me  a  picture 
never  to  be  forgotten.  It  was  to  the  following  effect : — 


422 


LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1854. 


"  Given  to  be  inspected  by  Mr.  Burns  and  all  the  disciples. 

"We,  who  have  received  the  grace  of  Jesus  Christ,  send  a 
letter  to  pastor  Wm.  Burns,  (///.  shepherd-teacher  Pin-ui- 
//;«).  We  wish  that  God  our  Father  and  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  may  give  to  all  the  holy  disciples  in  the  Church  grace 
and  peace.  Now  we  wish  you  to  know  that  you  are  to  pray 
to  God  for  us;  for  you  came  to  our  market-town,  and  unfolded 
the  gracious  command  of  God,  causing  us  to  obtain  the  grace 
of  God.  Now,  as  we  have  a  number  of  things  to  say,  we 
must  send  this  communication.  We  wish  you  deeply  to 
thank  God  for  us,  that  in  the  intercalary  seventh  month  and 
thirteenth  day,  pastor  Johnston  (///.  shepherd-teacher  Jin- 
sin)  established  a  free  school  here;  there  are  twelve  attending 
it.  Formerly,  in  the  third  month,  a  man,  whose  name  is 
Chun-sim,  belonging  to  the  village  of  Chieng-choan  (pure 
fount  village),  heard  you  preaching  in  the  village  of  Hui-tsau 
(pottery  village).  Many  thanks  to  the  Holy  Spirit  who 
opened  his  blinded  heart,  so  that  in  the  seventh  month  he 
sent  a  communication  to  the  church  at  Amoy,  praying  the 
brethren  to  go  to  the  village.  They  went  and  spoke  for  several 
days,  and  all  the  villagers  with  delighted  heart  listened.  Also 
in  the  town  of  Chioh-bey,  the  Holy  Spirit  is  powerfully  working 
(lit.  influencing,  moving) ;  the  people  generally  (lit.  man, 
man)  desire  to  hear  the  gospel.  The  brethren  and  mission 
aries  have  gone  together  several  times;  and  now,  in  the  village 
of  Ka-lang,  there  are  two  men,  CKeng-soan  and  Sui-mui,  who 
are  joining  heart  with  the  brethren  in  prayer.  Teacher !  we, 
in  this  place,  with  united  heart,  pray,  and  bitterly  (i.e.  ear 
nestly)  beg  of  God  to  give  you  a  level  plain  (i.e.  prosperous 
journey)  to  go  home,  and  beg  of  God  again  to  give  you  a 
level  plain  (good  journey)  quickly  to  come.  Teacher  !  you 
know  that  our  faith  is  thin  (i.e.  weak)  and  in  danger.  Many 
thanks  to  our  Lord  and  God,  who  defends  us  as  the  apple  of 
the  eye.  Teacher !  from  the  time  that  we  parted  with  you  in 
the  seventh  month,  we  have  been  meditating  on  our  Lord 
Jesus'  love  to  sinners,  in  giving  up  His  life  for  them ;  also 


Mt.  39.]  GOOD    NEWS    FROM    A    FAR    COUNTRY.  423 

thinking  of  your  benevolence  and  good  conduct,  your  faith  in 
the  Lord,  and  compassion  for  us.  We  have  heard  the  gospel 
but  a  few  months;  our  faith  is  not  yet  firm  (Hi.  hard,  solid). 
Teacher !  you  know  that  we  are  like  sheep  that  have  lost 
their  shepherd,  or  an  infant  that  has  lost  its  milk.  Many 
thanks  to  the  Holy  Spirit,  our  Lord,  morning  and  evening 
(i.e.  continually),  comforts  our  hearts,  [and  gives  us]  peace. 
And  in  the  seventh  month,  the  twenty-fourth  day,  the  brethren 
with  united  heart  prayed,  and  shedding  tears,  bitterly  begged 
of  God  again  to  send  a  number  of  pastors,  quickly  to  come, 
again  to  teach  the  gospel.  We  wish  that  God  our  Father 
may  grant  this  prayer,  which  is  exactly  that  which  the  heart 
desires,  (i.e.  Amen.)" 

Then  follow  nine  names,  being  those  of  all  the  members 
of  the  church  at  Pechuia  at  the  date  when  the  letter  was 
written.  It  was  learned  afterwards  that  they  had  subse 
quently  addressed  a  similar  appeal  to  the  American  mis 
sionaries,  every  sentence  of  which,  Mr.  Talmage  writes, 
was  prayed  over.  "  They  would  write  a  sentence,  and 
then  pray,  and  then  write  another  sentence,  and  then  pray 
again."  Well  might  an  ardent  friend  of  the  cause  ex 
claim  in  reference  to  this  deeply  affecting  incident: — 
"  Never  did  a  more  touching  appeal  come  from  a  heathen 
land  for  ambassadors  of  Christ !  China  is  thus  in  truth 
stretching  out  her  hands  to  God ! " 

While  the  native  Christian  disciples  thus  spoke  for 
themselves,  the  most  cheering  tidings  also  reached  him 
from  other  quarters  of  their  steadfastness  and  joy,  as  well 
as  of  the  extension  of  the  sacred  influence  throughout  the 
district  around.  In  a  letter  which  reached  Mr.  Burns 
while  still  in  Scotland,  Mr.  Doty  writes : — 

"The  little  church  at  Pechuia  continues  to  dwell  in 


424  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1854. 

love,  and  to  become  more  and  more  established  in  the 
truth.    There  is  still  much  of  the  same  spirit  of  prayer  and 
hungering  after  the  word.    .    .    .    But  what  shall  I  tell 
you   of  the   Lord's   visitation   of  mercy  at    Chioh-bey? 
Again,  truly,  are  we  as  those  that  dream.     The  general 
features  of  the  work  are  very  similar  to  what  you  witnessed 
at  Pechuia.     The  instrumentality  has  been  native  brethren 
almost  entirely.     Attention  was  first  awakened  in  one  or 
two  by  I-ju  and  Tick-jam,  who  went  to  Chioh-bey  to 
gether,  the  former  with  the  opium  pills.     This  was  two 
or  three  months  ago.  m   This  was  followed  up  by  repeated 
visits  of  other  brethren  from  Pechuia  and  Amoy.     Shortly 
the  desire  to  hear  the  Word  was  so  intense,  that  there 
would  be  scarcely  any  stop  day  or  night;  the  brethren  in 
turns  going,  and  breaking  down  from  much  speaking  in 
the  course  of  three  or  four  days,  and  coming  back  to  us 
almost  voiceless.     An  establishment  has  been  rented  in 
extent  nearly  equal  to  that  at  Pechuia.     Here  daily  and 
almost    hourly   the   Word    is    preached,    the    Scriptures 
studied,  and  prayer  and  praise  offered.     There  are  some 
fifteen  persons  who  seem  to  have  been  spiritually  wrought 
upon,  several  of  whom  give  pleasing  evidence  of  regenera 
tion.     Among  these  is  one  of  the  persons  rescued  and 
saved   from  the  water  and  death,   at  the  slaughter  on 
retaking  Amoy.     He  was  healed  on  board  the  hospital 
junk,  and  is  the  same  person,  I  conjecture,  who  told  you 
or  Dr.  Young  that,  'as  he  was  about  to  be  executed,  he 
prayed  to  Jesus.'     He  says  he  has  been  praying  ever 
since,  especially  that  Jesus  would  establish  a  church  at 
Chioh-bey,   that   he   might   enjoy  the   means    of  grace. 


-fit.  39-]  RETURN    TO    CHINA.  425 

There  are  several  persons  interested  in  villages  around 
who  come  to  town  to  spend  the  Sabbath.  Judging  from 
the  visit  of  last  week,  I  do  not  see  but  necessity  is  laid 
upon  us  to  arrange  for  their  being  received  into  the  visible 
church.  Still,  what  are  we  to  do  becomes  a  serious  ques 
tion.  We  are  already  taxed  beyond  time  and  strength, 
and  cannot  give  adequate  pastoral  care  to  the  flocks 
already  gathered;  shall  we  add  another?  But  I  won't 
close  despondingly,  knowing,  as  I  do,  that  Jesus  knows 
and  will  care  for  His  own.  He  will  provide.  Praise 
Him,  and  pray  for  greater  blessings  still." 

Such  good  news  as  these  from  the  far  country  of  his 
adoption  must  have  been  to  the  missionary  "as  cold  water 
to  a  thirsty  soul,"  and  would  make  him  eagerly  long,  to 
return  to  the  work  from  which  he  had  been  so  abruptly 
called  away.  He  sailed  again  for  China  in  the  ship 
Challenger  on  the  Qth  March,  along  with  the  Rev.  Carstairs 
Douglas,  a  distinguished  alumnus  of  Glasgow  University 
and  of  the  New  College,  Edinburgh,  who  had  devoted 
himself  to  the  Chinese  cause,  and  who  was  ordained  by 
the  Free  Church  Presbytery  of  Glasgow  on  the  2ist  of 
February,  1855, 


CHAPTER   XVIIL 
1855-1858. 

SHANGHAE,  SWATOW,  ETC. 

T  NSTEAD  of  resuming  at  once  his  interrupted  labours 
JL  in  the  province  of  Fo-kien,  Mr.  Burns  proceeded 
in  the  first  instance  to  the  north,  with  the  view  of  attempt 
ing  if  possible  to  reach  the  head-quarters  of  the  Taeping 
rebels,  then  established  at  Nanking,  and  at  the  very  crisis 
of  their  singular  and  mysterious  career.  The  most  con 
tradictory  rumours  had  prevailed  with  regard  to  the  real 
character  and  probable  result  of  that  movement,  and 
especially  as  to  the  relation  of  its  leaders  to  the  Christian 
faith;  and  a  strong  desire  existed  in  many  quarters  that 
some  of  the  missionaries  then  in  China  should  put  them 
selves  in  communication  with  them,  with  the  view  of  at 
once  ascertaining  the  real  state  of  the  case,  and  taking 
advantage  of  any  opportunities  which  might  present  them 
selves  for  furthering  the  Christian  cause.  The  difficulties 
in  the  way  of  such  an  undertaking  were  notoriously  very 
great,  and  Mr.  Burns  was  evidently  not  sanguine  as  to  its 
prosperous  accomplishment;  but  still  he  deemed  it  his 
duty,  according  to  his  wont,  resolutely  to  make  the 
attempt,  and  thus  prove  whether  it  were  the  will  of  God 
or  no.  The  expedition  proved  unsuccessful;  but  the 


Mt.  40-43.]   ATTEMPT  TO  REACH  THE  REBEL  CAMP.    427 

account  he  gives  of  it,  written  sometime  after,  is  interest 
ing,  and  may  be  appropriately  here  introduced,  as  con 
tinuing  in  the  most  authentic  form  the  thread  of  our 
narrative : — 

"  I  see  from  the  Witness  of  May  8th,  received  to-day, 
that  in  a  reference  made  to  a  letter  from  Amoy,  it  is  said, 
'  Mr.  B.  preached  for  some  days  to  crowds  of  the  gay 
inhabitants  of  this  city  (Soo-chow\  on  his  return  from  an 
attempt  to  reach  the  patriot  camp  at  Nanking.'  This  state 
ment  is  incorrect,  as  I  only  passed  through  the  suburbs 
of  the  city  in  a  boat,  and  this  under  the  surveillance  of 
mandarin  officers,  who  did  not,  however,  hinder  the  dis 
tribution  of  books  and  tracts  as  we  passed  along.  As,  for 
important  reasons,  I  forbade  at  the  time  any  account 
of  this  attempt  to  reach  Nanking  being  published  at 
Shanghae,  and  when  writing  home  I  purposely  made  the 
most  meagre  allusion  to  it,  it  is  no  wonder  if  misstate- 
ments  more  important  than  the  one  above  quoted  should 
be  made  by  any  one  who  had  occasion  to  refer  to  the 
matter.  It  occurs  to  me  that  now  it  may  not  be  without 
use  to  take  this  opportunity  of  giving  some  details  regard 
ing  that  journey,  as  it  was  one  on  which,  though  it  failed 
as  regards  its  primary  object,  I  experienced  more  than 
usual  marks  of  the  Lord's  gracious  care  and  guidance.  It 
was  about  the  beginning  of  August,  1855,  ten  days  after 
reaching  Shanghae  from  England,  that,  in  company  with 
a  Chinese  servant  from  the  neighbourhood  of  Shanghae, 
and  who  having  gone  with  a  missionary  (Mr.  Milne)  to 
England,  returned  with  Mr.  Douglas  and  myself  in  the 
Challenger j  I  set  out  in  a  woo-sung  boat  to  try  whether 


428  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1855-58. 

the  way  were  open  to  reach  the  insurgent  camp.  I  went 
in  my  own  dress,  and  had  resolved  that  unless  permitted 
to  proceed  without  disguise  or  artifice,  I  should  return,  or 
rather  confine  my  efforts  in  making  known  divine  truth 
to  those  whom  we  should  meet  on  the  way,  or  who  should 
hinder  us  from  going  on  to  the  desired  destination.  After 
proceeding  rather  slowly,  I  think  for  three  days  and  a  half, 
up  the  Yang-tze-Kiang,  we  were  on  a  Saturday  favoured 
with  a  prosperous  wind,  which  bore  us  rapidly  on  against 
the  stream  of  the  river,  and  brought  us  early  in  the  after 
noon  to  Tan-T'oo,  a.  town  not  far  below  Chin-keang-foo, 
and  situated  at  one  of  the  openings  of  the  Great  Canal 
into  the  Yang-tze-Kiang.  Our  getting  thus  far  without 
impediment  was  not  a  little  remarkable,  for  we  had  already 
passed  two  Imperial  outposts,  and  at  Tan-T'oo  our  boat 
was  lying  in  the  midst  of  a  mandarin  encampment.  How 
was  this,  you  will  ask?  We  were  just  passing  the  head 
of  a  large  island  in  the  river,  and  running  with  a  fresh 
breeze  towards  Pagoda  Hill  (I  suppose  from  ten  to  twenty 
miles  below  Ckin-keang-foo),  when,  at  the  mouth  of  a 
creek  on  the  south  side  of  the  river,  we  met  the  first  trace 
of  the  Imperial  forces  encompassing  the  insurgents.  A 
number  of  boats  were  moored  here,  and  as  we  approached 
one  of  them  pushed  off  to  meet  us  and  examine  what  we 
were.  I  felt  that  now,  unless  God  remarkably  favoured  us, 
our  journey  must  at  once  come  to  an  end,  and,  hid  in  the 
cabin  of  the  boat,  I  prayed  that  the  Lord  would  graciously 
interpose.  The  boat  pushed  out  to  meet  us,  waving  a  flag 
and  calling  us  to  wait  and  give  account  of  ourselves;  but 
the  boatmen,  no  doubt  alarmed,  told  them  they  had  a 


JEt.  40-43-]  DIVERSE    ADVENTURES.  429 

foreigner  on  board,  and  ran  on.  The  guard-boat,  whether 
satisfied  or  not,  saw  that  it  was  too  late  to  overtake  us, 
and,  no  doubt  reporting  that  all  was  right,  returned  to 
their  station.  Shortly  after  this,  in  consequence  of  a  bend 
in  the  river  at  Pagoda  Hill,  the  boat  made  a  tack  towards 
the  north  bank,  and  this  course  I  saw  would  directly  bring 
us  to  a  mandarin  encampment  with  a  guard-ship  anchored 
in  front  of  it.  I  might  have  told  the  boatman  to  make  his 
course  short  and  try  to  keep  clear  of  further  inquiries,  but  I 
felt  this  would  have  been  a  subterfuge;  and  so  running 
straight  on,  I  soon  heard  the  cry  of  voices  inquiring  what 
we  were,  the  boatmen  also  were  calling  loudly  that  I  should 
come  out  and  take  the  responsibility  on  myself.  I  now  ex 
pected  we  should  be  boarded  and  detained;  but  coming 
out  I  found  that  there  was  no  small  boat  near,  but  only  a 
company  of  twenty  or  thirty  persons  looking  on  us  from 
the  mandarin  vessel.  I  almost  involuntarily  bowed  to 
them;  they  graciously  returned  the  salutation;  the  boat 
was  put  about,  and  we  were  gone  again  upon  our  course 
without  remark  or  hindrance !  Our  character  was  now  of 
course  established,  by  having  passed  successfully  these 
outer  guards,  and  about  three  P.M.  we  took  up  our  place 
at  Tan-T'oo  without  inquiry  made,  among  the  boats  of  the 
Imperial  soldiers.  As  the  day  was  Saturday,  I  resolved 
to  spend  the  Sabbath  at  Tan-T'oo,  and  here  my  com 
panion  and  myself  (he  was  then  considerably  interested  in 
the  gospel,  and  is  now  a  professing  Christian  and  assistant- 
preacher  in  the  hospital  of  the  London  Mission  at  Shang- 
hae)  on  Saturday  afternoon  and  the  whole  of  Sabbath 
had  a  full  opportunity  of  making  known  the  truth  and 


430  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1855-58. 

distributing  books  both  among  the  inhabitants  of  the 
town  and  the  mandarin  soldiers,  who  were  congregated 
to  the  number  of  some  thousands  in  it.  No  one  seemed 
to  wonder  at  our  visit,  or  to  suspect  that  we  had  any 
design  of  going  among  the  insurgents.  Indeed  the  people 
were  afraid  to  allude  to  the  insurgent  party  at  all.  The 
town  had  been  already  in  their  hands  and  might  soon  be 
so  again.  Our  boatmen,  who  had  been  prevailed  on  to 
come  thus  far,  now  obstinately  refused  to  proceed  farther. 
We  had  often  reasoned  with  them  on  the  subject;  but,  to 
cut  the  matter  short,  the  head-man  (there  were  three  boat 
men),  on  our  getting  moored  at  Tan-Too  said,  somewhat 
curtly,  '  Now,  if  you  want  to  go  to  Nanking,  you  can  get 
out  and  walk.'  No  offer  of  reward  would  induce  them 
to  go  a  step  further.  They  said  it  was  just  possible  that 
we  might  get  to  Nanking  alive;  but  that  I,  and  still  more 
they,  could  not  hope  to  return.  Their  boat  would  be  lost, 
&c.;  but  it  was  said,  'You  will  be  remunerated.'  They 
replied,  '  Of  what  use  will  money  be  when  we  have  lost  our 
lives?'  Finding  them  thus  decided,  and  seeing  no  other 
way  open  consistently  with  truth  and  integrity,  I  arrived 
unwillingly  at  the  conclusion  that,  if  after  the  Sabbath 
was  past,  circumstances  wore  the  same  aspect,  this  attempt 
to  reach  the  insurgents  must  be  abandoned.  I  had  asked 
the  boatmen  where  they  would  propose  to  go  in  case  of 
not  proceeding  farther  towards  Nanking.  They  replied, 
'We  will  return  to  Shanghae  by  the  Great  Canal '  (literally, 
as  they  call  it,  '  Transport-provision-River').  This  course 
recommended  itself  as  second  best,  if  the  original  one 
must  be  abandoned;  and  so,  early  on  Monday  morning, 


J&t.  40-43-]  THE    GREAT    CANAL.  43 1 

finding  the  way  to  Nanking  closed,  we  passed  through  Tan- 
Too  into  the  Great  Canal  on  our  homeward  route.  In 
entering  the  canal  we  had  to  pass  a  custom-house,  but  a 
bow  to  the  officials  from  our  boat,  coupled  no  doubt  with 
the  thought  that  if  we  had  come  too  far  from  home,  we 
were  at  any  rate  now  turning  the  head  homewards — this 
sufficed  to  gain  us  a  free  entrance.  We  now  went  on  to 
the  district  city  of  Tan-yang,  distant  about  twenty  miles. 
We  were  examined  at  the  custom-house  as  we  arrived,  and 
such  a  visit  from  a  foreigner  seemed  to  excite  surprise. 
We  were  however  going,  as  every  one  could  see,  in  the 
right  direction  (Shanghae),  and  had  come  from  an  unsus 
pected  quarter,  Tan-Too;  thus  we  were  allowed  to  pass, 
and  a  present  of  books  was  received  with  politeness.  After 
passing  a  little  farther  along  the  canal,  which  skirts  I 
believe  the  south  and  east  of  the  city,  we  brought  to  near 
the  south  gate,  and  from  the  boats  and  the  population  on 
shore  were  soon  surrounded  by  a  large  crowd,  eager  to 
look  at  the  foreigner  (an  uncommon  sight  in  these  parts), 
and  also  to  get  possession  of  the  books  we  were  distri 
buting.  At  this  time  I  had  but  an  imperfect  knowledge 
of  the  Shanghae  colloquial,  and  that  would  but  poorly 
serve  here,  owing  to  a  difference  of  dialect.  Still  I  could 
say  a  few  things  which  they  understood — their  anxiety  to 
comprehend  no  doubt  quickening  their  apprehension.  I 
would  have  got  on  to  all  appearance  well  in  this  work, 
but  a  drawback  arose  through  the  uninvited  assistance  of 
a  number  of  Canton  men — soldiers  or  followers  of  military 
officers  from  the  south.  Having  some  greater  acquaint 
ance  with  foreigners  than  the  natives  of  the  locality,  and 


432  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1855-58. 

finding  I  could  converse  with  them  in  their  own  dialect, 
they  were  too  officious  in  their  friendship  to  me,  as  well 
as  harsh  and  overbearing  to  the  crowds  who  pressed 
forward  to  get  books.  To  avoid  the  crowd,  they  almost 
forced  me  on  board  one  of  their  mandarin  boats;  but  I 
had  hardly  got  on  board  until  the  crowd  pressed  after  us 
down  the  sloping  bank,  and  by  the  pressure  behind,  those 
next  to  the  water  were  in  danger  of  getting  a  plunge.  One 
man  went  down,  and  on  seeing  this  I  rushed  on  shore, 
and  with  some  effort  regained  a  position  on  the  level 
ground.  Perhaps  it  w,as  on  account  of  this  little  confusion, 
that  when  I  got  to  our  boat  I  found  that  some  people 
had  been  there  from  the  mandarin's  office  requesting  that 
we  should  remove  farther  off  from  the  city.  The  boat 
men  wished  to  get  quite  away;  but  after  moving  on  to 
near  the  east  gate,  they  consented  to  bring  to  there  for  the 
night.  The  following  morning  I  went  on  shore  with 
books,  and  walked  along  the  bank  of  the  canal  by  the 
foot  of  the  city  wall  towards  the  south  gate,  where  we  had 
been  the  previous  day.  Here  I  was  met  by  a  kind  of 
policeman,  who  asked  me  what  my  object  was  in  coming, 
and  said  the  district  magistrate  wished  to  know.  Having 
had  little  previous  acquaintance  with  Chinese  mandarins, 
and  having  a  good  supply  of  books,  I  said  that  if  the 
mandarin  wished  to  make  any  inquiries  about  me,  I  would 
be  happy  to  go  in  person  with  him  to  his  office.  He  said 
this  would  be  still  better,  and  so  we  walked  on,  in  by  the 
gate,  through  streets  and  fields,  and  at  last  to  the  office. 
I  did  not  see  the  magistrate,  but  great  numbers  of  people 
collected,  both  officials  and  people  from  the  town,  and  to 


^Et.  40-43.]  PARLEY   WITH    THE   AUTHORITIES.  433 

them,  while  in  waiting,  I  had  opportunity  of  giving  books 
and  saying  a  few  words  in  regard  to  the  first  principles  of 
divine  truth.  After  some  delay,  one  or  two  of  the  magi 
strate's  assistants  came  out  to  inspect  me,  and  having  asked 
through  the  policeman  who  brought  me  there,  whether  I 
was  willing  to  leave  their  city,  the  same  policeman  con 
ducted  me  through  the  city  by  another  route  to  the  east 
gate,  and  so  back  to  our  boat.  It  seemed  for  the  moment 
that  the  matter  was  ended,  and  that  we  had  nothing  to  do 
but  to  go  on  our  way  peaceably;  but  after  a  short  time 
the  original  policeman  and  one  or  two  more  came  and 
asked  my  companion  (he  had  not  been  with  me  in  the 
city,  I  was  alone)  to  go  on  shore  as  they  wanted  to  speak 
to  him.  He  was  about  to  go,  when  I  became  alarmed, 
and  said  to  them  that  if  any  one  was  to  be  beaten  (signing 
to  that  effect)  it  was  I  and  not  he,  and  that  if  he  went  I 
must  go  also.  They  said  there  was  no  fear  of  that,  and 
that  if  I  went  also  it  would  be  better.  I  got  some  books 
and  we  went  ashore  outside  the  east  gate.  In  a  small 
hall  we  found  an  assistant  magistrate  seated  in  full  dress 
waiting  for  us.  We  were  called  to  sit  together  at  his  left 
hand,  the  place  of  honour,  and  he  proceeded  to  ask  at 
my  companion  about  me  and  our  objects  in  coming.  In 
answer  to  the  inquiry  who  I  was,  we  put  down  in  writing 
that  I  was  a  disciple  of  Jesus  and  a  publisher  of  [His] 
religion.  He  saw  I  was  a  foreigner,  but  never  thought  of 
asking  to  what  particular  country  I  belonged,  and  in 
writing  we  did  not  think  of  making  reference  to  this.1 
He  said  with  Chinese  politeness,  that  as  on  the  way  to 

1  I  always  told  I  was  an  Englishman. 

2  E 


434  LIFE    OF    REV>    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1855-58. 

Shanghae  people  might  give  us  trouble,  an  escort  would 
be  sent  with  us !  and  that  they  would  very  soon  be  ready 
to  set  out.  I  expressed  the  hope  that  they  would  not 
prevent  us  from  distributing  our  books.  He  said  that  full 
liberty  would  be  given  us  to  do  this.  We  then  returned 
to  our  boat,  the  original  policeman  and  another  remaining 
on  board  to  see  that  we  did  not  get  out  of  sight.  We 
should  have  remained  here  until  our  escort  was  ready,  but 
the  poor  people  were  so  clamorous  for  books  that  the  ire 
of  the  old  policeman  was  aroused,  and  at  last,  when  all 
other  means  failed,  he  ordered  the  boatman  to  move  on 
for  about  a  mile  or  so  from  the  city.  All  the  way  we  were 
followed  on  the  banks  by  earnest  applicants  for  books, 
and  it  was  truly  amusing  to  see  the  policeman  at  one  time 
chiding  and  remonstrating  with  the  people  for  thus  follow 
ing  us,  and  then  once  or  twice  when  his  eye  fell  on  an 
acquaintance  among  the  applicants,  his  zeal  for  his  office 
was  forgotten,  and  he  came  in  to  get  from  us  a  large  book 
for  his  friend!  At  last  when  we  had  got  to  a  considerable 
distance  from  the  city,  the  evening  was  falling,  and  as  we 
had  neither  wine  nor  opium  for  the  policeman,  he  thought 
of  going  back  to  the  city,  got  his  arms  full  of  books  for 
his  friends  and  left  us.  Poor  man !  he  had  not  gone  far, 
we  were  told,  until  the  people  mobbed  him  and  took  his 
books  from  him.  The  sight  of  this  poor  people,  so  eager 
to  get  our  books,  but  alas !  so  little  able  to  understand 
them,  was  fitted  to  affect  the  heart.  May  the  day  soon 
come  when  the  Christian  teacher  shall  have  liberty  to  go 
and  make  known  to  them  fully  the  love  of  God  in  the  gift 
of  His  Son  for  sinners,  and  the  power  of  the  blood  of 


JEt.  40-43.]  SCRAMBLE    FOR    BOOKS.  435 

Jesus  to  cleanse  from  all  sin.  After  the  policeman  left  us 
we  had  still  many  applicants  for  books;  our  boatmen 
moved  on,  and  in  their  eagerness  to  gain  their  object, 
several  from  time  to  time  went  into  the  water  and  swam 
to  our  boat  (a  distance  of  only  a  yard  or  two).  But  how 
could  you  give  a  book  to  a  man  who  had  to  swim  with  it 
on  shore?  the  book,  one  would  think,  must  get  wet.  But 
nay,  the  Chinese  are  in  many  things  singular;  here  was  a 
new  expedient.  The  swimmer  got  his  book,  placed  it  on 
his  brow,  made  it  firm  there  by  his  tail  tied  round  his 
head,  and  swam  to  the  bank !  As  it  was  becoming  dark 
we  reached  a  market-town  extending  for  some  distance  on 
both  sides  of  the  canal,  and  here  no  sooner  had  we  arrived 
than  our  coming  became  known  (I  know  not  how),  and 
from  that  moment  onward  until  our  stock  of  books  was 
more  than  two-thirds  exhausted,  we  were  beset  by  crowds 
of  applicants,  and  among  them  a  larger  number  than 
usual  of  respectable  people,  and  even  several  Buddhist 
priests.  It  was  well  nigh  midnight  when  our  escort — two 
retainers  of  the  mandarin's  office — made  up  to  us  here  in 
their  boat.  They  seemed  alarmed  lest  we  should  have 
got  beyond  their  reach,  and  were  proportionably  glad  to 
find  us  here  quietly  waiting  them.  We  were  glad  also 
that  our  book  distribution  had  advanced  so  rapidly  during 
the  short  respite  allowed  us.  Our  escort  were  intelligent 
men,  and  conversed  with  us  at  length  in  our  boat  before 
going  to  rest  in  their  own.  Next  day  we  moved  on  to  the 
inferior  department  city  of  Chang-chow,  where  our  escort 
was  changed,  those  from  Tan-yang  returning  home,  and 
two  from  Chang-chow  accompanying  us  to  the  next 


436  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1855-58. 

city,  viz.  the  district  city  of  Woo-seih,  like  Chang-chow 
situated  on  the  banks  of  the  Great  Canal.  Here  again 
our  conductors  gave  place  to  others,  or  rather,  I  think,  to 
one  only,  who  the  following  day  accompanied  us  to  the 
famed  city  of  Soo-chow,  the  allusion  to  which  in  the 
newspaper  you  have  sent  me  has  given  occasion  for  this 
unusually  long  narrative.  The  stage  from  Woo-seih  to 
Soo-chow  was  rather  longer  than  usual,  and  the  afternoon 
was  so  advanced  when  we  reached  one  of  the  principal 
city  gates,  that  our  escort  was  just  in  time  to  get  in  before 
the  gate  was  shut.  In  the  former  times  of  China's  peace, 
and  Soo-chow's  famed  grandeur,  the  gates  would  not  shut 
so  early  as  now,  when  the  sound  of  rebellion  is  heard  so 
near  as  at  Nanking  arid  Chin-keang.  It  was  in  passing 
through  a  long  suburb  on  our  way  to  the  city  gate  that 
we  had  an  opportunity  of  witnessing,  in  the  many  gaily 
decorated  pleasure-boats  we  passed,  evidence  at  once  of 
the  wealth  and  the  moral  pollution  of  this  famed  city.  It 
was  during  this  transit,  too,  that  in  this  crowded  street  of 
4 Vanity  Fair'  we  distributed  the  word  of  life  in  the  form 
of  tracts  and  copies  of  the  Scripture.  Our  escort,  on  this 
occasion  an  old  man,  not  so  lettered  as  some  of  his 
predecessors,  was  most  diligent  in  this  work,  aiding  us  in 
it  as  if  for  this  alone  he  had  been  sent.  Some  came  in 
boats  to  get  books,  and  some  reached  out  with  bamboo 
basket-hooks  from  their  doors  and  windows  opening  to 
the  canal.  (These  basket-hooks  they  use  for  picking  up 
things  from  the  water.)  This,  alas!  was  all  that  we  were 
able  to  do  at  Soo-chow;  others  have  been  able  to  make  a 
somewhat  longer  stay,  and  to  do  more,  and  the  time  is 


JEt.  40-43.]  RETURN    TO    SHANGHAE.  437 

coming  fast,  we  trust,  when  Soo-chow,  like  Corinth,  will 
receive  the  gospel,  and  many  of  its  people  exchange  their 
luxuries  for  higher  and  more  enduring  pleasures,  being 
'  washed  and  sanctified  and  justified  in  the  name  of  the 
Lord  Jesus,  and  by  the  Spirit  of  our  God.' 

"Here  I  might  close  this  narrative,  but  as  the  sequel 
embraces  some  circumstances  possessed  of  a  certain 
interest,  and  which  I  have  never  till  now  alluded  to  in 
writing,  I  shall  proceed  with  the  remainder  as  briefly  as  I 
can.  As  I  have  mentioned  above,  our  escort  reached 
Soo-chow  just  in  time  to  get  into  the  city  before  the 
gates  closed.  It  was  perhaps  on  this  account  that  some 
delay  had  taken  place  in  appointing  those  who  were  to 
succeed,  and  next  morning,  when  the  usual  hour  for  start 
ing  had  passed,  no  escort  appeared.  Our  boatmen  did 
not  think  it  needful  to  wait  any  longer,  and  moved  on 
leaving  them  to  follow.  We  felt  the  rather  free  to  do  this 
as  the  day  was  Saturday,  and  on  the  previous  day  we  had 
told  our  escort  that  on  the  following  day,  the  Christian 
Sabbath,  we  would  not  travel,  but  rest  at  K'wan-shan,  the 
next  city  on  our  way,  and  the  only  other  we  had  to  pass 
before  reaching  Shanghae.  Moving  on  we  arrived  at 
K'wan-shan  early  in  the  afternoon,  and  spent  the  re 
mainder  of  the  day,  and  also  the  whole  of  the  Sabbath,  in 
preaching  and  book  distribution  outside  two  of  the  city 
gates.  No  escort  appeared,  we  did  not  regret  their 
absence,  and  on  Monday  morning  we  left  for  Shanghae, 
where  we  arrived  on  Tuesday  with  no  other  event  than 
that  on  the  night  previous  we  had  a  visit  from  thieves, 
who,  at  the  place  where  we  had  to  bring  to,  frequently 


438  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1855-58. 

take  advantage  of  the  shallowness  of  the  water  to  pilfer 
from  boats.  The  head  boatman  knew  our  danger,  and 
enjoined  on  all  to  sleep  wakefully,  never  proposing  how 
ever  that  we  should  watch  in  turns.  For  a  while  we  were 
wakeful,  but  then  we  all  slept,  and  no  one  awoke  until 
both  the  boatmen  and  ourselves  had  been  partly  robbed. 
We  had  been  absent  a  fortnight  from  Shanghae,  and 
returned  rejoicing  in  the  Lord's  mercy  throughout  our 
journey,  and  not  least  in  this  that  the  mandarin  officers 
had  (as  we  supposed)  ceased  to  follow  us,  and  so  per 
mitted  us  to  end  it  peacefully.  Soon  after,  I  again  set  out 
to  another  part  of  the  country,  ready  to  forget  the  matter 
as  one  of  the  things  that  were  'behind,'  but  on  returning 
to  Shanghae,  I  was  informed  by  missionary  brethren  that 
the  Taow-T'ae,  the .  highest  civil  authority,  had  been  in 
search  of  me.  He  had  sent  communications  to  all  the 
foreign  consuls  complaining  of  a  foreigner  who  had 
wandered  up  in  the  direction  of  Chin-keang,  &c.  The 
communication  sent  down  about  me  from  Tan-yang  was 
defective  in  this,  that  it  gave  no  hint  to  what  nation  I 
belonged.  I  was  described  of  course  by  a  Chinese  name 
and  surname,  and  this  in  itself  could  to  a  foreign  consul 
give  almost  no  clue  to  the  party  intended ;  besides,  I  had 
been  but  a  few  days  in  Shanghae  when  I  set  out,  and  the 
English  consul  neither  knew  of  my  being  in  Shanghae, 
nor  of  my  having  gone  on  this  journey;  and  to  crown  all, 
the  escort,  trusting  I  suppose  to  the  papers  they  carried 
for  my  discovery,  had  failed  to  conduct  me  to  Shanghae, 
and  knew  nothing  as  to  where  I  lodged.  There  was  no 
clue  to  the  real  person,  and  all  the  consuls  answered 


jEt.  40-43-]  TROUBLES    WITH    OFFICIALS.  439 

that  they  knew  of  no  such  person  as  the  one  spoken  of. 
Where  was  he?  let  the  Taow-T'ae  point  him  out.  After 
this  answer  had  been  given  and  the  matter  was  over,  the 
British  consul  learned  from  one  of  the  missionaries  who 
was  the  person  intended,  and  I  received  through  the  same 
channel  a  verbal  message  to  be  wary  about  going  to  such 
places  in  these  times  of  rebellion.  Here  the  matter 
seemed  to  end,  but  it  was  not  yet  so.  I  had  again  gone 
into  the  country,  and  on  my  return  was  surprised  to  be 
told  by  Mr.  Wylie  of  the  London  Mission  Press  that  a 
few  days  before  two  men  had  been  seeking  me,  and  that 
they  wished  my  aid  in  getting  out  of  prison  the  son  of  one 
of  them,  who  with  another  police-runner  had  been  put  in 
prison  at  K^wan-shan  for  failing  to  conduct  me  to 
Shanghae.  The  matter  evidently  stood  thus  :  The  Taow- 
T'ae  having  failed  in  his  efforts  to  discover  who  I  was, 
had  given  orders  for  the  arrest  of  the  men  whose  duty  it 
was  to  come  with  me  to  Shanghae,  and  to  know  where  I 
could  be  found.  With  a  view  to  their  release,  the  father 
of  one  of  them  came  to  Shanghae,  and  through  a  native 
printer  who  was  acquainted  with  Mr.  Wylie,  inquired  of 
him  whether  he  knew  anything  of  the  person  alluded  to. 
'Yes,'  said  Mr.  Wylie.  'He  stays  here  when  he  is  in 
Shanghae,  but  at  present  he  is  in  the  country.'  On  learn 
ing  this  from  Mr.  Wylie,  we  at  once  sent  for  the  printer. 
He  was  absent  from  the  city  at  the  time,  but  when  he 
returned  he  found  me  out  in  the  boat  in  which  I  had  then 
located  myself,  sometimes  being  at  Shanghae,  and  some 
times  at  other  places.  He  said  that  in  order  to  the 
release  of  those  in  confinement,  it  was  necessary  that  I 


440  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1855-58. 

should  be  found,  and  be  conducted,  he  supposed,  as  I 
originally  should  have  been,  to  the  English  consul's  office. 
It  seemed  now  as  if  I  must  be  brought  into  trouble  from 
which  I  had  thought  that  I  had  most  mercifully  escaped. 
I  felt  however  that  there  was  no  course  open  but  the  one 
suggested,  and  accordingly,  in  company  with  the  father  of 
the  prisoner  and  the  printer,  his  friend,  I  went  directly  to 
the  office  of  the  Taow-T'ae.  My  companions  went -in  to 
make  known  the  matter,  and  soon  returned  to  say  that 
they  had  been  told  that  this  was  not  the  place  for  a 
foreigner  to  come  to,  *and  that  if  I  had  anything  to  say 
I  must  go  to  the  English  consul.  In  reply  to  this,  I 
informed  them  that  I  had  no  business  at  the  consul's,  as 
he  now  knew  who  I  was,  and  where  I  was  to  be  found, 
and  that  our  coming  here  was  no  matter  of  mine,  but 
concerned  solely  the  men  in  confinement,  in  order  to 
whose  release  it  was  supposed  that  I  must  be  found  and 
made  over  to  the  English  consul.  I  was  now  on  the  spot 
and  was  ready  to  go  with  them,  if  it  was  desired,  to  the 
consul.  They  agreed  to  the  justness  of  this  view  of  the 
case,  and  said  that  the  proper  parties  would  go  with  me 
as  soon  as  the  papers  necessary  in  the  case  had  been  got 
ready.  While  these  were  getting  ready  I  had  to  wait  for 
a  long  time  in  a  side  room,  and  here  among  many  of 
the  sub-officials  I  had  a  good  opportunity  of  distributing 
Christian  books,  and  speaking  of  the  gospel  message. 
At  last,  the  delay  was  so  long  that  I  saw  it  would  soon  be 
too  late  to  find  the  consul  in  his  office,  and  I  returned  to 
my  boat,  having  agreed  that  next  morning  they  should  call 
for  me  on  the  way.  I  had  however  reached  my  boat  but 


yEt.  40-43.]  THE    PLAIN    OF    SHANGHAE.  441 

a  short  time,  when  the  printer  came  with  sorrow  to  tell 
me  that  he  found  my  going  to  the  consul's  would  be  of 
no  use ;  that  as  usual,  what  was  wanted  was  money,  and 
that  when  this  was  forthcoming,  the  men  would  be 
released,  but  not  sooner!1  His  friend,  the  father  of  one 
of  the  men,  was  now  going  home  to  try  and  make  up  the 
sum  needed.  He  made  no  application  to  me  for  aid,  and 
since  then  I  have  heard  nothing  more  of  the  matter. 
Thus  ended  my  attempt  to  reach  the  insurgent  camp  at 
Nanking.  To  me,  in  how  much  mercy,  but,  alas !  not  with 
out  suffering  brought  upon  others  on  my  account.  It  was 
a  signal  mercy  in  the  case  that  the  Sabbath  had  intervened, 
and  that  we  had  spent  it  not  in  journeying  but  in  preach 
ing  publicly  at  K'wan-shan.  Had  it  been  otherwise,  it 
might  have  been  said  with  some  appearance  of  truth  that 
we  had  purposely  eluded  the  mandarin  escort,  and  so 
brought  trouble  on  them  which  belonged  of  right  to  our 
selves." 

For  the  next  six  months  he  continued  to  make  his 
head-quarters  at  Shanghae,  from  which  as  a  centre  he 
made  frequent  and  extensive  excursions  amongst  the 
towns  and  villages  around.  Living  for  the  most  part  in 
his  boat,  and  following  leisurely  the  course  of  the  canals 
and  rivers  which  here  spread  like  a  net-work  over  the 
whole  face  of  the  country,  he  scattered  far  and  near  the 
precious  seed  over  a  rich  and  fertile  region,  which,  with 
the  contiguous  plain  of  Ningpo  to  the  south,  may  be  well 
described  as  the  very  garden  of  China.  Stretching  out 
in  an  unbroken  expanse  for  twenty  or  thirty  miles  from 
1  I  suppose  the  Taow-  T*ae  never  heard  of  the  matter. 


442  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1855-53. 

the  sea-board  to  the  hills,  "one  vast  rice-field,"  dotted 
over  with  towns  and  villages,  and  with  dark  clumps  of 
mulberry-trees — with  the  white  or  brown  sails  of  innumer 
able  river  craft  everywhere  in  sight  moving  over  the 
tranquil  land — it  is  rapturously  described  by  travellers  as 
the  very  picture  of  smiling  plenty,  teeming  population,  and 
peaceful  industry.  It  is  thus  described  by  Mr.  Fortune, 
as  seen  by  him,  in  the  summer  of  this  same  year,  from  the 
summit  of  a  wooded  hill  near  the  city  of  Hoo-chow  at 
its  western  margin:  "It  was  a  lovely  evening — the  iSth 
of  June — the  sun  was  just  setting  behind  the  high  moun 
tain  range  to  the  westward,  and  although  the  day  had 
been  oppressively  \varm,  the  air  was  now  comparatively 
cool  and  enjoyable.  I  was  in  the  midst  of  most  charm 
ing  scenery,  and  although  only  about  two  miles  distant 
from  a  crowded  and  bustling  city  everything  was  perfectly 
quiet  and  still.  Overhead  the  rooks  were  seen  returning 
home  for  the  day,  and  here  and  there  on  a  solitary  bush, 
or  in  a  grove  of  trees,  the  songsters  of  the  woods  were 
singing  their  last  and  evening  song  of  praise.  Mulberry- 
trees,  with  their  large  rich  green  leaves,  were  observed  in  all 
directions,  and  the  plantations  extended  all  over  the  low 
country  and  up  to  the  foot  of  the  hills.  The  hills  here 
were  low  and  isolated,  and  appeared  as  if  they  had  been 
thrown  out  as  guards  between  the  vast  plain  which  ex 
tends  eastward  to  the  sea,  and  the  mountains  of  the  west. 
For  the  most  part  they  were  covered  with  natural  forests 
and  brushwood,  and  did  not  appear  to  have  ever  been 
under  cultivation.  In  some  parts  their  sides  were  steep 
— almost  perpendicular— while  in  others  their  slope  was 


JEt.  40-43.]  THE    GARDEN    OF    CHINA.  443 

gentle  from  their  base  to  the  summit.  Here  and  there 
some  rugged-looking  granite  rocks  reared  their  heads 
above  the  trees,  and  were  particularly  striking. 

"Looking  to  the  hills,  there  all  was  nature  pure  and 
unadorned,  just  as  it  had  come  from  the  hands  of  the 
Creator;  but  when  the  eye  rested  on  the  cultivated  plain, 
on  the  rich  mulberry  plantations,  on  the  clear  and  beauti 
ful  canals  studded  with  white  sails,  the  contrast  was 
equally  striking,  and  told  a  tale  of  a  teeming  population, 
of  wealth  and  industry." 

Had  the  traveller  stood  there  two  months  after,  one  of 
the  white  sails  he  saw  might  have  been  that  of  the  devoted 
missionary  unweariedly  pursuing  his  sacred  calling,  amid 
the  crowds  of  other  voyagers  "running  to  and  fro"  along 
those  shining  pathways  on  other  errands.  But  his  eye 
rested  not  upon  the  opulent  beauty  of  the  land,  but  upon 
the  homes  of  its  people,  over  whom  his  heart  yearned,  as 
he  saw  them  wholly  given  to  the  cares  of  the  present  life, 
or  to  vain  idolatrous  rites  which  blindly  pointed  to  another. 
"Remember  me,"  says  he,  "from  this  place,  in  the  midst 
of  a  people  of  a  strange  tongue,  and  yet  as  if  at  home,  to 
all  who  love  the  Lord  Jesus  and  seek  the  coming  of  his 
kingdom  and  the  gathering  in  of  his  elect  ones  in  China. 
O  let  such  pray  for  us !  Ye  that  make  mention  of  the 
Lord  keep  not  silence,  and  give  Him  no  rest  until  He 
establish  and  make  Jerusalem  a  praise  in  the  whole  earth." 

The  following  extracts  will  give  a  still  more  distinct 
idea  of  the  nature  of  his  labours  at  this  time : — 

"December  13^,  1855. — I  write  these  lines  on  board  a  river- 
boat,  which  has  been  my  principal  habitation  during  the  past 


444  LIFE    OF    REV-    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1855-58. 

three  months,  and  in  which  I  returned  to  this  place  on 
Monday  last,  after  an  absence  in  the  surrounding  country  of 
twenty-six  days.  I  was  accompanied  by  a  native  professing 
Christian,  received  into  the  visible  church  during  the  present 
year,  and  now  employed  to  circulate  the  Scriptures  in  con 
nection  with  the  Million  Testament  Scheme.  We  visited 
several  market-towns,  the  names  of  which  I  need  hardly 
trouble  you  with,  remaining  one  or  two  days  at  places  of 
smaller  importance,  and  for  a  full  week  at  one  place,  Fung- 
king  (or  Maple-tree  Creek),  where  a  foreigner  had  hardly 
been  seen,  and  where  the  interest  felt  in  our  message  was 
rather  greater  than  usual.  Two  or  three  came  to  our  boat  to 
pray  with  us,  and  at  on£  time  I  almost  hoped  that  the  anxiety 
of  the  people  would  have  detained  us  for  a  longer  time.  We 
spent  a  few  days  also  at  the  city  of  Tung-keang,  about  thirty 
miles  from  Shanghae,  and  frequently  visited  by  missionaries, 
as  well  as  by  the  foreign  community  generally ;  but  here  we 
found  but  little  encouragement,  and  the  rabble  were  even 
inclined  to  use  us  a  little  unceremoniously.  The  last  place  we 
visited  was  a  market-town,  Min-hang,  about  halfway  between 
Hun-keang  and  Shanghae,  and  here  we  were  prepared  to 
meet  with  less  attention  than  usual,  as  the  place  is  often 
trodden  by  foreign  feet,  and  there  are  few  among  the  mis 
sionaries,  I  suppose,  who  have  not  been  there.  However,  in 
this  case  our  fears  were  disappointed  and  our  hopes  much 
more  than  exceeded,  for  during  the  Saturday  and  Sabbath 
which  we  spent  at  this  place,  we  had  usually  large  and  atten 
tive  audiences,  and  on  the  Sabbath  evening,  when  it  was 
getting  dark,  we  still  continued  to  preach  to  an  engaged 
audience,  with  whom  at  the  close  I  felt  at  liberty  to  join  in 
public  prayer  to  the  living  and  true  God  in  the  name  of  Jesus. 
It  is  not  generally  our  custom  thus  to  pray  with  the  people, 
preaching  as  we  do  in  the  public  street,  £c.,  and  alas !  too 
frequently  to  a  people  not  prepared  to  join  in  spirit  with  us." 

Now  and   then  the  peculiarity  of  the  circumstances 
would  impart  a  certain  tinge  of  romance  to  the  scene. 


JEt.  40-43.]  SERMON    BY   TORCH-LIGHT.  445 

That  strange  sermon,  for  instance,  under  cloud  of  night, 
in  a  lone  inland  village,  by  the  light  of  lanterns,  suggests  a 
picture  singularly  vivid  and  striking : — 

"When  it  was  dark  we  halted  for  the  night  at  Chung-too- 
keaon  (or  Passage-for- all- Bridge),  where  there  are  but  a  few 
houses,  and  where  we  little  thought  of  finding  a  congregation. 
However,  we  had  hardly  halted  before  we  were  arrested  by 
the  sound  of  a  multitude  of  voices  as  of  a  crowd  dispersing, 
and  were  informed  that  there  had  been  a  stage-play  going  on 
of  an  unusually  immoral  kind,  and  that  the  people  had  now 
dispersed,  so  that  it  was  too  late  to  reach  them.  However, 
we  went  ashore,  and  although  the  mass  of  these  poor  heathens 
were  gone,  we  still  found  as  many  as  we  could  address  with 
effect,  lingering  about  the  gambling  and  eating  house.  The 
people  had  their  lanterns  and  we  had  ours,  and,  amid  the 
darkness  thus  broken,  we  addressed  a  multitude  of  precious 
souls,  assisted  graciously  by  our  God  to  speak  with  more  than 
usual  earnestness  and  liberty  of  speech ;  the  people  also,  as 
if  panic-struck  by  being  overtaken  by  such  a  message  in  such 
circumstances,  listened  with  a  fixed  and  serious  interest.  I 
called  on  them  to  join  with  us  in  prayer  to  the  true  God,  in  the 
name  of  the  Saviour  of  sinners,  that  he  would  deliver  them 
from  their  sins,  and  save  them  from  the  punishment  which 
sin  was  preparing  for  them.  At  the  beginning  of  the  address 
to  God's  throne  there  was  some  noise  of  voices,  but  towards 
the  close  all  was  breathless  stillness.  My  companion  and  I 
were  encouraged  by  thus  meeting,  as  if  by  God's  special 
guidance,  with  opportunities  of  declaring  his  truth  and  calling 
fellow-sinners  to  repentance.  .  ,  . 

"  Twenty-five  miles  from  Shanghae,  January  26th,  1856. — • 
MY  DEAR  MOTHER, — Taking  advantage  of  a  rainy  day  which 
confines  me  to  my  boat,  I  pen  a  few  lines,  in  addition  to  a 
letter  to  Dundee  containing  a  few  particulars  which  I  need 
not  repeat.  It  is  now  forty-one  days  since  I  left  Shanghae  on 
this  last  occasion.  An  excellent  young  English  missionary, 


446  LIFE    OF   REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1855-58. 

Mr.  Taylor,  of  the  Chinese  Evangelization  Society,  has  been 
my  companion  during  these  weeks — he  in  his  boat,  and  I  in 
mine, — and  we  have  experienced  much  mercy,  and  on  some 
occasions  considerable  assistance  in  our  work.  ...  I  must 
once  more  tell  the  story  I  have  had  to  tell  already  more  than 
once,  how  four  weeks  ago,  on  the  2Qth  of  December,  I  put  on 
the  Chinese  dress,  which  I  am  now  wearing.  Mr.  Taylor  had 
made  this  change  a  few  months  before,  and  I  found  that  he 
was  in  consequence  so  much  less  incommoded  in  preaching, 
&c.,  by  the  crowd,  that  I  concluded  that  it  was  my  duty  to  fol 
low  his  example.  We  were  at  that  time  more  than  double  the 
distance  from  Shanghae  that  we  now  are  at,  and  would  have 
been  still  at  as  great  a  distance,  had  we  not  met  at  one  place 
with  a  band  of  lawless  people,  who  demanded  money  and 
threatened  to  break  our  boats  if  their  demands  were  refused. 
The  boatmen  were  very  much  alarmed,  and  insisted  on 
returning  to  some  place  nearer  home.  These  people  had 
previously  broken  in  violently  a  part  of  Mr.  Taylor's  boat 
because  their  unreasonable  demand  for  books  was  not  com 
plied  with.  We  have  a  large,  very  large  field  of  labour  in  this 
region,  though  it  might  be  difficult  in  the  meantime  for  one  to 
establish  himself  in  any  particular  place.  The  people  listen 
with  attention,  but  we  need  the  power  from  on  high  to  con 
vince  and  convert.  Is  there  any  spirit  of  prayer  on  our 
behalf  among  God's  people  in  Kilsyth?  or  is  there  any  effort 
to  seek  this  spirit?  How  great  the  need  is,  and  how  great  the 
arguments  and  motives  for  prayer  in  this  case !  The  harvest 
is  here  indeed  great,  and  the  labourers  are  few  and  imperfectly 
fitted  without  much  grace  for  such  a  work.  And  yet  grace 
can  make  a  few  and  feeble  instruments  the  means  of  ac 
complishing  great  things— things  greater  than  we  can  even 
conceive." 

But  a  field  already  occupied  by  so  many  missionaries, 
and  so  "  often  trodden  by  foreign  feet,"  could  scarcely  be 
an  altogether  congenial  sphere  of  operations  to  one  who 


JEt.  40-43.]  REMOVAL   TO    SWATOW.  447 

felt  himself  especially  called  to  the  work  of  an  evangelistic 
pioneer.  Accordingly,  within  less  than  two  months  from 
the  date  of  the  lines  just  quoted,  he  was  again  on  his  way 
to  another  and  distant  part  of  the  country.  A  Christian 
friend,  Captain  Bowers,  of  the  merchant  ship  the  Gedong, 
had  spoken  in  high  terms  of  Swatow,  a  rising  commercial 
mart  at  the  eastern  extremity  of  the  Canton  province,  and 
the  chief  port  of  the  department  of  Tie-chew,  as  an 
advantageous  centre  for  missionary  operations;  and  being 
himself  about  to  sail  thither,  offered  him  a  free  passage 
should  he  be  disposed  to  go  and  reconnoitre  the  ground. 
An  invitation  coming  to  him  in  this  unsought  and  appar 
ently  providential  way,  and  reaching  him  too  at  a  time 
when  no  special  attachment  bound  him  to  any  other 
sphere,  and  when  he  was  as  it  were  waiting  for  a  summons 
to  some  new  service  from  the  Master,  came  to  him  with  all 
the  force  of  a  divine  call;  and  he  resolved,  after  brief  but 
prayerful  consideration,  to  close  with  it.  It  is  probable 
also  that  he  was  on  other  grounds  not  indisposed  to  turn 
his  face  once  more  towards  the  Canton  district,  where 
seven  years  before  he  had  begun  his  evangelistic  labours 
in  China,  and  which  he  had  been  compelled  reluctantly 
to  leave,  without  having  made  such  full  proof  of  his 
ministry  as  he  had  hoped  and  desired.  He  sailed  from 
Shanghae  early  in  March,  and  reached  Swatow  about  the 
middle  of  that  month.  His  next  date  is  from  that  place, 
March  31,  1856: — 

"Swatow,  March  ^ist,  1856. — When  I  last  wrote  to  you  I 
was  on  the  point  of  leaving  Shanghae  for  this  place  in  com 
pany  with  Mr.  Taylor  of  the  Chinese  Evangelization  Society. 


448  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1855-58. 

We  left  on  the  6th  of  March,  and,  after  a  favourable  passage 
of  six  days,  arrived  here  on  the  I2th.  We  were  very  averse 
to  the  thought  of  being  located  even  temporarily  on  the  island 
(Double  Island),  on  which  some  of  our  countrymen  have, 
by  compact  with  the  local  magistrates,  taken  up  their  head 
quarters,  but  were  anxious,  if  possible,  to  find  a  location  in 
the  Chinese  town  of  Swatow,  which  is  on  a  promontory  of  the 
mainland,  five  English  miles  further  up,  at  the  mouth  of  the 
river  Han.  We  were  apprehensive  lest  we  should  not  be 
permitted  thus  to  locate  ourselves ;  but  in  the  gracious  and 
all-governing  providence  of  our  God  and  Saviour,  we  found 
favour  and  assistance  from  those  whom  we  least  expected  to 
aid  us,  viz.  the  Canton  merchants  here,  who  are  the  agents  or 
correspondents  of  the  foreigners  (our  countrymen)  down  the 
river;  and  two  days  after  our  arrival  we  were,  to  our  own 
surprise  and  joy,  enabled  to  take  possession  of  the  lodging 
which  we  have  since  been  occupying  unmolested.  Our 
lodging  is  not  indeed  large,  being  only  a  small  upper  flat  of  a 
house  occupied  below  as  a  shop ;  but  it  is  sufficient  for  our 
present  wants,  and  we  are  the  more  thankful  for  it  as  of  vacant 
houses  here  there  are  almost  none.  Swatow  is  not  a  very 
large  place,  but  it  is  growing  at  present  very  rapidly,  and  has 
all  the  appearance  of  being  in  a  few  years  a  place  of  great 
importance.  During  the  first  ten  days  after  our  arrival,  the 
Geelong  lay  at  anchor  along  with  another  ship  off  the  town 
discharging  cargo,  and  Captain  Bowers  continued  to  show  us 
the  same  Christian  kindness  which  he  had  manifested  in 
bringing  us  here  free  of  charge.  On  the  two  Sabbaths  that 
occurred  during  these  days,  I  preached  on  board  his  ship, 
and  on  week-day  evenings  also  generally  met  for  worship  with 
him  and  his  crew.  For  the  last  week  they  have  been  down 
at  Double  Island,  and  on  Saturday  (29th)  I  went  down,  and 
yesterday  preached  twice  in  his  ship  to  such  of  our  country 
men  as  chose  to  attend.  The  number  of  ships  at  anchor 
there  was,  as  usual,  nearly  a  dozen,  and  among  their  captains 
and  crews  were  an  unusual  number  of  Scotchmen,  who,  along 


jEt.  40-43.]  FIRST    IMPRESSIONS    OF    SWATOW.  449 

with  others,  came  very  readily  not  only  to  the  forenoon 
service,  but  in  nearly  equal  numbers  to  a  second  meeting  in 
the  evening.  I  felt  it  a  great  privilege  to  be  allowed  to 
preach  the  gospel  in  a  place  where  it  has  been,  as  far  as  we 
know,  seldom  before  proclaimed.  Originally  there  seems  to 
have  been  almost  no  population  in  Double  Island,  but  since 
first  the  opium-ship  captains,  and  afterwards  some  other 
foreign  merchants,  began  to  build  houses  and  to  occupy  it, 
there  has  sprung  up  also  a  small  Chinese  town,  consisting  of 
those  who  live  by  business  which  the  presence  of  the  foreigners 
creates,  or  are  occupied,  alas  !  I  am  forced  to  add,  in  pander 
ing  to  their  unholy  lusts.  Yesterday-week  (on  the  Lord's-day) 
a  Malay  sailor  was  murdered  in  a  quarrel  there ;  and  yester 
day  a  Chinese  woman  was  also  murdered,  and  another  Malay 
sailor  stabbed  dangerously,  if  not  fatally.  The  latter  crime 
was  the  work,  I  understand,  of  a  British  sailor.  Mr.  Taylor 
and  I  are  thankful  indeed  that  we  are  permitted  to  live  apart 
from  a  place  where  such  tragedies  are  enacted,  and  where 
pollution  and  debauchery  seem  to  stalk  abroad  without 
shame ;  but  at  the  same  time  I  shall  feel  it  at  once  a  duty  and 
privilege  to  take  every  opportunity  of  preaching  there  either 
on  ship-board  or  on  shore  while  we  remain  in  the  neighbour 
hood.  Mr.  Taylor  and  myself  came  here  quite  undecided 
whether  we  should  be  able  to  attempt  more  than  simply  to 
make  a  running  visit  for  the  purpose  of  Scripture  and  tract 
distribution  to  the  open  parts  of  the  country ;  but  now  that 
we  see  more  fully  the  importance  of  this  region  as  a  vast  and 
unoccupied  scene  for  missionary  labour,  we  are  anxious, 
before  going  further,  to  prepare  ourselves  for  the  purpose  of 
teaching  the  people  orally  by  acquiring  some  knowledge  of 
their  dialect.  This  is  a  comparatively  easy  work  in  my  case, 
the  dialect  spoken  here  being,  as  I  formerly  mentioned,  very 
similar  to  that  spoken  at  Amoy.  We  have  as  yet  done  very 
little  in  the  way  of  active  labour  among  this  people,  but  would 
pray  that  our  zeal  may  increase  with  our  ability  to  improve 
the  openings  for  usefulness  that  may  be  afforded  us.  We 

2  F 


450  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1855-58. 

have  much  need,  as  every  one  must  see  who  considers  our 
present  position,  of  special  grace  to  support  and  render  us 
useful.  For  this  grace  may  many  be  led  to  pray,  that  for  the 
gift  bestowed  on  us  by  the  means  of  many  persons,  thanks 
may  be  afterwards  given  by  many  in  our  behalf,  should  it 
please  the  God  of  grace  to  preserve  us  in  his  truth  and  love, 
and  make  us  a  means  of  blessing  to  some  of  these  dying 
millions." 

While  the  aspect  of  the  field  in  a  moral  and  spiritual 
point  of  view  was  thus  at  first  by  no  means  encouraging, 
the  representations  given  to  him  of  its  great  importance 
had  not  been  exaggerated.  Situated  on  a  narrow  channel 
connecting  two  wide  and  spacious  basins,  the  one  running 
into  the  land  and  the  other  opening  out  to  the  sea,  Swatow 
possesses  all  the  advantages  of  a  convenient  and  commodi 
ous  commercial  centre.  Behind  it  is  an  extensive,  opulent, 
and  densely  peopled  district,  for  whose  produce  and  enter 
prise  it  affords  a  natural  outlet;  while  before  it  lies  the 
direct  and  open  pathway  to  all  the  commerce  of  the  world. 
At  about  five  miles'  distance,  near  the  entrance  of  the  outer 
harbour,  is  the  subordinate  port  and  foreign  station  of 
Double  Island,  affording  a  convenient  anchorage  for 
vessels  approaching  either  from  the  north  or  from  the 
south.  As  a  commercial  mart  it  is  only  of  recent  forma 
tion,  but  has  been  rapidly  growing  in  wealth  and  import 
ance,  and  was  two  years  after  this  advanced  to  a  new 
position,  by  being  placed  by  treaty  amongst  the  number 
of  the  ports  legally  open  to  foreign  residence  and  foreign 
traffic.  It  is,  far  more  than  even  Hong-Kong  or  Canton,  the 
true  key  to  the  whole  district  south  of  Amoy,  from  which 
it  is  distant  along  the  coast-line  about  150  miles. 


^Et.  40-43.]         DISCOURAGING   ASPECT    OF   THE    FIELD.          45 1 

The  prospect,  however,  of  a  prosperous  entrance  into 
this  new  and  untried  field  did  not  at  first  on  further  trial 
become  more  promising.  Three  months  after,  Mr.  Burns 
was  as  it  were  still  endeavouring  in  vain  to  effect  a  landing 
on  what  seemed  an  iron-bound  and  inhospitable  shore. 

"At  Nan-yang,  ten  miles  from  Swatow,  July  i6th,  1856. — 
During  the  last  fortnight  I  have  been  moving  from  place  to 
place,  making  known  the  gospel  message  and  distributing 
tracts,  &c.,  in  company  with  two  professing  Christians,  natives 
of  this  district,  who  came  up  from  Hong- Kong  fully  a  month 
ago,  sent  by  Mr.  Johnson,  an  American  missionary,  to  co 
operate  with  us.  Previously  to  their  coming,  I  had  been  out 
on  a  missionary  tour  accompanied  by  a  servant  only.  Mr. 
Taylor  having  occupied  himself  in  learning  the  dialect  of  this 
district  since  our  arrival  at  Swatow,  left  us  a  fortnight  ago  for 
Shanghae,  intending,  if  the  Lord  will,  to  return  in  the  course 
of  a  month  or  two,  and  bringing  with  him  his  medical 
apparatus,  use  his  knowledge  of  medicine  for  the  purpose  of 
opening  a  door  for  more  regular  missionary  operations  among 
the  people.  Had  we  obtained  a  place  suitable  for  indoor 
preaching  at  Swatow,  I  would  not  have  ventured  at  this  hot 
season  to  go  about  in  the  countiy.  Difficulties,  however, 
have  been  thrown  in  the  way  of  our  obtaining  such  a  place, 
and  so  no  other  course  has  been  left  open  but  the  one  we  are 
now  following.  We  have  met  as  yet  with  but  little  decided 
encouragement,  but  still  something  is  done  to  spread  an 
incipient  knowledge  of  the  truth,  and  in  a  field  which  has 
been  so  little  cultivated  we  must  not  be  discouraged  if  we 
meet  not  with  immediate  success." 

Still  as  ever  his  eyes  were  unto  the  Lord,  the  salvation 
of  Israel,  as  his  one  source  of  strength  and  hope  of 
victory.  Great  indeed  and  heavy  was  the  stone  that  closed 
the  sepulchre  in  which  slept  this  heathen  people;  but  he 


45-  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1855-58. 

went  forth  in  the  strength  of  One  who  by  one  touch  of  His 
hand  could  roll  it  away : — 

"  I  need  perhaps  as  much  as  ever  I  did  since  I  came  to 
China  the  presence  and  power  of  God's  quickening  Spirit, 
to  maintain  divine  love  and  compassion  for  souls  in  my 
heart.  Are  there  those  who  feel  for  us  in  this  unbroken 
field  of  heathenism,  and  cry  to  God  with  spiritual  agoniz- 
ings  for  the  descent  of  the  Spirit  in  his  life-giving  and 
converting  power?  The  God  of  grace  grant  to  us  such 
helpers,  for  the  glory  of  his  own  great  name !" 

He  was  every  day.  painfully  reminded  of  the  urgent 
need  of  such  help,  and  of  the  utter  vanity  of  any  other. 
Well  might  he,  in  contemplating  the  case  of  that  blinded, 
debased,  and  almost  savage  people,  have  adopted  the  cry 
of  Valignano,  in  looking  across  to  that  rock-bound  coast, 
"O  rock,  rock,  when  wilt  thou  open?" 

Again,  in  another  letter,  about  the  same  time,  he 
writes : — 

"The  people  in  this  district  are,  I  think,  if  possible,  more 
blind  and  hardened  in  idolatry  and  sin  than  in  any  place  (if 
we  except  Canton)  where  I  have  formerly  laboured.  Although 
society  presents  here  the  usual  features  of  Chinese  civilization, 
it  is  coupled  with  a  barbarity  in  certain  circumstances  which 
I  have  seen  or  heard  of  nowhere  else  in  China.  The  fisher 
men,  boatmen,  and  people  working  in  the  fields,  pursue  their 
work  in  summer  in  a  state  of  savage  nudity ;  and  within  the 
last  twenty  years  I  am  credibly  informed,  persons  taken 
prisoners  in  the  clan  feuds  have  not  only  been  cut  to  pieces, 
but  their  heart  boiled  and  eaten  by  their  enemies.  Such  is 
heathenism  in  this  part  of  civilized  China. 

"  The  ravages  of  opium  we  meet  with  here  on  every  hand, 
and  the  deterioration  of  the  morals  of  the  people  generally  I 


JEt.  40-43.]        DISCOURAGING   ASPECT    OF   THE    FIELD.         453 

cannot  but  ascribe,  in  great  part,  to  the  use  of  this  ensnaring 
and  destructive  drug.  When  will  measures  be  taken  by  those 
in  power  to  lay  an  arrest  on  the  opium  traffic,  which  is  in 
flicting  such  indescribable  injury  on  this  people,  and  which 
threatens  in  its  progress  by  its  direct,  and  still  more  by  its 
indirect,  effects — poverty  and  anarchy,  to  sweep  away  a  great 
part  of  this  nation  from  the  face  of  the  earth?  How  blinded 
by  the  love  of  money  are  they  who  seek  to  enrich  themselves 
by  the  gains  of  such  a  traffic  !  Oh  !  what  need  have  we  here 
of  gospel  labourers,  and  of  the  power  of  God  accompanying 
their  words  !  Where  are  the  volunteers  for  this  service,  and 
where  are  those  who  will  hold  up  their  hands  in  this  fight  ?" 

To  the  other  difficulties  of  this  arduous  and  trying  ser 
vice,  "perils  of  robbers"  were,  as  on  so  many  former 
occasions,  added.  In  a  postscript  to  one  of  the  letters  just 
quoted,  he  writes : — "About  two  o'clock  A.M.,  or  past  mid 
night,  July  1 8th,  1856.  We  have  just  been  visited  by  rob 
bers,  who  have  taken  all  but  the  clothes  we  wear,  without 
however  doing  us  any  injury.  This  is  a  new  call  to  pity, 
and  to  pray  for  this  poor  people,  sunk  so  low  in  darkness 
and  sin.  One  of  our  number,  it  is  proposed,  shall  return 
to  Swatow  to  get  a  small  supply  of  money  and  books, 
while  the  other  Christian  and  I  go  on  to  another  town  to 
await  his  return.  We  are  preserved  in  much  peace,  and 
have  just  been  joining  in  praise  and  prayer  for  this  poor 
people." 

A  momentary  gleam  of  light  seemed  now  to  break  upon 
them  in  the  unexpected  kindness  and  cordiality  of  the 
people  in  some  of  the  villages  which  they  visited;  but 
the  sky  was  soon  again  overcast,  and  a  train  of  events 
followed  which  might  well  have  issued  in  a  sad  and 


454  L1FE    OF    REV-    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1855-58. 

tragical  conclusion.  The  history  will  be  best  told  in  his 
own  words,  in  a  letter  bearing  the  unexpected  date  of 
"Canton,  Oct.  10,  1856:" — 

"Canton,  October  loth,  1856.— MY  DEAR  SIR,— When  I 
last  wrote  you  in  the  middle  of  July,  I  and  my  companions 
had  just  been  robbed  in  our  lodgings  at  a  village  about 
sixteen  miles  from  Swatow.  The  following  day  one  of  my 
companions  returned  to  Swatow  with  my  letters,  and  to 
obtain  a  fresh  supply  of  books  and  money,  while  my  other 
Christian  companion  and  I  went  forward,  as  we  had  intended, 
to  the  town  of  Tang-lejng,  about  six  miles  further  on.  We 
were  without  money,  but  God  provided  support  for  us  in  a 
way  that  was  new  to  me.  The  people  who  took  our  books 
gladly  contributed  small  sums  of  cash  for  our  support,  and  the 
first  day  we  thus  collected  enough  to  keep  us  for  two  days  ;  a 
countryman  also,  going  the  same  road,  volunteered  to  carry 
our  bag  of  books  for  us;  it  was  heavy  for  our  shoulders,  but 
easy  for  his,  and  he  said  he  would  want  no  money,  but  only 
a  book.  Thus  the  Lord  helped  us  in  going  forward  on  his 
work,  instead  of  turning  back  to  Swatow  for  help.  At  Tang- 
leng  we  were  very  well  received.  In  the  neighbourhood 
there  are  two  native !  Christians,  converted  in  connection  with 
the  American  Baptist  Mission  in  Siam,  and  who,  though 
they  are  left  much  to  themselves,  seem  to  follow  the  Lord  in 
sincerity.  With  these  we  had  much  pleasure  in  meeting  on 
the  Lord's-day,  and  at  other  times.  A  heavy  and  continued 
fall  of  rain  detained  us  at  Tang-leng  for  some  weeks,  without 
our  being  able  to  do  much  abroad;  and  at  last,  on  Monday, 
August  1 8th,  we  left  this  town,  intending  to  return  to  Swatow. 
Our  course  by  water  leading  us  to  within  five  or  six  miles  of 
the  Chaon-chotv-foo  (chief  city  of  the  Chaon-chow  depart 
ment),  we  agreed  to  pay  it  a  visit;  but  fearing  lest  we  should 
give  offence  to  the  authorities,  we  determined,  instead  of 
living  on  shore,  to  make  the  boat  which  conveyed  us  there 
our  head-quarters  while  we  remained.  On  Tuesday  the 


JEt.  40-43.]  ARREST   AND    CAPTIVITY.  455 

we  went  on  shore,  and  were  particularly  well  received  by  the 
people.  The  demand  for  our  books  among  persons  able  to  read 
them,  was  unusually  great.  In  the  meantime,  however,  an 
alarming  report  of  the  presence  of  a  foreigner  outside  the  city 
having  been  carried  to  the  authorities,  we  were  in  the  evening 
suddenly  arrested  in  our  boat,  and,  with  all  our  books,  &c., 
taken  prisoners  into  the  city.  The  same  night  we  were  ex 
amined  publicly  by  the  district  magistrate,  and  after  the 
interval  of  a  day  we  were  examined  anew  by  a  deputy  (I 
suppose)  of  Che-Foo,  or  chief  magistrate  of  the  department. 
On  these  occasions  my  companions  and  myself  had  valuable 
opportunities  of  making  known  something  of  the  gospel,  and 
of  the  character  and  objects  of  Christ's  disciples  in  China; 
and  as  there  was  a  great  demand  for  our  books,  the  work  of 
many  days  seemed  to  be  crowded  into  one  or  two.  The 
magistrates  examined  us  with  great  mildness  and  delibera 
tion,  seeming  anxious  to  obtain  information  rather  than  to 
find  fault;  and  on  the  evening  of  the  2ist,  the  day  of  our 
second  examination,  a  sub-official  was  deputed  to  inform  us 
that  the  magistrates  found  we  had  been  arrested  on  a  false 
report,  and  that  if  the  Canton  merchants  at  Swatow,  or  any 
one  of  them,  would  stand  security  for  us,  we  would  be  allowed 
to  return  to  that  place.  The  Canton  merchants  (through 
whom  the  trade  in  foreign  vessels  is  carried  on  at  Swatow), 
on  being  written  to,  came  forward  in  the  kindest  manner  with 
the  document  required;  but  in  the  meantime,  it  appears, 
the  magistrates  had  reflected  that,  having  once  arrested  a 
foreigner,  confined  and  examined  him,  they  could  not,  accord 
ing  to  law  or  with  safety  to  themselves,  give  him  up  to  any 
other  than  a  foreign  consul,  and  so  I  was  told  that  I  would  be 
sent  to  Canton.  On  Saturday  the  3oth  I  was  put  on  board  a 
river-boat,  and  carried  about  a  mile  above  the  city.  Here  we 
remained  until  Tuesday  morning,  when,  being  joined  by  a 
number  of  officials,  high  and  low,  in  all  occupying  four  river- 
boats,  and  going  to  Canton,  some  in  connection  with  my 
case,  and  some  on  other  business,  v/e  at  last  commenced  our 


456  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1855-58. 

journey.  I  was  provided  with  a  servant,  and  with  whatever 
food  I  wished,  at  the  expense  of  the  government;  and  had  I 
been  well,  and  had  had  with  me  a  good  supply  of  Christian 
books,  I  might  have  enjoyed  the  journey  much.  As  the  case 
was,  my  books  were  nearly  all  gone;  and  as  to  my  health, 
a  slight  cold  which  I  had  caught  before  coming  to  the  city 
had,  through  excitement,  &c.,  taken  the  form  of  an  intermit 
tent  fever,  with  chills  (ague),  which,  violent  at  first,  continued 
more  or  less  during  all  my  journey.  Our  course  lay  first  up 
the  Chaon-chow  river  against  a  rapid  stream,  through  Ken- 
ying-chow,  and  then,  when  the  river  ceased  to  be  navigable, 
we  crossed  the  country  through  a  hill-pass — a  distance  of 
about  twenty  miles— to  where  another  river,  flowing  down 
through  Heong-chow  to  Canton,  becomes  navigable  for 
boats  of  considerable  size.  The  first  part  of  the  journey  was 
tedious,  and  (including  days  on  which  we  halted  until  our 
business  at  the  various  cities  we  passed  was  concluded),  we 
were  on  the  way  in  all  thirty-one  days.  The  news  of  our 
arrest,  and  of  my  being  sent  to  Canton,  had  reached  Hong- 
Kong,  and  through  the  great  kindness  of  many  friends  who  felt 
anxious  for  my  safety,  and  could  not  explain  why  we  should 
be  so  long  on  the  way,  inquiries  were  made  for  us  at  the  office 
of  the  native  authorities  in  Canton.  It  was  perhaps  owing  to 
this  in  part,  that  on  reaching  Canton  on  the  morning  of  Sep 
tember  3oth,  instead  of  being  taken  to  the  mandarin's  office, 
two  men  were  sent  by  the  authorities  to  conduct  me  straight 
from  the  boat  to  the  office  of  the  British  consul.  The  consul 
has  had  a  communication  from  the  governor- general  about  the 
case.  I  did  not  see  it,  but  the  consul  informed  me  that  it  was 
conceived  in  a  mild  strain,  much  more  so  than  he  had 
expected;  and  I  am  thus  wonderfully  preserved,  and  freed 
from  the  infliction  of  any  punishment  or  penalty.  I  am  sorry 
to  add  that  there  is  reason  to  fear  my  two  companions  are 
still  confined  at  Chaon-chow-foo,  though  the  governor- 
general  assures  the  consul  they  have  been  sent  to  their  native 
districts  (in  the  Chaon-chow  department),  to  be  liberated  on 


-fit.  40-43-]  HIS    FELLOW-CAPTIVES.  457 

finding  proper  security.  You  will  remember  that  these  two 
men,  though  natives  of  that  part  of  the  country,  have  been 
for  a  number  of  years  resident  in  Hong- Kong,  and  connected 
with  the  American  Baptist  Mission  there.  It  was  Mr. 
Johnson,  the  American  missionary  there,  who  sent  them  up 
in  the  beginning  of  June  to  act  as  colporteurs,  and  to  co 
operate  with  us  as  far  as  found  desirable.  Looking  at  the 
lenient  view  of  our  case  which  the  native  authorities  both  at 
Chaon-chow  and  here  seemed  led  to  take,  I  was  disposed, 
now  that  my  health  is  graciously  restored,  to  proceed  very 
soon  back  to  Swatow,  in  the  hope  of  being  able  to  prosecute 
the  missionary  work  there  unmolested;  but  yesterday,  when 
in  the  act  of  making  arrangements  for  going  to  Hong- Kong, 
I  was  met  by  a  message  from  the  British  plenipotentiary, 
conveyed  to  me  by  the  consul,  to  the  effect  that,  'after  the 
representations  of  the  imperial  commissioner,  he  should  deem 
it  imprudent  and  improper  that  I  should  return  to  the  district 
from  which  I  have  been  sent.'  Met  by  such  a  message,  from 
such  a  quarter,  I  think  it  will  be  my  duty  to  delay  making  any 
movement  of  the  kind  I  contemplated,  at  least  until  I  hear 
from  Mr.  Taylor  about  his  plans  and  prospects,  and  until  the 
native  brethren,  as  we  hope  they  soon  may,  be  released.  Mr. 
Taylor  went  to  Shanghae  in  the  beginning  of  July,  partly  for 
a  change  during  the  hot  months,  and  partly  intending  to 
bring  down  his  medical  apparatus  to  Swatow.  Whether  he 
has  already  come  down,  or  whether,  it  may  be,  hearing  at 
Shanghae  of  our  arrest,  he  has  delayed,  I  am  as  yet  entirely 
ignorant.  In  the  meantime,  if  shut  up  for  a  season  at 
Canton,  I  am  in  the  midst  of  kind  missionary  brethren, 
American  and  English;  and  my  acquaintance  with  the  Canton 
dialect,  now  revived,  should  save  me,  through  the  grace  of 
God,  from  spending  my  time  unprofitably.  The  field  is  the 
world,  the  seed  is  the  Word  of  God.  Most  of  those  who 
came  down  with  me  from  Chaon-chow  were  Canton  men; 
they  treated  me  with  much  respect  and  kindness,  and  with 
them,  in  the  course  of  the  month  we  spent  together,  I  had 


458  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1855-58. 

many  conversations  on  the  subject  of  the  gospel,  which  I 
trust  may  not  prove  altogether  useless.  Looking  back  on  the 
whole  scene  through  which  I  have  passed,  and  contrasting 
the  life  and  favour  granted  us  with  the  misconstruction  and 
suffering  to  which  we  might  have  been  subjected,  I  cannot 
but  adore  the  wonderful  goodness  and  power  of  Him  to  whom 
the  kingdom  belongs,  and  who  unceasingly  cares  even  for  the 
most  unworthy  of  his  servants.  While  the  people  of  God 
have  need  to  pray  for  us  that  we  may  be  guided  to  act  aright, 
and  not  to  rush  into  danger  without  cause,  they  have  surely 
cause  to  give  praise  for  deliverance  vouchsafed,  and  for 
opportunities,  such  as  seldom  occur,  of  making  known  some 
thing  of  the  truth  of 'the  gospel  to  men  in  authority,  and 
to  many  others. 

"  I  am  glad  to  learn  that  at  the  time  you  wrote  there  was  a 
prospect  of  Mr.  Sandeman  joining  the  missionary  band  in 
China.  I  trust  he  may  be  now  on  the  way,  and  that  he  will 
come  to  be  a  blessing  to  many.  With  Christian  regards  to 
all  friends,  I  am,  ever  yours,— WM,  C.  BURNS." 

There  fortunately  exists  also  a  Chinese  account  of  these 
events,  which  is  so  curiously  characteristic,  that  I  am 
tempted  here  to  reproduce  it  as  a  supplement  to  the  mis 
sionary's  own  narrative.  It  is  contained  in  the  official 
statement  addressed  by  Commissioner  Yeh  to  the  British 
consul  Mr.  Parkes  in  delivering  up  his  prisoner  to  him, 
and  gives  us  a  vivid  glimpse  into  the  interior  economy 
and  life  of  that  singular  people. 

"  COMMISSIONER  YEH  TO  CONSUL  PARKES. 

"  Translation. 

"Yeh,  High  Imperial  Commissioner,  Governor-General  of 
the  Two  Kwang  Provinces,  £c.,  addresses  this  declaration  to 
H.  S.  Parkes,  Esq.,  Her  Britannic  Majesty's  Consul  at 
Canton. 


Mt.  40-43.]  CHINESE    OFFICIAL    STATEMENT.  459 

"  I  have  before  me  an  official  report  from  Wang-Ching, 
Chief  Magistrate  of  the  district  of  Hae-yang,  in  the  depart 
ment  of  Chaon-chow,  which  contains  the  following  state 
ments  : — 

"  It  being  the  duty  of  your  subordinate  to  act  with  Le-seuen- 
fang,  the  major  commanding  at  this  city  (Chaon-chow),  in 
the  inspection  of  the  defences  of  the  place,  we  suddenly 
observed,  whilst  engaged  in  this  service,  three  persons  seated 
in  a  boat  on  the  river  whose  appearance  had  something  in  it 
that  was  unusual.  We  found  in  their  boat,  and  took  pos 
session  of,  seven  volumes  of  foreign  books,  and  three  sheet 
tracts ;  but  these  were  the  only  things  they  had  with  them. 
On  examining  the  men  themselves,  we  observed  that  they  all 
of  them  had  shaven  heads,  and  wore  their  hair  plaited  in  a 
queue,  and  were  dressed  in  Chinese  costume.  The  face  of 
one  of  them,  however,  had  rather  a  strange  look ;  his  speech 
in  respect  to  tone  and  mode  of  expression  being  not  very 
similar  to  that  of  the  Chinese.  We,  therefore,  interrogated 
him  carefully,  whereupon  he  stated  to  us  that  his  true  name 
was  Pin-wei-lin  (William  Burns);  that  he  was  an  Englishman, 
aged  42  years,  and,  as  a  teacher  of  the  religion  of  Jesus,  had 
been  for  some  time  past  engaged  in  exhorting  his  fellow-men 
to  do  good  deeds.  In  1847  he  left  his  native  land  and  tra 
velled  to  China,  and  took  up  his  residence  first  at  Victoria, 
where  he  lived  two  years,  and  afterwards  in  the  foreign  fac 
tories  at  Canton,  where  he  remained  for  more  than  one.  Sub 
sequently,  he  visited  Shanghae,  Amoy,  and  other  places,  and 
there  spent  several  years ;  wherever  he  went  he  made  him 
self  acquainted  with  the  languages  of  the  Chinese,  and  by  this 
means  he  delivered  his  exhortations  to  the  people,  and 
explained  to  them  the  books  of  Jesus,  but  without  receiving 
from  any  one  the  least  remuneration.  In  1854  he  embarked 
in  a  steamer  from  Amoy,  on  a  visit  to  his  native  home,  and 
in  December,  1855,  joined  himself  to  one  of  his  countrymen, 
surnamed  Tae,  who  was  going  to  Shanghae  to  trade.  '  I 
accompanied  him  thither/  said  Burns,  'in  his  vessel;  but 


460  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  '[1855-58. 

from  Shanghae  Tae  returned  home  again,  whilst  I  remained 
there  and  engaged  myself  in  the  distribution  of  Christian 
books.  In  the  sixth  month  of  the  present  year  (July),  I  left 
Shanghae,  and  took  passage  in  a  foreign  sailing  vessel  to 
Shantow  (Swatow),  in  the  district  of  Chinghae.  There  I  fell 
in  on  the  1 2th  day  of  the  7th  month  (August  12)  with  Le-a- 
yuen  and  Chin-a-seun,  the  two  Chinese  who  have  now  been 
seized  with  me.  I  called  upon  them  to  be  my  guides,  and 
we  proceeded  in  company  to  Yen-fan,  and  from  thence  came 
on  to  this  city,  where  we  had  it  in  contemplation  to  distribute 
some  of  our  books.  Scarcely,  however,  had  we  arrived  at  the 
river's  bank  on  the  igih  day  of  the  7th  month  (igth  August), 
when  to  our  surprise  we  found  ourselves  under  surveillance, 
and  deprived  of  our  liberty.  We  entertained,  however,  no 
other  views  or  intentions  than  those  which  we  have  stated, 
and  declare  that  these  statements  are  strictly  true.' 

"  Such  is  the  account  given  by  the  missionary,  William 
Burns,  who,  together  with  his  seven  volumes  of  foreign  books 
and  his  three  sheet  tracts,  was  given  over  into  the  charge  of 
an  officer,  and  brought  in  custody  to  this  office. 

"  Having  examined  the  above  report,  I  (the  imperial  com 
missioner)  have  to  observe  thereon  that  the  inland  river  of 
the  city  of  Chaon-chow  is  not  one  of  the  ports  open  to 
(foreign)  commerce ;  and  it  has  never  on  that  account  been 
frequented  by  foreigners.  I  cannot  but  look  upon  it,  there 
fore,  as  exceedingly  improper  that  William  Burns  (admitting 
him  to  be  an  Englishman)  should  change  his  own  dress, 
shave  his  head,  and  assuming  the  costume  of  the  Chinese, 
penetrate  into  the  interior  in  so  irregular  a  manner.  And 
although,  when  closely  examined  by  the  magistrate,  he  firmly 
maintained  that  religious  teaching  and  the  distribution  of 
books  formed  his  sole  object  and  occupation,  it  may  certainly 
be  asked,  why  does  William  Burns  leave  Shanghae  and  come 
to  Chaon-chow,  just  at  a  time  when  Kiang-nan  and  the  other 
provinces  are  the  scene  of  hostilities?  Or,  can  it  be  that  a 
person,  dressed  in  the  garb  and  speaking  the  language  of 


/Et.  40-43.]          BEARING    BEFORE    THE    MAGISTRATE.  461 

China,  is  really  an  Englishman,  or  may  he  not  be  falsely 
assuming  that  character  to  further  some  mischievous  ends  ? 

"  I  have  directed  Heu,  the  assistant  Nan-hae  magistrate, 
to  hand  him  over  to  the  consul  of  the  said  nation,  in  order 
that  he  may  ascertain  the  truth  respecting  him,  and  keep  him 
under  restraint;  and  I  hereby,  by  means  of  this  declaration, 
make  known  to  him  (the  consul)  the  above  particulars. 

"  William  Burns,  seven  volumes  of  foreign  books,  and  three 
sheet  tracts,  accompany  this  declaration. 

"Heenfung,  6th  year,  tyh  month,  2.d  day.  (September  30, 
1856." 

Another  characteristic  incident  related  by  his  friend 
and  fellow-labourer,  Dr.  De  la  Porte,  may  be  here  intro 
duced,  as  completing  the  history  of  these  deeply  interest 
ing  events : — 

"When  he  was  arrested  in  August,  1856,  and  brought 
before  the  chief  magistrate  of  the  Chaon-chow  department, 
the  magistrate  required  him  to  go  down  on  both  knees  to  be 
examined,  as  is  the  practice  in  China.  Mr.  B.  very  firmly 
but  respectfully  refused,  saying  that  he  would  go  down  on  one 
knee,  as  he  would  do  to  his  sovereign,  Queen  Victoria;  but 
that  he  would  only  go  down  on  both  knees  to  the  King  of 
kings.  The  magistrate  was  struck  by  this  answer,  solemnly 
and  respectfully  uttered,  and  allowed  the  missionary  to  be 
examined  on  one  knee." 

There  were  several  circumstances  connected  with  the 
time  and  position  of  affairs  in  which  these  events  took 
place  which  rendered  them  peculiarly  critical,  and  which 
led  him  ever  after  to  regard  their  peaceful  issue  as  a 
remarkable  instance  of  the  Lord's  gracious  leading  and 
providential  care.  His  arrest  and  confinement  took  place 
immediately  on  the  eve  of  the  hostilities  which  that  year 


462  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1855-58. 

broke  out  between  the  British  and  Chinese  powers,  and 
just  before  the  commencement  of  those  sanguinary  pro 
ceedings  on  the  part  of  Commissioner  Yeh,  which  sent  a 
thrill  of  horror  throughout  the  civilized  world.  Had  he 
arrived  at  Canton  while  these  events  were  in  progress,  it 
is  not  difficult  to  see  what  the  swift  and  terrible  issue 
would  have  been !  It  will  be  remembered,  too,  that  he 
had  been,  shortly  before  his  arrival  in  this  province, 
actually  on  his  way  to  the  head-quarters  of  the  rebel  army, 
on  an  unknown  errand,  to  which  the  habitual  jealousy  of 
the  Chinese  authorities  might  easily  have  ascribed  a 
sinister  purpose.  Alive  to  the  danger  of  such  miscon 
struction  he  had  refrained  at  the  time  from  giving  even  to 
his  friends  any  account  of  that  journey,  which  might  after 
wards  find  its  way  into  the  Shanghae  papers,  and  thus  lead 
to  possible  complications  and  interruption  of  his  work,  and 
it  remained  in  consequence  up  to  this  hour  totally  un 
known  to  the  Chinese  authorities.  Had  it  been  otherwise, 
and  had  any  written  trace  of  the  journey  and  the  inquiries 
connected  with  it  existed  on  the  records  of  any  Chinese 
court,  it  would  have  been  infallibly  brought  to  light  in 
connection  with  the  inquiries  consequent  on  the  present 
arrest,  and  lent  strong  colour  to  the  suspicion  which  his 
Chinese  garb,  coupled  with  his  foreign  look  and  accent, 
seemed  to  have  awakened.  "Had  an  account  of  the 
journey,"  he  wrote  afterwards  (June  28th,  1858),  "been 
published  at  the  time  in  the  Shanghae  newspaper,  as 
would  probably  have  been  the  case  had  it  not  been  in 
terdicted,  it  is  quite  possible  that  the  Chinese  authorities 
in  this  quarter  might  have  got  some  hint  of  the  circum- 


JEt.  40-43.]  PROVIDENTIAL   CIRCUMSTANCES.  463 

stance,  when  two  years  ago  I  was  detained  with  two 
companions  at  the  Foo  city  (Chaon-chow).  It  would  in 
that  case  have  seemed  to  them  evident  that  I  was  a  rebel 
in  disguise,  and  the  result  can  be  but  little  doubtful.  As 
the  case  stood,  our  countrymen  in  this  neighbourhood 
knowing  nothing  of  the  said  journey,  none  of  the  Chinese 
in  their  employ  could  even  have  it  in  their  power  to  cast 
suspicion  on  us.  I  thought  it  also  a  special  mercy  that 
in  neither  of  the  examinations  by  the  authorities  at  the 
Foo  city  was  a  single  allusion  made  to  the  rebel  party, 
nor  any  entangling  questions  put  as  to  where  I  went  and 
with  what  objects  when  journeying  in  the  neighbourhood 
of  Shanghae.  Had  such  questions  been  put,  then  I 
might  have  seemed  to  be  self-convicted  of  abetting  the 
rebellion,  and  so  have  been  summarily  dealt  with  as  an 
enemy  of  the  government.  The  possibility  of  this  was 
painted  in  painful  colours  to  my  mind  when  suffering  from 
fever  in  my  confinement,  but  from  all  these  fears  and 
dangers  the  Lord  wonderfully  delivered  me.  It  would 
have  been  indeed  a  different  thing  to  suffer  as  a  supposed 
rebel,  and  to  suffer  'as  a  Christian.'  This  latter  privilege 
was  given  to  my  native  companions  when  beaten  on  the 
face  and  imprisoned  for  months;  from  the  former  I  was 
most  graciously  and  completely  saved." 

Notwithstanding  Dr.  Bowling's  friendly  advice  he  was 
induced  soon  afterwards  to  return  to  Swatow,  with  the 
view  especially  of  inquiring  after  his  native  brethren  who 
were  still  in  captivity  at  the  Foo  city.  It  was  painful  to 
him  to  find  on  his  arrival  there  that  they  had  been  treated 
by  the  authorities  with  a  cruel  severity  which  they  had 


464  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1855-58. 

not  dared  to  use  towards  a  British  subject;  but  at  the 
same  time  he  rejoiced  greatly  that  they  had  been  enabled 
to  witness  a  good  confession  in  behalf  of  Christ  in  the 
presence  of  their  heathen  adversaries.  Beaten  forty 
blows  on  the  cheek  with  an  instrument  resembling  the 
sole  of  a  shoe,  they  adhered  unflinchingly  to  their  testi 
mony  to  the  truth  and  preciousness  of  the  gospel,  as  the 
one  only  remedy  for  the  ills  of  the  soul,  and  returned  to 
their  prison  only  to  pray  and  sing  praises  to  God,  and  to 
labour  daily  for  the  salvation  of  their  fellow-captives,  one 
of  whom,  to  their  great  joy,  was  in  due  time  given  them 
for  their  hire.  At  length,  after  four  months'  imprisonment, 
they  were,  at  Mr.  Burns'  intercession,  set  at  liberty. 

Meanwhile  he  had  received  at  Swatow  an  unexpectedly 
cordial  welcome  from  those  to  whom  he  had  before 
preached,  "enjoying  favour  in  the  sight  of  rich  and  poor, 
the  rulers  and  the  ruled."  He  was  enabled  at  last  to 
effect  a  permanent  settlement  in  the  place,  and  to  resume 
his  interrupted  labours  under  more  favourable  auspices, 
and  with  brighter  prospects  of  success.  Having  engaged 
the  valuable  co-operation  of  a  medical  man  of  the  Wesleyan 
denomination,  Dr.  De  la  Porte,  then  practising  amongst 
the  foreign  shipping  at  Double  Island,  he  was  enabled  to 
combine  the  beneficent  ministries  of  a  medical  mission 
with  his  usual  evangelistic  operations,  and  thus  more 
rapidly  win  his  way  to  the  confidence  and  regard  of  the 
native  community.  Two  days  of  each  week  were  regu 
larly  employed  in  connection  with  this  work,  when  he 
acted  as  interpreter  between  the  physician,  as  yet  imper 
fectly  acquainted  with  the  language,  and  the  patients,  as 


JEt.  40-43.]  WORK    RESUMED.  465 

they  came  one  by  one  to  tell  their  case,  while  two  native 
evangelists  were  engaged  in  another  room,  ministering  the 
word  of  spiritual  healing  to  the  crowd  of  impotent  folk 
who  were  waiting  their  time  to  be  heard.  About  forty  or 
fifty  sufferers  would  thus  be  prescribed  for  in  one  day, 
while,  at  the  same  time,  unnumbered  seeds  of  saving 
truth  were  cast  in  faith  upon  the  waters,  to  be  found,  it 
may  be,  after  many  days. 

On  December  4th,  1856,  he  writes  to  one  of  the  earliest 
and  warmest  friends  of  the  mission,  in  words  of  hopeful 
courage,  which  show  too  how  his  heart  was  encouraged 
and  cheered  in  his  distant  field  of  labour,  by  the  loving 
remembrance  and  help  of  brethren  and  children  in  the 
faith  at  home : — 

"Dec.  ^th,  1856.— MY  DEAR  MRS.  BARBOUR,—  .  .  .  We 
thus  have  some  encouragement  in  our  present  circumstances, 
as  compared  with  the  past;  and  were  the  spirit  of  grace  and 
supplication  granted  to  some  of  God's  people  in  Scotland  to 
plead  on  behalf  of  us  and  this  people,  it  would  be  a  sure  token 
that  the  Lord  had  special  blessings  in  store  for  this  hitherto 
so  neglected  and  desolate  a  part  of  this  inhabited  earth.  I 
am  glad  to  hear  of  such  spontaneous  offerings  to  aid  us,  as 
that  ;£6  which  you  mention.  I  shall  endeavour,  when  such 
are  forwarded,  to  dispense  them  in  the  way  that  seems  best 
for  the  advancing  of  the  Lord's  work.  When  I  was  in  Scot 
land  lately  there  were  a  number  of  small  sums  put  into  my 
hand,  which  I  did  not  put  into  the  public  mission  fund,  and 
which  I  laid  out  in  printing,  at  Shanghae  and  the  neighbour^ 
hood,  about  15,000  copies,  in  a  sheet  form,  of  one  or  two  of 
Milne's  Village  Sermons  (in  Chinese).  These  I  found  very 
useful  for  distribution  on  certain  occasions,  when  a  number 
of  larger  tracts  could  not  conveniently  be  carried.  The  first 
contributors  to  this  small  fund,  or  rather  the  founders  of  it, 

2  G 


466  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1855-58. 

were  the  children  at  M manse  (Established),  a  little  girl 

at  the  A Free  Church  manse,  and  another  at  a  toll-bar 

to  the  north  of  that  town.  Some  of  the  other  sums  were 
also  from  the  north  of  Perthshire.  I  hope  we  have  a  few  in 
that  region,  and  in  some  other  places,  who  pray  for  us  and 
China's  conversion  to  Christ.  The  harvest  here  is  truly  great, 
and  how  few  the  labourers  are.  May  the  Lord  of  the  harvest 
send  forth  many  more  labourers,  and  especially  from  among 
China's  own  children." 

Meanwhile  the  preaching  of  the  word,  on  week-days 
and  on  Sabbath-days,  both  to  the  foreign  visitors  and 
to  the  native  community,  went  on  steadily  and  in  perfect 
peace,  notwithstanding  the  rumours  of  war  between  the 
Chinese  and  British  powers  then  raging  in  their  imme 
diate  neighbourhood.  It  seemed  to  him  as  if  the  pass 
ing  events  of  that  stirring  drama  were  far  better  known, 
and  excited  a  far  livelier  interest,  amongst  his  friends 
at  home  than  amongst  those  living  within  a  hundred 
miles  of  the  scene  of  action;  and  from  first  to  last,  the 
friendly  relation  in  which  he  stood  both  to  the  authorities 
and  to  the  people  around  him  remained  undisturbed.  "A 
week  or  two  ago,"  he  writes,  Jan.  3oth,  1857,  "the  prin 
cipal  local  authority  in  this  place,  when  sick,  invited  Dr. 
De  la  Forte's  medical  assistance,  and  was  very  grateful  for 
the  aid  thus  given  him ;  and  we  are  on  such  friendly  terms 
with  the  authorities  here,  that  it  was  in  the  small  fort  in 
the  town,  and  from  the  military  officer  in  charge  of  it,  that 
we  the  other  day  got  the  news  of  the  progress  of  the  war, 
which  had  just  come  by  steamer  from  Hong-Kong.  He 
passed  as  we  were  speaking  to  the  people  near  the  fort, 
listened  with  some  interest,  and  then  invited  us  to  take 


•yEt.  40-43-]  INTERVIEW    WITH    LORD    ELGIN.  467 

tea  and  converse  with  him,  not  only  about  the  quarrel  at 
Canton  with  the  English,  but  about  the  gospel  of  Christ." 
Only  by  two  incidents  was  he  brought  into  closer  and 
more  personal  contact  with  the  political  events  then  passing 
around  him.  The  one  was  a  proposal  made  to  him  in  a 
very  gratifying  way  by  Lord  Panmure,  that  he  should 
undertake  the  office  of  chaplain  to  the  British  forces  in 
that  quarter,  with  the  usual  rank  and  salary  of  a  major  in 
the  army.  He  respectfully  but  decidedly  declined  the 
appointment,  chiefly  on  the  ground  that  his  connection 
with  the  invading  army  would  be  ever  afterwards  remem 
bered  by  the  Chinese,  and  thus  leave  upon  him,  as  it 
were,  an  indelible  stamp,  most  prejudicial  to  the  success 
of  the  higher  ministry  to  which  he  had  devoted  his  life. 
Lord  Panmure  entirely  appreciated  the  high  motives  by 
which  he  had  been  actuated,  and  replied  in  terms  of 
Christian  courtesy,  which  must  have  been  most  gratifying 
to  him. 

The  other  incident  was  the  arrival  of  Lord  Elgin  at  the 
port  of  Swatow,  in  the  course  of  his  important  mission  to 
the  court  of  Peking,  and  is  thus  briefly  alluded  to  by  Mr. 
Burns : — "  Lord  Elgin  in  his  way  to  the  north  called  in  at 
Swatow,  about  a  month  ago.  I  was  invited  to  breakfast 
with  him,  on  board  H.M.  steamship  Furious,  and  had  a 
full  opportunity  of  expressing  to  him  my  convictions  and 
feelings  on  various  points — the  coolie  trade,  opium,  &c. 
He  made  particular  inquiries  in  regard  to  the  progress  of 
the  missionary  work  among  this  people,  and  also  heard  in 
detail  the  facts  connected  with  my  arrest,  &c.,  in  1856." 
He  ever  afterwards  retained  the  deepest  respect  for  that 


468  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1855-58. 

distinguished  and  esteemed  nobleman,  who  afterwards, 
when  Governor-general  of  India,  corresponded  with  him 
in  the  kindliest  manner,  in  regard  to  a  matter  in  which  he 
had  occasion  to  ask  his  friendly  intervention.  It  was  no 
doubt  in  great  measure  in  consequence  of  this  visit,  and 
the  observations  and  inquiries  then  made,  that  we  owe 
the  fact  that  Swatow  was,  by  the  treaties  then  under  con 
sideration,  added  to  the  number  of  the  free  and  open 
ports.  The  following  letter  to  one  of  his  sisters  furnishes 
an  additional  reason  for  his  prudent  declinature  of  the 
chaplaincy,  and  gives  at  the  same  time  one  or  two  interest 
ing  glimpses  of  his  occupations  and  mode  of  life  at  this 
time : — 

"  Swatow,  February  224  1858.— MY  DEAR  SISTER,— I 
have  to  thank  you  for  more  than  one  letter  which  I  have 
failed  until  now  to  acknowledge  directly.  You  know  that  the 
use  of  the  tongue  is  more  natural  to  me  than  the  use  of  the 
pen,  and  this  must  be  my  excuse.  I  am  but  poorly  able  to 
satisfy  your  inquiries  about  the  people  who,  during  last  year, 
were  about  us  at  various  times  as  applicants  for  medical  aid. 
They  were  generally  from  places  distant  at  least  two  or  three 
days'  journey,  and  of  course  unless  they  come  again,  we  lose 
sight  of  them.  In  consequence  of  the  uncertainty  of  Dr. 
Dela  Forte's  continuance  here,  and  other  causes,  the  medical 
work  was  a  month  or  two  ago  interrupted;  and  though  it  has 
been  resumed,  and  is  now  carried  on,  patients  have  not  yet 
begun  to  flow  upon  us  in  a  stream,  as  was  the  case  six  months 
ago,  when  many  of  the  poor  people,  both  men  and  women, 
flocked  to  Swatow  for  medicine  with  almost  the  same  zeal  as 
they  would  resort  to  some  famed  idol's  shrine.  During  the 
past  few  weeks  I  have  been  almost  constantly  resident,  not 
at  the  Chinese  town  of  Swatow  (my  proper  station),  but  at 
Dr.  De  la  Forte's  (Double  Island).  I  came  down  at  first 


JEt.  40-43.]  OFFER    OF    AN    ARMY    CHAPLAINCY.  469 

for  a  change  of  air,  but  after  getting  the  full  benefit  of 
this  I  am  still  for  a  little  detained  here  by  superintending 
some  repairs  and  improvements  in  the  Dr.'s  house.  I  need 
to  attend  to  this  rather  than  he,  not  only  because  I  under 
stand  the  language,  but  because,  in  the  view  of  his  going 
to  England,  I  consented  to  take  his  cottage,  &c.,  from  him, 
wishing  to  hold  the  situation  in  behalf  of  the  mission 
cause  generally  as  well  as  for  present  use.  We  have  the 
workmen  about  us,  and  have  some  of  them  always  with 
us  at  evening  worship.  Among  other  things,  we  are  at 
present  engaged,  like  the  patriarchs,  in  digging  a  well,  and 
as  the  position  is  rather  elevated,  we  need  to  go  deep  in  order 
to  find  'springing  water'  such  as  Isaac  found,  Genesis  xxvi. 
19.  You  allude  to  the  invitation  given  me  to  become  chaplain 
to  the  Presbyterian  soldiers  in  China.  I  have  lately  had  a 
very  kind  acknowledgment  from  the  War  Office  of  my  letter 
declining  the  appointment.  As  I  had  refused  on  grounds  con 
nected  with  my  occupation  as  a  missionary,  Lord  Panmure 
will  not  press  the  appointment  on  me.  Unless  the  Lord  in 
his  providence  should  shut  me  up  to  such  a  course  of  acting, 
I  feel  more  and  more  that  I  could  not  safely  leave  for  a 
moment  the  position  I  occupy;  and  had  I  accepted  the 
appointment,  I  would  have  found  on  the  one  hand  at  least, 
up  to  the  present  time,  that  the  troops  among  whom  I  was 
expected  to  be,  had  gone  to  India  instead  of  coming  here, 
and  on  the  other  hand  would  have  been  in  the  greatest 
danger,  from  knowing  Chinese,  of  being  diverted  from  my 
proper  work,  and  sinking  down  into  a  kind  of  interpreter 

about  all  and  sundry  matters.     Mr.  L ,  whom  you  once 

wrote  to  me  about  after  he  had  been  in  Glasgow,  has  lately 
got  into  a  position  somewhat  of  this  kind.  He  is  now 
at  Canton  assisting  generally  the  provisional  government 
established  there  by  the  English  and  French  until  matters 
are  settled  at  Peking.  He  about  a  year  ago  disagreed  some 
how  with  the  Chinese  Evangelization  Society,  and  became 
government  school  (Chinese)  inspector  in  Hong-Kong,  and 


470  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1855-58. 

from  the  newspapers  I  have  just  seen  that  he  is  gone  to 
Canton  in  the  capacity  I  have  mentioned.  This  is  not  the 
kind  of  work  that  would  suit  me,  and  I  anticipated  from 
the  beginning,  that  had  I  become  an  army  chaplain,  it  was 
work  that  I  could  have  hardly  avoided.  I  was  surprised 
to  see  from  the  same  paper  which  contained  the  notice  of 

Mr.  L ,  that  my  friend  and  former  fellow-labourer  here, 

Mr.  J.  H.  Taylor,  has  just  been  married  at  Ningpo  to  a 
daughter  of  a  late  missionary,  Mr.  Samuel  Dyer.  I  am 
almost  surprised  at  the  question  you  put  to  me  as  to  whether 
I  have  any  near  that  can  assist  me  in  keeping  my  wardrobe 
in  order.  Formerly  I  had  the  kind  missionaries'  wives  at 
Canton  and  Amoy,  but  now,  where  I  have  none  such  near,  I 
happily  am  independent  of  such  aid,  wearing,  as  you  seem  to 
have  forgot,  the  Chinese  dress,  which  can  be  renewed  or 
repaired  everywhere.  The  only  articles  in  which  I  still  in 
part  keep  by  the  old  attire  are  socks  and  flannel-shirts.  The 
socks  are  hard  to  get  repaired,  but  the  native  substitute 
answers  very  well.  Indeed  we  need  nothing  here  in  addition 
to  what  we  have  but  health  of  body— a  mercy  still  continued 
to  me — and  our  Lord's  gracious  presence  and  blessing  in 
our  souls  and  in  our  work.  When  there  are  ships  here  with 
English  crews  we  have  frequently  public  preaching  on  ship 
board.  Yesterday  we  had  not  this  privilege,  but  I  enjoyed 
much  the  season  when  in  the  forenoon  Dr.  De  la  Porte  and  I 
joined  in  English  worship.  The  Saviour's  promise  is  even  to 
two,  and  I  trust  we  enjoyed  his  presence.  We  long,  however, 
to  see  his  work  prospering,  and  his  kingdom  established 
around  us.  Of  this  we  have  not  as  yet  much  evidence ;  but 
we  are  not  discouraged.  <  The  kingdom  is  the  Lord's :  he 
is  the  governor  among  the  nations/  and  he  hath  promised 
that  all  nations  shall  yet  be  blessed  in  the  Messiah,  and  all 
nations  call  him  blessed.  Happy  those  who  are  made  God's 
instruments  in  helping  on  this  con  summation— first  by  through 
grace  giving  ourselves  to  the  Lord,  and  then  by  prayer  in 
the  Spirit,  or  by  active  efforts,  aiding  to  spread  abroad  the 


JEt.  40-43-]  CARPENTRY    LABOURS.  471 

savour  of  Christ's  name.  May  such  happiness  be  yours  at 
home,  and  ours  in  this  far  land  where  our  lot  is  at  present 
cast !  Pray  for  us,  and  seek  for  us  the  prayers  of  God's 
people.  Remember  me  specially  to  Mrs.  Davidson  (formerly 
Miss  Mylne)  and  ask  her  prayers  for  me  and  this  people. 
Fraternal  regards  to  Mr.  Stewart,  and  my  prayers  for  your 
infant  son.—  Your  affectionate  brother, — WM.  C.  BURNS." 

The  carpentry  labours  here  referred  to  were  only  a 
recurrence  to  the  occupations  and  acquired  skill  of  former 
days,  when  as  a  boy  he  lifted  up  his  axe  upon  the  trees 
around  the  manse  of  Kilsyth.  Now  he  found  the  change 
of  scene  and  the  bracing  exercise  of  great  advantage  to 
him,  "as  tending  powerfully  to  reinvigorate  his  physical 
powers,  after  being  a  good  deal  tired  through  a  too  con 
fined  position  at  Swatow."  It  spoke  well  for  the  solidity 
and  workman  like  character  of  his  work,  that,  as  his  friends 
afterwards  remarked,  in  a  terrible  hurricane  which  shortly 
after  passed  over  the  district,  sweeping  away  the  entire 
shipping  and  demolishing  a  great  part  of  the  houses  both 
at  Swatow  and  Double  Island,  his  was  the  only  house 
amongst  those  in  its  vicinity  which  stood  the  blast.  One 
other  incident  of  a  startling  and  solemn  kind  marked  the 
period  of  his  residence  at  Swatow.  A  terrible  visita 
tion  of  cholera  passed,  during  several  months,  over  the 
whole  district  of  which  it  forms  the  centre,  and  created  a 
wide-spread  terror  which  brought  out  in  a  striking  and 
affecting  way  the  gross  blindness  and  superstition  of  the 
people : — 

"It  is  melancholy  to  see  the  means  to  which  the  people 
resort  in  order  to  free  themselves  from  this  dreadful  visitation 
of  God's  hand.  First,  they  had  a  procession  of  lanterns. 


472  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1855-58. 

each  house  furnishing  one  or  more  large  lanterns,  with  bearers 
for  them.  This  was  continued  for  three  successive  nights. 
Next  they  had  a  public  procession,  continued  during  the  day 
and  a  great  part  of  the  night,  with  drums  and  gongs  making 
a  discordant  noise  to  drive  away  evil  spirits  from  the  streets; 
this  was  accompanied  too  with  plays  and  exhibitions  of  all 
sorts  of  finery,  children  on  horseback,  &c.  Our  doors  or 
windows  were  shut,  so  that  I  can  give  no  description  of  what 
I  did  not  wish  to  see.  Again  the  people  went  out  in  proces 
sion  to  a  neighbouring  field,  and  drew  water  to  drink,  a  cup 
ful  of  which  was  ordered  as  a  recipe  against  the  disease. 
These  means  having  failed,  for  the  last  week  or  more  all  animal 
food,  fish  or  flesh,  has.  been  forbidden.  On  one  day  no  one 
was  to  wash  clothes;  and,  to  my  surprise,  on  Monday,  I9th, 
when  I  went  up  from  Double  Island,  the  town  appeared  like 
a  forest  of  shipping,  high  flag-staffs  being  erected  in  all  direc 
tions,  formed  of  long  bamboos,  fixed  the  one  above  the  other, 
and  some  as  high  as  a  ship's  mast;  to  these  are  attached 
small  flags ;  and  at  night  small  lanterns  are  suspended  from 
them.  In  what  way  these  things  are  expected  to  be  bene 
ficial  I  cannot  ascertain.  The  only  answer  to  be  got  is  that 
they  are  ordered  by  their  idols ;  and  this  brings  out  the  most 
affecting  feature  of  the  whole.  There  are  young  lads  who 
either  really  are  possessed  by  evil  spirits  or  feign  to  be  so,  and 
in  a  kind  of  raving  madness  give  out  what  are  looked  upon 
as  the  oracular  voice  of  the  idol  whom  the  people  worship. 
There  are  two  principal  idols'  temples  in  Swatow ;  and  both 
of  these  idols  have  been  in  succession  personated  by  these 
insane  youths,  by  whom  this  blinded  people  are  led!  It 
is  by  such  direction  that  all  the  foregoing  remedies  have 
been  used  to  save  them  from  cholera!  Not  one  word  is 
heard  of  the  need  of  repentance,  or  of  turning  from  any  of  the 
sins  in  which  this  people  are  lying,  and  in  which  they  seem 
to  go  on  with  as  unblushing  boldness  as  before.  How  true 
that  darkness  covereth  the  earth  and  gross  darkness  the 
people !  What  need  that  He  should  arise  and  shine  who  is 


jEt.  40-43.]  INCREASING    ENCOURAGEMENT.  473 

the  Light  of  the  world !  In  the  midst  of  such  a  people  how 
weak  and  helpless  does  all  mere  human  instrumentality 
appear,  and  what  need  have  God's  people  to  pray  for  us  that 
in  these  circumstances  our  faith  may  not  fail,  and  that  we 
may  not  sit  down  in  despondency,  but  still  persevere  in  doing 
the  work  of  the  Lord  among  this  people !" 

One  or  two  further  extracts  from  his  correspondence 
will  complete  the  history  of  his  labours  here,  which  were 
marked  by  no  other  memorable  event  or  important 
change,  save  only  the  gradual  opening  up  of  the  field  and 
the  increasing  interest  and  hopefulness  of  his  work.  His 
remarkable  reception  and  hospitable  treatment  at  the  town 
of  Tat-haw-poe  is  especially  interesting,  as  an  instance 
of  the  manner  in  which  he  often  overcame  difficulties  by 
simply  confronting  them  in  the  spirit  of  faith  and  prayer, 
and  found  favour  in  the  sight  of  those  from  whom  hostility 
and  opposition  only  had  been  expected : — 

'•'•March  31^,  1857.— MY  DEAR  MOTHER,—  ...  All 
things  are  going  on  as  before  in  this  place.  We  have  outward 
peace,  and  an  increasing  attendance  at  our  meetings,  both 
ordinary  and  on  the  days  when  medical  aid  is  given  by  Dr. 
De  la  Porte;  but  we  need  the  outpouring  of  the  Holy  Spirit 
in  Swatow,  as  in  Kilsyth,  to  turn  the  souls  of  sinners  from 
darkness  unto  light,  and  from  the  power  of  Satan  unto  God. 
We  need  this,  and  this  God  has  promised  to  prayer — true 
prayer.  Who  among  us  has  the  spirit  of  prayer !  They  are 
mighty  who  have  this  spirit,  and  weak  who  have  it  not.  We 
need  that  the  Lord  would  prevent  us  with  his  mercy,  and 
quicken  us  when  we  are  brought  very  low.  Help  us  for  the 
glory  of  thy  name !  Deliver  us  and  purge  away  our  sins. 
Come,  Lord  Jesus,  and  take  unto  thee  thy  great  power  and 
reign!  Is  there  any  special  prayer  among  you  for  China? 
Perhaps  in  seeking  the  awakening  and  conversion  of  these 


474  L1FE    OF    REV-    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1855-58. 

perishing  millions  a  blessing  may  come  down  on  your  own 
borders  as  well  as  on  us. 

"  Brethren,  pray  for  us,  pray  without  ceasing !  I  will 
conclude  this  note  with  Christian  regards  to  all  who  love  the 
Lord  Jesus,  especially  among  my  own  kindred.  If  any  man 
love  not  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  how  dreadful  the  judgment 
recorded  against  him !  Oh  that  all  may  have  grace  to  flee 
that  judgment  and  to  love  Him  who  is  altogether  lovely,  who 
loved  us  and  gave  himself  for  us.  Wishing  grace  and  peace 
to  my  beloved  parents, — I  am  ever  your  affectionate  son, — 
W.  C.  BURNS. 

"  P.S. — Finished  near  midnight,  entering  on  April  ist, 
1857,  the  beginning  of.my  forty-third  year." 

"Swatow,  June  $<t,  1857.—  ...  Oh !  that  they  were  as 
anxious  for  the  salvation  of  the  soul  as  for  the  healing  of  the 
body.  Alas !  the  gospel  pool  does  not  yet  seem  here  to  be 
visited  by  the  angel  to  trouble  the  waters.  All  is  sin  and 
death  around  us.'; 

"Swatow,  August  $th,  1857. — Whatever  change  we  can 
mark  is  in  the  way  of  progress.  The  medical  work  brings  an  in 
creasing  number  of  persons  about  us,  to  whom  we  seek  to  make 
known  the  truth,  and  gives  us,  in  connection  with  our  efforts 
to  diffuse  the  truths  of  the  gospel,  a  very  favourable  position 
in  the  eyes  of  the  community.  There  is  a  district  of  country, 
Phoo-ning,  at  a  distance  varying  from  thirty  to  fifty  English 
miles,  from  which  we  have  had  of  late  an  unusual  number  of 
visitors,  both  men  and  women.  They  have  taken  lodgings 
near  us  for  a  succession  of  days,  and  not  only  have  seemed 
to  value  the  medical  aid  for  which  they  came,  but  have  very 
generally  attended  all  our  daily  religious  services,  and  have 
shown  a  more  than  common  interest  in  our  message.  That 
district  of  country  seems  particularly  afflicted  with  a  species 
of  leprosy,  and  some  persons  suffering  from  this  and  other 
diseases  having  received  benefit,  the  poor  people  form  parties 
and  come  out,  at  no  inconsiderable  trouble  and  expense  to 
themselves.  Those  that  come  to  us  from  this  and  other 


Mt.  4^43.]  MEDICAL    MISSION    WORK.  475 

quarters  we  generally  make  the  bearers  of  tracts  and  Scrip 
tures  to  their  villages ;  and  sometimes  when  we  neglect  to 
supply  them,  they  apply  of  their  own  accord.  .  .  . 

"  I  am  resuming  my  pen  after  being  below  at  our  usual 
evening  worship.  We  had  with  us,  from  the  opposite  house 
where  they  are  lodging,  seven  or  eight  sick  persons  who  have 
come  a  distance  of  from  thirty  to  forty  miles  for  medical  aid, 
and  must  wait  until  Friday,  when  Dr.  De  la  Porte  comes. 
These  sick  people  come  thus  sometimes  as  many  as  thirty  or 
forty  at  once ;  and  while  they  are  here,  as  well  as  merely  on 
the  patient-seeing  days,  they  have  a  good  opportunity  of 
hearing  the  glorious  gospel.  A  week  or  two  ago  a  large  party 
of  women  thus  came,  having  hired  a  boat  for  themselves,  and 
many  of  them  seemed  a  good  deal  interested  in  our  message. 
One  old  matron  of  seventy-three  I  was  specially  interested 
with.  Staying  opposite  she  was  often  below  stairs.  She 
came  generally  to  worship,  and  by  her  serious  and  intelligent 
look  one  might  hope  that  she  understood  something  of  what 
was  taught  her.  One  evening,  after  she  retired  from  worship, 
I  heard  her,  across  the  street,  mentioning  the  Saviour's  name, 
and  she  appeared  to  be  attempting  to  pray. 

"Have  you  any  prayer-meeting  now  in  which  China  is 
specially  remembered?  We  need  much  prayer  in  our  behalf, 
and  in  behalf  of  China  at  this  time,  when  new  treaties  may 
be  made  with  foreign  powers,  either  very  favourable  to  the 
entrance  of  the  gospel  or  the  opposite" 

"Swatow,  June  tyh,  1858. — MY  DEAR  MOTHER, — Dr.  De 
la  Porte  is  at  last  about  to  leave  us.  He  was  here  seeing 
patients  yesterday,  as  I  suppose,  for  the  last  time,  and  to 
morrow,  if  the  Lord  will,  I  go  down  to  Double  Island  to  see 
him  away.  He  goes  down  to  Hong-Kong  in  the  expectation 
of  finding  a  vessel  in  which  to  sail  for  England.  It  was  affect 
ing  yesterday  to  join  with  him  in  prayer,  probably  for  the  last 
time,  in  a  place  where  we  have  had  so  many  meetings  at  the 
mercy-seat;  and  when  he  was  gone,  the  thought  that  we 
should  see  him  not  again  here  caused  a  tender  pang  which 


476  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1855-58. 


found  relief  only  in  looking  up  to  Him  who  hath  said,  'I  will 
never  leave  thee  nor  forsake  thee.'  We  have  already  parted 
here  with  two  of  God's  servants,  Mr.  Taylor  two  years  ago, 
and  now  Dr.  De  la  Porte.  It  has  been  by  the  Lord's  special 
favour  to  this  poor  place  and  people  that  they  were  sent  for 
a  time  to  labour  with  us  here,  and  now  that  they  are  being 
removed  we  trust  that  the  same  Lord  has  still  chosen  instru 
ments  in  store  whom  he  will  send  here,  and  support  in  doing 
his  work  among  the  poor  heathen,  and  among  countrymen 
more  privileged  but  in  many  cases  equally  polluted  and  far 
more  guilty.  .  .  . 

"  Perhaps  you  have  wondered  that  I  have  not  alluded  to 
the  new  dignity  conferred  on  my  beloved  father.1  I  felt, 
when  I  heard  of  it,  in  a  way  that  hindered  me  from  at  once 
noticing  it,  for  while  I  was  unwilling  to  seem  to  make  light 
of  it,  I  felt  on  the  other  hand  how  poor  and  insignificant 
it  was  compared  with  that  dignity  to  which,  I  trust,  my 
dear  parents  are  daily  expecting  to  be  promoted — even  the 
crown  and  the  palm  of  the  redeemed  in  glory — in  the  pre 
sence  of  God  and  of  the  Lamb.  To  this  glory  let  us  hasten, 
in  that  glorified  company  may  we  meet,  to  give  praises 
to  Him  that  sitteth  on  the  throne,  and  to  the  Lamb  who 
bought  us  with  his  blood !  The  face  of  Christ  in  glory,  as 
one  says,  is  the  glorified  church's  Bible,  from  which  we 
shall  learn  in  one  day  more  of  divinity  than  now  by  faith  we 
attain  by  many  years  of  study.  Come,  Lord  Jesus,  come 
quickly !  Make  us  like  thee,  and  in  thy  time  take  us  to  be 
with  thee,  to  behold  thy  glory  which  the  Father  hath  given 
thee.  '  Unto  Him  that  loved  us  and  washed  us  from  our  sins 
in  his  own  blood,  and  hath  made  us  kings  and  priests  unto 
God  and  our  Father,  to  Him  be  glory  !'  Continue  to  pray  for 
me,  dear  parents,  and  seek  an  increase  of  prayer  in  behalf  of 
this  place  and  people,  that  the  desert  may  be  made  to  blossom, 
that  the  glory  of  Jehovah  may  be  revealed,  and  all  flesh  see 
it  together.  Praying  that  my  parents  may  be  filled  with  the 

1  The  degree  of  D.D.,  shortly  before  conferred  on  him. 


&t.  40-43.]     TAT-HAW-POE:  INTERESTING  INCIDENT.        477 

fulness  of  God,  through  the  knowledge  of  the  love  of  Christ 
which  passeth  knowledge,  I  am,  dear  parents,  your  affec 
tionate  son,— WM.  C.  BURNS." 

"Swatow,  September  i$th,  1858.— Within  the  last  month  I 
am  glad  to  be  able  to  mention  that  we  have  obtained  an  addi 
tional  standing-point  for  missionary  labour,  at  the  large  town 
of  Tat-haw-poe,  distant  about  four  or  five  miles  from  Double 
Island.     I  had  often  wished  to  visit  this  place,  but  delayed 
in  consequence  of  being   tied  down,  through   the  medical 
work,  to  Swatow,  and  being  thus  unable  to  follow  up  any 
favourable  opening  that  might  be  given.     Four  weeks  ago, 
after  the  assistants  and   I  had  specially  sought  the  divine 
direction,  v/e  determined  that  two  of  them  should  go  direct  to 
Tat-haw-poe    from    Swatow,    and    that    the    following    day, 
August  1 7th,  one  of  them  should  join  me  at  Double  Island,  and 
conduct  me  from  there  to  Tat-haw-poe.     He  failed  to  come 
for  me  on  the  day  appointed,  and  next  morning  came  to  say 
that,  at  Tat-haw-poe  had  just  been  posted  up  a  Canton  pro 
clamation,  warning  the  people  from  having  anything  to  do 
with  the  English,  and  that  it  was  a  question  I  must  myself 
decide  whether  I  would  venture  to  go  or  not.     There  was 
some  reason  to  fear  that  no  one  would  give  me  lodging,  but 
I  thought  it  my  duty  to  go,  and  wonderful  to  say,  just  as  we 
were  about   to  conclude  addressing   the  people,  a  man  of 
respectability   invited    us    into   his    hong,   gave   us   a  kind 
welcome,  asked  where  I  was  to  lodge,  and  when  he  found 
that  there  was  but  poor  accommodation  in  the  shop  where 
my  assistants  were  staying,  he  pressed  us  to  come  to  him, 
leading  me  from  room  to  room,  and  desiring  me  to  take  which 
one  I  preferred.     Finally  he  put  me  into  his  own  room,  and 
one  of  the  assistants  into  the  adjoining ;  and  there  I  remained 
for  several  days.     Though  passing  the  night  in  this  gentle 
man's  hong  we  continued  to  take  our  meals  in  the  shop 
where  the  assistants  had  been  lodging,  until  on   Saturday 
morning,  August  2ist,  the  shopman  informed  us  that  his  land 
lord  had,  on  the  previous  night,  given  him  notice,  that  he 


478  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS. 

must  on  no  account  admit  foreigners  into  his  shop,  and  that 
therefore  I  must  cease  to  come.  On  this  we  went  and  made 
known  the  matter  to  our  host,  asking  him  whether  he  shared  in 
the  fears  of  this  man.  He  made  no  account  of  the  matter  at 
all,  and  said  that  though,  from  the  near  approach  of  a  Chinese 
term,  he  was  a  good  deal  occupied,  and  could  not  attend  to 
us  as  he  wished,  if  I  would  come  again  in  a  few  days,  he 
would  give  us  an  unoccupied  part  of  his  house  to  stay  in  as 
long  as  we  liked. 

"In  this  he  was  not  deceiving  us ;  for  while  I  returned  back 
to  Double  Island  on  that  day,  one  of  the  assistants  continued 
to  remain  in  his  house,  and  yesterday,  September  I4th,  I 
returned  from  a  second  visit  of  six  days,  and  have  now  a 
room  waiting  me  whenever  I  am  able  to  go." 

But  the  work  at  Swatow,  at  least  for  the  present,  was 
now  drawing  to  a  close.  The  departure  of  Dr.  De  la 
Porte  had  greatly  abridged  his  power  of  effectively  occu 
pying  the  field,  and  at  the  same  time  urgent  invitations 
came  to  him  from  his  brethren  at  Amoy,  to  return,  at  least 
for  a  season,  to  the  scene  of  his  former  labours  amongst 
the  villages  of  Fokien.  After  much  hesitation  he  con 
sented,  on  the  understanding  that  the  Rev.  George  Smith, 
a  young  missionary  of  great  devotedness  and  high  promise, 
who  had  recently  joined  their  number,  should  meanwhile, 
more  or  less  permanently,  take  his  place  at  Swatow.  He 
had  as  yet  reaped  but  little  fruit  of  his  labours  in  this  field ; 
he  could  riot  count  one  single  decided  convert  from 
amongst  all  the  multitudes  to  whom  he  had  here  declared 
the  Word  of  life;  but  he  had  thoroughly  broken  up  the 
ground,  and  plenteously  sowed  the  seeds  of  a  harvest,  to 
be  gathered  in  by  those  that  should  come  after  him,  and 
enter  into  his  labours. 


-<Et.  40-43-]  RETURN    TO    AMOY.  479 

He  sailed  for  Amoy  about  the  middle  of  October,  1858, 
and  reached  that  place  in  safety  a  few  days  after.  His 
next  letter  is,  alike  in  its  date  and  its  subject-matter, 
deeply  touching,  and  a  brief  extract  from  it  will  fitly  close 
this  chapter: — 

"Amoy,  November  2$t/i,  1858. — I  am  sitting  in  the  room 
formerly  occupied  by  our  dear  and  respected  brother1  and 
fellow-labourer  who  is  now  no  more  with  us,  but  has,  like  his 
divine  Master,  left  us  an  example  that  we  should  follow  his 
steps,  in  order  that  we  may  overcome  like  him  at  last  through 
the  blood  of  the  Lamb  and  the  word  of  his  testimony!  On 
the  occasion  of  his  so  sudden  removal  from  us,  I  felt  unable 
in  any  suitable  manner  to  write  to  any  of  his  kindred, 
although  I  took  the  pen  in  hand  more  than  once  to  do  so. 
On  coming  up  here  four  weeks  ago,  I  went  to  see  the  spot 
where  his  mortal  remains  are  laid.  It  is  as  yet  marked  by  no 
monumental  stone,  but  is  side  by  side  with  the  graves  of  not 
a  few  members,  old  and  young,  of  the  missionary  circle,  and 
with  many  of  them  we  trust  he  will  rise  in  glory  at  the  Lord's 
coming.  What  a  lesson  to  us,  and  to  all!  When  little  more 
than  a  year  ago  I  visited  Amoy,  I  had  much  sweet  inter 
course  with  him;  and  as  the  vessel  that  conveyed  me  back 
to  Swatow  left  the  harbour,  he  stood  on  the  balcony  above, 
and  waved  to  me  until  we  were  out  of  sight.  Now  we  may 
imagine  him  from  a  higher  elevation,  beckoning  us  to  follow 
on  in  the  Christian  race,  laying  aside  every  weight,  and 
running  that  we  may  reach  the  prize — the  crown  of  life, 
which  we  believe  has  been  already  given  to  him  by  his 
Saviour  and  Lord." 

1  The  devoted  and  greatly  beloved  David  Sandeman,  who  died 
of  cholera,  at  Amoy,  July  31,  1858,  and  whose  memory  has  been 
embalmed  in  an  interesting  biography  by  the  Rev.  A.  A.  Eonar. 


CHAPTER    XIX. 

1858-63. 

OLD    SCENES   AND    NEW. 

WHILE  Mr.  Burns  was  thus  laboriously  preparing 
the  way  for  future  labourers  in  the  comparatively 
hard  and  unkindly  soil  around  Swatow,  his  missionary 
brethren  had  been  reaping  a  rich  and  almost  continuous 
harvest  at  the  parent  station  of  Amoy.  His  young  col 
league,  Mr.  Douglas,  had  entered  on  his  work  at  a  most 
auspicious  moment,  and  had  abundantly  shared  in  that 
blessing  which  for  the  last  three  years  had  so  signally 
rested  on  that  favoured  field,  and  on  all  connected  with 
it.  The  number  of  converts  and  of  inquirers  in  connec 
tion  with  all  the  societies  increased  rapidly;  the  zeal,  love, 
and  hopeful  faith,  alike  of  missionaries  and  of  native  dis 
ciples,  deepened;  and  the  Word  of  the  Lord  sounded  out 
more  and  more  widely  over  the  whole  region  round.  The 
valleys  of  the  hill  country,  on  the  mainland  to  the  west, 
had  become  in  particular  one  wide  and  busy  harvest-field 
of  souls.  The  sacred  fire,  kindled  the  year  before  at  a 
single  spot,  spread  gradually,  chiefly  through  the  spontane 
ous  zeal  of  converts  and  native  evangelists,  to  the  towns 
and  villages  around,  and  one  living  church  after  another 
rose  up  as  lights  amid  the  darkness.  Speedily  the  daughter 


Mt.  43-48.]        MR.  DOUGLAS'  EARLY  LABOURS.  481 

societies  of  Bay-pay  and  Chioh-bey  rivalled  alike  in  numbers 
and  in  fervour  the  mother  congregation  at  Pechuia,  while 
lesser  groups  of  Christian  worshippers  were  scattered  here 
and  there  over  the  valleys  and  hills.  In  the  absence  of 
European  labourers,  or  of  trained  native  evangelists,  the 
members  of  the  infant  churches  themselves  became  the 
willing  and  zealous  messengers  of  the  Cross,  and  the 
Word  of  the  Lord  spread  as  by  its  own  divine  inherent 
might  from  village  to  village,  and  from  heart  to  heart. 
Sometimes  even  it  would  be  found  that  a  single  soul 
having  heard  the  divine  message,  perhaps  only  once  at 
some  central  mission  station,  had  carried  some  living  seeds 
of  truth  home  to  some  sequestered  village  among  the 
hills,  and  there  alone,  amid  heathen  idolaters,  by  feeble 
prayers  to  the  true  God,  and  rude  endeavours  to  keep  the 
Christian  Sabbath,  nursed  the  sacred  germ,  until  some 
Christian  evangelist  came  to  water  and  to  foster  it.  The 
aspect  of  the  scene,  as  it  presented  itself  to  the  young 
missionary  on  his  first  survey  of  the  field,  was  thus  exceed 
ingly  exhilarating.  "  A  glorious  work  of  God,"  said  he 
(Jan.  3,  1856),  "has  been  wrought  in  this  place,  and  He 
is  working  still,  and  by  his  dealings  we  seem  warranted  to 
expect  that  all  this  is  but  the  merest  beginning  of  the 
abundant  blessing  that  he  is  about  to  bestow  on  this  place 
and  neighbourhood.  For  several  years  after  this  port  was 
opened  the  labours  seemed  almost  in  vain,  and  when 
about  seven  years  ago  the  drops  began  to  fall,  they  were 
very  very  few;  but  somewhat  about  two  years  ago,  the  con 
versions  became  more  numerous,  and  now  the  number  of 
living  adult  members  is — London  Missionary  Society, 

2  H 


482  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1858-63. 

here  and  at  Ko-lang-soo,  150;  American  Mission  here, 
100;  at  Chidh-bey,  22;  and  our  station  at  Pechuia,  25.  Of 
these  the  London  Society  has  39  female  members,  and 
the  Americans  about  the  same  number.  You  can  now 
judge  by  what  I  have  said  as  to  the  past  and  the  present ; 
while  as  to  the  future,  our  hopes  rest,  under  the  mercy  and 
love  of  God,  on  various  reasons, — partly  the  zeal  and 
prayerfulness  stirred  up  at  home,  partly  on  the  singularly 
steady  progress  and  continued  proportional  increase  of 
the  converting  work,  which  is  also  peculiarly  free  from  any 
excesses  of  enthusiasm  or  superstition;  and  very  much  on 
the  fact  that  the  converts,  almost  all,  are  full  of  zeal  to 
lead  their  relatives  and  friends  to  become  partakers  of  the 
like  precious  faith,  and  to  instruct  in  the  Scriptures  and 
'the  doctrine'  those  who  are  younger  in  Christ;  they 
seem,  so  far  as  I  can  see,  to  delight  to  tell  those  who  are 
still  without,  of  the  grace  and  peace  which  they  have 
found.  . 

"There  are  altogether  fifteen  native  Christians  employed 
as  colporteurs  and  evangelists  by  the  various  missions; 
these  assist  in  conducting  the  services  in  the  chapels,  and 
quite  as  often  conduct  them  themselves;  they  also  go  out 
into  the  streets,  and  the  neighbouring  villages  and  towns, 
distributing  tracts  and  Testaments,  preaching  and  con 
versing  with  the  people.  Though  of  course  I  am  not  yet 
able  to  assist  them  in  this  work,  I  often  accompany  them. 
There  are  also  several  young  men  under  training  for  this 
work  by  the  several  missionaries,  who  occasionally  go  out 
to  help;  and  there  are  also  several  persons  engaged  in 
ordinary  business,  who  delight  to  take  part  from  time  to 


Mt.  43-48.]  EXTENSION    OF   THE   WORK.  483 

time  in  these  evangelistic  labours.  Oh,  that  Christians  at 
home  would  go  and  do  likewise — go  everywhere,  in  streets, 
and  lanes,  and  villages  preaching  the  Word,  and  the  Lord 
would  certainly  be  with  them,  and  his  power  be  present 
to  heal." 

When  about  a  year  after  his  arrival  the  missionary  was 
able  himself  to  preach  in  the  Chinese  language,  the  evan 
gelistic  work  went  on  still  more  vigorously.  From  the 
wise  and  judicious  director,  he  became  now  the  energetic 
leader  of  the  company  of  preachers,  traversing  in  every 
direction  the  whole  region  round  Amoy,  till  there  was 
scarcely  one  important  centre  of  population  on  either  side 
of  the  Chang-chow  estuary  in  which  the  joyful  sound  had 
not  been  heard.  Old  stations  flourished,  and  new  fields 
opened  up,  which  seemed  scarcely  less  ripe  for  the  harvest. 
Seldom  did  a  month  pass  in  which  there  were  not  in  some 
of  the  churches  inquirers  to  be  instructed,  and  converts 
to  be  baptized;  while  the  old  members,  for  the  most  part, 
visibly  grew  in  faith,  in  knowledge,  and  in  Christian 
activity  and  zeal.  A  numerous  "school  of  the  prophets," 
too,  for  the  training  of  native  evangelists  and  teachers, 
flourished  under  the  missionary's  own  care,  at  the  central 
station  at  Amoy,  and  held  out  the  prospect  of  still  more 
active  and  extensive  operations  in  the  time  to  come. 

Tt  was  indeed  a  green  spot,  which  attracted  the  eye 
even  of  the  passing  traveller,  as  a  "field  which  the  Lord 
had  blessed."  An  interesting  testimony  of  this  kind,  which 
came  unsought  from  an  unexpected  quarter,  I  cannot  help 
quoting.  A  writer  in  the  Overland  Chinese  Mail,  who 
signs  himself  "  Ornithologicus,"  had  set  out  with  a  fellow- 


484  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1858-63. 

sportsman  from  Amoy  towards  some  point  on  the  main 
land.  Their  boat  was  capsized  by  a  squall,  and  they  were 
taken  up  by  a  junk  which  was  bearing  towards  the  mouth 
of  the  Pechuia  river.  The  boatmen  would  not  return 
with  them  to  Amoy;  but  showed  them  much  kindness, 
taking  off  their  own  garments,  and  insisting  upon  them 
putting  them  on,  to  prevent  their  getting  chilled.  The 
rest  must  be  told  in  the  writer's  own  words : — 

"  Running  with  a  fair  breeze,  in  the  course  of  an  hour  or  so 
we  reached  Pechuia,  and  were  led  by  the  boatmen,  amidst 
the  cheers  of  the  small  boys,  to  the  missionary  chapel.  Our 
guides  conducted  us  through  the  Chinese  chapel,  up  a  ladder 
to  a  room  above,  where  a  teacher  was  instructing  a  class  of 
boys.  The  learned  man,  when  he  first  saw  us  in  our  dirty 
dress,  and  a  mob  crushing  in  at  our  heels,  felt  annoyed ;  but 
as  soon  as  he  heard  that  we  were  peaceful  inhabitants  of 
Amoy,  who  had  met  with  an  accident  while  on  a  boat  trip, 
his  countenance  immediately  assumed  a  bland  expression, 
and  he  invited  us  into  his  room,  and  made  us  recount  to  him 
as  well  as  we  could  our  accident,  while  he  sent  to  have  our 
clothes  dried.  Several  converts  came  to  have  a  look  at  us, 
and  amongst  them  an  old  respectable-looking  man,  who  was 
somewhat  deaf;  and  when  the  rest  explained  to  him  what  had 
occurred,  he  turned  to  us  and  said,  in  a  serious  tone,  'You 
ought  indeed  to  be  thankful  to  the  Almighty  for  having  spared 
you  from  a  watery  grave ! '  After  we  had  chatted  some  time 
with  our  visitors,  we  were  shown  into  a  small  private  room, 
with  a  table,  a  couch,  and  a  couple  of  bamboo  chairs.  This 
we  were  told  was  the  missionary's  private  apartment  whilst 
he  taught  amongst  them.  On  the  table  was  laid  a  dinner, 
half  Chinese  and  half  English,  and  we  were  left  alone  to 
dress  and  enjoy  our  meal.  Our  long  subjection  to  moistening 
influences  had  given  us  extraordinary  appetites,  and  we  did 
our  duty  well  to  the  good  things  set  before  us.  Before  it  grew 


JEt.  43-48.]  TESTIMONY   OF   A    STRANGER.  485 

dark  we  expressed  a  desire  to  go  for  a  walk,  and  were  led 
through  the  village  to  a  secluded  path  by  the  river's  side. 
The  streets  have  not  much  to  recommend  them,  but  the 
country  was  green  and  pretty,  and  quite  a  pleasant  change 
from  the  barren  hills  of  Amoy. 

"  On  our  return  to  the  missionary  dwelling,  we  had  a  cup 
of  tea,  and  then  a  gong  was  beaten,  and  some  of  the  converts 
came  in  to  ask  us  if  we  would  attend  evening  worship.  We  of 
course  implied  a  willing  assent,  and  stepping  into  the  hall, 
found  a  company  of  about  twenty  gathered  round  a  table  with 
books  before  them ;  two  seats  were  left  vacant  for  us  at  the 
bottom  of  the  table,  which  we  took  possession  of.  The 
teacher  at  the  head  of  the  table  began  the  service  by  giving 
out  a  hymn,  which  was  sung  by  the  company  under  his  pre- 
centorship.  The  Bible  was  then  opened,  and  each  one  read 
a  verse  of  the  chapter  in  his  turn ;  an  explication  of  the 
chapter  followed,  after  which  all  fell  on  their  knees  while  the 
good  man  prayed.  My  knowledge  of  the  local  dialect  is  not 
very  great,  but  I  knew  enough  to  understand  that  he  returned 
thanks  for  our  deliverance  from  a  watery  death,  and  also  that 
he  prayed  for  the  safe  passage  of  their  pastor,  who  had  left 
them  for  a  visit  to  the  north.1  We  were  exceedingly  pleased 
with  all  we-  witnessed,  and  came  to  the  conclusion  that  the 
only  answer  we  could  in  future  return  to  the  cavillers  at  the 
progress  of  Christianity  in  China  would  be  that  we  only 
wished  that  half  the  Christian  assemblies  we  have  been 
present  at  at  home  could  evince  a  portion  of  the  sincere  and 
true  devotion  in  worship  of  the  small  body  of  converts  in 
Pechuia.  What  the  heart  is,  it  is  impossible  for  man  to 
know,  unless  he  judges  from  the  external  demeanour. 

"As  soon  as  the  service  was  over  we  retired  to  our  small 
room,  and  being  very  anxious  to  return  to  Amoy,  we  inquired 
whether  we  could  not  hire  a  boat  to  take  us  back.  The  owner 
of  a  boat  was  summoned,  and  he  agreed  to  start  as  soon  as 
the  tide  turned,  which  would  not  be  till  midnight. 

1  The  Rev.  Mr.  Douglas,  then  on  a  visit  at  Shanghae. 


486  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1858-63. 

"We  talked  with  the  people  that  came  to  see  us,  and  smoked 
incessantly  to  pass  the  time  away.  Midnight  seemed  a  long 
time  approaching ;  at  last,  to  our  intense  relief,  we  were  told 
that  the  boat  was  ready,  and  were  lighted  through  the  streets 
to  the  river  side,  many  of  our  friends  following  to  take  leave 
of  us  as  we  embarked." 

But  this  bright  picture  had  also  its  darker  shadow.  "  It 
is  impossible  but  that  offences  shall  come."  Tares  will 
ever  mingle  with  the  wheat  even  in  the  richest  and  fairest 
fields  of  the  Church,  and  the  infant  churches  of  Fokien 
were  no  exceptions  to  this  universal  rule.  The  mother 
congregation  at  Pechuia,  in  particular,  had  become  latterly 
the  subject  of  grave  solicitude  to  the  missionaries.  Dis 
sensions  had  arisen  about  the  building  of  a  chapel;  one 
or  two  cases  of  scandal  had  occurred  amongst  the  mem 
bers;  death  and  change  had  of  late  visibly  thinned  the 
ranks  of  the  little  society,  while  few  new  disciples  were  rising 
up  to  fill  the  vacant  places.  It  seemed  indeed  as  if  the 
fresh  spirit  of  life,  under  which  at  first  they  had  grown  ex 
ceedingly,  at  once  in  numbers  and  in  fervour,  had  passed 
away,  and  that  the  work  had  become  stationary,  or  even 
retrograde.  It  was  in  these  circumstances  that  Mr.  Burns 
had  been  urged  by  his  brother  missionary  to  return,  at 
least  for  a  season,  to  the  scene  of  his  former  labours,  and 
to  bear  his  share  of  the  increasing  anxieties  and  responsi 
bility  of  their  common  work. 

On  his  arrival  at  Pechuia  he  found  the  evils  of  which  he 
had  heard  less  serious  than  he  had  feared,  but  still  suffi 
ciently  grave  to  call  for  prompt  and  vigorous  corrective 
measures.  On  Feb.  22d,  1859,  he  writes  from  Amoy: — 
"  There  are  two  persons  there  who  have  fallen  away  from 


.JEt.  43-48.]         TROUBLES  AT  PECHUIA.  487 

their  Christian  profession;  but  neither  of  them  had  from 
the  beginning,  as  far  as  I  learn,  any  marked  evidence  of 
a  work  of  grace.  The  only  really  melancholy  case  that  I 
know  of,  is  one  who  was  chapel-keeper,  and  afterwards  a 
preacher,  but  who,  there  is  reason  to  fear,  has  again  fallen 
under  the  power  of  opium-smoking."  The  general  aspect 
of  affairs,  however,  as  it  presented  itself  to  him  after  so  long 
an  absence,  was  on  the  whole  most  cheering.  "I  wonder," 
says  he,  "  more  than  ever  I  did  at  the  reality  and  preci- 
ousness  of  the  work  of  the  divine  Spirit  at  Pechuia  and 
the  neighbouring  stations.  May  the  time  be  near  when 
new  and  like  glorious  manifestations  of  the  Lord's  saving 
power  shall  be  witnessed  in  this  and  in  all  lands !  .  .  .  Yes 
terday  we  had  about  forty  of  the  converts  in  this  neigh 
bourhood  assembled  at  the  communion  at  Pechuia;  and 
to-day,  in  coming  here,  fully  a  dozen  accompanied  me, 
most  of  them  returning  home.  It  was  a  sweet  contrast 
with  the  state  of  things  five  years  ago,  when  we  first 
visited  Pechuia,  and  when  in  this  whole  neighbourhood 
there  was  probably  not  a  single  follower  of  the  Lamb. 
'These,  where  had  they  been?'  These  from  the  land  of 
Sinim !  Oh !  glorious  day,  when  the  fulness  of  the  Gen 
tiles  shall  be  converted  unto  Emmanuel;  when  all  nations 
shall  be  blessed  in  Him,  and  all  nations  shall  call  him 
blessed!  Come,  Lord  Jesus,  come  quickly.  Take  unto 
thee  thy  great  power  and  reign." 

Two  of  the  offending  members  were,  after  all  gentler 
means  of  remedy  had  been  tried  in  vain,  cut  off  from 
communion,  while  two  others  were  subjected  to  the  faithful 
but  loving  discipline  of  the  Church,  with  a  view  to  their 


488  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1858-63. 

repentance  and  restoration.  Remedial  measures,  too,  of 
a  more  permanent  kind  were  at  the  same  time  adopted. 
A  regular  body  of  office-bearers,  according  to  the  Presby 
terian  model,  was  constituted  at  Pechuia,  as  had  been 
already  done  at  Amoy  and  Chioh-bey;  the  whole  pro 
ceedings  of  the  election  being  conducted  in  a  most 
orderly  manner,  in  an  assembly  of  the  native  church  itself. 
Another  measure  not  less  memorable  originated  with  the 
native  brethren  themselves,  and  is  in  its  whole  circum 
stances  and  history  deeply  touching.  "  A  fortnight  ago," 
writes  Mr.  Burns,  "at  the  instance  of  one  of  the  elders  at 
Chioh-bey  (who  is  one  of  the  Pechuia  converts,  and  was 
one  of  the  chief  founders,  as  he  is  one  of  the  pillars  of 
the  Chioh-bey  church),  the  Pechuia,  in  concert  with  the 
Chioh-bey  church,  observed  a  season  of  solemn  prayer 
and  fasting,  that  they  might  seek  the  return  of  the  Lord's 
favour  to  Pechuia.  I  was  at  Chioh-bey  when  this  season 
was  observed— Tuesday,  the  i6th  of  August.  There  was 
a  large  attendance  of  church  members,  and  when  the  elder 
I  have  alluded  to,  I-ju,  began  to  pray,  he  was  so  affected 
that  he  could  hardly  proceed.  The  preacher  at  Chioh-bey, 
Tow-lo,  who  began  his  work  as  a  preacher  at  Pechuia  in 
1854,  was  also  sobbing  aloud.  It  was  evident  that  the  Lord 
was  in  the  midst  of  us." 

It  is  not  strange  surely  that  such  offences  should  be 
found  in  the  infant  churches  in  heathen  lands,  as  are 
never  wanting  in  the  purest  and  holiest  flocks  in  Christen 
dom.  "  It  is  well,"  said  Dr.  Hamilton,  in  his  report  of 
this  year,  "  to  bear  in  remembrance  the  many  difficulties 
to  which  converts  in  such  a  country  are  subjected,  from 


JEt.  43-48.]  SALUTARY   DISCIPLINE.  489 


past  habits  and  surrounding  influences.  Weak  in  faith 
and  experience,  they  are  as  sheep  in  the  midst  of  wolves. 
In  our  intercessions  let  us  not  forget  those  churches, 
which,  like  the  lily  amongst  thorns,  are  planted  in  the 
heart  of  heathendom."  They  themselves  had  long  since 
said,  in  that  touching  letter  to  their  absent  pastor  and 
father  in  the  faith : — "  You  know  that  our  faith  is  weak  and 
in  danger.  .  .  .  We  have  heard  the  gospel  but  a  few 
months;  our  faith  is  not  yet  firm.  .  .  .  We  are  like  sheep 
that  have  lost  their  shepherd,  or  an  infant  that  has  lost  its 
milk."1 

The  evils  which  had  been  thus  the  cause  of  such  bitter 
sorrow  to  all,  were  yet  in  the  end  overruled  for  good. 
The  little  church  came  forth  from  the  ordeal  purified, 
braced,  and  strengthened:  with  numbers  somewhat  re 
duced,  but  with  a  deeper  and  humbler  faith,  and  with  a 
tried  and  disciplined  steadfastness.  The  shaking  of  the 
tree  had  only  fastened  the  roots  the  more.  The  barren 
branches  had  been  taken  away,  and  the  fruitful  "purged," 
that  they  might  bring  forth  more  fruit.  "  During  these 
months,"  says  one  of  the  missionaries,  "a  singular  blessing 
has  rested  on  efforts  made  to  remove  the  evils  which  were 
pressing  upon  us.  ...  Fact  after  fact  has  come  to  light, 
manifesting  those  who  were  not  approved,  and  most  un 
expected  light  has  been  thrown  on  what,  if  undiscovered, 
would  have  continued  to  infest  the  Church,  and  hinder 
the  work  amongst  us."2 

Another  event  of  the  deepest  interest  occurred  this 
year,  which  is  so  strikingly  illustrative  of  the  whole  char- 

Jrp.  422-423.  -  Letter  from  Mr.  Grant,  8th  Oct.,  1859. 


490 


LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1858-63. 


acter  of  the  mission,  and  of  the  infant  churches  to  which 
it  has  given  birth,  that  I  shall  relate  the  circumstances  at 
length  in  the  words  of  one  of  the  missionaries.  "  Last 
month,"  says  Mr.  Douglas,  "a  step  in  advance  was  taken 
by  the  Amoy  church,  which  seems  to  me  most  important, 
and  the  most  cheering  which  has  been  taken  since  that 
church  was  organized.  It  was  the  setting  apart  of  two 
native  evangelists,  entirely  supported  by  the  native  church  in 
Amoy,  under  the  care  of  the  American  missionaries. 

"  The  novelty  and  cheering  interest  of  this  step  does 
not  lie  in  the  use  of  "native  evangelists.  These  have  long 
been  employed,  and  found  quite  indispensable  in  the  in 
struction  and  extension  of  the  Church.  But  the  singular 
interest  of  what  has  just  been  begun  is,  that  these  two 
native  evangelists  are  as  completely  independent  of  foreign 
money,  as  the  ministers  of  Canada  or  Australia.  Of 
course  the  church  itself  is  still  dependent  for  instruction 
on  the  foreign  missionaries,  and  on  agents  paid  by  them; 
but  in  the  case  of  these  two  new  evangelists,  a  beginning 
has  been  made  of  the  self-supporting  principle. 

"It  was  after  abundant  prayer  and  careful  counting  of 
the  cost,  that  this  work  was  begun.  The  choice  of  the 
two  brethren  honoured  by  the  Master  to  undertake  this 
office  was  quite  independent  of  the  missionaries,  the 
names  being  only  submitted  for  approval  or  rejection 
after  the  choice,  before  the  setting  apart.  On  that  day 
the  native  members  of  the  other  church  at  Amoy,  that, 
namely,  under  the  care  of  the  London  Missionary  Society, 
were  invited  to  be  present.  Almost  all  the  missionaries 
of  the  several  societies  were  there.  And  already  both 


JEt.  43-48-]  ANOTHER    VISIT    TO    CHANG-CHOW.  491 

that  church  and  the  younger  churches  on  the  mainland 
are  considering  whether  they  be  able  to  follow  the 
example  so  well  set  to  them. 

"The  field  chosen  for  these  new  labourers  is  the  un- 
evangelized  portion  of  the  island  of  Amoy,  which  is  just 
the  whole  island  (about  thirty  miles  in  circumference), 
except  the  town  itself.  How  wonderful  and  glorious  the 
ways  of  God!  While  he  is  opening  up  our  way  to  the 
towns  and  cities  at  a  greater  distance  around,  he  is  taking 
care  that  the  populous  villages  of  the  immediate  neigh 
bourhood  be  not  neglected." 

Amid  these  interesting  and  fruitful  pastoral  cares,  the 
more  extended  and  aggressive  work  of  the  mission  went 
on  vigorously — the  missionaries  "using  the  'Gospel  Boat' 
as  their  home  in  going  from  place  to  place  in  evangelistic 
work,  for  which  the  rivers  of  China  afford  so  great  facility." 
Another  attempt  was  made  to  effect  a  permanent  lodg 
ment  within  the  walls  of  the  great  city  of  Chang-chow,1 
but  was  for  the  time  defeated  in  consequence  of  a  singular 
incident.  "A  week  ago,"  writes  Mr.  Burns,  "we  were 
living  near  the  district  magistrate's  office.  He  had  gone 
out  about  midnight,  on  Sabbath  the  i3th,  to  inspect  the 
streets,  and  just  as  he  was  passing  our  lodging,  one  of  the 
assistants,  when  the  other  had  gone  to  rest,  suddenly,  in 
the  fulness  of  his  heart,  began  aloud  to  sing  a  Christian 
hymn.  The  unusual  sound  attracted  the  mandarin;  he 
listened,  and  hearing  that  a  foreigner  was  there,  he  next 
day  sent  to  ask  us  to  leave  the  city."  In  another  direc 
tion,  however,  some  hopeful  tokens  had  begun  to  appear 
1  See  pp.  395,  396. 


4Q2  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1858-63. 

in  places  to  which  Mr.  Douglas'  eye  had  been  long  and 
anxiously  turned.  At  Anhai,  a  town  of  about  30,000  or 
40,000  inhabitants,  situated  at  the  head  of  a  long  inlet, 
about  thirty-five  miles  north-east  from  Amoy,  an  opening 
had  been  found  for  the  truth,  which  soon  led  to  the 
establishment  of  a  regular  mission  station,  and  to  the 
foundation  of  one  of  the  most  numerous  and  fruitful  of 
the  Chinese  native  churches. 

It  was  in  the  midst  of  these  interesting  and  congenial 
labours  that  Mr.  Burns  received  the  following  touching 
lines  from  his  early  friend,  James  Hamilton,  which  I  am 
tempted  to  insert  as  a  fragrant  memorial  both  of  the 
writer  himself  and  of  that  gracious  and  benignant  friend 
whose  character  he  embalms : — 

"48  Euston  Square,  London,  N.W,,  May  loth,  1859. — MY 
DEAR  FRIEND, — Two  hours  ago  I  received  a  notification  of 
what  will  doubtless  be  communicated  to  you  in  fuller  detail 
from  home — the  entrance  into  his  everlasting  rest  of  your 
beloved  father,  on  the  morning  of  Sabbath  last.  It  was  only 
a  few  weeks  after  his  retirement  from  his  ministerial  work;  so 
that  the  heavenly  Sabbath  has  followed  sooner  than  he  hoped. 
It  has  been  a  wonderfully  serene  and  blameless  life,  and  in 
the  remarkable  visitation  of  his  people  twenty  years  ago  he 
has  been  a  rarely  happy  minister.  The  announcement  has 
sent  my  own  thoughts  back  to  Kilsyth  and  Strathblane,  and 
to  incidents  that  transpired  '  full  many  years  agone.'  To  you 
in  your  far  place  of  sojourn  the  tidings  will  be  very  affecting. 
It  is  touching  to  think  that  you  will  see  his  face  no  more;  but 
oh  !  how  blessed  is  his  own  case,  who  now  sees  Jesus  face  to 
face,  and  who  from  a  life  of  prayer  has  passed  to  one  of  praise. 

"Last  January  I  saw  him  and  your  dear  mother  in  Glasgow; 
they  had  come  in  to  attend  the  meeting  on  behalf  of  China  in 
Free  St.  Matthew's  (Dr.  S.  Miller's).  Your  father  seemed  to 


JEt.  43-48.]  HIS  FATHER'S  DEATH.  493 

me  very  much  the  same  as  ever.  He  sat  on  a  chair  which 
was  placed  for  him  beside  the  pulpit,  and  the  congregation 
evidently  eyed  him  with  much  reverence  and  affection. 

"'The  fathers,  where  are  they?'  I  often  feel  it  solemn 
now  to  know  that  we  are  getting  into  the  fore-front;  no  gene 
ration  any  longer  between  ourselves  and  the  great  reckoning. 

"With  love  to  all  the  brethren,  I  remain,  affectionately 
yours,  JAMES  HAMILTON." 

In  October,  1859,  Mr.  Burns  was  again  on  his  way 
towards  a  new  and  distant  sphere  of  labour.  The  special 
service  for  which  he  had  come  to  Fokien,  and  for  which 
the  peculiar  relation  in  which  he  stood  to  the  inland 
churches  there  gave  him  a  special  advantage,  had  been 
satisfactorily  accomplished,  and  now  he  longed  to  return 
to  his  old  work  of  pioneering  the  way  of  other  labourers 
in  regions  where  the  gospel  had  not  yet  found  an  en 
trance.  The  nearest  and  most  natural  centre  of  opera 
tions  was  Fuh-chow — the  capital  city  of  the  province  to 
which  Amoy  belongs,  and  here  accordingly  he  spent  most 
of  the  next  year — quickly  acquiring  the  new  dialect,  pre 
paring  a  hymn-book  for  the  use  of  the  infant  church,  and 
unweariedly  sowing,  as  usual,  the  gospel-seed.  Of  these 
labours  the  following  notices  have  been  kindly  furnished 
to  me  by  esteemed  brethren  connected  with  other  sections 
of  the  Christian  Church. 

"When  Mr.  Burns,"  says  the  Rev.  C.  Hartwell,  one  of 
the  oldest  missionaries  of  the  American  Board  at  Fuh-chow, 
"first  came  to  Fuh-chow  in  October,  1859,  he  divided 
his  labours  between  preaching  in  English  and  studying 
and  preaching  in  Chinese.  He  spent  his  Sabbaths  at  the 


494  LIFE    OF    REV-    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1858-63. 

'Pagoda  Anchorage/1  preaching  on  ship-board  to  seamen 
and  others  who  came  to  his  services.  The  week-days  he 
spent  at  Fuh-chow,  studying  the  spoken  dialect,  and  for 
a  short  time  preaching  two  evenings  in  a  week  in  the 
Amoy  dialect,  to  the  tin-foil  beaters  and  others  from  the 
Amoy  region  living  here,  who  were  induced  by  special 
invitation  to  attend  his  services  in  our  church. 

"Of  his  labours  at  the  'Anchorage,'  I  frequently  heard 
him  speak,  as  he  made  his  home  with  me  for  the  first  two 
months  of  his  stay  here.  A  few  Scotch  ship-masters  also 
called  on  him  at  my  house,  but  I  remember  no  facts  of 
especial  interest  connected  with  his  labours  among  the 
shipping. 

"As  his  congregations  of  hearers  in  the  Amoy  dialect 
soon  became  small,  he  ceased  from  his  efforts  in  that 
direction,  and  devoted  himself  exclusively  to  learning  the 
Fuh-chow  language,  and  labouring  for  the  Fuh-chow 
people.  Having  an  accurate  knowledge  of  the  written 
language,2  and  a  great  facility  in  acquiring  the  spoken 
dialects,  he  was  soon  able  to  do  something  in  connection 
with  the  native  helpers  employed  by  the  Mission  of  the 
American  Board,  and  the  American  Methodist  Mission. 

"Besides  attending  the  services  of  other  missionaries, 

1  "Pagoda  Anchorage"  is  the  place  where  large  ships  lie,  about 
twelve  miles  below  the  city;  it  is  so  called  from  a  pagoda  on 
"Pagoda  Island." 

"The  written  language"  may  perhaps  not  give  a  clear  idea; 
what  is  meant  is  the  literary  style,  in  which  books  are  composed,  and 
which  is  equally  current  through  the  whole  empire;  of  course  it  is 
quite  different  from  the  colloquial  of  any  place,  and  only  well-edu 
cated  persons  can  understand  it. 


JEt.  43-48.]  LABOURS    AT    FUH-CHOW.  495 

he  himself  held  others  in  our  churches,  in  which  at  first 
the  native  helpers  did  the  preaching,  he  simply  directing 
the  exercises,  and  occasionally  suggesting  points  to  them 
upon  which  he  wished  them  to  speak.  He  was  quite 
successful  in  this  mode  of  effort,  and  the  helpers  as  well 
as  others  were  benefited  by  the  meetings. 

"As  his  ability  to  use  the  local  dialect  increased,  he 
gradually  did  more  preaching  himself  at  his  services.  His 
labours  at  first  were  mostly  at  Nan-tai,1  where  churches 
had  been  built  and  good  accommodations  for  preaching 
secured.  Afterwards,  as  the  missionaries  within  the  city, 
from  want  of  chapels,  at  that  time  were  forced  to  labour 
a  good  deal  in  the  streets,  he  began  to  accompany  them 
in  their  labours  in  street-preaching,  and  also  engaged  in 
such  efforts  himself  in  connection  with  native  assistants. 

"He  also  assisted  us  by  visiting  some  of  our  out-stations 
in  the  country,  and  labouring  in  these  places.  One  of 
our  present  out-stations  was  commenced  by  him.  We 
had  opened  a  chapel  some  miles  back  of  the  place  in  a 
smaller  village,  but  had  been  unable  to  secure  one  in  this 
large  village  until  his  effort  was  successful.  He  laboured  at 
this  place  for  some  time,  and  several  persons  manifested 
some  interest  in  the  truth,  but  none  of  them  have  yet 
given  evidence  of  piety.  When  he  left  Fuh-chow  the  last 
time,  he  gave  funds  to  employ  an  extra  helper  for  this 

1  Nan-tai,  the  suburb  of  Fuh-chow,  on  the  river,  where  all  the 
foreign  hongs  and  mercantile  and  consular  residences  stand.  The 
mission  houses,  and  some  of  the  mission  chapels  of  the  American 
Methodist  Mission,  are  also  there.  The  city  proper  (the  walled  part) 
lies  about  three  miles  north  of  the  river,  the  suburb  stretching  the 
whole  way,  though  most  dense  on  the  river  side. 


496  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1858-63. 

village  for  some  time,  and  the  out-station  has  been  fully 
manned  by  us  ever  since;  but,  for  unknown  reasons,  it 
has  hitherto  proved  our  least  successful  field  of  labour. 

"Not  desiring  to  open  a  new  mission  at  Fuh-chow, 
during  his  stay  here,  Mr.  Burns  sought  to  aid  each  of  the 
three  missions  already  established,  as  opportunity  offered 
and  occasion  seemed  to  require.  He  did  not  confine  his 
assistance  to  any  one  of  them.  He  sought  for  openings 
where  he  could  be  useful  in  promoting  the  work  generally, 
and  in  this  he  was  very  successful.  His  catholicity  of 
feeling  made  him  e\*er  ready  to  aid  at  any  weak  point. 

"The  particulars  in  which,  as  it  seems  to  me,  he  most 
aided  our  mission — and  in  fact  the  others  also — were  his 
excellent  influence  upon  our  native  assistants,  and  in 
successfully  introducing  the  use  of  colloquial  hymns 
among  us  in  our  worship. 

"Our  helpers  soon  learned  to  feel  a  great  regard  for 
Mr.  Burns,  and  their  piety  was  quickened  and  deepened 
apparently  through  his  influence.  His  power  over  them 
arose  from  his  own  deep  piety ;  his  accurate  knowledge  of 
the  Chinese  language;  the  great  fund  of  Christian  know 
ledge  at  his  command;  and  the  singleness  of  purpose 
which  he  ever  manifested.  We  felt  it  to  be  a  privilege  to 
have  our  native  preachers  under  his  influence  and  instruc 
tion. 

"Previous  to  his  coming  among  us  all  our  hymns  used 
in  worship  had  been  in  the  written  language,  as  had  been 
the  case  elsewhere  generally  in  China.  His  attempt, 
though  not  the  only  one,  was  the  first  which  was  success 
ful  in  introducing  the  use  of  colloquial  hymns  for  this 


JEt.  43-48.)  LABOURS    AT    FUH-CHOW.  497 


purpose.  With  the  aid  of  native  preachers  he  prepared 
some  of  the  hymns  used  at  Amoy  and  Swatow,  in  the 
spoken  dialect  of  Fuh-chow.  These  he  first  printed  in 
sheet  form,  and  used  them  in  street-preaching  and  chapel- 
preaching,  till  he  was  convinced  that  they  were  in  a  good 
colloquial  style,  and  then  he  published  them  as  amended 
in  a  book  form,  and  they  soon  came  into  general  use 
among  us.  He  showed  his  usual  enthusiasm  in  introduc 
ing  his  hymns,  and  the  force  of  his  character  had  much 
weight  in  overcoming  the  prejudices  of  our  better  educated 
Christians  to  the  general  use  of  colloquial  hymns.  Our 
hymn-book  has  been  much  enlarged,  but  the  hymns  pre 
pared  by  Mr.  Burns  are  still  general  favourites.  His 
influence  for  good  here,  doubtless,  will  be  perpetuated  for 
a  long  time  to  come  through  the  use  of  these  hymns. 

"  I  think  of  nothing  else  that  would  be  of  especial 
interest  to  mention.  He  was  a  good  man,  did  good 
wherever  he  was,  and  has  gone  to  his  reward.  The  savour 
of  his  name  is  still  fragrant  at  Fuh-chow." 

"  He  came  to  Fuh-chow,"  writes  the  Rev.  Dr.  M'Lay, 
of  the  American  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  "shortly 
after  we  had  gathered  in  the  first-fruits  of  the  harvest  in 
this  field,  and  the  effect  of  his  example  and  his  teachings 
on  the  native  Christians  was  most  salutary.  He  was 
eminently  a  man  of  prayer,  and  this  feature  of  his  character, 
as  also  his  love  for  God's  Word,  operated  beneficially  on 
the  native  church.  His  thorough-  consecration  to  the 
work  of  an  evangelist,  and  his  steady  perseverance  in  it, 
produced  a  powerful  impression  upon  all  with  whom  he 
came  in  contact.  He  was  also  very  useful  in  training  the 

2   I 


490  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1858-63. 

native  churches  in  the  use  of  holy  song;  and  the  hymns 
prepared  under  his  direction  are  still  found  in  the  hymn- 
books  used  by  the  native  churches  of  this  city  and  its 
vicinity.  There  were  not  many  converts  added  to  the 
societies  under  the  care  of  our  mission  during  the  time 
Mr.  Burns  was  in  Fuh-chow.  //  would  appear  that  he 
aimed  chiefly  at  the  edification  of  the  native  church,  and  in 
this  department  he  did  a  good  work.  The  memory  of 
Mr.  Burns  is  very  tenderly  cherished  by  those  who  became 
acquainted  with  him  during  his  residence  in  Fuh  chow, 
and  among  all  the  native  Christians  his  name  is  as  oint 
ment  poured  forth." 

In  September  of  the  next  year  (1860)  he  returned  to 
the  neighbourhood  of  Amoy,  in  consequence  of  some 
trying  circumstances  to  which  we  shall  have  presently  to 
refer  in  greater  detail ;  and  then,  after  only  a  brief  stay, 
passed  on  to  his  old  home  at  Swatow,  where  he  found  to 
his  joy  that  the  wilderness  which  he  had  left  so  short  a 
time  before  had  begun  in  a  remarkable  manner  to  blossom, 
under  the  able  and  devoted  labours  of  his  successor,  Mr. 
Smith.  The  day  after  his  arrival  he  preached  to  the 
natives,  and  the  change  for  the  better  that  had  come  over 
the  people  in  their  desire  to  hear  the  gospel  since  his  first 
visit,  five  years  previously,  affected  him  almost  to  tears  on 
the  occasion.  Here  also  he  compiled  a  hymn-book  in  the 
colloquial  dialect,  which  proved  a  precious  boon  to  the 
young  converts.1 

He  returned  to  Fuh-chow  in  the  course  of  the  next 
year,  and  continued  his  labours  there  for  some  months 
^Narrative,  &<:.,  p.  60. 


^Et.  43-48.]  PERSECUTION.  499 

longer,  But,  meanwhile,  events  had  occurred  in  the 
neighbourhood  of  Amoy  which  required  his  presence 
there  for  a  more  lengthened  period,  and  which  ultimately 
led  to  his  removal  to  the  capital  city  of  Peking. 

Allusion  has  already  been  made  more  than  once  to  the 
fiery  trial  to  which  these  infant  churches  have  been 
almost  continually  exposed  through  the  bitter  opposition 
and  hostility  of  their  heathen  fellow-countrymen.  The 
political  jealousy  of  the  ruling  class,  and  the  religious 
rancour  of  the  people,  united  in  common  antipathy  to 
the  professors  of  a  strange  and  alien  faith.  The  mandarins 
suspected  the  foreign  creed;  the  multitude  hated  the 
singular  and  exclusive  worship.  To  the  philosophic  Con 
fucian  they  were  obnoxious  as  fanatics;  to  the  supersti 
tious  devotee  as  enemies  of  the  gods  and  despisers  of  the 
ancestral  rites.  Hence  a  general  and  constant  sentiment 
of  mingled  suspicion,  dislike,  and  fear,  which  was  ever  in 
danger,  on  the  least  provocation,  of  breaking  out  into 
open  acts  of  hostility  and  lawless  violence.  They  were 
seldom,  indeed,  called  to  witness  for  their  divine  Master 
unto  blood;  never,  perhaps,  except  when  some  terrible 
misconception  might  involve  the  Christian  evangelist  in 
supposed  complicity  with  the  schemes  of  traitors  and 
rebels ;  but  short  of  this  there  was  scarcely  any  extreme  of 
hardship  and  suffering  to  which  they  might  not  be  sub 
jected.  Their  houses  were  spoiled.  Their  property  was 
destroyed.  Their  rice -fields  were  laid  waste.  Their 
cattle  were  driven  away.  Their  pine-trees  were  cut  down. 
They  were  refused  the  use  of  the  public  wells.  Their 
supply  of  labourers  was  cut  oif  by  hostile  combination  in 


500  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1858-63. 

time  of  harvest.  Their  places  of  worship  were  rudely 
assailed,  and  their  sacred  assemblies  interrupted,  without 
hope  of  protection  or  redress  from  any  native  authority. 
One  or  two  instances  of  this  petty  but  vexatious  persecu 
tion  may  be  given  from  the  letters  of  the  missionaries. 
Thus  one  of  the  members  of  the  Bay-pay  church,  of  the 
name  of  Wat,  had  been  called  upon  to  pay  the  accus 
tomed  tribute  in  support  of  the  idolatrous  ceremonies  at 
one  of  the  great  feasts.  He  refused.  Forthwith  he  was 
denied  water  from  the  public  well,  and  his  son  was  beaten 
in  attempting  to  fetch  it.  Then  they  cut  down  a  large 
number  of  his  pine-trees,  which  formed  a  considerable 
portion  of  his  property;  and  as  he  appealed  for  redress  in 
vain,  they  proceeded  next  to  cut  down  his  fruit-trees. 
Other  members  of  the  same  church  had  their  rice-fields 
and  other  property  plundered,  and  at  one  time  three  of 
the  female  candidates  for  baptism  were  severely  beaten 
by  their  relatives.  At  Yam-tsai,  in  the  Swatow  district, 
one  poor  widow  had  her  house  plundered  on  the  Lord's- 
day  when  she  was  at  church ;  another  member  had  his 
field  of  sugar-cane  destroyed;  a  third  had  his  fowls  stolen; 
and  all  were  constantly  exposed  to  the  scoffs  and  re 
proaches  of  their  fellow-villagers,  and  the  unbelieving 
members  of  their  own  families.  Sometimes  the  malicious 
designs  of  the  adversary  were  defeated  in  singular  ways, 
or  signally  overruled  for  good.  One  day  the  police 
entered  the  premises  of  the  old  cloth  merchant  at  Pechuia, 
intending  to  plunder  or  perhaps  to  seize  him.  Being 
rather  deaf,  he  did  not  hear  their  demand,  but  he  said, 
"O  yes;  I  know  what  you  have  come  for,"  and  taking 


JEt.  43-48.]  BROTHERLY    LOVE.  $01 

down  some  of  his  goods,  and  pointing  to  the  rest,  he 
said,  "Take  them,  take  them  all,  and  I'll  go  with  you, 
too;  but  I  am  old  and  rather  deaf;  take  my  boys,  too, 
and  my  little  girl  there.  We  are  all  Christians,  we  are  not 
afraid;  we  will  go  with  you."  The  men,  astonished  at 
this  novel  reception,  left  the  premises  without  injuring  any 
of  the  inmates,  or  touching  an  article  of  their  property. 
While  one  was  thus  preserved  by  his  own  simple  and 
unworldly  faith,  another  was  succoured  by  the  brotherly 
love  of  his  fellow-disciples.  An  old  farmer,  who  resided 
about  five  miles  from  Khi-boey,  a  village  in  the  same 
district,  having  become  a  Christian,  his  heathen  neigh 
bours  evinced  their  bitter  dislike  by  refusing  at  harvest 
time  to  give  him  the  least  assistance  in  reaping  his  rice- 
fields.  On  hearing  of  the  old  man's  trouble,  the  brethren 
at  Khi-boey  at  once  resolved  to  go  to  his  help;  a  band  of 
them  started  one  evening  for  the  farm,  and  commencing 
operations  early  next  morning,  they  worked  so  heartily 
that  the  fields  were  all  reaped  in  one  day,  to  the  surprise 
of  the  neighbours,  and  to  the  comfort  and  relief  of  their 
brother  in  distress.  Such  trials  as  these  had  fallen  of  late 
with  peculiar  severity  on  some  of  the  village  churches  in 
the  Pechuia  district,  and  called  for  some  vigorous  interven 
tion  in  their  behalf  on  the  part  of  their  spiritual  overseers. 
The  case  of  Bay-pay  has  been  already  incidentally  alluded 
to.  More  recently  at  Khi-boey,  a  village  about  twenty 
miles  to  the  south-west  of  Pechuia,  where  an  interesting 
and  prosperous  church  had  been  recently  established,  the 
disciples  had  been  called  to  pass,  while  yet,  as  it  were,  in 
their  very  infancy,  through  a  great  fight  of  affliction.  "  On 


502  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1858-63. 

hearing  of  the  disturbances,  Mr.  Swanson  at  once  repaired 
to  Khi-boey,  and  was  gratified  to  find  that  though  the 
persecution  still  raged,  the  converts  were  keeping  firm  and 
hopeful,  and  that  fourteen  of  them  were  in  a  state  of  pre 
paredness  for  baptism.  No  house  could  be  had  for  divine 
service,  and  they  had  to  gather  under  the  shade  of  a 
magnificent  lung-yen  tree.  The  persecution  ceased  for  a 
time,  but  the  missionaries  were  soon  again  summoned  to 
interpose  in  their  behalf.  Chioh,  in  whose  house  the 
Christians  had  been  in  the  habit  of  assembling,  was  driven 
from  his  home,  and  'on  his  attempting  to  take  refuge  in 
the  house  of  another  Christian,  the  roof  was  broken  in  by 
a  mob,  and  Chioh  prevented  from  entering.  His  widowed 
sister  was  then  attacked,  and  her  son  threatened  with 
death  unless  they  complied  with  their  demand  for  money ; 
a  sword  was  brandished  over  the  lad's  head,  while  they 
required  that  he  should  cease  to  worship  God.  This  he 
resolutely  refused,  declaring  himself  ready  to  die  rather 
than  renounce  his  faith.  Chioh  and  another  went  down 
to  Amoy  for  advice,  and  Mr.  Burns  at  once  returned  with 
them  to  see  what  could  be  done.  While  he  was  attempt 
ing  to  pacify  the  enraged  villagers,  one  of  the  converts 
was  set  upon  by  a  number  of  men  armed  with  bludgeons 
and  pikes,  and  severely  beaten,  and  might  have  been 
killed,  but  for  his  timely  intervention." 

No  one  assuredly  was  ever  in  a  better  position  to  interfere 
in  such  a  case  than  one  who  for  so  many  years,  and  amid 
all  his  wanderings  amongst  this  heathen  people,  had  so 
simply  and  wholly  cast  himself  on  the  care  of  his  divine 
Master,  and  had  never  in  any  single  instance  invoked  the 


JEt.  43-48.]  MR.    BURNS    AS    A   DIPLOMATIST.  503 

succour  of  the  secular  arm  in  his  own  defence.  The 
rights  which  he  had  never  sought  to  enforce  in  his  own 
behalf  he  could  the  more  boldly  and  freely,  and  with  the 
greater  effect,  plead  in  behalf  of  others.  Ever  ready  him 
self  to  suffer,  he  was  prompt  to  hold  his  protecting  shield 
over  those  who  were  less  able  to  suffer  than  he.  He  spoke 
accordingly  in  their  behalf  with  a  resolute  force  and  de 
cision  which,  in  dealing  with  secular  matters,  was  not 
usual  with  him.  A  formal  representation  was  made  to 
the  Chinese  authorities,  through  the  British  consul,  who 
himself  took  up  the  case  very  cordially,  and  threatened 
that,  if  immediate  justice  were  not  done,  he  would  report 
the  case  to  Peking.  This  produced  the  desired  result.  It 
was  promised  that  the  stolen  property  should  be  restored, 
and  money  given  in  compensation  for  property  destroyed. 
But  the  Christians,  before  consenting  to  this  offer,  pre 
ferred  consulting  Mr.  Burns  at  Amoy,  who  at  once  came 
again  to  their  aid,  and  obtained  from  the  magistrates  the 
following  terms : — 

(i.)  Restoration,  so  far  as  possible,  of  the  very  articles 
stolen ; 

(2.)  A  bond  from  the  enemies  to  guarantee  their  non 
interference  with  the  Christians;  and 

(3.)  A  proclamation  to  be  issued,  exhorting  the  people 
not  to  interfere  with  the  Christians. 

"Most  happily  all  this  was  agreed  to,  and  the  enemies 
seeing  the  turn  matters  were  taking,  and  fearing  the  vio 
lence  of  their  own  authorities,  prayed  for  the  interposition 
of  the  missionaries  in  their  behalf.  Mr.  Burns  gladly  used 
his  influence  accordingly,  and  thus  all  ended  well.  The 


504  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS. 

stolen  property  was  restored  in  presence  of  the  mandarins, 
Mr.  Burns,  and  an  immense  concourse  of  people.  The 
poor  Christians  carried  their  pigs,  and  led  back  their 
oxen  to  the  homes  from  which  they  had  so  lately  been 
driven,  rejoicing,  and  yet  we  hope  humble.  On  the  same 
day  the  enemies  entered  into  a  bond  not  to  interfere  with 
those  who  were,  or  might  become  Christians,  and  not  to 
annoy  them  in  any  way.  In  a  few  days  after,  the  mandarins 
issued  a  proclamation,  intimating  that  the  case  was  now 
settled,  and  strictly  forbidding  all  persons  from  interfering 
with  any  one  'who  may  enter  the  holy  religion  of  Jesus.' 
Not  the  least  remarkable  feature  in  the  termination  of 
these  disturbances  was,  that  the  enemies  looked  upon  the 
missionaries  as  their  best  friends,  for  having  shielded  them 
from  the  severity  of  the  mandarins."1 

Thus  for  once,  and  in  behalf  of  Christ's  "  little  ones," 
had  "the  Man  of  the  Book"  sustained  the  character  of  the 
vigorous,  sagacious,  and  successful  diplomatist.  The  storm 
for  the  present  passed  away.  Then  for  a  season  had  the 
churches  rest  throughout  the  towns  and  villages  of  Fokien. 
But  the  permanent  relations  of  the  native  Christians 
towards  their  heathen  countrymen  were  still  in  a  very  un 
certain  and  precarious  state,  and  it  was  thought  important 
that  Mr.  Burns  should  proceed  to  Peking,  with  the  view  of 
obtaining  a  personal  interview  with  Sir  Frederick  Bruce, 
and  thus,  if  possible,  effecting  a  more  secure  and  satisfac 
tory  settlement.  He  left  Amoy  accordingly,  and  arrived 
at  the  capital,  in  October,  1863,  tnus  entering  on  the  last 
period  of  his  missionary  career. 

1  Narrative ',  &>c.,  p.  40,  41. 


CHAPTER    XX. 
1863-68. 

PEKING    AND    NIEU-CHWANG. 

IN  tracing  the  last  footsteps  of  my  lamented  brother  at 
Peking  and  Nieu-chwang,  I  have  been  happily  fur 
nished  with  such  ample  materials  from  the  hands  of  loving 
brethren  of  different  Christian  communions,  that  it  will 
scarcely  be  necessary  for  me  to  do  aught  more  than  simply 
to  quote  their  tender  and  graphic  words.  Some  of  these 
communications  have  come  so  spontaneously,  and  from 
quarters  to  me  so  unexpected,  that  it  has  seemed  but  as 
the  breathing  fragrance  of  precious  ointment,  which  must 
flow  forth,  and  which  cannot  be  hid,  when  the  alabaster 
box  is  broken.  To  this  part  of  our  narrative  the  following 
vivid  and  interesting  notices,  from  the  pen  of  S.  Wells 
Williams,  LL.D.,  Secretary  of  the  United  States  Legation 
at  Peking,  will  form  a  peculiarly  appropriate  introduc 
tion — all  the  more  so  that  they  are  in  part  retrospective, 
touching  the  missionary's  career  at  various  points,  where 
the  paths  of  the  two  friends  crossed  one  another  during 
the  course  of  twenty  years : — 

"  When  I  recall,"  says  this  distinguished  scholar  and  mis 
sionary,  "  the  voice  and  form  of  Mr.  Burns,  they  revive  my 
earliest  notions  of  one  of  the  old  Hebrew  prophets,  of  a  man 


506  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1863  63. 

whose  high  vocation  had  somewhat  separated  him  from 
common  communion  with  those  around  him ;  this  idea  im 
pressed  itself  so  much  upon  my  mind  when  I  first  met  him  in 
Hong- Kong,  in  Sept.  1848,  that  it  always  invested  his  char 
acter  and  name,  and  does  so  even  more  now  that  he  has  gone. 
Our  intercourse  was  of  the  most  cordial  nature;  but  being  a 
printer,  and  having  no  work  with  him,  I  was  not  so  much 
thrown  into  his  company  as  he  was  with  Dr.  Hobson  at 
Canton,  Mr.  Doty  at  Amoy,  and  others  who  had  chapels  where 
he  could  preach.  I  have  therefore  not  so  many  recollections 
of  Mr.  Burns  as  might  be  inferred  from  an  acquaintance  of 
twenty  years,  and  fyave  not  preserved  a  single  line  of  his 
writing. 

"His  determination  and  singleness  of  purpose  in  the 
mission  work  were  illustrated  in  his  account  of  the  way  he 
began  the  study  of  the  language  on  his  voyage  to  China.  The 
only  book  which  he  could  find  in  London  to  aid  him  in  this 
study  was  my  English  and  Chinese  Vocabulary,;  with  this  he 
procured  a  volume  of  Matthew's  Gospel,  and  perhaps  a  tract 
or  two.  He  then  examined  the  first  verses  of  the  2d  chapter, 
learned  the  figures  so  as  to  distinguish  the  verses,  and  taking 
the  first  characters,  hunted  through  the  Vocabulary  till  he 
found  them  as  the  Chinese  equivalents  of  the  English  words, 
reconstructing  the  sentences,  as  he  found  one  word  after  the 
other,  until  he  had  found  out  the  sound,  meaning,  and  radical 
of  each  character.  Then  he  wrote  them  over  and  over,  until 
he  had  acquired  them  thoroughly.  This  tedious  way  of 
learning  the  characters  was  continued  until  he  arrived  in 
Hong-Kong;  but  no  one,  unless  acquainted  with  the  Chinese 
language,  can  fully  appreciate  the  tedium  of  acquiring  its 
characters  otherwise  than  by  beginning  with  the  radicals.  I 
think  he  went  over  nearly  the  whole  Gospel  in  this  way  before 
the  end  of  the  voyage,  and  then  sat  down  to  the  study  with  a 
preparation  and  zest  that  few  have  brought  to  the  task.  It 
was  a  pleasant  gratification  to  me  to  learn  that  the  time  spent 
on  that  small  vocabulary  had  helped  Mr.  Burns  in  his 


ADVENTURE  WITH  ROBBERS.  507 


labours,  for  I  remembered  how  helpless  I  felt  on  my  voyage 
out  fifteen  years  before,  when  I  had  no  possible  means  of 
learning  a  single  character,  and  reached  the  country  quite 
ignorant  of  the  people  and  their  language. 

"  I  went  to  Canton,  and  saw  no  more  of  Mr.  Burns  until  he 
came  to  that  city  to  live  in  1850.  Before  that  date  I  heard 
of  his  having  been  robbed  of  all  his  baggage  while  living  on 
the  mainland,  opposite  Hong-  Kong,  whither  he  had  gone  to 
see  what  could  be  done  in  effecting  a  settlement  among  the 
people.  The  thieves  broke  up  his  quarters,  and  while  he  was 
present  helped  themselves  to  clothes,  books,  and  money  as 
they  pleased,  leaving  him  just  enough  garments  for  protec 
tion,  and  means  to  get  back  to  Hong-Kong.  One  fellow  had 
his  hone,  and  being  puzzled  to  know  its  use,  brought  it  to 
Mr.  Burns  to  learn  what  it  was  fit  for,  and  was  patiently 
taught  the  mode  of  sharpening  a  razor  or  knife  on  it.  These 
ruffians  did  not  belong  to  the  villagers,  but  the  latter  made 
no  attempt  to  defend  or  protect  the  foreigner.  But,  no  doubt, 
this  beginning  had  its  salutary  effect  upon  them." 

From  another  informant  I  am  enabled  to  add  one  or 
two  further  touches  to  this  characteristic  and  romantic 
incident.  He  had,  it  would  appear,  with  some  hesitation, 
and  without  any  clear  indication  of  the  Master's  will,  pro 
ceeded  westward  beyond  the  range  of  his  first  labours, 
into  a  part  of  the  country  where  the  people  were  notori 
ously  less  accessible  and  friendly;  and  being  afraid  that 
he  had  run,  without  being  sent,  into  the  midst  of  unknown 
difficulties  and  dangers,  he  had  lain  long  awake  in  anxious 
and  pensive  questioning.  While  still  thus  musing  he 
became  suddenly  aware  of  the  presence  in  the  chamber 
of  two  muffied  figures,  who,  approaching  with  stealthy 
steps  and  blackened  faces  to  his  bedside,  stood  over 
him  with  naked  swords  held  to  his  breast.  "  Do  no  vio- 


508  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1863-68. 

lence,  my  friends,"  he  said  calmly,  "  and  you  shall  have 
all  I  have;"  and  then  followed  the  characteristic  scene 
described  by  Dr.  Williams.  When  the  landlord  of  the 
house  came  in  next  morning  to  condole  with  his  guest  on 
his  loss,  "Poor  fellows!"  said  he,  "let  us  pray  for  them." 
The  robbers  took  with  them  literally  all  he  had,  save  only 
the  contents  of  a  loose  bag,  which  lay  in  a  corner  of  the 
room,  and  which,  seeming  to  contain  nothing  but  useless 
papers,  had  fortunately  been  neglected  by  them.  Beneath 
the  papers,  however,  there  were  some  shreds  of  under 
garment,  of  which  the  missionary  contrived  to  make  for 
himself  an  outlandish  costume,  in  which  he  found  his 
way  back  to  the  sea-coast,  and  thence  to  Hong-kong; 
waiting  under  cover  in  the  boat  until  the  return  of  a  mes 
senger  supplied  him  with  the  means  of  appearing  on  shore 
in  a  more  appropriate  garb. 

"At  this  time,"  continues  Dr.  Williams,  "the  controversy 
among  Protestant  missionaries,  in  respect  to  the  best  word  for 
God  and  god  in  Chinese,  was  carried  on  very  warmly,  and  our 
friend  could  not  but  enter  earnestly  into  the  discussion  of  so 
vital  a  question.  He  and  I  took  opposite  sides,  and  we  had 
some  discussions  on  the  nature  and  value  of  the  arguments 
used  in  support  of  each,  especially  on  the  plurality  of  the  idea 
connected  in  the  minds  of  the  natives  with  the  word  s/im, 
which  to  him  was  an  insuperable  reason  for  not  using  it  for  the 
true  God.  Mr.  Burns  had  the  true  Scotch  mind,  and  when  he 
had  made  up  his  opinion,  nothing  had  much  power  to  move  it. 
Views  that  to  my  mind  had  much  weight  to  modify  this  idea 
of  the  plurality  of  the  word  shin,  seemed  to  carry  none  to  his; 
he  had  settled  the  matter  in  his  mind,  and  the  question  need 
not  therefore  be  revived  for  re-examination. 

"  Dr.  P.  Parker  had  religious  services  at  his  house  every 


JEt.  48-54-]  TRAITS    OF    CHARACTER.  509 

Sabbath  evening,  and  Mr.  Burns  often  conducted  them, 
preaching  at  times  with  great  point  and  solemnity.  The 
audience  consisted  mostly  of  the  missionaries  and  their  fami 
lies;  but  if  the  one  whose  turn  it  was  to  hold  the  service,  was 
unable  from  any  reason  to  fill  his  place,  Mr.  Burns  usually 
supplied  the  gap,  for  he  had  said  that  he  never  could  con 
scientiously  say  no  to  any  application  to  preach,  as  long  as  he 
was  physically  able.  There  was  therefore  great  disparity  in 
his  public  ministrations,  and  sometimes  he  repeated  himself 
without  perhaps  knowing  it ;  I  don't  think  that  he  preached 
once  in  my  hearing  from  notes,  and  as  the  week  had  been 
taken  up  with  Chinese  study  and  preaching,  he,  of  course, 
could  only  make  short  preparation  for  these  Sabbath  evenings. 
Yet  his  intimate  acquaintance  with  the  Scriptures  enabled 
him,  if  he  was  in  good  health,  to  illustrate  and  enforce  the 
text  and  its  instruction,  so  that  every  one  could  carry  away  a 
warning  or  an  encouragement  that  would  benefit  him. 

"  After  a  while  circumstances  arose  that  rendered  it  desir 
able  in  his  opinion  to  remove  some  of  the  meetings  held  at 
Dr.  Parker's  house,  and  Mr.  Burns  took  a  leading  part  in 
endeavouring — first,  to  prevent  moving  them  at  all,  by  obvi 
ating  the  causes  which  suggested  it;  and  when  this  was  found 
unattainable,  by  explaining  the  reasons  which  led  to  such  a 
decision,  in  a  letter  he  wrote  upon  the  matter.  The  discussion 
continued  for  a  week  or  two  before  the  matter  was  settled, 
and  during  the  days  it  went  on  I  was  struck  with  the  manner 
in  which  feeling  was  restrained  by  a  sense  of  duty  in  his 
mind.  To  most  of  the  missionary  circle,  it  seemed  on  some 
accounts  best  to  content  ourselves  with  an  expression  of 
opinion,  and  let  that  opinion  gradually  have  its  due  weight  in 
leading  to  a  change  in  practice  on  the  part  of  those  we  felt 
were  fellow- Christians;  but  with  Mr.  Burns  the  witness  must 
be  borne  at  any  rate,  and  the  consequences  be  left  with  God. 

"He  was  induced  ere  long,  by  the  little  success  the  work 
had  at  Canton,  to  go  further  north,  and  try  to  reach  people 
who  lived  away  from  so  much  contact  as  the  Cantonese  had 


510  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1863-68. 

with  foreigners.  He  found  the  work  more  congenial  at  Amoy 
and  Swatow,  where,  and  in  their  vicinity,  he  spent  many 
years,  and  did  a  great  and  lasting  work  in  extending  mis 
sionary  labours  among  their  rural  populations,  and  founding 
Christian  communities. 

"InAugust,  1854, 1  arrived  in  Amoy  soon  after  his  co-labourer, 
Dr.  James  Young,  was  laid  aside  from  his  work  by  illness. 
As  soon  as  Mr.  Burns  heard  of  a  sudden  access  of  the  malady, 
he  came  in  from  the  country,  to  start  immediately  for  home 
with  the  invalid  and  his  motherless  children.  He  consulted 
with  no  one  but  his  Master,  and  every  one  agreed  that  the 
decision  was  a  proper  one,  much  as  all  his  associates  regretted 
the  cause  and  its  effect — the  illness  of  one,  and  the  absence 
of  the  other  from  his  interesting  meetings  in  Pechuia.  It  no 
doubt  saves  much  heart-rasping  and  mind-wearying  thought, 
to  be  able,  as  he  did,  to  decide  at  once,  and  act  on  a  point, 
even  if  sometimes  one  acts  unwisely.  The  next  thing  was  to 
get  a  passage  to  Hong- Kong  as  soon  as  possible,  in  time  for 
the  outgoing  P.  and  O.  steamer.  The  only  vessel  available 
was  the  U.S.S.  Powhatan,  and  the  captain  deemed  it  unad- 
visable  to  take  the  party  as  passengers.  However  Mr.  Burns 
carried  the  day  against  the  objections  of  the  captain,  whose 
ill-health  was  after  all  the  principal  ground  for  at  first  refusing 
the  application.  The  skilful  manner  in  which  the  domestic 
tie,  of  a  darling  daughter  of  the  captain's  in  America,  who  was 
about  the  same  age  as  Dr.  Young's  child,  was  brought  up  by 
our  friend  to  induce  him  to  carry  the  invalid  to  Hong- Kong, 
showed  a  good  deal  of  insight  into  human  nature. 

"It  was  on  the  way  to  Hong- Kong  that  I  learned  all  that  I 
then  knew  of  this  first  outpouring  of  the  Holy  Spirit  [in 
China],1  and  heard  from  his  lips  how  he  had  been  led  to  go  to 

1  "Dr.  Williams,"  says  the  Rev.  Carstairs  Douglas,  "has  here 
fallen  into  a  mistake  (not  remarkable,  considering  the  long  period 
that  intervenes)  as  to  the  history  of  the  Amoy  work.  For  there  were 
a  very  considerable  number  of  converts  at  Amoy  before  the  Pechuia 
awakening  began ;  and  the  '  native  agents '  alluded  to  were  some  of 


JEt.  48-54.]  TRAITS    OF    CHARACTER.  511 

this  place  by  much  the  same  influences  as  Philip  the  evange 
list  was  led  to  go  towards  Gaza.  I  had  been  in  China  in  the 
mission  work  twenty-one  years,  and  now  the  blessing  had 
really  descended  in  an  unmistakable  way;  and  I  rejoiced  with 
him  at  the  native  agency  and  thoroughness  of  the  work,  and 
how  God  had  taken  the  weak  things  of  the  world  to  show  the 
power  of  his  grace.  I  felt  more  encouraged  than  at  anything 
I  had  before  heard  in  China;  and  the  evidences  of  God's 
approbation  of  the  mission  work  here,  which  this  movement 
then  showed,  have  ever  since  gladdened  my  heart,  and 
strengthened  my  faith  in  its  final  triumph. 

"After  Mr.  Burns'  return  to  China,  I  saw  nothing  of  him  till 
he  had  reached  Hong-Kong,  after  his  liberation  by  Governor 
Yeh  at  Canton,  in  October,  1856,  after  they  had  brought  him 
overland  to  that  city  from  Chaon-chow-foo  by  way  of  Kiaying- 
chow,  in  the  eastern  end  of  the  province.  He  there  learned 
that  some  of  the  native  Christians  who  had  been  with  him  at 
Swatow  before  his  own  arrest,  were  in  prison,  and  he  wished 
to  get  near  to  them  so  that  he  might  do  what  he  could  for 
their  welfare.  There  was  no  vessel  going  to  Swatow  except 
a  small  native  junk,  and  we  dissuaded  Mr.  Burns  from  em 
barking  in  such  a  rickety  craft  at  so  late  a  period  of  the  year, 
even  as  a  matter  of  time ;  for  by  a  little  delay  he  would  no 
doubt  find  a  safer  vessel,  which  would  land  him  there  quicker. 
But  nothing  would  move  him.  He  had  heard  the  voice  of 
God,  and  felt  no  fears  as  to  the  result  of  the  voyage.  He  left 
that  night  in  her,  reaching  Swatow  after  nearly  a  month's 
tedious  coasting,  which  however  was,  I  suppose,  no  loss  to 
him,  for  he  preached  to  the  crew,  and  suffered  no  derange 
ment  in  his  plans  by  the  delay.  This  example  of  our  friend, 
in  regarding  the  people  wherever  he  met  them  as  his  audience, 
is  one  that  cannot  be  too  strongly  urged  upon  all  heralds  of 

the  fruits,  even  then  already  ripe,  of  that  previous  Amoy  work. 
There  seems  also  to  be  some  confusion  as  to  the  '  influences '  which 
led  to  visiting  Pechuia :  these  were  the  invitations  of  persons  who 
had  heard  the  gospel  at  Amoy,  and  the  advice  of  the  native  agents. " 


512  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1863-68. 

the  gospel  in  heathen  lands.  Yet  this  feature  of  his  mind  had 
its  effect  in  deterring  those  around  him  from  giving  him 
advice  when  he  asked  it,  inasmuch  as  he  followed  his  inward 
convictions  sometimes  when  outward  arguments  tended  the 
other  way.  In  this  instance,  the  time  of  the  year,  and  the 
unsettled  condition  of  the  coast,  would  have  weighed  with 
most  men  to  seek  another  mode  of  conveyance ;  but  whether 
such  a  course  as  he  took  in  such  dilemmas— that  of  seeking 
a  manifestation  of  some  kind  to  know  what  the  will  of  God 
is — would  answer  for  all,  or  whether  all  are  capable  of  hearing 
the  inward  voice,  is  a  curious  question.  I  have  never  known 
another  person  who  had  as  little  hesitation  in  following  what 
he  regarded  as  this  inward  monition  and  guidance.  In  this 
instance  there  was  no  long  weighing  of  the  reasons,  nor  much 
discussion  upon  their  value ;  he  had  looked  squarely  at  both 
sides,  and  his  choice  had  no  revision. 

"After  a  lapse  of  six  years,  during  which  Mr.  Burns  had 
proved  his  devotion  to  the  mission  work  in  Fokien  and 
Kiangsu  by  travelling  and  preaching,  he  and  I  arrived  in 
Amoy  the  same  day,  he  from  Fuh-chow  in  April,  1 862. 

"  Travel  and  exposure  had  made  their  marks  on  him,  but 
he  was  still  vigorous,  and  was  projecting  new  trips  in  the 
surrounding  country,  then  opening  more  than  ever  to  the 
preaching  of  the  gospel;  and  I  was  glad  to  hear  how  the 
work  had  progressed  since  the  day  he  told  me  the  story  about 
Pechuia,  eight  years  before,  on  board  the  Powhatan.  I  took 
a  review  of  the  twenty  years  which  had  elapsed  since  Dr. 
Abeel  and  Bishop  Boone  left  Macao,  in  February,  1842,  to 
begin  a  mission  at  Amoy,  where  the  latter  buried  his  admirable 
wife,  and  the  former  laboured  on  in  faith  and  patience  until 
others  came  to  his  help,  and  others  to  theirs,  until  we  now 
see  a  Christian  community  preparing  to  take  its  place  as  an 
acknowledged  fact  in  Chinese  society.  In  laying  the  founda 
tions  of  this  blessed  superstructure,  few  have  done  more  to 
the  glory  of  God  than  William  Burns. 

"The   purpose  for  which  he  came  to  Peking  in  1864,  to 


jEt  48-54-]  RESULT    OF    NEGOTIATIONS.  513 

endeavour  to  obtain  the  same  recognition  of  the  civil  rights  of 
Protestants  that  the  Roman  Catholics  had,  was  not  attained 
in  the  manner  he  wished ;  but  his  mission  was  not  fruitless. 
He  made  known  the  condition  of  the  missions  in  Fokien 
province  to  the  late  Sir  Frederick  Bruce,  and  gave  him  a 
juster  perception  of  the  mode  of  carrying  on  missionary  work 
than  he  had  before,  and  the  nature  of  the  disabilities  under 
which  the  converts  then  laboured.  Sir  Frederick  declared 
that  Mr.  Burns  was  one  of  the  most  fascinating  men  in  repre 
senting  a  case  that  he  had  ever  met,  and  gave  one  a  clear 
idea  of  whatever  he  undertook  to  describe.1 

"The  daily  routine  of  the  life  he  led  in  Peking  for  three 
years  was  very  uniform.  He  dwelt  by  himself  in  one  room, 
his  own  servant  occupying  the  next,  and  almost  every  day 
visited  one  or  other  of  the  mission  chapels  connected  with 
the  four  missions  in  the  city.  The  version  of  the  second  part 
of  the  Pilgrim's  Progress  is  likely  to  be  the  most  permanent 
of  his  literary  labours  in  the  northern  dialect ;  for  his  Peep  of 
Day  and  the  version  of  the  Psalms  in  tetrameters2  are  less 
acceptable  to  native  taste.  He  visited  frequently  at  the 
houses  of  his  friends,  who  were  always  cheered  by  his 
presence,  and  towards  the  last  part  of  his  stay  he  gave  all  his 
strength  to  preaching  the  gospel  to  such  audiences  as  were 
gathered  in  the  chapels." 

In  another  letter,  Dr.  Williams  adds: — "In  Peking  I 
saw  more  of  him  than  previously,  and  enjoyed  his  visits 
at  my  house  greatly;  he  was  particularly  interested  in  the 
progress,  causes,  and  conduct  of  the  slavery  war  in  the 
United  States,  and  kept  up  a  minute  acquaintance  with 
its  events,  studying  the  geography  of  the  seats  of  war,  the 
character  of  the  principal  leaders  and  generals,  and  the 

1  See  in  regard  to  this  whole  subject,  a  valuable  paper  in  Appendix 
(No.  IV.),  on  the  recent  troubles  in  China,  by  the  Rev.  Carstairs 
Douglas,  M.A.  2  Scottice,  long  measure. 

2  K 


514  LIFE   OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1863-68. 

changes  of  public  sentiment  as  the  war  developed  more 
and  more  the  detestable  nature  of  the  bondage  of  the 
slave." 

To  another  valued  friend  and  true  yoke-fellow  in  the 
work  of  Christ,  the  Rev.  Joseph  Edkins,  M.A.,  of  the 
London  Missionary  Society,  I  am  indebted  for  the  fol 
lowing  graphic  and  touching  memorials,  which  will  form  a 
fitting  sequel  to  Dr.  Williams'  narrative,  and  give  to  us  a 
still  more  distinct  idea  of  the  nature  of  his  work,  and  of 
his  manner  of  life,  during  those  quiet  and  comparatively 
uneventful  years — the  land  of  Beulah  of  a  life  which  had 
had  in  full  measure  its  Hills  of  Difficulty,  its  combats  with 
Apollyon,  and  its  solemn  witnessings  in  Vanity  Fair,  as 
well  as  blessed  glimpses  of  the  Celestial  City  from  the 
heights  of  the  Delectable  Hills:— 

"The  Rev.  W.  C.  Burns  came  to  Peking  in  1863,  and  at  once 
opened  to  Sir  Frederick  Bruce  the  matter  to  attempt  the  set 
tlement  of  which  he  had  come.  He  went  to  stay  with  Rev. 
W.  H.  Collins  (C.M.S.),  who  met  him  as  he  entered  the  city 
gate,  and  at  once  claimed  him  as  a  guest.  It  was  not  his 
object,  however,  to  live  with  any  of  the  mission  families.  He 
wished  a  house  for  himself.  A  small  house  with  a  little  self- 
contained  court  was  rented  for  him  at  2s.  6d.  a  month.  Here 
he  lived  for  four  years.  This  house  had  a  south  exposure. 
On  the  west  was  Mr.  Burns'  room,  with  its  two  chairs,  table, 
and  khang.  This  last,  used  through  all  the  north  of  China, 
is  a  brick  structure  at  one  end  of  the  room,  permeated  by  a 
winding  flue,  and  when  required  can  be  heated  from  the  front 
through  an  opening  partly  in  the  floor,  and  partly  in  the 
brick  khang.  On  the  east  side  was  the  servant's  room,  used 
also  as  kitchen.  One  servant  was  sufficient  to  buy,  to  cook, 
and  to  keep  the  house.  When  the  servant  went  out,  Mr. 


MANNER    OF    LIFE    AT    PEKING.  515 


Burns  stayed  at  home.  This  simplicity  of  living  was  happi 
ness  to  our  lost  friend.  He  enjoyed  quietness,  and  the  luxury 
of  having  few  things  to  take  care  of.  He  delighted  to  live  on 
little,  that  he  might  have  more  to  give  to  the  cause  of  God. 
He  was  a  generous  friend  to  the  poor,  to  hospitals,  to  various 
mission  schemes. 

"In  the  summer,  according  to  Peking  custom,  he  had  an 
awning  of  reed-mats  extended  over  his  court.  This,  in  north 
China,  greatly  helps  the  people  to  pass  the  summer  in  com 
fort.  In  the  evening  the  mats  of  the  awning  are  drawn  open 
sufficiently  to  admit  the  night  air.  We  have  a  hot  short 
summer,  at  an  average  of  90°,  as  we  have  a  cold  winter  averag 
ing  15°,  when  the  ice  never  thaws  till  the  opening  of  spring, 
but  remains  a  foot  thick  through  the  season.  Our  friend  had 
a  small  clay-stove  lit  for  the  season.  Here  he  sat  summer 
and  winter  with  his  teacher,  engaged  for  a  good  part  of  each 
year  in  hymn-making  and  translation. 

"  His  first  work  in  Peking  was  a  volume  of  hymns,  about 
fifty  in  number.  These  were  chiefly  translations  from  home 
hymns,  or  hymns  used  in  the  south  of  China  rehabilitated  in 
the  mandarin  dialect.  They  have  been  extensively  used  since, 
and  will  continue  to  be  so.  He  usually  adopted,  in  addition 
to  the  seven-foot  measure,  which  is  the  commonest  Chinese 
metre,  the  various  measures  in  which  English  hymns  are 
composed.  He  still  speaks  to  us  in  our  assemblies,  and  is  the 
mouthpiece  of  our  praise  by  these  compositions,  which  gave 
him  much  agreeable  occupation. 

"When  he  had  printed  this  collection,  he  undertook  a 
translation  of  the  Peep  of  Day  in  fifty  chapters.  It  treats  of 
man,  the  creation  and  the  fall,  in  nine  chapters.  The  history 
of  Jesus  follows,  and  occupies  the  whole  work  to  the  forty-sixth 
chapter.  It  concludes  with  four  chapters  on  pentecost,  the 
deliverance  of  Peter  from  prison,  the  apocalypse  of  John,  and 
the  last  judgment.  This  excellent  little  work  has  been  widely 
circulated,  and  is  found  to  form  a  very  suitable  introduction 
to  the  gospel  history.  Mr.  Burns  omitted  some  portions  of 


516  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1863-68. 

the  original,  and  substituted  new  narratives  as  appeared  to 
him  appropriate.  At  the  end  of  each  chapter  there  is  a  short 
Chinese  poem,  giving  the  cream  of  the  preceding  narrative  in 
rhyme,  and  in  a  manner  to  which  the  natives  of  China  are 
very  much  accustomed  in  their  light  literature.  This  work  is 
in  the  Peking  dialect. 

"The  Pilgrim's  Progress  was  his  next  work.  Formerly  at 
Amoy  he  had  translated  this  book  in  a  simple  style.  He  now 
resolved  to  render  it  again  into  Chinese,  adopting  the  dialect 
of  Peking.  The  first  and  second  parts  are  complete  in  two 
thick  volumes.  Some  of  the  copies  are  illustrated  with  wood 
cuts.  Some  additions  are  found  to  the  text  in  the  second 
part,  where  an  attempt  has  been  made  to  increase  the  use 
fulness  of  the  work  to  native  women  by  showing  the  principles 
that  should  rule  in  Christian  marriage. 

"Immediately  after  the  completion  of  this  work,  he  com 
menced  a  translation  of  the  Psalms  from  the  Hebrew.  It  was 
published  in  the  spring  of  1867,  a  year  before  his  death.  It  is 
composed  in  four-word  sentences  throughout  so  as  to  assume 
a  regular  appearance  of  symmetry ;  but  this  advantage  has 
been  gained  at  the  expense  of  smoothness.  To  each  psalm 
there  is  an  introduction  stating  the  argument.  There  are  also 
many  text-references  to  the  New  Testament  and  other  parts 
of  Scripture.  These  additions  add  much  to  the  value  of  the 
book. 

"While  engaged  constantly  in  these  literary  enterprises, 
Mr.  Burns  never  intermitted  preaching  when  not  physically 
incapacitated  for  it.  He  preached  much  at  the  chapel  of  the 
London  Mission  hospital,  within  two  or  three  minutes'  walk  of 
his  residence.  His  assistance  here  was  annually  recognized  by 
Dr.  Dudgeon  in  the  printed  report.  He  preached  also  very 
frequently  at  a  chapel  of  Dr.  Martin's  outside  of  the  east  gate, 
and  at  another  more  than  a  mile  north  of  the  London  Mission 
hospital,  belonging  to  the  American  Board.  He  also  offi 
ciated  occasionally  at  Mr.  Collins'  chapel,  belonging  to  the 
Church  Missionary  Society,  on  the  west  side  of  the  city.  His 


JEt.  48-54.]  CATHOLIC    SPIRIT.  517 

services  at  all  these  places  were  very  acceptable,  and  given 
with  the  greatest  good- will  and  the  most  catholic  spirit :  he 
thus  aimed  at  the  glory  of  Christ  independently  of  his  parti 
cular  denomination,  and  was  in  this  respect  an  example 
worthy  of  imitation,  for  the  maintenance  of  sectarian  distinc 
tions  in  China  may  be  regarded  as  almost  unnecessary.  The 
truth  that  we  are  all  one  in  Christ  Jesus  may  well  unite  mis 
sionaries  of  different  communions  in  heart  and  practice. 
Whenever  the  Church  of  Christ  in  China  becomes  strong 
enough  to  be  separated  from  the  British  and  American  mis 
sionary  organizations,  it  will  be  advisable  for  them  to  unite  in 
one  church  system  of  their  own,  framed  in  a  manner  consonant 
with  Scripture;  but  adapted  for  China,  and  not  modelled  after 
any  of  the  existing  sects  of  Western  Christendom.  With  this 
theory  Mr.  Rums' practice  well  agreed.  He  was  at  home  with 
all  Protestant  Christians,  and  was  greatly  loved  by  all  his 
brethren.  His  manly  character,  his  sober  views,  his  practical 
good  sense,  his  kindly  sociality,  his  mental  strength,  his 
moral  decision,  and  his  consistent  and  unaffected  piety  made 
him  a  friend  greatly  valued  by  us  all.  We  enjoyed  his  coming 
to  sit  in  the  evenings,  to  share  with  us  in  his  simple  abstemi 
ous  way  at  the  social  meal,  to  unite  with  us  in  family  worship, 
or  to  join  in  the  exercises  of  the  week-evening  prayer-meeting. 
He  frequently  preached  in  English  at  the  Sunday  evening 
service,  held  for  the  benefit  of  the  mission  families,  and  was 
always  welcomed  as  one  whose  sermons  were  invariably  char 
acterized  by  solidity  and  faithfulness.  He  impressed  his 
auditors  with  the  fact,  'that  he  was  a  man  of  power  and  de- 
votedness,  a  man  whose  atmosphere  was  prayer,  and  whose 
daily  food  was  Scripture. 

"  With  his  large-hearted  kindness,  and  great  willingness  to 
do  evangelistic  work  whenever  and  wherever  there  was  an 
opening,  he  went  no  fewer  than  four  times  on  journeys  con 
nected  with  the  country  work  of  the  London  Mission  at 
Peking.  The  first  occasion  was  to  Shen-cheu,  a  city  south- 
south-west  of  Peking,  and  distant  170  miles.  He  went  in 


57  8  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1863-68. 

response  to  an  invitation  from  the  people,  who  wished  a 
preacher  to  come  and  tell  them  the  gospel.  He  stayed  there 
about  three  weeks,  and  when  he  left  thought  that  at  least  two 
of  the  natives  were  suitable  for  baptism.  The  Bible  distri 
butor  who  was  with  him  thought  there  were  four.  Mr.  Burns 
was  very  cautious  in  giving  an  opinion  with  regard  to  the 
fitness  of  applicants  for  baptism.  His  habit  was  to  be  stern 
in  requiring  decided  sacrifices  on  the  part  of  the  inquirer,  such 
as  should  constitute  indubitable  proof  of  his  sincerity.  It  was 
perhaps  this  feeling  which  prevented  his  ever  baptizing  con 
verts.  He  left  that  for  other  missionaries  to  do,  claiming  on 
all  occasions,  as  an  evangelist  and  not  a  pastor,  the  privilege 
of  exemption  from  responsibility. 

"Another  town  he  visited  was  Tsai-yii;  here  he  stayed  a 
month  on  two  occasions.  The  seeds  of  the  gospel  were,  at 
this  town,  sown  by  him  in  some  honest  hearts,  and  grew  to 
maturity  after  a  long  period.  At  that  time  the  London 
Mission  had  a  chapel  there,  with  a  lodging  room  annexed 
suitable  for  a  missionary.  Here  he  lived  and  daily  preached 
the  Word  of  Life.  On  one  occasion  a  Russian  physician  went 
down  to  heal  the  sick,  and  on  this  occasion  notice  was  sent 
previously,  and  placards  were  posted.  Not  very  many 
patients  appeared,  and  the  kind  Russian  doctor  returned 
after  a  few  days.  While  he  was  there  Mr.  Burns  preached, 
and  acceded  to  the  request  made  to  him  to  have  his  portrait 
taken.  This,  it  is  believed,  was  the  only  time  in  his  life  that  he 
consented  to  be  photographed.  It  was  a  few  days  after  his 
return  to  Peking  that  the  likeness  was  taken  by  Dr.  Pogogeff. 
It  was  for  his  mother's  sake.  Had  he  not  known  that  she 
would  be  especially  gratified  by  a  portrait  of  him,  he  would 
probably  have  never  consented  to  have  it  done,  dreading  the 
least  appearance  of  vanity  or  self-idolatry.  The  publication 
of  a  woodcut  from  this  picture  in  Sunday  at  Home,  has  made 
him  widely  known  in  his  Chinese  costume  with  shaved  head 
and  queue.  He  adopted  this  mode  of  dress  about  thirteen 
years  (or  fourteen)  before  his  death,  when  at  Shanghae,  on  a 


JEt.  48-54.]     CO-OPERATION  WITH  OTHER  MISSIONARIES.      519 

journey  with  Rev.  J.  H.  Taylor,  now  of  Yang-chow.  He  never 
urged  other  missionaries  to  adopt  the  Chinese  dress,  and  but 
few  followed  his  example.  As  a  rule  every  man  looks  best  in 
his  own  national  dress.  It  became  Mr.  Burns,  especially  in  his 
later  life  (when  his  hair  grew  nearly  white),  as  well  as  most 
persons,  although  the  deep-set  eyes  and  prominent  nose  of  the 
European  physiognomy  prevented  him  entirely  from  ever 
being  taken  for  a  Chinese.  But  he  retained  the  costume,  not 
because  he  felt  it  to  be  a  duty  to  conform  to  the  manner  of 
the  country,  but  from  the  inconvenience  attendant  in  going 
back  to  the  European  mode. 

"On  another  occasion  Mr.  Burns  went  with  a  catechist 
and  hospital  dispenser  to  Pan-pi-tien,  near  the  imperial 
western  cemetery.  He  was  there  located  in  a  temple  at  the 
invitation  of  the  priest,  who  had  made  an  offer  of  the  property 
to  the  London  Mission  to  found  a  hospital.  Mr.  Burns, 
having  some  knowledge  of  law,  always  took  an  interest  in 
legal  questions,  and  worked  laboriously  to  arrive  at  a  safe 
conclusion  in  all  such  matters.  Many  sick  were  healed,  and 
to  many  the  gospel  was  preached  during  this  visit,  but  the 
temple  was  found  not  to  be  the  priest's  to  give,  and  soon  after 
Mr.  Burns'  return  the  negotiation  was  terminated  abruptly, 
by  the  removal  of  the  priest  to  another  temple. 

"  Mr.  Burns  held  very  distinct  and  decided  views  on  the 
most  appropriate  word  in  the  Chinese  language  for  God  in 
the  Christian  sense.  Without  saying  categorically  that  the 
Shang-ti  of  the  Chinese  classics  is  the  'true  God/  he  held 
that  this  term  is  the  most  appropriate  to  be  used,  on  account 
of  its  being  the  most  correct,  distinct,  noble,  and  unmistake- 
able  word  to  be  found.  When  in  Peking  an  attempt  was 
initiated  to  unite  all  Protestant  Christians  in  China  in  the  use 
of  one  term,  and  that  the  Roman  Catholic  term,  Tien-chu, 
Lord  of  heaven,  he  withheld  his  consent,  and  was  at  the  time 
the  only  Protestant  missionary  in  Peking  who  did  so.  Thus 
for  the  whole  of  his  long  missionary  course,  of  more  than 
twenty  years,  he  adhered  steadily  to  the  use  of  the  term 


520  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1863-68. 

which  has  been  adopted  by  the  British  and  Foreign  Bible 
Society,  and  is  most  extensively  used  in  the  Protestant  mis 
sions. 

"The  change  proposed  extended  only  to  the  use  of  the 
Roman  Catholic  term  in  a  single  version,  namely,  that  in  the 
colloquial  mandarin  dialect,  but  it  met  with  little  favour  in 
the  southern  stations,  and  is  now  supported  by  very  few. 

"Strongly  as  he  felt  in  regard  to  the  use  of  the  proper 
terms  to  be  employed  for  God  and  for  the  Holy  Spirit,  he 
would,  when  preaching  in  the  chapels  of  those  missionaries 
whose  views  differed  from  his  own,  modify  his  phraseology 
so  as  to  suit  his  peculiar  position  at  the  time.  His  broad  and 
manifest  charity,  won  \o  him  all  his  brethren." 

In  the  autumn  of  1867,  he  left  Peking,  urged  for 
ward  as  usual  by  the  necessity  that  he  ever  felt  laid  upon 
him,  of  withdrawing  from  a  field  which  was  comparatively 
well  occupied  and  cared  for,  and  proceeding  to  others 
more  neglected.  His  life  at  Peking  had  been  peculiarly 
pleasant  to  him,  and  his  friends  and  his  work  congenial; 
but  he  was  all  the  more  prepared  to  hear  the  voice  that 
summoned  him  to  a  sterner  and  more  self-denying  service 
elsewhere.  For  the  following  account  of  the  circum 
stances  of  his  departure,  and  of  his  journey  to  Nieu- 
chwang,  I  am  again  indebted  to  Mr.  Edkins'  graphic 
pen: — 

"Wang-hwan  who  was  baptized  by  me  in  Peking  four 
years  ago,  is  a  native  of  a  village  about  thirty  miles  from 
Peking,  and  six  miles  from  Tsai-yii,  where  at  that  time  the 
London  Mission  had  a  chapel.  He  heard  Mr.  Burns 
occasionally  at  Tsai-yii,  arid  was  afterwards  brought  to 
decision  for  the  gospel  in  connection  with  the  work  of  one  of 
our  catechists,  for  a  time  in  charge  at  the  chapel  at  Tsai-yii, 


JEt.  48-54.]  REMOVAL   TO    NIEU-CHWANG.  52! 

and  who  is  now  dead.  Wang-hwan  became  a  changed  man, 
and  after  his  baptism  in  the  hospital  chapel,  Peking,  appeared 
to  his  neighbours  a  very  different  person  from  what  he  once 
was.  They  saw  in  him  a  man  peaceable  and  well-behaved, 
whereas  he  had  once  been  the  opposite. 

"Mr.  Burns  took  him  with  him  after  much  consideration, 
and  was  influenced  more  by  satisfactory  evidence  of  deep 
interest  in  religion  and  a  love  for  prayer,  than  by  any  ability 
that  he  showed.  He  had  had  the  education  of  a  small 
country  farmer,  that  is  three  or  four  years'  schooling,  just 
enough  to  enable  him  to  transact  ordinary  business.  Since 
that  time  he  has  improved  himself.  When  Mr.  Burns  left 
Peking  for  Tientsin,  in  the  autumn  of  1 867,  it  was  still  an  open 
question  whether  he  would  go  to  Nieu-chwang  or  to  Shantung. 
I  had  been  laying  before  him  a  request  from  Shantung  from 
several  persons  for  a  preacher.  If  he  had  gone  there  he 
would  have  passed  through  the  villages  where  the  Methodist 
New  Connexion  Mission  and  our  own  are  situated,  and  his 
experience  in  manifestations  of  the  spiritual  life  both  in 
Christian  countries  and  in  China  would  have  rendered  his 
testimony  to  the  character  of  these  Christians  one  of  great 
value. 

"But  his  sense  of  duty  and  his  knowledge  of  the  need  of 
a  missionary  at  Nieu-chwarig,  led  him  there  in  preference. 
The  captain  of  the  native  junk  in  which  he  went  would  take 
no  money  from  him  for  the  passage.  This  was  on  account 
of  his  character,  and  that  of  the  catechist.  Going  not  for 
trade  but  to  do  good,  it  appeared  to  this  heathen  sailor  un 
reasonable  to  accept  payment  of  passage  money.  Arrived  at 
Nieu-chwang  they  began  to  seek  a  house,  and  found  one  at 
last  in  the  outskirts.  Here  they  became  domiciled,  and 
public  and  private  services  were  daily  held.  Many  persons 
attended,  and  the  hearts  of  our  departed  brother  and  of  the 
catechist  were  cheered. 

"On  Sundays  Mr.  Burns  performed  worship  in  English  at 
the  consulate  as  long  as  his  health  allowed." 


522  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1863-68. 

Of  the  general  course  of  his  life  and  labours  during  the 
few  remaining  days  of  his  earthly  ministry,  the  following 
brief  recollections  of  the  mate  of  a  trading  vessel  which 
happened  at  that  time  to  touch  at  the  port  of  Nieu- 
chwang,  afford  an  interesting  and  life-like  glimpse  :— 

"In  October,  1867,"  says  this  Christian  seaman,  in  a  com 
munication  printed  in  the  Sunday  at  Home,  "  I  left  Che-foo, 
in  the  barque  Lady  Alice,  for  Nieu-chwang,  where  we  arrived 
about  the  6th.  1  had  learned  from  the  missionaries  at  Che-foo 
that  a  missionary  of  the  name  of  Burns  was  at  Nieu-chwang. 
The  first  Lord's-day  after  arrival  our  captain  and  second  mate 
went  on  shore  to  the  British  consul's  office.  This  was  the 
only  place  for  worship  at  Nieu-chwang,  except  the  meeting  on 
board  our  vessel.  It  being  the  second  mate's  turn  on  shore, 
I  told  him  if  the  minister  was  dressed  like  a  Chinaman,  to 
introduce  himself  to  him,  and  deliver  a  message  for  me.  On 
his  return  at  dinner-time  I  was  much  cheered  and  delighted 
to  hear  that  it  was  Mr.  Burns  that  held  the  service,  and  that 
the  service  was  no  formal  ceremony,  nor  with  enticing  words 
of  man's  wisdom,  but  very  earnest  and  very  faithful,  warning 
them  to  attend  to  the  salvation  of  their  souls,  and  commend 
ing  godliness  as  profitable  in  all  things.  After  the  service 
my  friend  carried  out  my  wishes,  and  met  a  hearty  welcome 
from  Mr.  Burns,  who  was  himself  cheered  at  hearing  there 
were  some  belonging  to  our  ship  professing  to  be  the  ran 
somed  of  the  Lord,  and  trying  in  some  feeble  way  to  acknow 
ledge  him  and  commend  him  to  others. 

"He  sent  me  an  invitation  to  come  and  see  him  on  a 
certain  day  of  the  week,  I  forget  now  which  day.  His 
Chinese  servant  was  to  meet  me  on  my  landing,  and  conduct 
me  to  him.  I  landed  at  the  appointed  time,  and  was  con 
ducted  accordingly  to  the  missionary  I  had  never  seen.  I 
shall  not  soon  forget  it,  for  we  seemed  to  meet  as  friends  that 
had  been  acquainted  for  a  long  time.  I  felt  perfectly  at 


^Et.  48-54.]  RECOLLECTIONS    OF    A    SAILOR.  523 

home  with  him.  Mr.  Burns  walked  up  and  down  the  yard 
of  his  house  arm-in-arm  with  me,  and  talked  to  me  as  a 
friend,  brother,  or  father,  in  the  most  kind  and  familiar 
manner.  As  iron  sharpeneth  iron,  so  did  the  countenance  of 
a  man  his  friend  that  day. 

"He  told  about  how  the  Lord  had  guided  him  to  that  place 
(Nieu-chwang).  He  had  many  friends,  he  said,  where  he  had 
been  staying  for  four  years  before,  and  was  very  comfortable ; 
but  he  wanted  to  come  to  Nieu-chwang  because  there  was  no 
one  labouring  there.  He  said  we  must  not  study  comfort : 
they  that  go  to  the  front  of  the  battle  get  the  blessing ;  the 
skulkers  get  no  blessing.  I  have  often  thought  of  that  since, 
for  indeed  it  was  a  word  in  season  to  me  at  the  time.  He 
told  me  how  he  arrived  there  in  a  junk,  or  native  vessel,  and 
how  kind  they  were  to  him,  and  how  he  had  been  guided  to 
the  house  he  was  then  living  in.  He  spoke  as  seeing  the 
dealing  of  God  in  his  providence  in  all  his  ways.  .  .  . 

"It  was  a  very  happy  time,  I  think,  to  both — a  time  of 
refreshing.  I  did  not  stay  late,  as  I  had  some  mile  and  a 
half  to  walk.  The  Chinaman  again  conducted  me  back. 
We  started  with  the  understanding  that  Mr.  Burns  was  to 
visit  our  ship,  I  think  the  next  evening ;  so  when  I  got  on 
board  I  obtained  permission  from  the  captain  for  us  to  hold 
a  meeting  in  the  cabin.  I  hoisted  my  Bethel  flag  in  the 
afternoon,  and  when  our  friend  came  on  board  we  told  him 
we  had  the  royal  standard  flying,  'for  I  suppose  you  belong 
to  the  royal  family.'  He  took  tea  with  me  and  the  second 
mate  (the  captain  was  on  shore),  and  in  the  evening,  when 
all  the  crew  were  with  us,  he  gave  an  address  about  the 
Saviour  and  the  woman  of  Samaria.  There  was  one  illus 
tration  I  remember  which  shows  his  homely  and  forcible 
way  of  putting  things.  He  compared  the  woman  of  Samaria 
to  a  fish  with  the  hook  in  its  mouth,  twisting  about,  trying  to 
get  loose ;  but  the  more  it  tried  to  clear  itself  the  firmer  hold 
the  hook  got  of  it.  The  whole  of  the  address  was  very  in 
teresting  and  very  earnest,  and  was  well  received. 


524  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1863-68. 

"After  he  had  done,  he  requested  one  of  us  to  engage  in 
prayer.  Our  cook,  a  black  man,  by  the  name  of  Caesar, 
offered  a  very  earnest  prayer.  It  was,  indeed,  pleasant,  in 
this  dry  and  barren  land,  thus,  for  a  short  time,  to  dwell 
together  in  unity.  After  our  meeting  was  ended  not  one 
offered  to  move ;  and  our  dear  friend,  sitting  at  the  head  of 
the  table,  told  us  about  his  travels  in  China,  and  of  his  being 
taken  prisoner  with  two  Chinese  converts,  and  sent  through 
the  country,  with  many  other  things  which  are  probably  well 
known.  Thus  our  time  soon  flew  away,  till  the  parting  had 
to  take  place.  Our  cook  had  a  set  of  Wesleyan  hymn-books, 
which  we  used  for  worship.  He  sent  Mr.  Burns  one,  with 
which  he  was  very  pleaded,  and  talked  of  translating  it  into  the 
Chinese  language.  This  was  one  of  the  happiest  evenings  of 
our  voyage.  ...  He  spoke  to  me  very  affectionately  about 
his  mother,  and  most  of  his  affairs.  When  the  time  drew 
near  for  us  to  part  he  handed  me  the  Bible  and  bade  me  read 
something.  I  read  the  io3d  Psalm,  and  could  not  help  (nor 
need  I  try  to)  giving  vent  to  my  feelings  while  reading  it, 
there  seemed  such  a  blessing  flowing  from  it.  It  was  like  the 
river  whose  streams  make  glad  the  city  of  God.  I  think  we 
could  set  to  our  seal  that  the  word  of  God  is  true.  After  we 
had  prayed,  Mr.  Burns  said,  'The  Lord  is  nigh  to  all  that 
call  upon  him;'  and  we  both  joined  in  saying,  'to  all  that 
call  upon  him  in  truth.'  .  .  . 

"When  parting  I  spoke  to  him  of  his  kindness,  and  the 
great  honour  I  had  received  from  him,  when  he  put  his  arms 
around  me,  and  said,  ' Don't  mention  it,  don't  mention  it! 
Our  meeting  is  providential.'  Thus  we  parted.  The  China 
man  again  conducted  me  back  in  the  beautiful  still  moonlight. 
I  cannot  attempt  to  describe  the  sweet  and  blessed  medita 
tion  I  had  while  returning  to  my  ship.  I  have  thus  simply 
spoken  of  my  meeting,  intercourse,  and  parting  with  a  blessed 
man  of  God,  the  remembrance  of  which  is  still  dear  and 
sweet  to  me.  I  have  good  reasons  to  look  back  to  this  time, 
and  praise  that  God  who  has  been  so  merciful  to  me  in  all 


JEt.  48-54.]  "AN    ISRAELITE    INDEED."  525 

my  wanderings.  Mr.  Burns  was  a  saving  shield  to  me  in 
God's  providence  at  that  place,  and  as  an  angel  of  the  Lord. 

'  Blest  be  the  tie  that  binds 
Our  hearts  in  Christian  love.' 

'  By  this  shall  all  men  know  ye  are  my  disciples,  if  ye  love 
one  another ;  and  every  one  that  loveth  him  that  begat  loveth 
him  that  is  begotten  of  him.'  Mr.  Burns  was  an  Israelite 
indeed.  .  .  . 

"He  then  seemed,"  wrote  Caesar  the  black  cook  in  a  post 
script  to  the  above, "  to  me  to  have  been  well  advanced  in  years. 
Nevertheless  he  moved  about  and  spoke  the  Word  of  Life  as 
brisk  as  can  be  expected  from  a  man  of  thirty  years  of  age. 
He  said  we  all  wanted  stirring  up ;  and  so  he  did  stir  us  up 
on  board  of  the  ship,  for  he  made  a  lasting  impression  on  my 
mind.  He  spoke  freely  and  boldly  about  the  changes  per 
taining  to  that  world  which  is  to  come.  He  put  me  in  mind 
of  one  who  had  already  gone  through  his  refining  process. 
He  appeared  then  to  be  ripe  for  glory,  if  we  may  use  the  term, 
and  I  feel  sure  that  he  is  'gone  home'  to  the  city  of  the  living 
God,  and  to  Jesus  the  Mediator  of  the  new  covenant,  who 
was  waiting,  no  doubt,  to  welcome  his  ransomed  and  faithful 
one.  He  gave  me  the  Pilgrim's  Progress  that  he  translated 
while  he  was  out  there,  from  English  into  the  Chinese 
language.  His  last  words  to  me  were,  'Pray  for  me.'  He 
also  wrote  the  words  down  on  the  book  he  gave  me,  so  that  I 
should  not  forget.  Last  night,  unknowingly,1  I  prayed  for 
him  for  the  last  time.  So  now  my  prayers  cease  from  last 
night,  and  turn  to  praise ;  and  I  shall  expect  to  meet  him  face 
to  face." 

On  the  2ist  November,  he  wrote  the  following  lines, 
breathing  his  usual  cheerful  and  happy  spirit,  to  his 
valued  colleague,  Mr.  Douglas,  one  of  the  last  letters  of 
any  length  he  ever  wrote  on  earth : — 

1  Not  knowing  of  his  death. 


526  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1863-68. 

"Nieu-chwang,  November  2ist,i  867.— DEAR  MR.  DOUGLAS, 
—Your  letter  of  August  3ist  reached  me  this  P.M.  per 
steamer  Manchu,  and  as  she  is  the  last  vessel  for  this  season, 
I  hasten  to  send  a  few  lines  by  her  to  Shanghae.  Many 
thanks  for  the  life-like  photograph  of  yourself  which  you  have 
sent  me.  You  are  more  like  the  man  that  you  were  intended 
to  be  with  than  without  the  'beard.'  May  it  please  God  in 
his  mercy  long  to  preserve  you  in  the  health  and  vigour 
which  you  seemed  to  have  enjoyed  when  the  likeness  was 
taken,  and  may  your  soul  'prosper  and  be  in  health/  even  as 
the  body  'prospers  !'  For  the  last  five  months,  I  have  allowed 
my  'beard'  also  to  grow  on  the  lower  part  of  the  face.  This 
both  saves  a  great  deal  of  time  and  trouble,  and,  in  this  cold 
latitude,  the  hair  is  a  protection  to  the  throat.  I  fear  I 
cannot  write  home  pressing  the  claims  of  Singapore  on  our 
mission,  when  their  energies  are  likely  to  be  fully  tasked  in 
maintaining  and  extending  the  missions  at  Amoy,  Swatow, 
and  on  Formosa.  It  seems  to  me  that  no  place  more  suitable 
(or  perhaps  so  suitable)  could  be  recommended  to  the  Irish 
Presbyterians  than  Nieu-chwang^  and  Manchuria  beyond, 
a  vast,  open,  and  unoccupied  field,  with  a  fine  climate,  and  a 
population  comparatively  well  off  in  a  worldly  point  of  view. 
In  writing  home,  I  have  already  made  this  suggestion,  and  I 
hope  that  on  consideration  you  will  see  your  way  to  second  my 
proposal.  If  the  Irish  were  here,  would  this  not  be  a  fine  place 
to  come  to  from  the  south  for  a  change  of  air?  and  you  your 
self,  when  needing  such  a  change,  would  enjoy  the  oppor 
tunity  of  using  and  increasing  your  Mandarin.  Mr.  Cowie, 
too,  would  be  only  sent  back  to  his  Che-foo  dialect,  a  great 
part  of  the  people  in  this  town  being  from  that  quarter.  You 
can  have  no  idea  of  the  extent  of  the  trade  that  is  carried  on 
here  in  grain  and  oil,  as  well  as  bean-cake,  furs,  &c.  &c.  I 
shall  only  mention  what  was  told  me  by  a  gentleman  con 
nected  with  the  imperial  customs,  viz. :  that  two  years  ago  it 
was  estimated  that  during  one  winter  80,000  carts  came  to 
this  place  from  the  interior  laden  with  grain  and  oil.  It  is 


^Et.  48-54.]  LETTER    TO    MR.    DOUGLAS.  527 

common  for  from  500  to  1000  to  come  in  on  a  single  day 
during  the  winter  months;  and  throughout  all  the  region 
which  furnishes  this  supply,  including  the  provinces  of  the 
Amour  and  Kirin,  as  well  as  the  province  of  Kwan-tung^ 
pure  Mandarin  is  universally  spoken.  Mr.  Meadows  is  now 
absent  on  a  three  months'  journey  to  the  north  and  east, 
passing  through  the  centre  of  these  thrxee  provinces.  Romish 
priests  are  found  here  and  there,  but  the  only  representative 
of  the  Protestant  churches  is  my  solitary  self!  I  lately  heard 
from  Mr.  Grant,  and  also  from  Si-boo.  Mr.  G.  has  now 
removed  to  Singapore  from  Penang,  and  so  Singapore  is  not 
so  destitute  as  it  used  to  be.  Mr.  G.  is  married  too,  to  a  lady 
who  lately  came  out,  as  perhaps  you  may  have  heard.  As  to 
the  repairs  at  Pechuia,  I  shall  be  glad  that  you  put  me  down, 
say,  for  the  sum  of  ^20  sterling,  but  it  will  be  the  end  of 
February  before  I  can  furnish  you  with  an  order  on  our 
treasurer  for  that  amount,  my  accounts  for  the  year  being 
already  made  up.  I  am  rejoiced  to  hear  that  while  man  is 
repairing  the  chapel,  God  himself  is  again  graciously  putting 
forth  his  hand  to  repair  the  spiritual  walls  of  that  little  church. 
May  backsliders  return  to  their  first  love,  as  well  as  additions 
be  made  to  the  church  of  '  such  as  shall  be  saved  !'  Who  was 
that  young  man — an  assistant  of  Dr.  Maxwell's  —who  was 
lost  in  the  Formosa  Channel?  Not,  I  hope,  the  young  man 
from  Chioh-bey,  who  was  afterwards  chapel-keeper  at  Sin- 
koeya?  I  must  now  conclude,  as  it  is  getting  late.  Pray  for 
us,  and  commend  us  to  the  prayers  of  the  churches.  I  should 
have  mentioned  that  Mr.  Williamson  of  Che-foo,  who  was 
lately  here,  left  a  native  assistant  to  sell  books  here  during 
the  winter.  He  and  the  man  who  came  with  me  from  Peking 
occupy  themselves  in  this  work  in  the  principal  street,  preach 
ing  at  the  same  time  to  the  people.  I  join  them  generally 
during  a  part  of  the  time,  and  the  opportunity  is  a  valuable 
one,  especially  as  our  house  is  too  retired  for  collecting 
passers-by.  A  separate  house  we  thought  we  had  got  for 
preaching  was  at  last  held  back,  and  is  now  an  opium-smok- 


528  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1863-68. 

ing  den  !    Christian  love  to  all  the  brethren.    Yours  affection 
ately,—  WM.  C.  BURNS." 

The  following  letter,  which  came  to  me  altogether  un 
sought,  just  as  I  was  approaching  this  part  of  my  task, 
will  tell  almost  all  that  now  remains  to  be  said,  and  in 
terms  than  which  the  fondest  affection  could  have  desired 
nothing  more  loving  or  tender : — 

"Nieu-chivang,  6th  July,  1869.— MY  DEAR  SIR,— When  in 
conversation  with  an  intimate  friend  of  your  late  brother  the 
Rev.  Wm.  C.  Burns,  I  related  the  particulars  of  my  last  in 
terview  with  him,  which  occurred  a  few  days  before  his  death  ; 
and  as  far  as  I  know,  the  last  hour  when  he  was  in  full 
possession  of  his  faculties.  I  was  then  informed  that  you 
were  gradually  collecting  material  for  a  book  which  should 
illustrate  his  missionary  labours  in  China,  and  was  pressed 
to  repeat  to  you  what  I  knew  of  his  closing  life.  This  is 
difficult  to  do  in  a  letter ;  it  is  difficult  to  express  in  writing 
what  I  might  so  easily  relate  to  you  by  word  of  mouth,  with 
out  entering  rather  at  length  into  his  previous  life,  i.e.  at  .this 
port.  As  you  are  aware,  it  was  in  August,  1867,  that  he 
arrived  at  Nieu-chwang ;  for  the  purpose,  as  he  then  said,  of 
seeing  what  could  be  done  toward  establishing  a  mission  in 
the  province  of  Manchuria.  He  was  accompanied  by  a 
native  Christian  of  Peking  to  assist  him  in  his  labours. 
With  them  they  brought  only  their  personal  clothing,  and 
Bibles  and  books  for  distribution.  I  had  never  seen  your 
brother  before ;  but  at  my  first  interview  was  impressed  with 
the  earnest  simplicity  of  his  manner,  and  the  cheerfulness 
which  I  afterwards  noticed  he  at  all  times  carried  with  him. 
A  few  days  after  this  1  went  to  visit  him  in  the  native  town 
at  a  small  inn  where  he  was  then  staying.  I  found  him 
lying  down  in  a  very  small  apartment,  which  was  destitute 
of  every  comfort.  He  was  ill,  but  arose  to  meet  me.  He 
would  allow  no  expressions  of  pity  for  the  want  of  these 


JEt.  48-54.]  CLOSING    SCENES.  529 

comforts,  and  soon  made  me  forget  them  in  listening  to  the 
history  of  his  labours  at  Peking,  while  making  translations 
of  various  works.  I  was  from  that  moment  very  fully  im 
pressed  with  the  genuineness  of  the  love  which  had  actuated 
his  motives  in  devoting  his  life  to  the  work  of  a  missionary. 
A  little  later  on  he  had  found  a  house  wherein  to  begin  his 
labours.  His  days  were  spent  in  preaching  to  the  inhabitants 
in  the  streets,  distributing  and  selling  books.  Sundays,  he 
preached  to  the  foreigners  in  the  foreign  settlement  in  the 
forenoon ;  and  in  the  afternoon  to  the  natives  at  his  house, 
which  for  all  intents  and  purposes  was  recognized  as  the 
Christian  chapel.  It  was  delightful  to  see  how  faithfully  he 
performed  his  duties, — how  on  every  Sabbath  morning  he 
appeared  in  our  settlement  punctual  to  the  hour,  having  to 
come  nearly  two  miles  through  the  heat,  and  through  the 
cold,  and  often  to  encounter  the  bad  roads  of  the  country. 
By  his  kindly  manner,  his  spotless  reputation,  his  Christian 
earnestness,  he  drew  a  goodly  number  to  listen  to  him.  As 
he  talked  on,  his  face  became  all  alive  with  the  deep  faith  he 
had  in  the  truths  he  endeavoured  to  communicate ;  and  his 
face  often  and  often  became  radiant  with  a  light,  revealing 
the  love  which  warmed  him  into  eloquence.  He  seemed  to 
possess  a  zeal  which  might  have  belonged  to  the  earlier  days, 
when  apostles  went  forth  so  fearless  and  with  so  much  love. 
One  could  not  but  observe  this  peculiar  power  which  he 
possessed.  For  a  moment  he  would  speak  with  great  force, 
and  then  change  to  tones  of  gentleness  which  were  as  im 
pressive  as  they  were  childlike  in  their  utterance.  All  this 
and  far  more  you  must  know.  Observing  these  character 
istics,  led  me  to  have  confidence  in  the  impressions  he  was 
likely  to  give  to  the  natives.  Even  in  the  short  time  he  spent 
among  them  here,  a  few  learned  to  inquire  into  the  Christian 
doctrines. 

"Early  in  January  he  was  taken  ill  with  a  cold  which 
brought  on  fever,  from  which  he  never  recovered.  For  weeks 
and  months  he  lingered  in  helpless  weakness.  I  went  to  see 

2  L 


530  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1863-68. 

him  often.  One  day  he  said,  'I  have  been  thinking  that 
perhaps  this  is  to  be  my  last  illness.'  From  that  time  he 
frequently  told  me  of  his  hopes  and  his  fears.  As  he  lay 
upon  his  bed,  he  thought  out  his  plans  for  the  future,  and  his 
sole  desire  to  live  seemed  to  be  that  he  might  labour  to  carry 
them  out  for  the  good  of  those  he  had  come  among.  For  a 
long  time  he  would  insist  upon  his  assistant  preaching  in  the 
next  room,  that  he  might  listen.  And  nearly  up  to  the  time 
of  his  death,  he  would  have  him  and  his  servant — who  by- 
the-by  was  becoming  a  Christian  through  his  teaching — 
conduct  the  morning  and  evening  prayers  by  his  bedside. 
When  he  spoke  of  life,  he  said  what  he  himself  would  do. 
When  he  spoke  of  dteath,  he  prayed  that  others  might  be 
found  to  continue  the  work  he  had  begun.  When  talking  of 
either  he  was  equally  resigned — always  cheerful,  always 
happy.  If  he  had  fears  at  all,  they  must  have  appertained 
more  to  the  things  of  this  world  than  to  the  other.  And  in 
preparing  for  this,  he  was  preparing  for  the  other.  You  know 
how  he  arranged  for  the  support  of  his  native  assistant  after 
his  death,  and  until  such  a  time  as  a  foreigner  should  arrive. 
I  will  not  therefore  repeat. 

"And  now  I  come  to  speak  of  the  last  hours.  One  evening 
about  six  o'clock,  I  went  to  see  him.  I  found  him  suffering 
from  hard  and  difficult  breathing,  and  I  felt  that  death  was 
near.  So  I  sat  by  him  and  talked  of  the  hour  which  was 
coming — of  the  life  which  was  beyond.  In  reply  to  my 
inquiry  whether  there  was  anything  I  could  do  for  him  after 
he  was  gone,  he  said,  'No,  I  have  arranged  everything;  all  I 
have  to  ask  is  that  you  will  keep  your  promise  in  regard  to 
my  wishes  for  this  mission.'  I  began  to  repeat  to  him 
familiar  passages  from  the  Scriptures,  in  which  he  joined  as 
often  as  his  strength  would  allow;  he  would  listen  until  I 
came  to  the  lines  which  he  loved  the  most,  when  he  would 
say  them  aloud,  his  voice  though  very  low,  yet  singularly 
deep.  When  I  began  the  psalm,  'The  Lord  is  my  Shepherd,' 
a  beautiful  smile  broke  over  his  countenance  and  he  pressed 


JEt.  48-54.]  CLOSING    SCENES.  531 

my  hand  more  firmly;  and  his  voice  assumed,  with  all  its 
weakness,  something  of  the  old  depth  as  we  came  to  the 
words,  'Though  I  walk  through  the  valley  of  the  shadow  of 
death  I  will  fear  no  evil.'  When  with  much  fervour  he  had 
repeated  the  Lord's  Prayer,  we  sat  in  silence.  He  assured 
me  he  was  very  happy.  And  thus  he  died,  as  it  were,  among 
the  people  with  whom  he  had  cast  his  lot ;  indeed  we  might 
almost  say  among  the  very  scenes  with  which  he  had  identified 
his  life.  One  who  could  have  watched  his  declining  days 
when  he  naturally,  more  or  less,  gave  expression  to  his  views, 
would  have  marked  with  interest  the  contrast  between  the 
mind  and  thoughts  so  trained  to  higher  themes,  and  the  heart 
so  contented  with  lowly  things.  The  little  room  in  which  he 
died  had  but  few  comforts,  certainly  no  luxuries.  The  form 
on  which  he  slept,  a  table,  two  chairs,  two  book-cases,  and 
an  open-grate,  foreign  stove  made  up  the  furniture.  The 
light  came  into  the  room  through  a  large  paper  window.  But 
I  shall  long  remember  the  solemn  hour  which  I  have  en 
deavoured  to  describe  to  you.  The  assistant  sat  at  his  feet 
weeping,  now  and  then  raising  his  eyes  upward  in  silent 
prayer,  and  the  servant  on  one  ^ide  watching  with  tenderness 
his  wants.  And  these  two  simple-minded  natives,  judging 
from  their  life  and  sayings  since,  must  have  profited  by  his 
last  injunctions.  And  so  after  the  years  of  toil  he  passed 
away  into  the  other  world.  'God,'  he  said,  'will  carry  on  the 
good  work.'  'Ah  !  no,  I  have  no  fears  for  that.' 

"  It  was  a  rare  privilege  to  have  known  your  brother.  His 
firmness  of  purpose  was  remarkable;  his  Christian  faith 
supporting  to  himself,  as  well  as  encouraging  to  others ;  his 
gentleness  most  touching;  his  happiness  genuine.  And  to 
me  these  incidents  which  I  have  related  contain  more  than 
I  am  able  to  express." 

One  or  two  further  touches  from  like  loving  hands  will 
complete  the  picture  of  this  calm  and  radiant  sun-setting. 
The  following  reminiscences  of  his  humble  native  assistant, 


532  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1863-68. 

Wang-hwang,  have  been  kindly  furnished  to  me  by  Mr. 
Edkins,  who  took  them  down  from  his  own  lips : — 

"While  he  was  here,"  says  Mr.  Edkins,  in  continuation  of 
the  notes  already  quoted,  "  I  questioned  him  about  Mr.  Burns' 
last  words  of  testimony  to  the  gospel,  in  the  service  of  which 
he  lived  and  died.  What  he  said  is  here  appended.  '  It  was 
the  28th  day  of  the  7th  (Chinese)  month  when  we  arrived, 
and  we  were  five  days  waiting  at  Takoo  (the  port  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Tien-tsin  river).  While  there  we  went  daily  from 
our  boat  to  preach  in  the  streets.  When  we  went  on  board 
the  junk,  the  captain  declined  to  attend  our  services ;  but  on 
the  third  day  he  and 'the  two  cooks  joined  us.  When  Mr. 
Burns  offered  him  passage-money,  the  captain  said,  '  I  know 
you  are  not  going  to  seek  gain,  for  in  that  case  you  would 
certainly  travel  by  steamer,  or  by  a  foreign  sailing  vessel.'  He 
belongs  to  a  fishing  village  called  Tien-kia-tsui,  a  few  miles 
north  of  Takoo  on  the  coast. 

"'We  went  on  well  till  the  i6th  day  of  the  I2th  month.  On 
this  day  Mr.  Burns  was  taken  ill,  and  lay  for  ninety-four  days, 
when  his  spirit  fled.  He  had  .felt  pleasure  in  preaching  that 
day.  Many  foreigners  were  present,  which  rejoiced  him. 
When  he  came  back  from  the  English  service,  and  saw  sixty 
or  seventy  Chinese  pressing  in  to  hear,  he  said,  '  I  will  preach 
to  them.'  He  preached  for  two  hours.  After  this  he  felt  no 
appetite,  took  no  food,  and  lay  down  weary.  About  eleven 
o'clock  P.M.  he  waked  shaking  with  cold.  For  twenty  days 
after  this  he  did  not  leave  the  house.  When  prayer  time 
came,  he  said,  '  Come  to  my  bedside,  I  will  still  preach  to 
you.'  So  the  little  band  of  inquirers  gathered  with  Wang- 
hwan  round  the  sick  missionary,  for  whom  it  was  appointed 
that  he  should  soon  go  home. 

•"  When  his  illness  became  severe,  he  made  me  promise  that 
I  would  stay  at  Nieu-chwang.  When  we  left  Peking  he  was 
afraid,  he  told  me,  lest  he  should  take  the  wrong  man,  a  man 
different  in  mind  and  aim  to  himself.  I  said  I  would  cer- 


jEt.  48-54-]  WANG'S  REMINISCENCES.  533 

tainly  stay  at  Nieu-chwang  and  carry  out  his  injunctions. 
'But/  he  said,  'you  have  no  strength  or  learning,  and  you 
must  therefore  be  the  more  careful  to  be  right,  and  to  do  what 
is  right,  so  as  to  secure  favour  from  God  and  approval  from 
man.  You  must  pray  much  for  aid.' 

"'  One  time  when  his  sickness  was  severe  he  lay  as  if  asleep, 
when  in  a  moment  I  heard  him  talking.  I  asked  him  what 
he  was  saying.  He  replied,  'Ah  !  did  you  hear  ?  I  was  saying 
over  the  I2ist  Psalm.  I  was  speaking  with  God,  not  with 
you.' 

"'Another  time  he  laughed.  I  asked  him  why?  He  said, 
'  God  was  speaking  with  me,  and  this  made  my  heart 
glad.' 

"'Two  days  later,  he  said  to  me,  'God  tells  me  to  go.  I 
have  some  things  to  say  to  you.  As  to  my  burial,  1  wish  to 
have  no  new  clothes  bought,  but  to  be  buried  in  these.'  (Re 
ferring  to  his  Chinese  clothing.  The  custom  of  the  country  is 
to  buy  a  new  suit,  and  lay  the  deceased  in  his  coffin  with 
complete  dress  as  if  living.  It  is  quite  a  common  thing  to 
draw  on  the  new  clothing  some  hours  before  the  death  takes 
place.)  He  further  said, '  Do  not  let  the  funeral  be  on  Sunday. 
At  the  burial  read  I  Cor.  i5th  chapter.  Pray  with  the  in 
quirers.  Tell  them  to  be  sure  to  come  and  see  me  again  in 
the  place  to  which  I  am  going.  Do  not  weep  after  my  death. 
Do  not  pray  for  me,  but  pray  for  the  living.  Diligently  pray, 
and  God  will  certainly  send  you  a  missionary.' 

"  'At  another  time,  when  he  was  a  little  better,  a  letter  came 
from  his  mother.  It  said,  'Do  not  think  of  me,  but  of  your 
work.'  He  told  me  what  his  mother  said,  and  her  words 
rejoiced  him  greatly.  He  added,  'She  says  I  am  a  knife  that 
must  be  worn  out  by  cutting,  not  by  rusting.'  He  wished  it 
might  be  so.  He  also  said,  '  I  am  one  of  four  brothers'  (or  '  I 
have  four  brothers'),  'one  of  them  I  would  wish  to  exhort,  but 
I  shall  not  now  have  the  opportunity.  I  hope  others  may 
do  so.' 

"'He  urged  me  to  believe  as  he  did,  pray  as  he  did,  read 


534 


LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1863-68. 


diligently  as  he  did,  and  use  my  mind  as  he  did,  'and,'  said 
he,  '  God  will  help  you  to  preach.' 

"'If  you  are  reproached,  bear  it  patiently.  To  be  patient 
is  to  glorify  God.  I  was  not  sorry  when  in  the  south  the  time 
of  suffering  came,  nor  should  you  be.  Think  of  what  some 
missionaries  have  had  to  suffer,  and  such  things  should 
rather  be  rejoiced  in  as  proof  of  God's  care. 

"  '  You  can  be  my  substitute  when  the  new  missionaries 
come.  I  cannot  be  here  to  receive  them.  You  can  do  so,  and 
must  act  for  me.  You  must  have  the  same  heart  as  I  have. 

" 'I  felt  in  Peking  that  my  work  there  was  done.  It  was  a 
trial  to  leave  friends.  Yet  for  the  gospel  I  could  not  but  go. 
We  shall  meet  again  in  heaven ;  and  think  of  the  knife.  You 
must  be  one  of  God's  knives. 

"'If  there  are  inquirers,  you  must  be  careful  to  lead  them 
in  the  right  path,  remembering  that  you  are  yourself  not  very 
strong  nor  learned.  Take  care  to  be  diligent.  Be  indulgent 
to  inquirers,  exhort  them  much,  and  be  very  mindful  of  the 
example  you  set  them,  lest  you  should  dishonour  your  Saviour, 
and  cause  sorrow  to  your  pastor  and  friends.  Always  think 
of  this. 

" '  I  am  very  happy.  I  do  not  fear  death.  After  death  there 
is  unspeakable  happiness  to  be  hoped  for.  Do  not  think  I  am 
sad  at  the  thought  of  dying.  I  am  not  at  all  so.  God's  pro 
mises  are  true,  and  I  fear  not.  My  work  has  been  little,  but 
I  have  not  knowingly  disobeyed  God's  commands.' 

"The  inquirers,  five  or  six  in  number,  went  in  to  see  him. 
He  said,  'You  see  in  me  proof  that  the  Christian  doctrine  is 
true.  I  am  well  supported  now,  and  this  strength  which  is 
given  me,  not  to  shrink  at  the  approach  of  death,  you  can 
take  as  proof  that  what  I  believe  is  true ;  my  illness,  my  de 
caying  body,  are  also  a  testimony  to  the  truth  of  the  Bible. 
When  I  am  gone  you  will  have  no  missionary  here.  You 
must  therefore  pray  much  and  think  and  read  much  that  you 
may  understand  well.  I  have  left  friends  and  home  to  come 
here  for  the  sake  of  this  gospel  that  now  supports  me.  I  rely 


JEt.  48-54.]  "TO    MY    MOTHER."  535 

on  God  now.     Listen  you  to  him,  and  let  us  resolve  all  to 
meet  in  heaven.    Hope  for  this.    Live  for  this.' " 

It  was  in  the  midst  of  this  "time  of  languishing,"  and 
when  the  shadows  of  the  great  night  began  visibly  to 
close  around  him,  that  he  wrote  in  his  own  hand,  still 
clear  and  strong  as  of  old,  the  following  touching  lines  to 
his  mother — embodying  his  last  solemn  testimony  in 
behalf  of  Christ,  and  of  that  great  cause  to  which  he  had 
devoted  his  life : — 

"TO    MY    MOTHER. 

"At  the  end  of  last  year  I  got  a  severe  chill  which  has 
not  yet  left  the  system,  producing  chilliness  and  fever 
every  night,  and  for  the  last  two  nights  this  has  been 
followed  by  perspiration,  which  rapidly  diminishes  the 
strength.  Unless  it  should  please  God  to  rebuke  the 
disease,  it  is  evident  what  the  end  must  soon  be,  and  I 
write  these  lines  beforehand  to  say  that  I  am  happy,  and 
ready  through  the  abounding  grace  of  God  either  to  live 
or  to  die.  May  the  God  of  all  consolation  comfort  you 
when  the  tidings  of  my  decease  shall  reach  you,  and 
through  the  redeeming  blood  of  JESUS  may  we  meet  with 
joy  before  the  throne  above! — WM.  C.  BURNS. 
" Nieu-chivang,  Jan.  i$th,  1868. 

"P.S. — Dr.  Watson  is  very  kind,  and  does  everything 
in  his  power  for  my  recovery." 

To  this  is  attached  on  a  small  fragment  of  Chinese  paper, 
also  in  his  own  hand — a  list  of  the  texts  on  which  he  had 


536  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1863-68. 

preached  at  Nieu-chwang,  from  a  tender  feeling  obviously 
that  she  to  whom  he  wrote  would  like  to  see  it.  Perhaps 
there  are  other  eyes  that  may  linger  over  the  lines  with 
mournful  interest.  It  will  be  observed  that  the  first  two 
Sabbaths  are  blank,  in  consequence  of  the  suffering  and 
enfeebled  state  in  which  he  arrived  from  Peking. 

"TEXTS  PREACHED  ON  AT  NIEU-CHWANG. 

Sept.  ist,  No  meeting 

Sept  8th,  No  meeting. 

Sept.  i5th,  ...«        ...  John  iii.  16. 

Sept.  22d,  John  xv.  14. 

Sept.  29th,  Gal.  v.  16. 

Oct.  6th,  Mat.  v.  3-12. 

Oct.  I3th,  John  vi.  27. 

Oct.  2oth,  Luke  xviii.  1-14. 

Oct.  27th,  Luke  xix.  i-io. 

Nov.  3d,  Mr  Williamson,  John  iv.  14. 

Nov.  loth,  Mat.  xxv.  1-13. 

Nov.  1 7th,  John  i.  29. 

Nov.  24th,  Isaiah  Iv.  6,  7. 

Dec.  ist,  Luke  xv.  (a  good  day). 

Dec.  8th,  Luke  xviii.  18-23. 

Dec.  1 5th,  James  iv.  7,  8. 

Dec.  22d,  Rom.  iii.  20-22. 

Dec.  29th,  Rev.  xx.  11-15." 

Thus  his  last  public  testimony  was  to  the  same  great 
truth  of  which  he  had  witnessed  so  powerfully  on  the 
streets  of  Newcastle  twenty-seven  years  before,1  and  the 
overwhelming  conviction  of  which  had  so  often  imparted 

1  See  p.  227. 


REST.  537 


an  almost  preternatural  terribleness  and  grandeur  to  his 
words. 

The  tide  of  life  now  gently  ebbed  away.  He  spoke 
little  even  on  those  subjects  that  were  dearest  to  him, 
lying  for  long  days  and  nights  in  silence  that  was  broken 
only  by  the  soft  footsteps  of  his  Chinese  assistant,  and 
by  the  voices  of  the  worshippers  from  time  to  time  in  the 
neighbouring  room,  in  which  it  was  his  delight  to  know 
that  his  loved  work  was  still  carried  on.  His  peace  was 
calm  and  deep,  but  undemonstrative — like  that  of  the 
river  which  speaks  only  by  its  silence  and  by  the  soft 
whispering  of  the  reeds  and  lapping  of  the  waters  on  its 
banks.  "He  did  not  speak  much,"  wrote  the  Rev.  A. 
Williamson,  "on  religious  subjects  either  to  Chinese  or 
foreigners;  and  when  he  did,  the  burden  of  his  remarks 
was  that  he  was  prepared  to  die  or  to  live  as  the  Lord 
might  determine."  "About  a  month  after  the  commence 
ment  of  his  illness,"  says  another  friend  who  often  visited 
him  at  this  time,  "he  began  to  apprehend  its  fatal  issue, 
but  said  he  was  quite  prepared.  After  six  weeks  or  so, 
his  fresh  looks  began  to  leave  him.  The  brightness  of 
his  eye  faded,  and  gradually  he  became  like  an  old  decay 
ing  man."  Yet  now  and  then  the  old  fire  would  for  a 
moment  awake,  and  impart  an  expiring  energy  alike  to 
his  voice  and  his  frame.  "Finding  a  decided  change  for 
the  worse,  and  great  distress  in  breathing,  the  gentleman 
just  referred  to  repeated  several  portions  of  Scripture, 
among  others  Psalm  xxiii.  Hesitating  at  the  words, 
'Yea  though  I  walk  through  the  valley  of  the  shadow  of 
death,'  Mr.  Burns  took  it  up,  and  in  a  deep  strong  voice 


538  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  1.1865-68. 

continued  and  finished  the  psalm.  He  also  greatly 
relished  John  xiv.,  'Let  not  your  heart  be  troubled,'  and 
on  closing  the  exercise  with  the  Lord's  Prayer  Mr. 
Burns  suddenly  became  emphatic,  and  repeated  the  latter 
portion  and  doxology,  TOR  THINE  is  THE  KINGDOM,  AND 
THE  POWER,  AND  THE  GLORY,'  with  extraordinary  power 
and  decision.  This  was  the  last  time  he  manifested  any 
power  of  mind.  Afterwards  he  only  evinced  recognition, 
and  at  last  hardly  spoke  or  even  opened  his  eyes.  Thus 
he  passed  away." 

This  is  the  last  glimpse  we  have  of  him  ere  he  passes 
out  of  sight.  On  the  afternoon  of  the  day  on  which  he 
died,  the  kind  doctor  who  had  so  tenderly  watched  over 
him  throughout,  hearing  that  he  was  worse,  hastened,  in 
company  with  the  consular  assistant,  to  his  bedside,  but 
just  too  late  to  see  him  die,  though  the  heart  and  pulse 
were  still  beating  when  they  arrived. 

He  was  buried  in  the  foreign  graveyard,  according  to 
the  simple  rites  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  Dr.  Watson, 
according  to  his  own  express  desire,  reading  those  grand 
words  in  i  Cor.  xv.  42-57 :  "So  also  is  the  resurrection  of 
the  dead;  it  is  sown  in  corruption,  it  is  raised  in  incor- 
ruption :  it  is  sown  in  dishonour,  it  is  raised  in  glory :  it  is 
sown  in  weakness,  it  is  raised  in  power:  it  is  sown  a 
natural  body,  it  is  raised  a  spiritual  body.  There  is  a 
natural  body,  and  there  is  a  spiritual  body.  And  so  it  is 
written,  The  first  man  Adam  was  made  a  living  soul,  the 
last  Adam  was  made  a  quickening  spirit.  Howbeit  that 
was  not  first,  which  is  spiritual,  but  that  which  is  natural; 
and  afterward  that  which  is  spiritual.  The  first  man  is  of 


JEt.  48-54-!         THE    GRAVEYARD    AT    NIEU-CHWANG.  539 

the  earth,  earthy;  the  second  man  is  the  Lord  from 
heaven.  As  is  the  earthy,  such  are  they  also  that  are 
earthy ;  and  as  is  the  heavenly,  such  are  they  also  that  are 
heavenly.  And  as  we  have  borne  the  image  of  the 
earthy,  we  shall  also  bear  the  image  of  the  heavenly. 
Now  this  I  say,  brethren,  that  flesh  and  blood  cannot 
inherit  the  kingdom  of  God;  neither  doth  corruption 
inherit  incorruption.  Behold,  I  show  you  a  mystery; 
We  shall  not  all  sleep,  but  we  shall  all  be  changed,  in  a 
moment,  in  the  twinkling  of  an  eye,  at  the  last  trump, 
(for  the  trumpet  shall  sound;)  and  the  dead  shall  be  raised 
incorruptible,  and  we  shall  be  changed.  For  this  cor 
ruptible  must  put  on  incorruption,  and  this  mortal  must 
put  on  immortality.  So  when  this  corruptible  shall  have 
put  on  incorruption,  and  this  mortal  shall  have  put  on 
immortality,  then  shall  be  brought  to  pass  the  saying  that 
is  written,  Death  is  swallowed  up  in  victory.  O  death, 
where  is  thy  sting?  O  grave,  where  is  thy  victory?  The 
sting  of  death  is  sin;  and  the  strength  of  sin  is  the  law. 
But  thanks  be  to  God,  which  giveth  us  the  victory, 
through  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ." 

It  was  a  Dreary  and  desolate  place,  and  the  river 
was  fast  washing  it  away,  but  Dr.  Watson  informs  me 
in  his  last  letter  that  the  precious  dust  has  been  since 
removed  to  a  piece  of  ground  recently  purchased  by  the 
foreign  residents  for  a  cemetery.  "We  hope,"  says  he, 
"to  make  our  new  burying-ground  somewhat  like  such  a 
place  at  home,  where  occasionally  we  may  walk,  and  call 
back  to  memory  the  lives  of  those  we  loved."  There  the 
place  of  his  grave  is  marked,  according  to  the  terms  of 


540  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS.  [1863-68. 

his  will,  by  a  modest  head-stone,  bearing  the  following 
simple  legend : — 

TO   THE   MEMORY 

OF    THE 

REV.     WILLIAM     C.     BURNS,     A.M., 

MISSIONARY   TO   THE   CHINESE, 

From  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  England. 

Born  at  Dun,  Scotland,  April  1st,  1815. 

Arrived  in  China,  November  1847. 

Died  at  Port  of  Nieu-chwang, 

4th  April,  1868. 

JI.    CORINTHIANS,    CHAP.    V. 


His  beloved  colleague  Mr.  Douglas,  who  on  hearing  of 
the  critical  nature  of  his  illness,  had  hastened  from  Amoy, 
that  he  might  minister  to  him  in  his  time  of  need,  found 
on  his  arrival  that  he  had  already — two  months  before — 
passed  away,  leaving  behind  him  a  general  sentiment 
of  deep  and  reverential  sorrow  both  among  the  European 
and  native  residents,  conspicuous  among  whom  was  his 
faithful  assistant  Wang,  who  still  wore  the  long  queue  and 
the  unshaven  beard,  after  the  manner  of  his  people  in 
their  deepest  mourning  for  a  father  or  a  mother. 


CHAPTER    XXI. 

CONCLUSION. 

SO  your  loved  and  honoured  William,"  wrote  the 
Rev.  Charles  Brown  to  his  mother,  on  hearing 
the  tidings  of  his  death,  "has  obtained  the  fulfilment  of 
Christ's  prayer,  'Father,  I  will  that  they  also  whom  thou 
hast  given  me  be  with  me  where  I  am,  that  they  may 
behold  my  glory.'  I  am  confident  that  amid  the  sorrow 
of  your  great  loss,  you  are  enabled  to  give  thanks  and 
say,  'It  is  the  Lord:'  'It  is  well.'  He  makes  no  mistake 
as  to  the  time,  or  the  place,  or  the  way  of  removing  his 
servants  to  be  with  himself.  Your  dear  William's  history 
has,  in  fact,  been  one  so  palpably  stamped  with  the 
signatures  of  a  divine  leading,  that  it  were  unlawful  to 
entertain  a  doubt  that  the  Lord  just  saw  his  work  done,  and 
the  time,  for  him,  of  the  everlasting  rest  arrived.  I  con 
fess  that  I  was  quite  unprepared  for  the  tidings.  I  had 
dreamed  that  there  remained  for  William  a  time  of  coming 
home  (necessitated  of  course  by  his  serious  illness) ;  that 
you  would  have  the  happiness  of  embracing  him  once 
more;  that  we  should  all  see  again  his  grave  benevolent 
countenance;  and  that  the  Church  and  the  cause  of 
China  and  her  missions  might  be  greatly  benefited.  But 


542  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS. 

now  that  the  Lord  has  given  his  own  unerring  decision,  I 
think  I  can  see  things  that  go  to  reconcile  me  to  it,  even 
apart  from  its  simple  unerringness  as  given  by  Him.  I 
am  not  sure  thai  William  would  have  taken  kindly  to 
going  up  and  down  this  country  and  talking.  China  and 
its  labours,  far  from  the  ear  and  eye  of  man,  was  his 
sphere.  He  had  literally  buried  himself  in  that  vast  land 
— a  noble,  living  burial !  No  doubt,  also,  his  system  was 
spent.  He  had  done  his  work  (not  a  short  one,  be  it 
remembered)  in  such  a  manner  that  even  his  robust 
constitution  was  undermined.  And  so  things  have  just 
reached  their  natural  close." 

Doubtless  this  is  the  true  reading  of  the  matter,  so  far 
as  it  can  be  read  by  us  on  this  side  the  vail.  If  now  I 
must  speak  more  of  the  character  and  work  of  my  beloved 
and  lamented  brother,  it  must  still  be  in  the  words  of 
others;  and  for  this  there  are  abundant  materials  in  the 
numerous  and  most  touching  tributes  to  his  noble  life 
and  precious  labours  which  have  spontaneously  come 
from  every  side.  Of  these  it  is  fitting  that  I  should  quote 
first  the  words  of  his  esteemed  colleague  and  friend,  the 
Rev.  W.  S.  Swanson,  in  a  sermon  preached  at  Amoy 
shortly  after  receiving  the  tidings  of  his  death : — "  And 
now  that  his  life  has  closed,  so  far  as  regards  earth,  it  re 
mains  as  a  precious  legacy  to  us  who  are  left.  In  reviewing 
it,  what  shall  we  say  were  the  main  characteristics  of  this 
man?  He  was  a  thorough  scholar,  with  a  well-furnished 
and  an  active  mind;  he  possessed  in  no  ordinary  degree 
a  sound  judgment,  and  a  large  amount  of  common  se"nse; 
he  was  one  of  the  ablest  and  most  popular  preachers  of 


PRAYERFULNESS    AND    FAITHFULNESS.  543 

his  day;  he  was  a  man  of  great  energy,  indomitable  per 
severance,  and  of  ardent  zeal.  But  not  these  properties 
severally,  nor  all  combined,  seem  to  me  to  be  the  reason 
to  account  for  the  power  he  possessed,  the  success  that 
followed  his  public  work,  or  the  mark  he  has  left  behind 
him. 

"In  personal  intercourse  with  him  one  thing  struck  me 
above  all  others — his  prayerfulness;  and  herein  I  believe 
we  get  some  insight  into  his  remarkable  success  and 
power.  No  matter  what  he  did,  or  had  to  do,  whether  of 
importance  or  of  a  nature  you  might  call  trivial,  he  made 
it  a  matter  of  prayer.  This  prayerfulness  of  his  seems  to 
me  to  be  the  outstanding  feature  of  his  Christian  life  and 
his  missionary  work. 

"Another  very  marked  feature  of  his  character  was  his 
faithfulness.  You  never  could  mistake  what  he  .was,  nor 
whose  servant  he  considered  himself  to  be.  He  believed, 
as  we  all  do,  that  Christ  and  the  world  could  not  amalga 
mate;  and  he  was  faithful  to  his  belief.  And  what  was 
the  result?  The  testimony  of  those  who  care  little  for 
Christ  and  the  things  of  his  kingdom  is  unanimous  in 
this,  that  he  was  a  faithful,  earnest,  and  consistent  Chris 
tian;  and  this  testimony  they  never  withheld.  Agree  or 
not  with  him  as  they  might,  they  did  not  fail  to  perceive, 
and  were  not  slow  to  acknowledge,  the  faithfulness  of  the 
man  to  the  great  Master  he  served.  This  faithfulness 
made  him  sometimes  seem  harsh,  it  may  be,  to  some,  and 
not  so  regardful  as  they  might  have  wished  him  to  be  of 
the  feelings  of  others.  But  this  could  be  thought  only  by 
those  who  did  not  know  him.  He  was  very  tender,  and 


544  LIFE    OF    REV-    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS. 

very  chary  of  giving  offence ;  but  not  so  much  so  as  to 
prevent  him  from  denouncing  where  denunciation  was 
needed,  or  rebuking  where  rebuke  seemed  to  him  to  be 
required. 

"  There  is  one  other  point  in  his  character  to  which  I 
must  refer,  and  then  I  have  done.  To  many  he  seemed 
eccentric,  and  to  some  morose.  He  was  neither.  There 
might  be  some  shadow  of  seeming  evidence  for  the  former; 
there  was  none  for  the  latter.  He  set  a  high  ideal  before 
himself  as  the  ideal  of  the  Christian  missionary;  and  he 
did  not  hesitate  to  adopt  any  mode  of  life,  or  to  enter 
upon  any  course  of  action,  that  seemed  to  him  to  be 
necessary,  or  even  beneficial,  to  the  proper  carrying  on  of 
the  work  he  came  to  do.  As  I  have  said  already,  the 
motive  from  which  he  acted  was  always  the  same;  and  one 
hardly  dared  to  blame  him  in  matters  of  no  importance 
whatever  when  this  was  known.  And  now  when  we  look 
back  on  his  history,  we  may  perhaps  be  led  to  believe  that 
even  in  regard  to  the  mode  and  localities  of  his  missionary 
life,  he  acted  in  the  way  which,  in  his  case,  and  with  his 
peculiar  and  most  marked  individuality,  was  calculated 
to  be  of  most  benefit." 

The  feature  of  his  Christian  life  here  first  referred  to,  is 
so  pre-eminently  characteristic,  that  I  am  tempted  to  add 
the  following  words  of  another: — "Above  all,"  says  an 
able  writer  in  the  Sunday  at  Home,  "Mr.  Burns  was  a  man 
of  prayer.  No  one  could  be  long  in  his  company  without 
discovering  that.  All  the  week  long  'he  filled  the 
fountains  of  his  spirit  with  prayer,'  and  on  Sabbath  the 
full  fountain  gave  forth  its  abundant  treasures.  There  was 


HIS    PRAYERFULNESS.  545 

a  freshness,  a  simplicity,  a  scriptural  force  and  directness 
in  his  prayers,  that  formed  the  best  of  all  preparations  for 
the  discourse  that  was  to  follow.  Out  of  doors,  we  have 
often  felt,  as  we  heard  him  preach,  that  the  opening  prayer 
of  the  service  was  like  the  ploughing  up  of  the  field,  it  so 
opened  the  heart,  and  quickened  and  informed  the  con 
science;  the  sermon  that  followed  was  the  sowing  of  the 
seed  in  the  prepared  soil;  and  the  concluding  prayer  was 
like  the  after  harrowing  of  the  ground,  fixing  down  the 
seed  that  had  been  sown." 

To  any  one  in  the  least  degree  acquainted  with  him, 
or  who  had  come  even  for  a  day  into  casual  contact  with 
him,  it  would  not  have  been  needful  to  have  said  even 
this  much  in  regard  to  that  which  was  in  truth  so  much  a 
part  of  himself,  as  to  be  inseparable  from  his  very  idea. 
His  whole  life  was  literally  a  life  of  prayer,  and  his  whole 
ministry  a  series  of  battles  fought  at  the  mercy-seat.  A 
friend  who  was  under  the  same  roof  with  him  the  day  before 
he  began  his  labours  in  St.  Peter's,  tells  me  that  after  walk 
ing  round  the  parish  with  one  of  the  elders,  whose  guest 
he  was,  he  shut  himself  up  in  his  chamber,  and  was  found 
long  afterwards  lying  on  his  face  in  an  agony  of  prayer — 
the  source  doubtless  of  the  holy  calm  which  so  struck  the 
hearers  on  the  succeeding  morning.1  There  is  an  entry  in 

1  "I  had  the  privilege  of  getting  acquainted  with  him,  at  the  com 
mencement  of  his  ministry  in  St.  Peter's,  Dundee,  while  he  resided 
at  The  Crescent,  with  Mr.  P.  H.  Thorns;  in  whose  family  I  had 
been  resident  governess  for  several  years.  The  day  after  he  came  to 
us,  Mr.  Thorns  took  him  out  to  show  him  the  boundaries  of  the 
parish,  and  to  see  a  few  of  the  people  in  St.  Peter's  district.  They 
returned  in  the  evening.  Mr.  Burns  went  to  his  room,  and  whilst 

2  M 


546  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS. 

his  journal,  during  the  time  of  his  residence  in  Edinburgh, 
which  is  perhaps  too  sacred  to  quote,  but  to  which  I  can 
not  withhold  a  reference  in  this  connection.  He  seems 
to  have  possessed  a  private  key  to  the  church  of  St.  Luke's, 
and  there  we  find  him,  at  least  on  one  occasion,  "detained" 
a  whole  night  in  solitary  prayer  "before  the  Lord."  Such 
incidents  as  these  let  us  far  into  the  secret  of  where  his 
great  strength  lay. 

The  Rev.  Dr.  Talmage,  of  the  American  Board  of 
Missions,  who,  along  with  his  admirable  and  lamented 
colleague,  Mr.  Doty",  knew  him  so  well  during  his  early 
labours  at  Amoy,  adds  one  or  two  characteristic  traits 
which  his  friends  will  delight  to  recognize : — "  He  was," 
he  says,  "very  careful  of  his  health,  avoiding  unnecessary 
exposure,  abstemious  in  his  diet,  and  very  particular  in 
regard  to  his  clothing,  guarding  against  sudden  changes 
of  temperature.  Although  living  by  himself,  he  made  it  a 
rule  to  take  tea,  and  spend  a  part  or  the  whole  of  the 
evening  of  every  day  of  the  week,  except  one,  with  some 
one  of  the  missionary  families.  We  all  enjoyed  greatly, 


we  waited  for  his  coming  down  stairs  to  dinner,  we  heard  a  heavy 
groan.  Thinking  he  had  been  taken  ill,  Mrs.  Thorns  ran  up  stairs, 
and  found  him  lying  on  his  face  on  the  floor  groaning  before  the 
Lord !  He  had  gotten  such  an  overwhelming  sense  of  his  responsi 
bility  for  the  souls  of  that  people,  that  he  could  then  think  of  nothing 
else.  In  his  absence  of  mind,  he  had  left  his  door  partially  open, 
which  Mrs.  Thorns  shut ;  and  we  did  not  see  him  again  till  late  in 
the  evening,  when  he  came  for  the  family  worship.  His  prayer  then 
was  one  continued  strain  of  self-loathing,  and  pleading  for  mercy 
through  'the  blood  of  the  Lamb  of  God.'  It  happened  that  his 
room  was  next  to  mine,  and  all  that  night  I  heard  him  still  groaning 
in  prayer  1" 


SEEKING   DIVINE    GUIDANCE.  547 

and  felt  profited  by  this  social  intercourse  with  him.  .  .  . 
He  also  carefully  watched  the  indications  of  Providence, 
expecting  to  be  led  in  the  right  way.  I  may  mention  a 
fact  to  illustrate  this.  He  had  planned  a  visit  with  some 
of  our  native  helpers  to  the  island  of  Quemoy,  situated  on 
the  north-east  side  of  the  entrance  to  Amoy  harbour. 
The  day  appointed  to  go  proved  rainy;  from  this  he 
gathered  that  he  should  go  in  some  other  direction. 
While  meditating  on  this  subject  an  inquirer  from  a  village 
near  Pechuia  came  to  his  room,  and  requested  him  to 
visit  the  region  of  his  native  place.  This  was  forthwith 
decided  on.  On  their  way  to  the  boat  they  were  met  by 
an  elderly  man,  an  inquirer,  who,  on  learning  in  what 
direction  they  were  going,  told  them  that  he  had  a  son  in 
business  at  the  village  of  Pechuia,  and  invited  them  to  go 
to  his  son's  shop,  who,  he  said,  would  give  them  a  hearty 
welcome.  Such  were  the  leadings  of  Providence,  by 
which  the  gospel  was  first  carried  to  that  region.  The 
remarkable  blessings  which  followed  that  visit  are  well 
known.  .  .  . 

"  His  greatest  power  in  preaching  seemed  to  me 
to  consist  in  the  manner  in  which  he  quoted  the  Holy 
Scriptures.  In  this  I  do  not  think  that  I  have  ever  heard 
him  surpassed.  Hence,  in  labouring  among  the  Chinese, 
it  was  over  the  native  Christians  and  inquirers  that  he 
exerted  his  greatest  influence  for  good. 

"On  this  account  it  seemed  to  some  (perhaps  to  all)  of 
us  that  his  labours  would  have  been  still  more  efficient  if 
he  had  remained  longer,  or  had  settled  down  permanently 
in  some  one  district  of  country,  instead  of  pursuing  so 


548  LIFE   OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS. 


desultory  a  course  of  labour.  A  man  with  his  gifts,  I 
should  suppose,  would  be  just  adapted  to  a  field  of  labour 
such  as  Amoy  now  is,  where  there  are  so  many  small 
churches  and  companies  of  inquirers  scattered  throughout 
the  region,  and  where  the  good  seed  of  the  Word  has  been 
sown  so  widely.  Such  a  field  would  have  had  more  like 
ness  to  those  fields  in  Scotland  and  Canada,  where  his 
labours  had  been  so  wonderfully  blessed. 

"I  say  it  seemed,  for  knowing  his  earnestness  in  seeking 
the  divine  guidance,  we  dare  not  say  that  he  did  not 
obtain  it. 

"He  was  a  great  (not  perhaps  in  the  eyes  of  the  world) 
and  good  man;  but  he  regarded  himself  as  having  pecu 
liarities,  and  did  not  think  that  others  should  adopt  his 
plan  of  labour." 

Of  the  style  of  his  preaching  at  his  best  times,  I  cannot 
better  speak  than  in  the  words  of  a  writer  already  quoted : — 
"  His  voice  was  clear,  full,  and  of  a  great  compass  and 
power.  By  nearly  constant  use,  indoors  and  out,  its  finer 
tones  were  roughened  when  we  heard  it ;  but,  for  all  the 
purposes  of  an  evangelist,  it  was  one  of  the  finest  we  have 
ever  heard.  In  preaching  he  used  no  notes,  had  but 
little  action,  and  no  art.  His  power  was  solely,  humanly 
speaking,  from  the  weight,  clearness,  abundance,  and 
vigour  of  his  matter,  and  from  the  vivid  force  of  his  own 
feelings  and  convictions  of  the  truth  of  what  he  was 
uttering.  He  believed,  and  therefore  spoke.  God  was 
visible  to  him  as  he  preached;  and  so  he  soon  became 
visible  also  to  at  least  some  of  his  hearers.  He  used  but 
few  illustrations,  and  when  he  did  use  them  they  were 


STYLE    OF    PREACHING.  549 

short  and  telling.  His  style  was  firm,  terse,  Saxon, 
abounding  in  short  sentences;  and  he  was  mighty  in  the 
Scriptures.  Sometimes  you  would  have  thought,  in  listen 
ing  to  some  of  his  solemn  appeals,  that  you  were  hearing 
a  new  chapter  of  the  Bible  when  first  spoken  by  a  living 
prophet.  His  manner  was  not  only  solemn,  but  pre 
eminently  solemnizing.  Few — we  might  say  none — that 
came  to  laugh  remained  long  in  the  laughing  mood.  He 
was  a  man,  whether  in  the  pulpit  or  out  of  it,  whom  you 
might  treat  many  ways,  but  you  could  nowhere,  nowhen, 
laugh  at  him.  And  if  you  tried  to  argue  with  him,  you 
came  away,  if  victorious  in  your  own  eyes,  at  least 
thoroughly  conscious  that  you  had  grappled  with  no 
despicable,  no  common  adversary.  He  was  ever  calm,  cool, 
self-possessed.  Preaching  one  day  in  Montreal,  Mr.  Burns 
was  roughly  handled  by  a  Popish  crowd,  some  of  whom 
threw  stones,  by  one  of  which  Mr.  Burns  was  cut  in  the 
face.  A  party  of  the  93d  Highlanders  heard  of  the  fracas, 
and  rushed  to  the  rescue,  headed  by  one  Hector  M'Pher- 
son,  now  labouring  as  a  missionary  at  St.  Martin's,  near 
Perth,  and  to  whom  the  preaching  of  Mr.  Burns  had  been 
blessed.  To  the  earnest  inquiry  of  the  soldier,  'What's 
all  this?'  Mr.  Burns  quietly  wiped  off  the  blood,  and 
with  a  smile  said,  'Never  mind;  it's  only  a  little  wound 
received  in  the  Master's  service.'1  If  in  preaching,  indoors 
or  out,  he  was  in  any  way  interrupted,  he  was  never 
flurried,  and  knew  well  how  to  turn  any  interruption  to  his 
own  advantage.  A  friend  has  often  graphically  repeated 

1  This  incident  was  mentioned  before  in  Chapter  X.,  but  I  give 
the  extract  unbroken  for  the  sake  of  the  additional  trait  here  given. 


550  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS. 

to  the  writer  an  instance  illustrative  of  this.  Once  on  a 
fine  summer  Sabbath  evening,  he  was  preaching  to  a  vast 
crowd  at  the  approach  to  a  railway  station.  A  tall  man, 
slightly  intoxicated,  in  the  outer  edge  of  the  crowd  was 
rudely  interrupting,  and  interjecting  occasional  comments, 
exciting  the  risibility  of  those  around  him.  Mr.  Burns 
paused  a  moment,  turned  his  eyes  on  the  man:  'You  are 
tall  and  strong;  but  you  are  not  too  tall  for  a  coffin,  nor 
too  strong  for  the  worms!  You  are  tall  and  strong;  but 
not  too  tall  for  the  grave,  nor  too  strong  for  death !  You 
are  tall  and  strong;  rJut  you  will  soon  have  to  stand  forth, 
one  of  the  crowd,  before  the  great  white  throne;  and  how 
will  you  face  the  Judge  of  the  whole  earth !  Tall  and 
strong  as  you  are,  you  cannot  be  hid  from  God;  the  rocks 
and  mountains  will  not  cover  you;  his  all-seeing  eye  is  on 
you  now!'  This  was  spoken  with  a  slow  deliberation 
that  made  every  word  tell,  not  only  on  the  man,  but  on 
the  crowd.  '  It  was  absolutely  withering  and  terrible,' 
our  informant  used  to  say;  the  man  was  sobered  in  one 
moment.  He  seemed  to  bow  himself  down,  as  if  to 
hide  himself  from  that  eye,  and  became  at  once  the  most 
attentive,  and  eager,  and  respectful  listener  the  preacher 
had." 

In  regard  to  the  manner  of  his  outer  life,  no  man  ever 
held  himself  more  absolutely  loose  to  the  world,  and  to  the 
things  that  are  in  the  world.  Literally  he  deemed  not 
that  anything  that  he  possessed  was  his  own,  save  only 
that  he  might  use  it  in  the  service  of  Christ  and  human 
souls.  Scrupulously  exact  and  methodical  in  the  use  of 
his  means,  and  rigid  in  his  economy  as  regarded  himself,  he 


LOOSENESS    TO    THE    WORLD.  551 

was  conspicuously  bountiful  and  free-handed  in  the  dis 
pensation  of  them  to  others.  His  whole  income,  from 
the  first  day  on  which  he  had  any  income  to  the  last,  was 
thus  spent,  with  the  exception  only  of  what  was  necessary 
to  supply  for  himself  the  barest  necessities  of  life,  and  an 
annual  gift  of  love  to  his  one  surviving  parent.  He  literally 
fulfilled  his  own  ideal,  as  conveyed  in  words  that  have 
been  often  quoted: — "The  happiest  state  of  a  Christian 
on  earth  seems  to  be  this — that  he  should  }mvt  few  wants. 
If  a  man  have  Christ  in  his  heart,  and  heaven  before  his 
eye,  and  only  as  much  of  temporal  blessings  as  is  just 
needful  to  carry  him  safely  through  life,  then  pain  and 
sorrow  have  little  to  shoot  at — such  a  man  has  very  little 
to  lose.  To  be  in  union  with  Him,  who  is  the  Shepherd 
of  Israel,  and  to  walk  very  near  to  Him  who  is  a  sun  and 
shield — that  comprehends  all  that  a  poor  sinner  requires 
to  make  him  happy  between  this  and  heaven." 

How  vividly  do  I  remember  the  moment,  a  little  more 
than  a  year  ago,  when  the  trunk  which  had  come  home  from 
China  containing  nearly  all  of  property  that  he  left  behind 
him  in  the  world  was  opened,  amid  a  group  of  young  and 
wondering  faces, — a  few  sheets  of  Chinese  printed  matter, 
a  Chinese  and  an  English  Bible,  an  old  writing-case,  one 
or  two  small  books,  a  Chinese  lantern,  a  single  Chinese 
dress,  and  the  blue  flag  of  the  "Gospel  Boat."  "Surely," 
whispered  one  little  one  amid  the  awestruck  silence, 
"surely  he  must  have  been  very  poor!"  There  was  One, 
we  felt,  standing  amongst  us,  though  unseen,  who  for  his 
sake  had  been  poorer  still. 

Of  the  results  of  his  work  in  the  Chinese  field  it  is  diffi- 


552  LIFE    OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS. 


cult  to  speak.  Undoubtedly  his  life  there  was  far  more 
powerful  as  an  influence  than  as  an  agency.  It  was  not 
so  much  by  what  he  said,  or  by  what  he  did,  as  by  what  he 
was,  that  he  made  his  presence  felt  over  so  wide  a  surface 
of  that  vast  land,  and  that  "being  dead,  he  yet  speaketh." 
"I  never  expect  to  see  his  like  again,"  says  an  esteemed 
missionary  of  another  communion,  who  only  knew  him 
for  a  very  short  time.  "We  are  all,  as  I  believe,  serving 
God  in  our  divine  vocations,  with  greater  gladness,  and 
more  fervid  zeal,  from  having  communed  with  your 
brother  in  his  heavenly  walk  and  noble  aspirations." 
"  Know  him,  sir?"  exclaimed  another,  with  almost  indig 
nant  surprise,  when  asked  if  he  knew  a  brother  missionary 
of  the  name  of  William  Burns,  "all  China  knows  him; 
he  is  the  holiest  man  alive."  His  life,  in  short,  was  "  a 
sign"  to  all  who  came  in  contact  with  him,  and  in  the 
face  of  a  luxurious  and  self-indulgent  age,  of  an  absolute 
consecration  of  heart  to  God,  which  knew  no  reserves, 
flinched  from  no  sacrifices,  and  in  very  deed  counted  all 
things  loss  for  Christ.  In  fine,  to  use  the  words  of  the  Rev. 
James  Johnston,  once  his  colleague  in  mission  work,  and 
since  for  many  years  the  esteemed  secretary  of  the  Scottish 
Committee: — "Reckoned  by  the  number  of  conversions 
under  his  direct  preaching,  the  results  are  small;  measured 
by  the  effect  of  his  personal  influence,  the  results  are  great 
From  the  nature  of  the  work  for  which  he  was  specially 
qualified,  and  to  which  he  entirely  gave  himself — that  of 
a  pioneer  or  evangelist — he  could  not  expect  to  reap  the 
fruits  himself.  His  work  was  to  break  up  the  ground  and 
sow  the  seed,  not  to  gather  the  harvest.  No  man  in  this 


RESULTS    OF    HIS   WORK.  553 


age,  so  far  as  we  know,  has  so  entirely  devoted  himself  to 
this  self-denying  work.  Again  and  again  has  our  departed 
brother  laboured  for  years  in  some  dark  and  unpromising 
field,  and  just  when  the1  first  streak  of  dawn  appeared  on 
the  horizon,  he  would  leave  another  to  enjoy  the  glorious 
sun-rise,  while  he  buried  himself  in  some  other  region 
sunk  in  heathen  darkness.  Again  and  again  have  we 
seen  him  thus  in  prayers  and  tears  sowing  the  precious 
seed,  and  as  soon  as  he  saw  the  green  shoots  appear 
above  the  dark  soil,  he  would  leave  to  others  the  arduous 
yet  happy  task  of  reaping  the  harvest,  and  begin  again  his 
appointed  work  in  breaking  up  the  fallow-ground.  The  full 
extent  of  his  great  life-work  will  not  be  known  until  that 
day  when  'he  that  soweth  and  he  that  reapeth  shall  rejoice 
together.'  The  faith  and  patience  of  this  devoted  ser 
vant  of  God  is  an  example  to  the  Church,  and  to  every 
labourer  in  the  Lord's  vineyard,  teaching  us  not  to  live 
upon  the  stimulus  of  a  present  success,  even  in  the  con 
version  of  souls.  No  man  enjoyed  so  great  success  as  he 
did,  or  thirsted  for  the  salvation  of  sinners  with  more 
intense  longing  than  he,  yet  have  we  seen  him  labouring 
for  seven  years,  according  to  his  own  testimony,  'without 
seeing  one  soul  brought  to  Christ;'  yet  labouring  on  only 
with  increased  diligence  and  prayer,  until  he  saw,  as  he 
shortly  did,  the  awakening  at  Pechuia,  which  reminded 
him  of  Kilsyth.  His  influence  in  this  way  has  been  ex 
tended  over  a  larger  field,  and  with  his  strongly  marked 
individuality  he  left  the  impress  of  his  character  and  piety 
wherever  he  went  Missionaries  felt  it,  and  blessed  God  for 
even  a  casual  acquaintance  with  William  Burns ;  converts 


554  LIFE    OF    REV-    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS. 

felt  it,  and  have  been  heard  to  say  that  they  got  their  idea 
of  what  the  Saviour  was  on  earth  from  the  holy  calm  and 
warm  love,  and  earnest  zeal  of  Mr.  Burns'  'walk  with  God.' 
The  converts  in  many  parts  of  China,  and  their  children, 
will  remember  his  high  type  of  piety.  His  many  trans 
lations  of  Scripture  and  sacred  books,  like  the  Pilgrim's 
Progress,  and  Line  upon  Line,  will  prove  a  rich  legacy  to 
the  Church,  and  his  psalms  and  hymns  in  different  dialects 
will  help  the  faith  and  fan  the  love  of  the  Christian  dis 
ciples,  and  spread  abroad  the  Saviour's  name  among  the 
heathen  in  the  new  songs  sung  in  their  hearing  by  the 
converts  at  their  work,  or  by  the  way,  and  in  their  worship 
in  the  church  and  family.  As  a  mission,  we  bless  God 
for  all  that  our  departed  brother  was,  and  for  all  that  he 
did.  He  was  God's  gift  to  us,  and  while  we  fondly  looked 
forward  to  a  longer  life,  and  further  conquests  in  the  new 
and  vast  region  on  which  he  had  entered  with  impaired 
strength  but  undiminished  zeal,  we  bow  to  our  Father's 
will  in  his  removal  on  the  4th  of  April.  His  grave  stands 
on  the  borders  of  the  great  kingdom  of  Manchuria,  the 
advanced  post  of  Christian  conquests,  beyond  the  northern 
limits  of  China.  The  little  mound  casts  its  shadow  over 
many  lands,  for  where  is  Burns  not  loved  and  mourned? 
But  his  life  is  the  Church's  legacy,  and  loudly  calls  for  self- 
sacrifice  and  devotion  to  the  cause  of  Christ,  and  especially 
the  cause  of  missions.  His  indomitable  spirit  beckons  us 
to  the  field  of  conflict  and  of  victory,  while  his  four  last 
converts,  the  conquest  of  his  death-bed,  stand  like  sentinels 
by  his  grave,  and  pray  and  long  for  the  advance  of  the 
Church's  hosts." 


FAREWELL.  555 


In  stature  he  was  about  the  middle  height,  of  strong, 
muscular,  and  well-knit  frame,  and  with  a  ruddy  and 
pleasant  countenance,  which  is  but  faintly  recalled  by  the 
worn  and  aged  features  of  his  Chinese  picture,  but  which 
will  doubtless  appear  again  in  glorified  form  when  He 
comes  who  maketh  all  things  new. 


IN   MEMORIAM. 

As  gazed  the  prophet  on  the  ascending  car, 
Swept  by  its  fiery  steeds  away  and  far, 
So,  with  the  burning  tear  and  flashing  eye, 
I  trace  thy  glorious  pathway  to  the  sky. 
Lone  like  the  Tishbite,  as  the  Baptist  bold, 
Cast  in  a  rare  and  apostolic  mould; 
Earnest,  unselfish,  consecrated,  true, 
With  nothing  but  the  noblest  end  in  view ; 
Choosing  to  toil  in  distant  fields  unsown, 
Contented  to  be  poor  and  little  known, 
Faithful  to  death.     O  man  of  God,  well  done ! 
Thy  fight  is  ended,  and  thy  crown  is  won. 

God  shall  have  all  the  glory !     Only  GRACE 
Made  thee  to  differ.     Let  us  man  abase ! 
With  deep,  emphatic  tone  thy  dying  word, 
Thy  last,  was  this — "Thine  is  the  kingdom,  Lord, 
The  power,  and  glory!"  Thus  the  fatal  flame 
Of  the  burnt- offering  to  Jehovah's  name 
Ascended  from  the  altar  !     Life  thus  given 
To  God,  must  have  its  secret  springs  in  heaven. 

O  WILLIAM  BURNS  !  we  will  not  call  thee  dead, 
Though  lies  thy  body  in  its  narrow  bed 
In  far-off  China.     Though  Manchuria  keeps 
Thy  dust,  which  in  the  Lord  securely  sleeps, 
Thy  spirit  lives  with  Jesus  :  and  where  He, 
Thy  Master,  dwells,  'tis  meet  that  thou  shouldst  be. 


556  LIFE   OF    REV.    WILLIAM    C.    BURNS. 

There  is  no  death  in  his  divine  embrace  ! 
There  is  no  life  but  where  they  see  His  face ! 

And  now,  Lord,  let  thy  servant's  mantle  fall 
Upon  another  !     Since  thy  solemn  call 
To  preach  the  truth  in  China  has  been  heard, 
Grant  that  a  double  portion  be  conferred 
Of  the  same  spirit  on  the  gentler  head 
Of  some  Elisha,  who  may  raise  the  dead, 
And  fill  the  widow's  cruse,  and  heal  the  spring, 
And  make  the  desolate  of  heart  to  sing ; 
And  stand,  though  feeble,  fearless,  since  he  knows 
Thy  host  angelic  guards  him  from  his  foes ; 
Whose  life  an  image  fairer  still  might  be 
Of  Christ  of  Nazareth  and  Galilee— 
Of  thine,  O  spotless  Lamb  of  Calvary ! 

China,  I  breathe  for  thee  a  brother's  prayer : 
Unnumbered  are  thy  millions.     Father,  hear 
The  groans  we  cannot !     Oh,  thine  arm  make  bare, 
And  reap  thy  harvest  of  salvation  there. 
The  fulness  of  the  Gentiles,  like  a  sea 
Immense,  O  God,  be  gathered  unto  Thee ! 
Then  Israel  save ;  and  with  his  saintly  train, 
Send  us  Immanuel  over  all  to  reign ! 

H.  GRATTAN  GUINNESS. 


APPENDIX. 


i. 

(See  page  129.) 
FIRST  BEGINNINGS  OF  THE  REVIVAL  WORK. 

The  following  extract  from  a  deeply  interesting  letter,  addressed 
by  Mr.  Burns  to  Mr.  M'Cheyne,  and  which  has  come  into  my  hands 
after  this  work  had  nearly  passed  through  the  press,  will  be  read 
with  deep  interest,  as  throwing  much  light  on  the  very  first  beginnings 
of  the  revival  movement  of  1839,  both  in  his  own  soul,  and  in  the 
scenes  of  his  earliest  ministry  : — 

"DUNDEE,  Nov.  iStA,  1839.  --DEAR  BROTHER  IN  JESUS  CHRIST, 
— After  having  forcibly  withdrawn  myself  from  many  other  pressing 
engagements  in  order  to  write  a  few  lines  to  you,  I  experience  the 
greatest  difficulty  in  making  a  commencement,  from  the  multitude 
and  variety  of  the  thoughts  which  rise  to  view  before  me.  Indeed 
everything  connected  with  the  whole  period  of  my  residence  here, 
since  April  last — a  period  the  most  remarkable  but  one  (that  of  con 
version)  in  my  own  life,  and  all  the  thoughts  and  feelings  growing 
out  of  these — embarrass  and  oppress  my  mind  so  much,  that  I  hardly 
know  what  to  begin  with  first. 

"God's  wonderful  and  most  merciful  procedure  towards  me,  in  con 
necting  me  with  you  and  your  dearly  beloved  flock  in  Dundee,  I  saw 
unspeakable  cause  to  admire  from  the  very  first  moment  that  that 
connection  was  formed.  I  felt  myself  not  only  without,  but  almost 
against  my  own  intentions,  at  once  drawn  into  the  most  endearing 
union  with  one  of  the  few  ministers  in  Scotland  that  I  had  seen  cause 
to  regard  as  making  '  full  proof  of  the  ministry  of  the  gospel  of 
Jesus,  and  one  of  the  few  congregations  that  I  had  ever  heard  spoken 
of  as  really  deriving  -visible  saving  benefits  from  the  labours  of  their 
pastor.  These  things  made  me  astonished  at  the  mercies  of  my  God 
and  Saviour  from  the  very  first;  but  noiv,  when,  after  the  lapse  of 
seven  months,  I  have  been  allowed  to  see  at  least  some  part  of  the 
development  of  the  Lord's  designs  in  this  matter,  I  know  not  what 
to  say,  or  how  to  speak.  I  feel  almost  as  if  it  were  my  duty  to  be 


558  APPENDIX. 


silent  in  adoring  wonder,  and  leave  that  theme  for  the  harps  of  the 
heavenly  Jerusalem,  which  I  can  but  dishonour  while  my  mind  is  so 
blind,  my  heart  so  cold,  and  my  mouth  so  little  accustomed  to  the 
matchless  praises  of  Jehovah. 

"  When  I  came  among  your  people  I  found  such  evidences  of  the 
Lord's  work,  in  convincing  and  converting  sinners,  as  was  truly  re 
freshing  to  my  soul,  after  having  spent  more  than  seven  years  from 
the  time  when,  if  ever,  I  was  brought  to  know  the  Lord,  without, 
alas  !  ever  seeing  so  much  as  a  single  case  of  open  and  visible  transi 
tion  from  darkness  to  light,  and  from  the  power  of  Satan  unto 
God.  I  knew  a  few,  who,  I  had  reason  to  think,  had  really  been 
brought  by  the  Spirit  to  the  knowledge  of  Jesus,  and  a  few  more  who, 
I  hoped,  had  reached  the  extreme  edge  of  the  safe  side  of  that  line 
which  divides  the  kingdom  of  Satan  from  the  kingdom  of  God;  but, 
an  awakened  sinner  seeking  after  Jesus  with  the  whole  heart,  I  do 
not  remember  to  have  ever  seen,  from  the  time  when  I  began  to  feel 
an  interest  in  looking  for  such  evidences  of  the  Spirit's  presence, 
until,  in  the  astonishing,  free,  infinite,  and  sovereign  mercy  of  my 
matchless  Redeemer  and  Lord,  I  was  sent  to  your  beloved  and 
favoured  flock.  Here  I  found  not  a  few  who  seemed  to  have  passed 
from  death  to  life  under  your  ministry,  and  who,  in  addition,  had 
got  beyond  that  ice-cold  region  of  formal  profession,  in  which  even 
those  who  are  alive  to  God  are  in  general  afraid  to  speak,  as  it  were, 
above  their  breath,  of  any  of  those  gracious  exercises  of  the  regenerate 
soul,  which  so  much  offend,  because  they  so  holily  condemn,  a  secure 
but  godless  generation  of  carnal  professors.  From  the  atmosphere 
into  which  I  at  once  discovered  the  Lord  had  brought  me,  when  I 
entered  your  church,  I  learned  that  there  were  not  a  few  to  whose 
conversation,  as  well  as  to  whose  minds  and  hearts,  their  own  state 
as  sinners  under  a  glorious  dispensation  of  divine  grace  was  become 
familiar.  I  almost  immediately  invited  from  the  pulpit,  all  those 
who  were  under  any  anxiety  about  their  souls,  and  might  wish 
private  direction,  to  call  on  me  at  particular  hours  for  this  purpose; 
and  I  soon  learned  from  the  intercourse  to  which  this  led  in  many 
instances,  that  the  necessity  of  union  to  Jesus,  and  entire  dedication 
to  his  service  and  his  glory,  was  a  truth  to  which  the  mind  of  the 
congregation  in  general  had  been  brought  under  your  ministry  to 
yield  assent,  and  one  which,  through  the  mighty  power  of  the  Holy 
Spirit,  not  a  few  seemed  to  have  savingly  realized  in  their  consciences 
and  hearts.  Excited  by  my  intercourse  of  this  kind  (the  only  kind, 
with  little  exception,  that  I  have  had)  with  your  people,  and  slip- 


LETTER    TO    MR.    M'CHEYNE.  559 

ported  by  the  prayers  of  God's  children  among  them,  I  prosecuted  my 
labours  among  them  during  the  first  four  months  of  my  residence 
here  with  great  benefit  and  pleasure  to  myself,  and  not  without  a 
pleasing  testimony  in  the  consciences  and  hearts  of  many  of  the 
people  of  the  Lord,  that  I  was  really  teaching  some  part  of  the 
truth  'as  it  is  in  Jesus.'  Besides  preaching  on  Sabbath  at  the  usual 
times,  I  continued  the  Thursday  prayer-meeting,  and  the  male  and 
female  classes,  which  were  all  attended,  as  far  as  I  could  find,  by 
about  the  same  number  as  during  your  own  ministry,  and  seemed  to 
the  outward  view  to  make  interesting  and  encouraging  progress. 
There  was  one  thing,  however,  that  always  appalled  me,  when  I  was 
enabled  to  realize  the  necessity  of  the  second  birth,  that  so  few 
seemed  under  my  ministry  to  be  awakened  to  a  solemn  and  supreme 
concern  about  their  souls,  though  I  had  every  reason  to  believe 
that  there  were  hundreds  in  the  congregation  and  parish,  who,  with 
a  name  to  live,  were  in  reality  ldead  in  trespasses  and  sins.'  Many 
seemed  interested,  and  some  of  the  people  of  God  appeared  to  be 
refreshed,  but  very  few,  indeed  only  two  or  three  persons,  awakened 
for  the  first  time  from  the  sleep  of  carnal  security,  came  to  me  in 
anxiety  for  direction  in  the  way  to  Zion.  I  sought  to  declare  the 
truth  of  God,  both  in  the  law  and  the  gospel,  with  all  faithfulness 
on  every  occasion,  and  to  'labour  fervently  in  prayer  to  God'  in 
behalf  of  the  people  at  all  times;  but  still  there  was  no  appearance 
of  a  general  awakening  among  them  to  the  sense  of  their  natural 
state  of  sin  and  misery,  and  of  their  absolute  need  of  the  glorious 
Saviour  who  is  offered  freely  to  sinners  in  the  gospel.  I  always 
felt  as  if  the  ground  which  was  won  from  the  enemy  on  Sabbath  was 
lost  during  the  following  week.  Many  of  the  people  I  feared  were 
in  danger  of  thinking  of  whatever  was  said  to  them  as  doctrine  suited 
to  the  pulpit  and  the  Sabbath,  but  not  to  be  considered  true,  and  of 
supreme  importance,  on  week-days  and  at  their  ordinary  business ; 
and  thus,  however  plainly  their  state  was  taught,  and  however 
urgently  they  were  besought  to  flee  to  the  Lord  Jesus  as  the  only 
Saviour,  they  seemed  still  in  general  to  continue  going  on  in  the 
beaten  track  of  their  ungodliness,  impenitence,  and  unbelief.  There 
were  a  few  fellowship  meetings  in  the  parish  while  you  were  here, 
and  these  had  increased  but  very  inconsiderably  in  number  and  size. 
Still  there  were  at  the  time  when  I  was  called  to  leave  the  people, 
in  order  to  attend  at  my  father's  communion,  some  indications  of  an 
approaching  revival  of  the  work  of  God  among  them.  There 
appeared  to  be  an  increasing  earnestness  in  desire  and  prayer  among 


560  APPENDIX. 


the  people  of  God,  and  especially,  I  think,  among  the  younger 
Christians,  who  had  been  brought  to  Christ  under  your  own  ministry, 
for  a  larger  outpouring  of  the  Spirit  of  God,  and  a  more  general 
awakening  and  converting  of  souls  to  Jesus.  I  remember  of  being 
told  also,  at  the  time  when  I  was  going  away  to  Kilsyth,  by  a  person 
to  whom  I  had  been  lamenting  the  little  success  that  seemed  to 
attend  the  preaching  of  the  Word,  that  she  had  seen  several  persons 
from  time  to  time  around  her  shedding  tears  upon  the  Sabbath;  and 
the  very  last  time  that  I  met  the  young  men's  class  before  m-y  depar 
ture,  I  was  encouraged  by  noticing  more  than  usual  solemnity  among 
all,  and  one  young  man  in  particular,  who  has  since,  I  trust,  been 
savingly  converted,  weeping  profusely,  while  I  was  pressing  the  neces 
sity  of  a  full  and  immediate  acceptance  of  the  Lord  Jesus. 

"I  left  Dundee  upon  Tuesday,  the  i6th  July,  intending  to  return 
to  it  on  the  24th,  after  attending  at  the  communion,  which  was  to 
be  dispensed  at  Kilsyth  on  the  2 1st  of  that  month.  But  the  mar 
vellous  outpouring  of  the  Spirit  of  God,  which  was  witnessed  on 
Tuesday,  the  23d,  having  made  it  appear  to  many  inexpedient  for 
me  to  leave  so  soon  that  favoured  parish,  I  remained  there  for  a 
fortnight  longer,  and  only  returned  to  Dundee  upon  Wednesday,  the 
8th  of  August.  In  my  absence  Mr.  Lyon,  missionary  at  Banton,  in 
the  parish  of  Kilsyth,  came  over  to  Dundee  and  officiated  for  me; 
and  I  found  on  my  return,  as  was  natural,  that  the  accounts  which 
had  been  brought  to  them  by  Mr.  Lyon,  of  what  he  had  witnessed  on 
that  ever-memorable  Tuesday  at  Kilsyth,  together  with  the  fact  of 
my  being  detained  from  returning  to  them  in  consequence  of  being 
employed  as  an  instrument  in  the  Lord's  work  in  another  place,  had 
produced  so  deep  an  impression  as  seemed  eminently  to  prepare  the 
way  for  the  commencement  of  a  similar  work  among  themselves. 
However,  I  cannot  say  that  I  returned  to  Dundee  with  this  distinct 
expectation,  which  I  was  in  some  degree  kept  from  entertaining  by 
a  full  conviction  that  the  work  at  Kilsyth  was  almost  entirely  depen 
dent  for  its  origin  on  the  prayers  of  God'' s  people  there,  which  had  been 
for  some  time  incessant  and  most  fervent;  and  that  it  was  in  a  very 
inferior  degree,  indeed,  connected  with  any  particular  instrument  em 
ployed  in  preaching  the  gospel.  I  entertained  perhaps  less  hope  of 
an  outpouring  of  the  Spirit  on  the  people  at  my  return,  also,  because 
I  was  inclined  to  think,  as  other  people  thought,  that  I  must  be 
exhausted  by  the  incessant  labours  of  the  preceding  fortnight,  and 
I  had  rather  the  idea  of  taking  rest  on  my  return,  than  of  then  be 
ginning,  and  from  that  time  continuing  to  labour  day  by  day  as  con- 


LETTER   TO    MR.    MfCHEYNE.  561 

stantly,  and  in  the  same  glorious  and  blessed  work,  as  I  had  been 
engaged  in  at  Kilsyth. 

"  It  will  be  painful  for  me  to  part  with  your  people;  but  it  will  be 
as  pleasant  as  it  could  be  made  when  I  leave  them  in  your  hands  as 
their  pastor  under  the  chief  Shepherd.  I  pray,  as  many  of  them  are 
doing,  that  your  expected  meeting  with  them  on  Thursday  night 
may  be  blessed  for  the  awakening  and  conversion  of  many  souls. 
Your  letters  when  absent  were  much  blessed,  and  not  least  the  two 
last,  which,  though  they  contained  less  perhaps  that  was  directly 
hortatory,  yet,  coming  at  a  time  when  little  goes  far,  they  were  the 
means  of  awakening  some  that  I  have  met  with.  But  most  of  all 
do  I  believe  that  your  prayers  for  your  people  have  been  answered 
in  this  work  of  the  Lord.  Indeed,  I  do  not  know  how  far  depen 
dent  it  may  be  all  found  to  be  on  your  wrestlings  in  the  Holy  Spirit 
in  behalf  of  your  flock,  both  while  among  them,  and  while  absent  on 
the  Lord's  chosen  errand. 

"Glory,  glory,  glory  to  the  Lord  Jehovah !  'Ye  angels  that  excel 
in  strength,  praise  him  ! ' 

"'Come,  Lord  Jesus,  come  quickly!'  '  The  Lord  Jesus  be  with 
thy  spirit.'  Amen. 

"Your  humble  brother  in  the  Beloved, 

(Signed)          WM.  C.  BURNS. 

'Rev.  R.  M.  M'CHEYNE,  20  Hill  Street,  Edinburgh." 


II. 

(See  page  96.) 

SERMON  PREACHED   IN  THE  PARISH  CHURCH  OF  KILSYTH, 
ON  TUESDAY,  23D  JULY,  1839.1 

"Thy  people  shall  be  willing  in  the  day  of  thy  power." — Ps.  ex.  3. 

The  will,  my  friends,  is  the  ruling  faculty  in  the  soul  of  man,  and 
a  man's  character  is  very  much  determined  by  the  prevailing  bent  of 
this  power  within  him.  It  is  the  office,  you  know,  of  the  memory  to 
recollect  what  is  past;  it  is  the  office  of  the  fancy  to  plan  and  devise 

1  These  notes  only  exhibit  the  substance  of  a  discourse  which  was  greatly 
expanded  and  lightened  up  in  the  delivery.  They  may,  however,  serve  to  illus 
trate  the  kind  of  instruction,  so  far  as  the  substance  is  concerned,  on  which  the 
revival  movement  of  that  day  might  be  said  to  rest. 

2  N 


562 


APPENDIX. 


what  is  new;  it  is  the  office  of  the  understanding  to  deliberate,  of  the 
conscience  to  pronounce  the  law  of  right  and  wrong,  of  the  desires 
and  affections  to  draw  and  impel,  and  above  all  these  the  will  sits,  as 
it  were,  supreme,  pronouncing  the  final  decision,  and  thus  deter 
mining  what  is  to  be  done.  If  you  get  a  man's  will,  you  have  him  on 
your  side,  and  may  reckon  on  his  support;  whereas,  though  you  may 
convince  his  understanding  and  delight  his  fancy,  and  move  his 
affections,  yet  if  his  will  remains  opposed  to  you,  he  takes  part 
against  you.  And  thus,  my  friends,  the  state  of  the  will  is  always 
made  a  matter  of  the  first  importance  in  inquiring  into  the  position  in 
which  the  soul  of  a  man  stands  with  regard  to  God.  It  is  the  crown 
ing  part  of  man's  depravity  that  his  will  is  opposed  to  the  will  of 
God;  that  he  does  that  which  God  forbids,  and  leaves  undone  that 
which  God  commands.  Jehovah  says,  "Thou  shalt;"  man  impiously 
answers  in  his  practice,  if  not  in  words,  "I  will  not."  Jehovah  says, 
"Thou  shalt  not;"  man  again  replies,  "I  will,"  thus  seeking  to  be 
independent  of  Jehovah — to  be  as  God,  giving  law  to  himself,  and 
following  his  own  will,  instead  of  receiving  the  holy  law  of  his 
Creator,  and  making  it  the  guide  of  all  his  resolutions.  This  is  the 
state  of  the  fallen  soul  by  nature;  and  therefore,  my  friends,  when 
God  brings  back  in  his  infinite  love  the  souls  of  his  elect  people  to 
his  service,  he  makes  them  willing.  He  has  exalted,  as  you  find 
from  this  psalm,  the  Lord  Jesus  as  mediator  to  the  right  hand  of 
universal  power;  and  while  he  promises  to  Messiah  that  his  enemies 
shall  be  made  his  footstool,  he  promises  that  those  elect  ones  whom 
the  Father  gave  him  to  redeem,  and  whom  he  purchased  to  himself 
with  his  own  blood,  shall  be  willing,  inasmuch  as  when  the  will  is 
once  renewed,  and  brought  into  the  service  of  Jesus,  the  way  is 
prepared"  for  every  other  faculty  being  restored  to  holiness,  and 
every  thought  being  brought  into  captivity  to  the  obedience  of 
Christ. 

In  this  promise  two  things,  you  perceive,  require  explanation:  I. 
The  nature  of  this  willingness  which  Jehovah  promises  Christ's 
people  shall  have;  and,  II.  The  nature  of  that  day  of  Jesus'  power 
in  which  this  is  to  be  accomplished.  In  endeavouring  to  explain  the 
former  of  these  topics,  I  remark — 

ist.  Christ's  people  are  willing  to  be  saved  by  his  imputed  right 
eousness.  This  willingness  appears  to  unconverted  sinners  as  though 
it  were  not  difficult  to  be  attained;  and  many  who  are  entirely  unre- 
newed  have  the  confidence  that  they  possess  it.  They  know  that 
they  are  sinners,  and  being  afraid,  especially  in  times  of  distress  and 


SERMON    ON    230    JULY,    1839.  563 

in  the  near  prospect  of  death,  of  the  wrath  of  a  holy  God,  they  most 
gladly  cling  to  anything  which  affords  them  the  prospect  of  safety, 
and  thus,  out  of  a  mere  desire  for  deliverance  from  hell,  they  would 
be  very  glad  that  the  righteousness  of  Christ  were  accounted  theirs, 
and  that  they  should  thus  obtain  forgiveness.  This  is  in  substance 
the  kind  of  willingness  for  Christ's  righteousness  that  ungodly  sinners 
possess,  and  not  as  if  it  were  a  saving  appropriation  of  Jesus.  But, 
my  friends,  though  the  faith  of  most  persons  who  profess  to  follow 
Christ  is  little  better  than  this  universal  desire  for  deliverance  from 
pain  produces,  this  is  far  different  indeed  from  that  willingness  for 
Christ's  imputed  righteousness  which  his  true  people  have.  For 
observe,  among  other  things,  that  in  the  willingness  of  the  uncon 
verted  soul  for  Christ's  righteousness  there  is  no  true  and  humbling 
conviction  of  personal  unrighteousness.  The  sinner  may  see  that 
God  will  accept  nothing  that  he  has  done,  and  that  he  will  charge 
him  with  the  omission  of  thousands  of  duties,  but  then  he  does  not 
feel  nor  acknowledge  from  the  heart  the  propriety  of  God's  doing  so; 
he  does  not  humbly  pass  sentence  against  himself  according  to  the 
judgment  of  God,  but  proudly  thinks,  at  least  in  his  own  breast,  that 
there  is  no  such  heinousness  in  his  sin  as  that  it  would  be  unworthy 
of  God  and  a  stain  upon  his  holiness  if  he  should  be  pardoned.  And 
then  again,  though  he  may  desire  the  benefit  of  Jesus'  obedience,  he 
has  no  true  esteem  for  that  obedience  itself,  he  sees  no  glory  in  it, 
nor  any  such  sufficiency  in  it  that  at  the  command  of  God  he  will 
venture  his  soul's  eternity  upon  it  and  it  alone;  and  so  you  always 
find  that  though  such  sinners  profess  that  Christ  is  all  their  hope, 
they  are  unwilling  to  be  convinced  of  their  being  great  and  flagrant 
sinners,  and  plainly  discover  that  their  chief  trust  is  founded,  not 
upon  what  Christ  has  done,  but  upon  what  they  are  themselves.  On 
the  contrary,  when  there  is  a  true  willingness  to  be  saved  by  the  im 
puted  righteous  of  Christ,  the  soul  is  truly  convinced  of  sin,  and  feels 
assured  that  it  cannot  be  saved  by  any  efforts  of  its  own,  and  that  it 
were  glorifying  to  God's  holiness  and  justice  to  cast  it  for  ever  from 
his  sight  into  the  place  of  punishment;  and  then  again,  the  soul 
while  it  sees  itself  all  vile,  has  obtained  some  discoveries  of  the 
glorious  perfection  of  the  work  of  Jesus,  its  superlative  excellence  in 
the  sight  of  God,  and  rejoices  in  the  thought  of  being  allowed  to 
rest  on  this  for  salvation,  not  only  because  it  is  sufficient  to  procure 
its  deliverance  from  wrath,  but  because  it  also  gloriously  satisfies  the 
demands  of  God's  justice,  and  vindicates  the  honour  of  his  holiness. 
But— 


564  APPENDIX. 


2d.  Christ's  people  are  willing  to  be  brought  into  subjection  to  his 
kingly  power.  This  is  a  still  more  clear  and  decisive  mark  of  a  true 
convert  than  the  one  which  we  have  just  been  noticing.  Those  who 
desire  Christ's  righteousness  merely  from  carnal  motives,  without  any 
humbling  knowledge  of  themselves,  or  any  just  esteem  for  its  excel 
lence,  will  always  be  found  to  shun  the  yoke  of  Christ.  The  end  of 
their  religion  is  peace;  and  if  peace  could  be  got  without  true 
conversion  to  the  love  of  God,  they  would  never  seek  after  an  attain 
ment  which  is  much  too  holy  for  their  taste.  In  every  heart, 
however,  which  Christ  makes  willing,  there  is  a  supreme  desire  to  be 
brought  under  dominion  to  Christ's  love,  a  holy  hatred  of  all  sin, 
and  a  real  longing  that  Christ  would  come  and  set  free  the  heart 
from  every  lust,  and  passion,  and  idol  which  oppose  the  law  of  God, 
and  dispute  the  supreme  place  with  him  in  its  affections.  It  is  true, 
as  all  real  converts  know,  and  as  the  Lord  has  so  fully  taught  us  by 
St.  Paul,  that  the  power  of  sin  in  the  soul,  though  broken,  is  not 
destroyed,  that  the  flesh  warreth  against  the  Spirit,  and  that  not  un- 
frequently  the  will,  which  is  but  partly  renewed,  seems  to  consent 
to  sin.  But  even  in  such  cases  the  man  sins  with  a  divided  will; 
there  is  a  secret  wrestling  against  that  desire  which  is  for  the  time 
superior,  and  after  a  time  the  holy,  spiritual  will  shows  its  supremacy, 
and  the  soul  is  humbled  in  deeper  self-loathing  and  contrition  in  pro 
portion  to  the  degree  in  which  it  has  backslidden  from  God.  The 
soul  of  the  true  believer,  though  it  is  not  free  from  sin,  would  be  free 
entirely  and  for  ever  if  a  resolution  of  the  will  could  give  sin  its 
death-blow.  However,  it  is  not  so.  Though  the  will  be  renewed, 
sin  still  dwells  in  the  members.  The  believer  would  do  good,  and 
yet  evil  is  present  with  him;  he  delights  in  the  law  of  God  after  the 
inward  man,  and  being  unwillingly  detained  in  bondage,  he  cries  out 
with  the  apostle,  "O  wretched  man  that  I  am,  who  shall  deliver  me 
from  the  body  of  this  death?"  and  willingly  adds,  rejoicing  in 
Christ's  kingly  power  to  deliver  him  from  sin,  "I  thank  God  through 
Jesus  Christ  my  Lord."  But — 

3d.  Christ's  true  people  are  willing  to  bear  the  cross  in  following 
him.  It  is  one  of  the  marks,  you  know,  which  Christ  gives  of  the 
stony-ground  hearers,  that  in  times  of  persecution  they  fall  away; 
but  it  is  not  so  with  Christ's  true  people.  In  giving  themselves  up 
to  him  they  make  no  reserve,  and  are  well  satisfied  to  have  him 
instead  of  all  else  that  the  world  counts  dear,  and  even  at  the  expense 
of  life  itself.  This  last  great  sacrifice  we  are  not  at  present  called  to 
make,  but  there  are  many  others  that  still  remain  for  God's  people  to 


SERMON    ON    23D    JULY,    1839.  565 

try  the  reality  of  their  attachment  to  Jesus,  and  the  value  which  they 
set  upon  him.  They  are  often  called  to  confess  his  name  before  his 
enemies,  and  those  who  are  his  professed  but  false-hearted  friends; 
and  many  other  trials  they  must  endure,  especially  in  the  first  days 
of  their  new  life,  when  old  companions  observe  the  change  of  their 
character,  and  try  every  art,  by  means  of  smiles  and  frowns,  and 
bribes  and  reproaches,  to  draw  them  back  into  their  former  ways; 
but  in  all  such  cases  the  true  convert  is  willing  to  bear  the  cross.  He 
finds  it  hard  and  painful,  but  easy  in  comparison  to  parting  with 
Jesus.  He  naturally  fears  and  shrinks  from  suffering,  but  by  grace 
he  still  more  fears  and  shrinks  from  sin;  and  if  there  is  no  alternative 
but  either  to  deny  his  Master  or  die  for  his  name,  he  is  enabled  to  be 
faithful  still,  yea,  to  rejoice  that  he  is  counted  worthy  to  suffer 
shame  for  his  holy  and  blessed  name. 

We  proceed  now,  however,  in  the  second  place,  to  remark  regard 
ing  the  day  of  Jesus'  power  here  spoken  of — 

1st.  This  day  is  the  time  of  his  exaltation  to  the  mediatorial 
throne.  It  is  on  this  throne,  you  perceive,  that  in  this  psalm  he  is 
spoken  of  as  sitting  as  a  priest  and  as  a  king;  it  is  on  this  throne,  at 
the  right  hand  of  the  Majesty  on  high,  that  he  wields  the  sceptre  of 
universal  dominion,  and  that  he  rules  in  the  midst  of  his  enemies  on 
earth;  and  it  is  from  this  that  he  sends  forth  that  power  which  makes 
his  people  willing  to  obey  him.  Jesus,  you  know,  exercised  his 
kingly  power  even  before  he  came  in  the  flesh  and  offered  up  that 
sacrifice  on  account  of  which  the  Father  exalted  him,  and  thus  the 
saints  under  the  Old  Testament  were  brought  in  subjection  to  his 
law.  But  it  is  most  properly  after  Christ  ascended  up  on  high  that 
he  received  all  power  in  heaven  and  on  earth,  and  therefore  the  latter 
days,  or  the  times  which  reach  from  his  ascension  to  his  second 
coming,  are  more  properly  called  the  day  of  his  power,  and  it  is  in 
these,  accordingly,  that  the  great  multitude  of  his  redeemed  are 
gathered  under  his  sceptre.  In  these  times,  my  friends,  blessed  be 
God,  we  are  privileged  to  live,  and  are  therefore  called  to  look  for 
the  fulfilment  of  the  glorious  promises  that  relate  to  it  and  to  it 
alone.  But — 

2d.  It  is  the  day  of  Christ's  power  when  the  gospel  is  fully  and 
freely  preached.  The  gospel  of  Christ  is  called  the  power  of  God 
unto  salvation  to  every  one  that  believeth;  to  the  Jew  first,  and  also 
to  the  Greek.  And  it  receives  this  grand  appellation  because  it 
reveals  Christ  crucified,  who,  though  he  be  to  the  Jews  a  stumbling- 
block,  and  to  the  Greeks  foolishness,  is  yet  to  them  that  believe, 


566  APPENDIX. 


both  Jews  and  Greeks,  Christ  the  power  of  God  and  the  wisdom  of 
God.  And  thus  you  see,  my  friends,  that  whenever  the  Lord 
intends  to  grant  a  day  of  his  saving  power  to  sinners,  he  raises  up 
and  sends  forth  ministers  who  determine  with  St.  Paul  to  know 
nothing  save  Jesus  Christ  and  him  crucified.  When  God  is  frowning 
upon  a  people  he  does  not  always  remove  the  public  ordinances 
from  among  them,  but  withdrawing  the  teaching  of  his  Spirit  from 
those  who  come  forward  to  preach  his  word,  the  pulpits  become 
filled  with  men  who  know  little  or  nothing  of  the  power  of  God  in 
their  own  hearts,  and  thus,  though  the  preacher  may  study  with 
diligence,  and  discuss  with  all  the  power  of  argument,  and  learning, 
and  eloquence,  that  preaching  of  the  cross  which  is  to  them  that 
perish  foolishness,  is  wanting,  the  glories  of  Jesus'  person  and  of 
Jesus'  work,  with  all  the  rest  of  his  unsearchable  riches,  are  forgot 
ten,  or  but  slightly  and  seldom  touched;  and  thus,  though  the 
minister  may  preach  and  the  people  hear  from  day  to  day,  the  power 
of  God  is  awanting,  and  souls  perish  unconvinced  and  unconverted. 
When,  however,  the  Lord  in  his  mercy  returns  to  a  nation  or  a  city  to 
gather  out  of  them  a  people  for  his  name,  he  raises  up  ambassadors 
who  know  from  personal  experience  the  evil  and  the  guilt  of  sin,  and 
have  been  led  by  the  Spirit  to  rejoice  in  Jesus  as  all  their  salvation 
and  as  all  their  desire,  the  chiefest  among  ten  thousand,  and 
altogether  lovely.  And  then,  my  friends,  the  matchless  glories  of 
Emmanuel  are  displayed,  his  preciousness  is  opened  up,  his  love  to 
sinners,  and  his  willingness  to  receive  with  the  open  arms  of  his  in 
finite  love  all  that  feel  their  ruined  condition  and  are  anxious  for 
deliverance,  are  proclaimed  and  magnified;  and  thus  a  day  of  grace 
from  on  high  is  introduced,  sinners  are  awakened,  and  are  drawn  to 
receive  the  Lord  Jesus,  being  made  "willing  in  the  day  of  his 
power."  But — 

3d.  This  leads  me  to  notice,  in  the  last  place,  that  the  day  of 
Christ's  power  is  the  time  of  the  outpouring  of  his  Spirit.  The 
doctrine  of  Christ  crucified  is  called  the  power  of  God,  because  it  is 
the  instrument  which  God  employs  in  pulling  down  the  strongholds 
of  sin  and  Satan.  But  yet,  my  friends,  this  doctrine  is,  after  all,  but 
an  instrument  which  cannot  be  effectual  unless  when  it  is  wielded  by 
the  almighty  Spirit  of  God,  by  whose  divine  agency  it  is  alone  that 
sinners  are  loosed  from  the  bondage  of  Satan,  and  brought  into  the 
glorious  liberty  of  God's  children.  Often  is  this  great  truth  demon 
strated  in  the  experience  of  every  Christian,  and  especially  of  every 
Christian  minister.  The  truth  of  the  gospel  is  often  preached  with 


SERMON    ON    230    JULY,    1839.  567 

clearness,  fulness,  earnestness,  and  affection,  sinners  are  taught  their 
ruined  and  perishing  condition  under  the  broken  covenant  of  works, 
and  Christ  is  freely  held  out  to  them  and  urgently  pressed  upon 
them,  and  yet  they  remain  despisers  and  rejectors  of  the  Lord  from 
heaven,  and  the  minister  of  Christ  is  often  found  in  sadness  to  ex 
claim,  Who  hath  believed  our  report,  and  to  whom  hath  the  arm 
of  the  Lord  been  revealed?  The  people  hear,  and  are  perhaps 
attentive,  and  begin  to  reform  many  of  those  sinful  practices  in  which 
they  formerly  indulged,  but  yet  their  hearts  remain  unconvinced  of 
sin,  and  unenlightened  in  the  glorious  knowledge  of  Christ,  and 
unconverted  to  God,  there  is  still  little  seeking  of  Christ  in  secret 
prayer,  little  alarm  experienced  on  account  of  sin,  and  few  serious 
efforts  to  receive  the  Lord  Jesus  as  he  is  freely  offered.  But,  oh, 
how  changed  is  the  scene  when  the  Spirit  is  outpoured!  Then  the 
hearts  of  God's  people  become  full  to  overflowing  with  love  to  Jesus, 
and  are  drawn  forth  in  vehement  desires,  after  his  glorious  appearing, 
to  build  up  Zion.  They  are  much  in  secret,  and  much  in  united 
prayer,  and  are  cheered  by  the  gladdening  hope  that  the  Lord  is 
soon  to  listen  to  the  groaning  of  the  prisoner,  and  save  those  that  are 
appointed  unto  death.  The  ministers  of  God,  also,  are  in  general 
particularly  enlivened  and  refreshed  in  their  own  souls.  In  private 
they  are  deeply  humbled  in  soul  before  the  Lord,  and  have  an 
uncommon  measure  of  the  Spirit  of  supplication  for  sinners  given 
them,  with  ardent  love  to  Christ,  melting  compassion  for  perishing 
souls,  and  vehement  desires  for  their  salvation;  and  then,  when  they 
come  to  preach  Jesus,  they  are  evidently  anointed  with  the  Holy 
Ghost  and  with  power,  they  speak  with  holy  unction,  earnestness, 
and  affection,  and  sometimes  hardly  know  how  to  leave  off  beseech 
ing  sinners  to  be  reconciled  to  God.  And  then  observe  the  frame  of 
the  hearers  at  such  a  time.  Formerly  no  terror  could  awaken  them 
from  their  sleep  of  death,  they  still  said,  Peace  and  safety,  though 
sudden  destruction  was  coming  upon  them;  but  now  a  few  words  are 
enough  to  pierce  their  inmost  heart,  and  make  them  cry  out  often 
aloud  and  against  their  will,  Men  and  brethren,  what  shall  we  do? 
Formerly  Jesus  was  held  forth  and  was  despised,  but  now  every 
word  that  tells  of  his  love  is  precious,  his  name  is  as  ointment  poured 
forth,  and  sinners  are  filled  with  an  agony  of  desire  for  a  saving  union 
unto  him.  Men,  and  women,  and  children  retire  from  the  house  of 
God,  not  to  profane  the  evening  of  God's  day  in  idle  talk  or  idle 
strolling.  They  have  much  business  to  do  with  God.  Their  doors 
are  shut,  their  Bibles  are  in  their  hands,  or  they  are  crying  to  God 


568  APPENDIX. 


upon  their  knees  as  they  are  conversing  with  the  godly,  and  obtain 
ing  the  benefit  of  their  counsel  to  guide  them  on  the  way  to  Jesus. 
These,  my  friends,  are,  you  know,  some  of  the  marks  of  a  day  of  the 
power  of  Jesus.  When  the  Spirit  is  poured  out  from  on  high,  and 
sinners'  hearts  are  moved,  the  iron  sinews  of  their  necks  are  relaxed, 
and  their  brows  of  brass  are  crowned  with  shame;  they  flock  to  take 
shelter  under  his  wings,  like  doves  to  their  windows;  they  rejoice  in 
his  love  as  men  that  divide  the  spoil.  Satan  is  discomfited,  his  cap 
tives  are  set  free,  and  God  is  glorified.  Such  times  of  refreshing  as 
these  have  been  often  experienced,  and  are  destined  to  be  still  more 
gloriously  displayed  in  coming  times.  Pentecost — Reformation — in 
Scotland,  England,  Ireland,  particularly  in  Scotland — Shotts — Ayr 
— Irvine — Cambuslang — Kilsyth — Moulin — Glenlyon — Arran,  and 
Skye. 

HEADS   OF   APPLICATION. 

1.  We  have  cause  to  lament — few  willing — little  appearance  of  a 
day  of  power; — but  cause  also  for  joy  and  thankfulness — we  live 
under  the  Pentecost  times — we  have  had  the  gospel  fully  preached — 
and  the  Spirit  has  been  sending  you  a  few  drops  to  excite  a  desire 
for  more  of  his  power. 

2.  Sinners!  will  not  ye  come  to  Jesus? — accept  of  his  righteous 
ness — submit  to  his  blessed  power — why  not? — what  have  you  worth 
comparing  with  his  love?  &c. — come,  come,  come! 

3.  Christians!  are  you  desiring  a  day  of  power? — some  of  you  stand 
in  God's  way — ye  do  not  want  a  day  of  power — it  would  make  you 
live  more  holily — expose  you  to  more  reproach, .  &c. — oh,  shame! 
shame! — sinners  perishing — Jesus  despised,  and  yet  you  remain  un 
concerned.     Pray,    pray,   pray — secretly,    unitedly,   fervently,   with 
faith  and  importunity — "The  Lord's  hand  is  not  shortened  that,"  &c. 
—examples  of  the  power  of  prayer— Shotts,  Cambuslang,  Kilsyth — 
time  short— soon  prayers  at  an  end— removed  from  the  footstool — 
power  will  come— but  not  by  us— we  shall  be  ashamed  to  meet  our 
Lord!  to  look  sinners  in  the  face  at  judgment!  &c. 

Conclusion  extempore — 2l»  fc£,  ^  <rxrot  KM  IH*  x*t  a-yi*>  -rtwpctTt, 

if  fttiy  r,  V'^t  tt;  T:^J  iiivzr.      'Auss». 


MR.  M'CHEYNE'S  TESTIMONY.  569 

III. 

(See  page  185.) 
THE  ABERDEEN   INQUIRY. 

The  following  additional  extracts  from  the  Report  will  show  the 
character  of  the  testimonies  to  the  depth,  the  extent,  and  permanent 
effects  of  the  movement,  which  the  queries  of  the  Committee 
elicited : — 

"As  to  the  extent  of  this  work  of  God,"  wrote  the  Rev.  R. 
M'Cheyne,  "I  believe  it  is  impossible  to  speak  decidedly.  The 
parish  is  situated  in  the  suburb  of  a  city  containing  60,000  inhabi 
tants.  The  work  extended  to  individuals  residing  in  all  quarters  of 
the  town,  and  belonging  to  all  ranks  and  denominations  of  the 
people.  Many  hundreds  under  deep  concern  for  their  souls  have 
come,  from  first  to  last,  to  converse  with  the  ministers;  so  that  I  am 
deeply  persuaded  the  number  of  those  who  have  received  saving 
benefit  is  greater  than  any  one  will  know  till  the  judgment-day.  .  .  . 

"It  is  not  easy  for  a  minister,  in  a  field  like  this,  to  keep  an 
exact  account  of  all  the  cases  of  awakening  and  conversion  that 
occur;  and  there  are  many  of  which  he  may  never  hear.  I  have 
always  tried  to  mark  down  the  circumstances  of  each  awakened  soul 
that  applied  to  me,  and  the  number  of  these,  from  first  to  last,  has 
been  very  great.  During  the  autumn  of  1839  not  fewer  than  from 
600  to  700  came  to  converse  with  the  ministers  about  their  souls ; 
and  there  were  many  more  equally  concerned,  who  never  came  for 
ward  in  this  way.  I  know  many  who  appear  to  have  been  converted, 
and  yet  have  never  come  to  me  in  private ;  and  I  am,  every  now 
and  then,  meeting  with  cases  of  which  I  never  before  heard.  Indeed, 
eternity  alone  can  reveal  the  true  number  of  the  Lord's  hidden  ones 
among  us.  ... 

"During  the  progress  of  this  work  of  God,  not  only  have  many 
individuals  been  savingly  converted,  but  important  effects  have  also 
been  produced  upon  the  people  generally.  ...  It  seems  now 
to  be  allowed,  even  by  the  most  ungodly,  that  there  is  such  a  thing 
as  conversion.  Men  cannot  any  longer  deny  it.  The  Sabbath  is 
now  observed  with  greater  reverence  than  it  used  to  be ;  and  there 
seems  to  be  far  more  of  a  solemn  awe  upon  the  minds  of  men  than 
formerly.  I  feel  that  I  can  now  stop  sinners  in  the  midst  of  their 
open  sin  and  wickedness,  and  command  the  irreverent  attention,  in 
a  way  that  I  could  not  have  done  before.  The  private  meetings  for 


570  APPENDIX. 


prayer  have  spread  a  sweet  influence  over  the  place.  There  is  far 
more  solemnity  in  the  house  of  God ;  and  it  is  a  different  thing  to 
preach  to  the  people  now  from  what  once  it  was.  Any  minister  of 
spiritual  feeling  can  discern  that  there  are  many  praying  people  in 
the  congregation.  When  I  came  first  here,  I  found  it  impossible  to 
establish  Sabbath-schools  on  the  local  system;  while,  very  lately, 
there  were  instituted  with  ease,  nineteen  such  schools,  that  are  well 
taught  and  well  attended.  .  .  . 

"During  the  autumn  of  1839  the  meetings  were  in  general  dis 
missed  at  ten  o'clock;  although,  in  several  instances,  the  state  of 
the  congregation  seemed  to  be  such  as  to  demand  that  the  ministers 
should  remain  still  longer  with  them,  that  they  might  counsel  and 
pray  with  the  awakened.  I  have  myself,  once  or  twice,  seen  the 
service  in  the  house  of  God  continue  till  about  midnight.  On 
these  occasions  the  emotion  during  the  preaching  of  the  word 
was  so  great,  that  after  the  blessing  had  been  pronounced  at  the 
usual  hour,  the  greater  part  of  the  people  remained  in  their  seats, 
or  occupied  the  passages,  so  that  it  was  impossible  to  leave  them. 
In  consequence  of  this  a  few  words  more  were  spoken  suited  to 
the  state  of  awakened  souls ;  singing  and  prayer  filled  up  the  rest 
of  the  time.  In  this  way  the  meeting  was  prolonged  by  the  very 
necessity  of  the  case.  On  such  occasions  I  have  often  longed  that 
all  the  ministers  in  Scotland  were  present,  that  they  might  learn 
more  deeply  what  the  true  end  of  our  ministry  is.  I  have  never 
seen  nor  heard  of  anything  indecorous  at  such  meetings ;  and  on  all 
such  occasions,  the  feelings  that  filled  my  soul  were  those  of  the 
most  solemn  awe,  the  deepest  compassion  for  afflicted  souls,  and  an 
unutterable  sense  of  the  hardness  of  my  own  heart.  I  do  entirely 
and  solemnly  approve  of  such  meetings,  because  I  believe  them  to 
be  in  accordance  with  the  word  of  God,  to  be  pervaded  by  the  Spirit 
of  Christ,  and  to  be  oft-times  the  birth-places  of  precious  never-dying 
souls.  It  is  my  earnest  prayer  that  we  may  yet  see  greater  things 
than  these  in  all  parts  of  Scotland."  .  .  . 

The  movement  in  Perth  was  of  rather  more  recent  date,  and 
therefore  not  so  fully  tested  by  time ;  but  its  results,  so  far  as  they 
had  yet  appeared,  were  equally  satisfactory.  "I  had  abundant 
opportunity,"  says  the  Rev.  John  Milne,  "of  becoming  intimately 
acquainted  with  Mr.  Burns,  as  he  lived  and  laboured  with  me  con 
stantly  for  between  three  and  four  months.  I  never  knew  any  one 
who  so  fully  and  unfalteringly  obeyed  the  apostolic  precept,  'Medi 
tate  upon  these  things,  give  thyself  -wholly  to  them.'  I  was  struck 


MR.  MILNE'S  TESTIMONY.  571 

with  his  close  walk  with  God,  his  much  and  earnest  prayer,  his 
habitual  seriousness,  the  solemnizing  effect  which  his  presence  seemed 
to  have  wherever  he  went,  and  his  almost  unvaried  success  in  lead 
ing  those  with  whom  he  conversed  to  anxious,  practical,  heart- 
searching  concern  about  their  state  in  God's  sight.  In  public,  his 
ministrations  were  chiefly  of  an  awakening  nature,  addressed  to  the 
unconverted.  .  . 

"In  compliance  with  the  language  of  the  query,  I  have  spoken  of 
the  chief  human  instrument ;  but  I  am  persuaded,  both  from  what  I 
saw  and  felt  at  the  time,  and  from  what  I  have  since  known  of  the 
permanent  and  blessed  results,  that  a  greater  than  man  was  among 
us;  'Not  by  power,  nor  by  might,  but  by  my  Spirit.'  I  never 
witnessed  before,  nor  have  I  since,  such  manifest  tokens  of  God's 
gracious  presence  as  were  vouchsafed  us  during  several  of  the  first 
months  of  last  year.  I  can  only  say  in  the  words  of  Jonathan 
Edwards,  'The  goings  of  God  were  then  seen  in  his  sanctuary,  God's 
day  was  a  delight,  and  his  tabernacles  were  amiable. — Our  public 
assemblies  were  then  beautiful ;  the  congregation  was  alive  in  God's 
service,  every  one  earnestly  intent  on  the  public  worship,  every 
hearer  eager  to  drink  in  the  words  of  the  minister  as  they  came  from 
his  mouth.'  What  he  also  mentions  of  the  much  weeping  and  deep 
concern  manifested  under  the  preaching  of  the  word,  is  also  true  in 
regard  to  the  meetings  here.  .  .  . 

"I  had  only  been  settled  here  a  few  weeks  when  the  revival 
began,  and  consequently  had  little  previous  knowledge  of  the  people. 
I  have  since,  however,  had  intercourse  with  many.  Some  were 
godly  persons  before ;  but  on  these  occasions  they  seem  to  have  been 
literally  revived  and  stirred  up.  They  received  enlarged  and  more 
realizing  and  influential  views  of  their  privileges  and  duties  as 
Christians.  The  generality,  however,  were  persons  who  had  either 
been  greatly  careless  of  religion,  or  had  been  resting  self-satisfied  in 
a  form  of  godliness,  though  destitute  of  its  power.  .  .  . 

"Many  are  to  this  day  growingly  adorning  the  gospel  of  God 
their  Saviour  in  all  things,  and  gradually  forming  a  peculiar  people 
zealous  of  good  works.  I  am  acquainted  with  families  where  all  or 
almost  all  the  members  seem  to  have  been  savingly  converted." 

To  the  same  effect  and  equally  emphatic  were  the  testimonies  of 
the  Rev.  Mr.  Gray  of  Perth,  Mr.  Bonar  of  Collace,  Mr.  M 'Donald, 
Blairo-owrie,  Mr.  Gumming  of  Dunbarney,  Mr.  Paton  of  Ancrum, 
and  other  ministers  of  equal  worth  and  high  standing  in  the  Church, 
who,  while  recognizing  the  occurrence  of  incidental  errors  of  human 


572  APPENDIX. 


infirmity,  united  in  bearing  solemn  witness  to  the  solidity,  precious- 
ness,  and  enduring  benefit  of  the  sacred  work  itself. 

The  following  valuable  letter  addressed  to  myself  in  the  present 
year  by  the  Rev.  David  Brown,  D.D.,  Professor  of  Theology  in  the 
Free  Church  College,  Aberdeen,  on  the  retrospect  of  an  entire 
generation,  enables  us  still  further  to  trace  the  history,  by  connecting 
the  present  with  the  past : — 

"Aberdeen,  October  iSt/i,  1869. — MY  DEAR  DR.  BURNS,— As  my 
place  of  residence,  during  the  remarkable  religious  movement  which 
took  place  here  in  connection  with  your  honoured  and  beloved 
brother's  ministrations  was  at  some  distance  from  Aberdeen,  I  am 
not  able  to  speak  from  personal  knowledge  either  of  its  character 
istics  at  the  time,  or  of  its  permanent  fruits.  But  being  put  in  pos 
session  of  nearly  all  that  went  on  from  week  to  week  by  friends  on 
the  spot,  I  considered  myself  nearly  as  well  able  to  estimate  its  true 
character  as  those  who  were  in  the  midst  of  it,  the  more  especially  as 
I  was  cognizant  of  the  movements  at  Kilsyth  and  Perth,  so  very 
similar  to  that  at  Aberdeen,  had  studied  the  history  of  similar  move 
ments  in  former  times,  and  took  a  lively  interest  in  the  subject.  Thus 
furnished,  I  had  no  difficulty  in  recognizing  in  this  movement  the 
hand  of  God,  touching  the  hearts  of  multitudes  at  once  with  a  sense 
of  sin  and  danger,  with  anxiety  for  salvation,  and  with  wonder  and 
delight  as  the  way  of  escape  from  the  wrath  to  come  was  laid  open 
to  them,  turning  many  from  darkness  to  light,  from  wretchedness  to 
peace  and  joy  in  believing,  and  from  sin  to  holiness  in  heart  and 
life ;  and,  what  was  even  more  manifest,  giving  to  many  real  Chris 
tians  a  quickening,  an  enlargement,  and  a  vigour  unknown  before. 

"As  to  the  permanent  fruits  of  this  work,  from  all  I  can  learn  it 
seems  to  have  much  resembled  that  of  all  similar  movements.  In 
other  words,  all  that  was  mere  religious  excitement  in  it  gradually 
disappeared,  and  what  was  only  apparent  conversion  ended,  in  the 
case  of  some,  unhappily,  in  others  in  mere  outward  improvement. 
But  to  be  more  explicit,  (i)  The  minister  in  whose  church  Mr. 
Burns  most  laboured,  Mr.  Mitchell  of  Holburn,  tells  me  that  of  about 
eighty  young  persons  admitted  by  him  at  that  time  to  the  privileges 
of  the  Church,  he  can  say  with  good  confidence  that  one-half  turned 
out  decidedly  well,  and  that  of  the  other  half,  those  who  disappointed 
him  did  so  for  the  most  part  in  consequence  of  their  'yoking  them 
selves  unequally  with  unbelievers,'  or  marrying  persons  who  had  no 
sympathy  with  spiritual  things.  (2)  Two  of  the  elders  of  the  late 
Mr.  Parker  of  Bonaccord  tell  me  that  Mr.  P.,  who  was  of  all  men 


DR.    DAVID    BROWN'S    LETTER.  573 

the  furthest  from  religious  enthusiasm,  was  induced  to  ask  Mr.  B.  to 
officiate  in  his  church  from  a  strong  impression  that  the  Lord  was 
remarkably  with  that  young  preacher;  that  when  asked  to  put  a 
stop  to  his  proceedings,  he  went  to  judge  for  himself,  and,  as  the 
result,  refused  to  do  so;  and  one  of  them  said  that  when  one  of  the 
ministers  of  the  Presbytery,  during  the  examination  in  this  business, 
threw  out  some  contemptuous  insinuation  against  Mr.  B.,  Mr. 
Parker  exclaimed  that  he  '  wondered  that  even  a  dog  would  wag  his 
tongue  at  such  a  man.'  The  gentleman  from  whom  I  had  this,  I 
may  add,  taught  a  class  of  those  who  had  got  good  under  Mr.  Burns, 
and  another  was  taught  by  another  of  the  gentlemen  with  whom  I 
have  spoken  on  this  subject  within  the  last  few  days,  who  bears  the 
same  testimony  to  the  solidity  of  the  work,  testifying  in  particular 
how  anxious  Mr.  B.  was  that  the  converts  should  be  gathered  and 
systematically  instructed  in  Bible  truth.  Both  these  gentlemen  are 
acting  elders  in  our  churches,  and  men  of  sober  judgment.  (3)  I 
conclude  with  extracts  from  letters  written  to  me  by  two  of  those  I 
consulted  a  few  days  ago  on  this  subject.  The  first  is  from  one  of 
the  two  just  referred  to: — 'It  is  consistent  with  my  knowledge  that 
the  fruit  of  the  Rev.  W.  C.  Burns'  labours  in  this  quarter  is  still  to 
be  seen,  and  it  always  cheered  the  hearts  of  those  who  used  to  hear 
his  living  voice,  and  were  blessed  through  him,  to  read  the  accounts 
given  from  time  to  time  of  his  work  in  China.'  The  other  is  more 
full.  It  is  from  one  who  taught  a  similar  class  or  classes  to  that  of 
the  other  two  gentlemen,  and  has  himself  done  much  Christian  work 
here  and  elsewhere: — 'Agreeably  to  your  request,  I  give  my  testi 
mony  to  the  permanency  of  the  revival  work  begun  under  the  ministry 
of  the  Rev.  William  Burns  in  Aberdeen  nearly  thirty  years  ago. 
Along  with  some  others  I  had  classes  of  young  women,  held  in  our 
own  houses  weekly,  mine  continuing  for  about  three  years  with 
fluctuations.  The  classes  were  composed  of  those  who  professed  to 
have  been  awakened  at  that  time.  They  are  now  much  scattered: 
but  I  have  been  privileged  to  attend  the  death-beds  of  some  of  them, 
and  their  end  was  peace — one  indeed  was  triumphant.  There  are 
several  whom  I  knew  for  years,  some  of  them  under  very  severe 
trials,  which  they  bore  with  Christian  meekness  and  resignation. 
Others  went  back  to  the  world,  and  I  have  lost  sight  of  them.  I 
believe  the  great  day  alone  will  bring  to  light  the  fruits  of  his  mani 
fold  and  devoted  labours  in  this  quarter.  The  intelligence  of  his 
death  brought  sadness  and  sorrow  to  many  a  heart  here.' — DAVID 
BROWN." 


574  APPENDIX. 


IV. 

(See  page  513.) 

RECENT    TROUBLES    IN    CHINA. 
(To  tJte  Editor  oftlte"  Times") 

SIR, — In  your  leading  articles  on  the  Yang-chow  troubles,  pub 
lished  in  December  last,  there  are  many  serious  errors,  both  as  to 
principles  and  facts,  fitted  to  do  much  injury  to  the  cause  of  missions. 
Will  you  kindly  allow  me  to  point  out  these  mistakes,  and  to  indi 
cate  the  correct  principles  of  the  question? 

We  are  told  to  amalgamate  Christian  truth  with  the  worship  of 
ancestors  and  the  whole  body  of  Confucian  doctrine,  the  advice 
being  supported  by  such  sentences  as  the  following: — "  In  the  sacred 
record  we  find  that  the  first  preachers  of  our  faith  .  .  .  appealed  to 
every  belief  and  every  feeling,  not  as  false  and  hateful,  to  be  con 
demned  and  destroyed,  but  as  the  foundation  on  which  their  own 
better  teaching  was  to  be  raised,  and  with  which  it  did  in  fact  fuse 
itself."  Now,  as  far  as  the  beliefs  and  practices  of  the  Chinese  agree 
with  those  which  are  Christian,  we  heartily  accept  them,  as,  for 
instance,  the  greater  part  of  the  Confucian  ethics.  Wherever  they 
present  a  half  truth  or  an  aspiration  towards  the  truth  (like  the 
Athenian  altar  to  the  Unknown  God),  we  gladly  embrace  the  oppor 
tunity  to  develop  the  fulness  of  Christian  doctrine,  e.g.  the  ancient 
classical  allusions  to  Shang-ti,  the  supreme  lord  of  all.  And  where, 
in  things  indifferent,  their  customs  vary  from  those  recorded  in  Holy 
Scripture  or  customary  among  ourselves,  we  make  no  attempt  to 
produce  uniformity. 

But  when  we  meet  with  doctrines  and  customs  distinctly  opposed  to 
the  instructions  and  commands  of  God's  most  holy  word,  we  can  make 
no  compromise.  And  the  worship  of  ancestors  is  just  one  of  those 
institutions  with  which  compromise  is  impossible.  The  early  Jesuit 
missionaries  indeed  permitted  it  to  their  converts,  but  as  soon  as  the 
facts  of  the  case  were  understood  at  Rome,  it  was  solemnly  con 
demned  by  the  authority  of  the  pope,  at  the  risk  of  destroying  that 
flourishing  mission,  supported  by  the  favour  of  the  great  emperor 
Kang-hi,  who  warmly  espoused  the  cause  of  the  Jesuits.  And  if 
any  church  on  earth  could  have  accepted  ancestral  worship,  it  would 
have  been  the  Church  of  Rome,  with  her  prayers  for  the  dead,  and 
prayers  to  the  dead.  Surely  it  cannot  be  supposed  that  Protestant 
churches  and  Protestant  missionaries  have  blindly  followed  the  de- 


RECENT  TROUBLES  IN  CHINA.          575 

cision  of  the  pope ;  and  yet  with  the  most  perfect  unanimity  they 
have  all  agreed  with  the  view  taken  by  the  Church  of  Rome.  For 
the  worship  of  ancestors  is  in  fact  as  thoroughly  idolatrous  as  any 
idolatry,  ancient  or  modern,  classical  or  barbarian.  It  equally  falls 
under  the  sweeping  denunciation  of  that  fundamental  command  given 
at  first  by  God  through  Moses,  and  repeated  by  Christ  himself: — 
"Thou  shalt  worship  the  Lord  thy  God,  and  him  only  shalt  thou 
serve."  With  idolatry  of  any  kind  the  apostles  never  permitted 
their  better  teaching  to  fuse  itself.  Paul,  as  he  stood  among  the 
idols  of  Greece,  on  the  hill  of  Mars,  having  plainly  and  solemnly 
rebuked  all  idolatry,  added  these  words:  "The  times  of  this  ignor 
ance  God  winked  at,  but  now  he  commandeth  all  men  every 
where  to  repent."  So  also  at  Lystra,  he  rent  his  clothes  and  ran  in 
among  the  people  saying,  "Sirs,  why  do  ye  these  things?  We 
preach  unto  you  that  ye  should  turn  from  these  vanities  unto  the 
living  God." 

It  is  a  mere  caricature  to  represent  us  as  teaching  the  Chinese 
"that  their  ancestors,  if  they  exist  at  all,  are  not  worth  worshipping, 
and  had  best  be  forgotten ;"  for  of  course  we  throw  no  doubt  on  the 
continued  existence  of  the  spirits  of  their  ancestors,  but  simply  teach 
that,  by  the  command  of  God,  their  worship  is  prohibited.  And 
instead  of  saying  that  they  had  best  be  forgotten,  we  tell  them  that 
it  is  right  to  keep  their  tables  of  genealogy,  and  to  preserve  the 
memory  of  their  ancestors,  recompensing  the  benefits  received  from 
them  by  showing  kindness  to  those  who  are  descended  from  the 
same  common  stock,  and  reflecting  honour  upon  them  by  the  lustre 
of  good  and  noble  actions. 

In  religion  also,  so  far  is  ancestral  worship  from  being  the  "foun 
dation,"  that  it  is  only  one  of  several  independent  systems  which  are 
strangely  blended  together  in  the  present  eclectic  religion  of  the 
Chinese;  and  of  these  other  systems,  one,  the  Buddhist  system,  the 
very  highest  excellence  and  holiness  consists  in  perpetual  celibacy 
and  the  entire  abnegation,  both  of  all  ancestral  worship  and  of  all 
the  relationship  of  life — and  this  system  of  Buddhism  is  as  wide 
spread  as  Confucianism  itself.  It  should  also  be  remembered  that 
the  vast  Mahomedan  population,  amounting  to  many  millions  scat 
tered  over  the  northern,  central,  and  western  provinces,  is  entirely 
free  from  ancestral  worship — the  precepts  of  the  Koran  condemning 
such  idolatrous  rites  as  strongly  as  do  the  teachings  of  the  Bible. 
And  yet  very  many  Mahommedans  rise  to  high  rank  and  office  in 
the  empire. 


576  APPENDIX. 


But  the  proof  that  the  Chinese  have  no  such  fanatical  hatred 
against  those  who  oppose  ancestral  worship — a  proof  most  clear  and 
conclusive — is  to  be  found  in  the  very  history  of  these  Yang- chow 
troubles.  If  the  conspirators  among  the  Chinese  literati  had  merely 
charged  the  missionaries  with  disputing  the  infallibility  of  Confucius, 
and  arguing  against  ancestral  worship,  they  might  have  issued 
placards  for  centuries  without  being  able  to  excite  the  people  to 
violence :  it  was  necessary  to  invent  horrible  stories  of  scooping  out 
eyes,  and  bewitching  people,  poisoning  men  and  boiling  babies  &c., 
in  order  to  produce  the  desired  excitement.  Precisely  the  same  took 
place  in  the  case  of  Formosa.  The  ill-affected  among  the  literati 
found  it  quite  impossible  to  incite  the  people  to  violence  by  charging 
us  with  heretical  tendencies  against  Confucius  and  the  ancestors;  it 
was  necessary  to  invent  stories  even  more  horrible  than  those  circu 
lated  at  Yang-chow;  as,  "for  instance,  that  the  medical  missionary 
rifled  the  graves  of  the  bodies  of  the  dead,  and  that  he  had  poisoned 
a  hundred  persons,  and  hung  up  their  dead  bodies  to  be  preserved 
on  the  walls  of  his  hospital.  About  eight  years  ago  my  own  life  was 
in  imminent  danger  at  a  town  some  thirty  miles  from  this;  but  in 
order  to  raise  a  mob  against  me,  it  was  necessary  to  invent  the  story 
that  I  had  beaten  a  boy  to  death  !  And  some  years  ago,  when  violent 
riots  took  place  in  Fuh-chow,  the  means  of  rousing  the  people  was 
the  circulation  of  reports  (similar  to  those  circulated  against  the  early 
Christians  of  the  Roman  empire),  that  lascivious  orgies  took  place  in 
the  chapels  at  the  meetings  of  the  converts. 

Without  such  calumnious  reports  there  could  be  no  danger  of  riots 
on  account  of  our  arguments  against  ancestral  worship  and  the  other 
errors  of  the  Confucian  system.  But  we  and  our  converts  are  en 
titled  to  protection,  not  only  from  the  violence  caused  by  such  reports, 
but  from  the  very  circulation  of  these  vile  calumnies  themselves. 

Protection  against  brutal  violence  is  what  we  ask,  and  all  that  we 
wish.  It  is  most  unfair  to  write  as  if  any  one  desired  ' '  to  carry  on  a 
crusade  of  fire  and  sword  against  superstition  and  false  philosophy, 
to  preach  the  gospel  from  the  cannon's  mouth,  and  force  conviction 
down  with  the  point  of  the  bayonet;"  what  we  ask  is  only  protection 
in  the  exercise  of  our  treaty  rights,  which,  antecedently  to  treaty,  are 
such  as  ought  to  be  enjoyed  by  every  missionary  and  every  British 
subject. 

But  it  seems  as  if  even  this  protection  is  to  be  denied  us,  for  two 
reasons:  (i)  as  detrimental  to  the  interests  of  British  policy,  and  (2) 
as  inconsistent  with  the  character  of  missionary  enterprise. 


RECENT  TROUBLES  IN  CHINA.          577 

Is  it  then  true  that  missionary  work  is  calculated  to  involve  our 
government  in  war,  or  in  something  like  war?  It  only  appears  to 
be  so,  while  in  reality  the  attacks  on  missionaries  are  merely  the 
symptoms  of  the  dislike  to  foreign  intercourse  in  general.  Even  in 
Consul  Medhurst's  negotiations  with  Tseng-Kwo-fan,  there  were 
several  matters  relating  to  trade  (especially  the  illegal  transit  dues  on 
foreign  goods),  which  were  discussed  and  adjusted  at  the  same  time 
with  the  Yang-chow  troubles.  And  in  the  case  of  Formosa,  so 
much  did  the  non-missionary  part  of  the  grievance  outweigh  the 
missionary  part,  that  when  the  assistance  of  a  naval  force  was  first 
called  in  (namely,  on  the  visit  of  Lord  Charles  Scott  to  Tai-wan-foo), 
the  missionary  matters  were  not  included  in  the  negotiations  at  all ; 
it  being  supposed  that  when  the  questions  relating  to  trade  and 
the  position  of  the  consul  should  have  been  satisfactorily  adjusted, 
the  mandarins  would  be  easily  led  to  do  justice  in  the  missionary 
case. 

The  fact  is,  that  the  presence  of  numerous  missionaries  in  China  is 
an  influence  on  the  side  of  peace  and  harmony.  They  are  extensively 
known  to  be  labouring  for  the  good  of  the  people;  they  submit 
patiently  to  petty  annoyances  and  insults,  which  in  the  case  of  other 
foreigners  would  lead  to  quarrels  and  riots:  they  are  generally  ac 
quainted  with  the  language  and  customs  of  the  people;  and,  as  I 
myself  in  the  course  of  the  fourteen  years  I  have  spent  in  this  country, 
have  often  experienced,  can  go  and  come  safely  where  there  would 
be  much  danger  to  other  foreigners.  There  is  no  place  in  China 
where  a  better  spirit  prevails  between  Chinese  and  foreigners  than  at 
Peking  itself,  where,  besides  official  personages  and  those  connected 
with  them,  the  foreign  community  may  be  said  to  consist  of  mission 
aries.  I  speak,  of  course,  only  of  Protestant  missionaries;  for  the 
intolerable  pretensions  and  overbearing  manner  of  the  Roman  Catho 
lics  have  led  both  the  government,  and  the  people  to  feel  very  differ 
ently  towards  them,  and  to  distinguish  them  very  sharply  from 
Protestants.  It  must  be  the  R.  C.  missionaries  to  whom  you  refer, 
when  you  say,  "Both  in  China  and  Japan  the  missionaries  of  our 
faith  have  always  contributed  largely  to  their  own  failure,  by  their 
imprudent  conduct  and  extravagant  pretensions."  For  the  only 
Protestant  missionaries  who  are,  or  have  been  in  Japan,  are  Ameri 
cans,  who  have  most  carefully  avoided  all  occasion  of  collision  with 
the  Japanese;  and,  with  the  exception  of  the  case  of  Mr.  Taylor's 
party,  now  under  discussion,  no  opponent  of  missions  (and  there  are 
many  such  in  the  foreign  communities  in  this  country)  has  ever  found 

2  O 


578  APPENDIX. 


anything  which  could  give  even  a  plausible  pretext  for  charging  the 
Protestant  missionaries  with  imprudent  conduct  and  extravagant  pre 
tensions  towards  the  Chinese. 

Last  year  a  copy  was  obtained  of  a  most  important  state  paper, 
written  by  the  great  Tseng- Kwo-fan,  who  is  supposed  to  be  the  most 
powerful  of  all  the  Chinese  mandarins,  namely,  a  secret  memorial  to 
the  emperor,  giving  his  advice  on  the  approaching  revision  of  the 
treaty.  In  that  document,  while  he  advised  that  the  making  of  rail 
ways,  and  several  other  foreign  proposals  with  regard  to  trade, 
should  be  resisted  to  the  very  utmost,  he  counselled  the  toleration  of 
missionaries,  even  in  the  interior  of  the  empire. 

Manifestly  it  is  not  missionary  enterprise  of  which  the  Chinese  are 
afraid,  except  so  far  as  they  confound  it  with  other  operations  of 
foreigners.  The  real  causes  of  dislike,  suspicion,  fear,  and  hatred, 
so  far  as  such  feelings  exist,  spring  from  a  strange  compound  of  bad 
political  economy,  and  ignorant  prejudice  against  foreign  institu 
tions,  mingled  with  the  rankling  feeling  of  some  real  wrongs,  and 
with  singular  superstitious  terrors  excited,  not  by  the  teaching  of 
missionaries,  but  by  the  existing  circumstances  and  avowed  plans  of 
commercial  enterprise. 

The  people  of  the  sea-board  are  offended  at  the  extensive  use  of 
foreign  ships  and  steamers,  and  the  consequent  decay  of  the  junk 
trade.  The  provincial  mandarins  and  their  satellites  are  sorely 
annoyed  at  the  foreign  inspectorate  of  customs,  because  it  makes  it 
impossible  for  them  to  absorb  (as  they  used  to  do)  almost  the  whole 
of  the  duties,  before  they  could  find  their  way  to  the  imperial  trea 
sury,  the  very  cause  which  makes  the  central  government  highly 
pleased  with  that  excellent  institution;  and  they  are  excited  by 
rumours  of  some  extension  of  the  inspectorate,  whether  by  the  opening 
of  new  ports,  or  by  its  application  to  other  departments  of  revenue. 

A  general  feeling  of  irritation  is  caused  by  the  opium  trade,  graphi 
cally  described  as  ruinous  to  the  health,  the  morals,  and  the  material 
prosperity  of  the  people;  by  the  coolie  traffic,  which,  though  now  duly 
regulated  by  British  and  American  law,  has  left  bitter  memories,  and 
is  still  more  or  less  carried  on  under  some  other  flags;  by  report  that 
foreigners  mean  to  'possess  themselves  of  the  empire;  by  the  super 
cilious  treatment  of  the  Chinese  by  many  foreigners  (but  not  by  the 
missionaries),  treating  them  as  an  inferior  race,  often  to  the  extent  of 
hard  blows;  by  the  drunkenness  and  licentiousness  of  sailors,  and  not 
a  few  others;  by  the  introduction  of  foreign  teachers,  artificers,  and 
machines  into  several  government  schools  and  arsenals;  and,  perhaps, 


RECENT  TROUBLES  IN  CHINA.          579 

worst  of  all,  by  the  disturbance,  actual  and  possible,  present  and 
future,  of  the  all-important  Fung-shuy,  or  geomantic  principle  of 
good  fortune  throughout  the  empire. 

This  last  principle  I  despair  of  making  intelligible  to  your  readers 
in  anything  like  its  due  proportions;  suffice  it  to  say,  that  the  good 
fortune  of  all  the  living  (including  their  health,  wealth,  prosperity, 
and  their  very  life)  depends  on  the  auspicious  position  of  their  houses, 
and  of  the  graves  which  are  scattered  over  the  whole  surface  of  their 
country— their  position,  I  say,  in  reference  to  eminences,  such  as 
other  houses,  rocks,  trees,  and  mountains,  and  especially  in  reference 
to  the  continuity  of  mountains,  ridges,  and  declivities,  by  which  the 
auspicious  influences  are  conducted  from  the  summits  to  the  happily 
situated  houses  and  graves.  This  good  fortune  is  grievously  dis 
turbed  and  deteriorated  by  the  building  of  large  warehouses,  or 
dwelling-houses  of  more  than  one  story,  and  by  the  construction 
of  roads,  and,  it  is  firmly  believed,  will  be  utterly  destroyed,  if  the 
projected  mines,  railways,  and  telegraphs  should  ever  be  actually 
realized. 

In  relation  to  such  matter  not  only  are  the  labours  of  missionaries 
perfectly  harmless,  but  the  dissemination  of  truth  by  their  means  is 
the  most  effectual  mode  of  dispelling  error,  superstition,  and  preju 
dice,  and  of  opening  the  way  to  true  civilization. 

But  it  is  objected  that  the  protection  of  missionaries  is  inconsistent 
with  the  character  of  their  work,  and  with  the  example  of  the 
apostles.  Of  course  no  exact  parallel  can  be  found  in  the  New  Tes 
tament,  for  the  simple  reason,  that  neither  then,  nor  for  more  than 
two  centuries  later,  was  there  any  Christian  state  to  protect  mission 
aries,  or  to  extend  its  influence  against  persecution.  But  there  is 
clear  apostolic  authority  for  this  principle,  that  it  is  right  to  ask  legal 
protection  in  the  preaching  of  the  gospel  against  unlawful  violence. 
Witness  the  answers  sent  by  Paul  to  the  magistrates  of  Philippi — 
"They  have  beaten  us  openly,  uncondemned,  being  Romans,  and 
now  do  they  thrust  us  out  privately?  Nay,  verily,  but  let  them  come 
themselves  and  fetch  us  out ;"  and  before  he  would  leave  the  city  he 
waited  till  the  magistrates  came  and  besought  him,  and  even  then  he 
first  entered  into  the  house  of  Lydia,  and  comforted  the  disciples ; 
thus  obtaining  a  certain  degree  of  reparation  for  the  injury  done,  and 
also  (through  the  fears  of  the  magistrates)  some  measure  of  security 
for  the  converts  from  future  molestation. 

Witness  also  his  repeated  claims  addressed-  to  the  chief  captain 
and  to  the  governor  of  Judea,  on  the  ground  of  his  Roman  citizen- 


580  APPENDIX. 


ship,  for  protection  against  the  fanatical  violence  of  the  Jews.  And 
if  it  be  unseemly  for  missionaries  to  be  protected  against  murderous 
violence  by  British  power,  it  must  at  least  have  been  as  unseemly 
for  Paul  to  preach  to  the  crowd  in  the  temple  court,  from  those 
stairs  where  he  stood  sheltered  by  the  broad  bucklers  and  bristling 
spears  of  the  Roman  soldiery. 

If  a  mob  make  a  riot  in  a  church  or  chapel  in  England  they  are 
rightly  punished.  And  if  a  ruffian  beat  a  clergyman  severely  in  his 
house,  or  on  the  road,  the  righteous  punishment  is  not  in  the  least 
mitigated  because  the  sufferer  is  a  minister  of  the  gospel.  And  as 
the  Chinese  government  has  distinctly  agreed  to  protect  both  those 
who  teach  Christianity  and  those  who  profess  or  practise  it,  it  is 
equally  proper  to  insist  on  their  carrying  out  this  article,  which  is 
both  a  natural  duty  and  a  treaty  right. 

It  is,  indeed,  very  beautiful  to  write  about  missionaries  taking 
joyfully  the  spoiling  of  their  goods,  and  laying  down  their  lives  (as 
other  newspapers  have  said),  and  there  are  circumstances  in  which 
it  is  a  duty  to  do  so;  but,  according  to  apostolic  example,  the  first  duty 
is  to  use  every  lawful  means  for  restraining  the  violence  of  wicked 
men.  And  I  should  like  to  hear  from  those  who,  in  their  snug  par 
lours  or  comfortable  offices,  write  these  kind  advices,  in  what  respect 
that  duty  lies  on  missionaries  abroad  more  than  on  clergymen  or 
private  Christians  at  home. 

Mr.  Dilke's  letter,  published  in  your  issue  of  26th  December,  is  at 
first  sight  a  most  formidable  document,  crowded  as  it  is  with  quota 
tions  from  official  papers  and  principles  of  international  law.  But 
though  a  high  authority  on  literary  questions  he  has  failed  to  inform 
himself  of  the  real  state  of  matters  in  China;  and  so  it  happens  that 
his  facts,  when  correct,  are  in  general  irrelevant,  while  those  state 
ments  and  principles  which  seem  to  be  relevant,  are  for  the  most 
part  vitiated  by  some  fatal  inaccuracy.  For  instance,  he  actually 
relies  on  the  order  in  council  of  1843,  which  has  been  abrogated 
and  annulled  by  the  order  in  council  of  1865;  and  not  only  so,  but 
the  clause  he  quotes  from  the  said  abrogated  order  is  directly  contra 
dicted  by  the  well-known  clause  in  the  present  treaty,  which  permits 
merchants  furnished  with  passports  to  travel  anywhere  for  the  pur 
poses  of  trade,  carrying  their  goods  along  with  them. 

In  another  paragraph  Mr.  Dilke  coolly  makes  the  statement — 
"  On  the  side  of  China  there  is  no  reluctance  to  carry  out  the 
treaties."  If  such  an  assertion  had  been  made  by  Mr.  Burlinghame 
some  sort  of  apology  might  have  been  offered  for  it,  on  the  principle 


RECENT  TROUBLES  IN  CHINA.          581 

that  the  holder  of  a  brief  need  not  be  very  particular  about  the  truth 
of  what  he  says  on  behalf  of  his  client.  Of  course  I  cannot  for  a 
moment  suppose  that  the  writer  meant  to  say  what  he  knew  to  be 
incorrect;  but  the  only  other  explanation  I  can  make  of  a  statement 
so  notoriously  and  ludicrously  erroneous  is,  that  his  knowledge  of 
Chinese  matters  is  very  inadequate,  with  the  exception  of  some  one 
sided  information  supplied  probably  (as  I  should  conjecture  from  the 
internal  evidence  of  the  letter)  by  some  one  connected  with  the 
"Chinese  Embassy." 

As  regards  residence  in  the  interior  it  is  quite  irrelevant  to  discuss 
the  authenticity  of  the  clause  in  the  French  convention,  for  that 
clause  treats,  not  of  residence,  but  of  the  purchase  of  property  in  the 
interior,  a  question  not  raised  at  all  in  the  Yang-chow  case. 

The  right  of  some  measure  of  residence  in  the  interior  as  claimed 
by  Protestant  missionaries  rests  mainly,  (i)  on  the  fact  admitted  even 
by  Mr.  Dilke: — "  It  is  indeed  clear  from  the  words  of  several  of  the 
treaties  that  the  right  of  travelling  and  preaching  throughout  China 
is  granted  to  Protestant  missionaries  having  passports;"  and  (2)  on 
the  notorious  fact  that  missionaries  of  the  Church  of  Rome  (especi 
ally  Frenchmen)  are  permitted  to  reside  in  the  most  distant  parts  of 
the  interior.  Of  what  use  is  a  right  on  paper  to  travel  and  preach 
in  the  interior  if  it  be  impossible  to  rent  a  dwelling,  or  hire  a  lodg 
ing,  or  take  chambers  at  an  inn?  And  if  riots  such  as  these  at 
Yang-chow  and  Formosa  be  permitted  to  go  unpunished,  ill-affected 
mandarins,  literati,  and  gentry  can  easily  find  means  of  making 
disturbances  whenever  a  foreigner  stirs  beyond  the  precincts  of  the 
treaty  ports.  Nor  would  the  treaty  ports  themselves  be  safe,  as 
appears  from  such  examples  as  Chin-kiang,  Kew-kiang,  and  Tai- 
wan-foo. 

Again,  the  legality  of  missionary  residence  in  the  interior  is  a 
matter  fully  admitted  by  the  Chinese  officials  themselves,  who  surely 
cannot  be  supposed  to  be  too  favourable  to  our  cause.  And  even  in 
the  Yang-chow  case  the  viceroy  has  all  along  admitted  it,  and  pro 
mised  to  secure  it  by  indemnity  and  proclamation,  for  the  points  dis 
puted  with  the  consul  (not  with  the  missionaries)  were  the  manner  of 
proclamation,  the  amount  of  indemnity^  and  the  measure  of  punish 
ment  which  would  give  seciirity  for  the  future. 

The  Chinese  party  in  England  themselves  admit  that  it  is  right  for 
our  naval  authorities  to  protect  the  persons  of  British  subjects  actu 
ally  in  danger.  This  admission  is  amply  sufficient  for  our  purpose; 
for  the  report  of  the  Yang-chow  outrage  was  rapidly  and  assiduously 


582 


APPENDIX. 


spread  through  the  empire;  the  people  were  everywhere  exhorted  to 
copy  the  glorious  example  of  the  brave  men  of  Yang-chow,  and  it 
became  manifest  by  many  quickly  accumulating  proofs  that,  in  self- 
defence,  for  the  purposes  of  protecting  the  foreigners  in  other  parts 
from  similar  violence,  and  the  Chinese  from  the  reprisals  which 
would  have  necessarily  followed,  the  only  effectual  plan  was  that  of 
insisting  on  the  speedy  and  condign  punishment  of  the  Yang-chow 
criminals.  The  houses  near  a  fire  must  be  pulled  down  or  blown  up 
to  prevent  the  spread  of  a  conflagration;  and  if  the  owners  will  not 
consent,  the  most  sacred  rights  of  property  must  be  sacrificed  to  the 
common  weal. 

If  the  matter  were  not  so  serious  it  would  be  really  amusing  to 
hear  learned  editors  and  honourable  members  of  parliament  talking 
about  simply  applying  the  t  principles  of  the  rights  of  nations  to  our 
relations  with  China.  Why,  the  first  principle  of  the  "rights  of 
nations"  is  broken  by  the  right  conceded  to  all  the  treaty  powers, 
that  their  subjects  or  citizens  in  China,  with  their  property  and  house 
holds,  are  exempted  from  the  operation  of  Chinese  law:  and  that 
because  the  courts  of  Chinese  mandarins  are  so  full  of  bribery,  deceit, 
cruelty,  torture,  and  all  manner  of  injustice,  that  no  civilized  country 
will  trust  the  life  or  property  of  its  people  in  their  hands.  The 
Chinese  government  has  not  only  shown  no  repentance  for  the  abom 
inable  treachery  of  Soo-chow,  but  loads  with  honours  the  monster 
who  butchered  in  cold  blood  the  chiefs  and "  troops  who  had  sur 
rendered  on  the  plighted  faith  of  a  British  colonel  that  their  lives 
should  be  spared.  All  honour  to  Colonel  Gordon  for  the  righteous 
indignation  he  showed  when  he  learned  the  terrible  truth.  All 
honour  to  the  British  government  which  in  remembrance  of  that 
tragedy  prohibits  its  subjects,  under  heavy  penalties,  from  taking 
service  in  the  Chinese  army. 

Are  those  persons  who  would  subject  us  to  the  action  of  Chinese 
courts  not  aware  that  torture  is  used  in  the  examination,  not  only  of 
parties  accused,  but  even  of  witnesses,  and  that  persons  whose  con 
viction  is  desirable  but  difficult,  are  easily  put  out  of  the  way  by 
beating  them  to  death  (of  course  by  mistake),  under  examination,  or 
by  starving  them  in  prison?  The  foreign  members  even  of  the 
Chinese  customs  service  are  all  under  foreign  protection,  and  not 
under  Chinese  law. 

It  also  must  be  remembered  that  the  viceroys  of  Chinese  pro 
vinces  are  very  slightly  controlled  by  the  supreme  government.  In 
the  secret  memorial  of  Tseng-Kwo-fan  referred  to  above,  he  openly 


RECENT  TROUBLES  IN  CHINA.          583 

tells  the  emperor  that  if  certain  proposed  concessions  were  granted 
to  foreigners  by  the  government,  the  viceroys  would  refuse  to  carry 
them  out.  So  loose  is  the  connection  between  the  capital  and  the 
several  provinces,  that  while  we  were  at  war  with  Governor  Yeh  at 
Canton,  British  ships  of  war  were  protecting  Amoy  from  pirates ; 
and  at  the  very  time  when  our  troops  were  scattering  the  imperial 
forces,  and  marching  towards  Peking,  we  were  guarding  Shanghae 
and  its  neighbourhood  for  the  emperor  against  the  Taipings.  It  is 
this  state  of  matters  which  makes  it  necessary  at  times  to  settle  affairs 
even  by  the  use  of  force  with  the  local  officials. 

It  is  a  pity  that  Mr.  Dilke  has  dragged  from  the  silence  of  the 
tomb  the  memory  of  the  late  Sir  Frederick  Bruce;  for  it  is  the 
opinion  (with  very  few,  if  any  exceptions)  of  those  who  really  under 
stood  the  condition  of  China,  and  the  character  of  its  government, 
that  the  policy  inaugurated  by  him  (the  records  of  which  Mr.  Dilke 
quotes  as  the  essence  of  wisdom  and  the  pattern  for  all  future  diplo 
macy)  has  been  the  bitter  source  of  most  of  our  troubles  and  dangers. 
How  different  would  have  been  the  course  of  events  if  Lord  Elgin 
himself  had  been  our  first  resident  minister  at  Peking !  The  Chinese 
government  has,  of  course,  "repeatedly  acknowledged  the  binding 
nature  of  treaties,  and  has  declared  itself  willing  to  make  amends 
in  all  cases  where  treaty  stipulations  have  been  violated."  But  they 
are  thorough  adepts  in  the  arts  of  duplicity,  deception,  and  evasion, 
and  they  have  succeeded  by  a  policy  of  passive  resistance,  masterly 
inactivity,  and  interminable  delays,  in  rendering  null  and  void  some 
of  the  plainest  stipulations  of  the  treaty. 

Sir  Rutherford  Alcock  was  at  first  fettered  by  the  trammels  of 
his  predecessors'  policy,  but  recent  events  seem  to  have  given  him 
the  fitting  opportunity  for  striking  out  a  new  policy,  and  of  substitut 
ing  vigorous  and  effective  measures  for  the  unworkable  delays  of  the 
past. 

The  fear  of  a  collision  through  such  measures  with  America  or 
some  other  foreign  power  is  as  chimerical  as  the  suspicion  that  they 
may  lead  to  a  war  with  China.  The  real  way  of  bringing  about 
another  Chinese  war  is  to  revert  to  the  old  system  of  permitting  the 
Chinese  to  commit  with  impunity  every  sort  of  violence  and  injustice, 
and  then,  under  the  pressure  of  such  difficulties,  allowing  our  treaty 
rights  to  fall  into  abeyance,  or  even  to  be  abrogated.  No  matter 
what  motives  we  may  have,  no  matter  what  motives  we  may  state, 
the  Chinese,  both  government  and  people  (while,  perhaps,  politely 
praising  our  justice  or  forbearance),  will  INFALLIBLY  ascribe  such 


584  APPENDIX. 


conduct  to  weakness  and  fear,  and  will  be  encouraged  to  advance 
further  in  the  same  direction  till  some  intolerable  claim,  or  some 
tragedy  of  surpassing  horror,  becomes  the  occasion  of  a  general  war. 
But  it  seems  a  cause  of  complaint  that  we  may  be  liable  to  have 
"to  avenge  the  quarrels  of  missionaries  upon  whose  character,  selec 
tion,  operations,  and  discipline  the  British  government  had  no  check 
whatever."  Would  the  writer  prefer  that  the  British  government 
should  set  up  a  sort  of  missionary  establishment  in  China,  "selecting" 
the  men,  and  superintending  their  "character,  operations,  and  disci 
pline?" — or  can  he  tell  us  what  "check"  our  government  has  on  the 
"character,  selection,  operations,  and  discipline"  of  the  mercantile 
community,  of  the  customs'  service,  or  of  travellers  for  business, 
science,  or  pleasure?  They  have  precisely  the  same  check  upon  the 
one  as  upon  the  other.  If  doubtful  whether  a  man  be  fit  to  be 
trusted  in  the  interior,  the  consul  can  delay  issuing  his  passport  till 
he  has  made  full  inquiries ;  and  if  convinced  that  he  is  utterly  unfit, 
he  can  refuse  to  give  a  passport,  subject,  of  course,  to  an  appeal  to 
his  superiors.  And  if  the  holder  of  a  passport  should  act  in  a 
decidedly  improper  way,  the  consul  can  deprive  him  of  the  passport,  or 
punish  him  by  fine  or  imprisonment.  It  may  be  that  undesirable  results 
may  sometimes  follow  from  the  actions  "of  unknown  men"  among 
missionaries,  but  much  more  probably  from  those  of  men,  equally 
unknown,  belonging  to  other  sections  of  the  foreign  community. 
But  far  more  serious  evils  are  certain  to  follow  when  men,  known  or 
unknown,  who  are  sadly  ignorant  both  of  the  circumstances  of  China, 
of  the  nature  of  missions,  and  of  the  teachings  of  the  Bible,  venture 
under  the  shield  of  anonymous  journalism  to  make  heavy  charges,  and 
heavier  insinuations,  against  the  whole  body  of  Chinese  missionaries, 
and  to  deliver  ex  cathedra  decisions  on  the  right  mode  of  evangeliz 
ing  this  empire  and  the  world.  I  do  not  refer  merely  to  the  influ 
ence,  greater  or  less,  which  such  articles  may  have  at  home;  but 
copied  into  the  local  papers  in  China,  and  very  probably  translated 
into  Chinese,  they  may  encourage  misguided  men  to  commit  fresh 
outrages,  and  render  necessary  more  severe  measures  than  before. — 
I  remain,  your  obedient  servant, 

(Signed)  CARSTAIRS  DOUGLAS,  M.A., 

A  Missionary  of  the  English  Presbyterian  Church  in  China. 
A.MOY,  2-$d  February,  1869. 

THE    END. 


ADDITIONAL   REMINISCENCES.  585 

V. 

ADDITIONAL   REMINISCENCES. 

Additional  communications  from  Mr.  Douglas  and  Mr.  Swan- 
son  reached  my  hand  just  as  the  first  edition  of  this  work  had  left  the 
press.  They  seem  to  me,  however,  so  valuable  that  I  gladly  avail 
myself  of  the  opportunity  of  a  fresh  impression  to  insert  here  as 
much  of  them  as  is  compatible  with  the  limits  of  a  brief  appendix. 
Mr.  Douglas  devotes  the  chief  part  of  his  letter  to  the  correction  of 
certain  "mistakes  and  mis-statements,  some  made  by  opponents, 
some  by  over-zealous  or  ill-informed  friends."  In  case  I  may  myself 
in  the  foregoing  pages  have  used  expressions,  or  quoted  words  used 
by  others,  fitted  in  any  measure  to  encourage  such  errors,  I  am  very 
glad  to  be  able  in  this  way  to  provide  the  corrective.  Mr.  Douglas 
first  notices  the  very  prevalent  impression, 

"(i)  That  he  was  gloomy.  He  was  indeed  often  reserved  towards 
strangers;  and  his  faithful  rebukes  of  sin  might  tend  to  create  an 
impression  that  his  mind  was  gloomy.  But  in  fact  he  was  genial  and 
hearty.  Especially  among  his  friends  this  warm  and  happy  character 
of  his  mind  was  very  conspicuous.  Though  he  usually  liked  to  live 
alone  (especially  in  a  room  connected  with  some  chapel  or  hospital), 
so  as  to  be  fully  master  of  his  own  time,  yet  he  was  fond  of  having 
some  missionary  as  a  companion  in  going  about  the  country:  and  he 
delighted  to  spend  his  evenings  with  missionaries  and  their  families, 
or  with  any  like-minded  friend.  He  had  a  keen  sense  of  the 
ludicrous,  and  was  fond  of  a  hearty  laugh,  which  was  often  the  effect 
of  his  conversation  when  he  unbent  his  mind  among  his  intimate 
friends.  Jokes  upon  words  he  did  not  relish:  the  form  of  the 
ludicrous  which  was  most  congenial  to  him  was  what  may  be  in 
general  styled  the  humorous,  as,  for  instance,  anecdotes  about 
remarkable  adventures  or  strange  mistakes,  examples  of  unexpected 
skill  in  escaping  from  a  dilemma  or  a  difficulty,  and  singular  traits  of 
national  peculiarities  or  personal  character.  I  recollect  one  occasion, 
when  ...  on  board  the  Challenger,  while  reading  aloud  the  speech 
of  Tertullus  before  Felix,  he  burst  into  a  fit  of  laughter,  and  having 
recovered  his  composure  explained  that  it  appeared  irresistibly  ludi 
crous  as  being  so  like  what  a  Chinaman  would  say  in  similar  cir 
cumstances.  He  had  a  wonderful  fund  of  varied  anecdotes,  both  of 


586  APPENDIX. 


the  graver  and  the  lighter  sort,  connected  with  his  wide-spread  evan 
gelistic  labours  in  so  many  lands,  which  gave  a  great  charm  to  his 
society.  In  him  also  was  well  exemplified  that  text,  'Is  any  merry? 
let  him  sing  psalms.'  He  was  extremely  fond  of  sacred  music,  and 
delighted  in  singing  psalms  and  hymns,  both  alone  and  with  others, 
both  in  English  and  Chinese.  His  acquaintance  with  music  was  a 
great  help  to  him  in  his  mission  work,  as  well  as  a  means  of  keeping 
up  his  cheerful,  joyous  spirit. 

"(2)  That  he  was  care/ess  of  his  comfort:  e.  g.,  such  absurd  stories 
as  his  being  ready  to  leave  England  for  China  with  a  carpet-bag; 
that  he  went  about  in  China  without  a  change  of  dress,  'ready  with 
only  scrip  and  staff/  as  I  see  in  a  recent  Dublin  tract.  The  fact  is 
that  he  was  exceedingly  careful  of  his  health,  and  for  that  reason,  of 
his  comfort,  both  in  regard  to  clothing  and  food  and  general  care  of 
himself.  Of  clothing  he  had  always  an  abundant  supply  suited  to 
the  different  states  of  weather.  .  .  .  When  I  began  to  go  with  him 
into  the  country,  I  was  struck  with  the  large  quantity  both  of 
bedding  and  body-clothes  which  he  carried  with  him  (more  than  I 
have  seen  other  missionaries  use),  for  we  must  carry  our  bedding  as 
well  as  our  changes  of  dress.  His  explanation  to  me  was  that  he 
always  made  himself  comfortable  wherever  he  went,  just  as  if  he  were 
at  home.  He  was  also  very  particular  about  having  his  dress 
thoroughly  clean  and  well  arranged.  In  summer  he  was  so  careful 
in  airing  his  clothes  that  it  was  a  frequent  proviso  in  appointing  a 
meeting  to  consult  on  any  matter,  'if  it  be  not  a  north  wind,'  as 
that  is  the  best  wind  for  airing  clothes.  .  .  . 

"As  to  food  (both  its  material  and  its  preparation)  he  was  very 
particular.  While  in  Amoy  and  its  neighbourhood  he  used  to  eat 
heartily,  especially  of  pork.  I  suspect  that  his  spare  diet  at  Nieu- 
chwang  must  have  been  the  result  of  a  general  feeling  of  weakness 
and  want  of  appetite.  I  recollect  hearing  that  before  his  last  illness 
he  was  observed  to  complain  of  being  exhausted  even  by  the  walk 
(about  a  mile)  from  his  lodging  to  the  foreign  settlement  there.  But 
whatever  was  the  cause  of  the  spare  diet  at  Nieu-chwang,  the  quan 
tity  of  his  food  while  at  Amoy  was  much  about  the  same  as  that  of 
his  brethren. 

"When  at  all  out  of  sorts  he  was  very  careful  of  himself,  and  he 
used  to  recommend  similar  care  to  others.  He  used  often  to  blame 
me  for  not  taking  what  he  considered  sufficient  rest  in  the  hot 
weather. 

"(3)  That  he -was  generally  engaged  in  pioneering  work,  a  mistake 


ADDITIONAL    REMINISCENCES.  587 

into  which  even  Mr.  Johnston  has  fallen.1  The  fact  is  that  he  was 
usually  assisting  other  missionaries  in  work  already  begun.  A 
phrase  very  frequently  on  his  lips  was,  'Do  not  let  any  one  be  sent 
out  to  co-operate  with  me:  I  co-operate  with  others.'  I  am  not 
certain  of  the  exact  character  of  his  work  during  the  three  years 
before  he  first  came  to  Amoy.  Certainly  about  half  that  time  he  was 
residing  in  Hong-Kong  and  in  Canton,  and  during  most  of  the 
remainder  was  co-operating,  I  think,  with  the  German  missionaries. 
The  only  periods  of  any  length  after  that  time  that  can  be  properly 
called  'pioneering'  are  his  first  stay  at  Swatow  (somewhat  over 
two  years),  and  the  few  months  of  his  residence  at  Nieu-chwang. 
But  in  the  Swatow  region  he  had  been  preceded  by  the  German 
missionary  Lechler;  indeed  one  special  reason  of  his  going  there  was 
to  carry  on  the  work  of  Mr.  Lechler,  which  had  been  for  some  time 
suspended,  and  soon  after  going  there  he  found  one  of  Lechler's 
converts,  a  man  of  very  decided  character.  In  his  later  visits  to 
Swatow,  as  well  as  at  Amoy,  Fuh-chow,  Shanghai,  and  Peking, 
almost  his  whole  work  was  co-operating  with  the  missionaries 
previously  settled  there,  usually  in  stations  already  begun  or  a  place 
where  a  spirit  of  inquiry  had  been  already  excited. 

"(4)  That  he  ivas  a  Baptist.  This  report  has  been  industriously 
spread  in  some  quarters,  being  founded  on  the  facts  that  he  never 
administered  baptism,  and  that  on  some  occasions  he  worked  along 
with  Baptists.  I  need  hardly  remind  you  that  he  firmly  held  the 
scriptural  authority  of  infant  baptism,  and  also  of  sprinkling,  whether 
as  applied  to  children  or  adults;  and  that  his  sole  reason  for  never 
baptizing  was  the  desire  of  so  avoiding  anything  like  a  pastoral 

1  Mr.  Johnston's  view  and  that  of  Mr.  Douglas  I  think  admit  of  reconciliation. 
Mr.  J.,  whom  I  have  quoted  with  so  much  pleasure  in  the  body  of  the  work, 
meant,  as  I  understood  him,  to  distinguish  my  brother's  work  simply  as  evan 
gelistic,  and  not  pastoral,  and  on  that  account  necessarily  in  large  measure  that 
of  a  pioneer— visiting  and  exploring  fields  of  missionary  labour  rather  than 
statedly  cultivating  them.  This  I  think  really  was  the  distinctive  idea  and 
purpose  of  his  life,  though  in  prosecuting  this  object  he  made  the  existing 
missions  and  missionary  churches  in  every  case  his  starting-point,  and  thus  spent 
much  of  his  time  and  strength  in  co-operating  with  other  missionaries.  His 
labours  on  the  mainland  opposite  Hong-Kong,  his  early  excursions  amongst  the 
villages  around  Amoy,  his  journeys  along  the  canals  and  rivers  of  the  Shanghai 
plain,  his  tentative  operations  at  Swatow,  his  last  days  at  Nieu-chwang — were  of 
the  former  sort;  his  labours  at  Hong-Kong,  at  Amoy,  at  Fuh-chow,  at  Peking — • 
were  of  the  latter.  I  am  glad,  however,  that  Mr.  Douglas  has  called  special 
attention  to  an  aspect  of  his  missionary  life  which  had  been  too  much  overlooked. 

I.  B. 


588  APPENDIX. 


relationship.  Again,  his  occasional  co-operation  with  Baptists  merely 
arose  from  the  catholic  spirit  in  which  he  could  co-operate  with 
Christians  of  any  evangelical  denomination,  along  with  the  circum 
stance  that  on  one  or  two  occasions  the  persons  who  happened  to  be 
most  thrown  in  his  way  were  Baptists.  By  the  same  style  of  reason 
ing  it  would  be  easy  to  prove  him  an  Independent,  a  Methodist,  a 
Lutheran,  or  even  an  Episcopalian,  or  all  of  them  at  once. 

"(5)  That  he  approved  of  the  mode  of  action  of  the  Plymouth 
Brethren  or  of  the  '  China  Inland  Mission.'  I  need  hardly  say— as  it 
is  so  abundantly  manifest— that  he  had  no  sympathy  with  the 
doctrines  and  church  order  (or  rather  the  want  of  definite  doctrine 
and  utter  absence  of  church  order)  which  characterize  the  Plymouth 
Brethren.  .  .  . 

"In  regard  to  his  own  mode  of  action,  he  did  not  set  himself  up  as 
a  pattern  to  be  copied  in  these  respects.  On  the  contrary,  he  was 
accustomed  to  defend  his  mode  of  action,  not  as  a  rule  to  be  followed 
by  others,  but  as  a  course  suited  to  the  special  character  of  his  own 
mind. 

"He  used  to  speak  of  himself  as  one  of  those  supernumeraries  or 
light-armed  soldiers  of  whom  a  small  proportion  may  be  attached  to 
the  regular  troops.  .  .  . 

"As  regards  the  so-called  'Inland  Mission,'  his  previous  acquaint 
ance  with  Mr.  Taylor,  and  his  catholic  manner  of  'hoping  all 
things,'  led  him  indeed  in  a  private  letter  (published  apparently 
without  any  authority)  to  express  his  hope  that  good  might  come  of 
that  movement;  but  in  that  very  letter  he  stated  very  distinctly  his 
disbelief  of  the  practicability  (under  existing  circumstances)  of  estab 
lishing  missionaries  permanently  at  such  vast  distances  in  the  interior 
as  'all  the  provinces  where  there  is  yet  no  missionary.' 

' '  He  has  often  given  expression  to  his  decided  opinion  that  the 
standard  of  the  qualifications  of  missionaries  ought  not  to  be  lowered, 
as  what  the  Chinese  field  specially  needs  is  not  merely  men  who  can 
preach  a  little  simple  truth,  but  men  fully  furnished  with  the  gifts 
and  learning,  as  well  as  the  piety  and  zeal,  necessary  for  wisely 
watching  over  the  infant  churches  and  native  assistants,  and  for  the 
great  work  of  teaching  and  training  the  future  ministry  of  China. 
Over  and  over  he  decidedly  refused  offers  of  that  very  kind  of  under- 
educated  labourers  which  the  'Inland  Mission'  so  largely  employs. 

It  is  a  common  mistake  in  determining  the  views  of  any  historical 
person  to  use  passages  from  all  parts  of  his  writings,  and  incidents 
from  all  periods  of  his  life,  as  of  equal  value,  regardless  of  the  law  of 


ADDITIONAL   REMINISCENCES.  589 

change  and  progression  which  acts  on  all  human  minds.  To  the 
influence  of  this  law  Mr.  Burns  was  no  exception.  It  may  be  well 
to  indicate  a  few  examples. 

"(i)  As  to  Residence  at  the  Ports. 

"In  his  earlier  letters  there  is  often  found  a  tendency  to  depreciate 
work  at  the  treaty  ports,  and  a  desire  that  missionaries  should  mainly 
reside  or  travel  about  in  the  interior.  But  afterwards,  as  he  found 
the  difficulties  of  obtaining  healthy  residences  in  the  interior,  and  as 
the  climate  began  to  tell  on  his  own  constitution,  originally  so  very 
strong,  and  as  the  importance  appeared  of  having  strong  churches  at 
these  centres  of  ever-increasing  influence,  his  views  were  gradually 
modified;  and  while  he  still  urged  a  greater  amount  of  country  work 
than  had  been  usual  in  other  missions,  he  was  more  alive  to  the  need 
of  having  comfortable  healthy  residences  at  the  treaty  ports,  as 
points  from  which  to  act  on  the  interior.  Of  this  no  stronger  proof 
could  be  desired  than  the  fact  that  when  he  left  Peking  it  was  not  to 
go  to  any  of  the  great  cities  in  the  interior,  but  to  settle  at  the  port  of 
Nieu-chwang,  a  place  of  comparatively  small  population,  which 
derives  its  chief  importance  from  being  the  treaty  port  of  Manchuria. 

"(2)  As  to  Colloquial  Hymns. 

"During  the  year  (1858-9)  that  we  were  together  at  Amoy,  he 
strenuously  opposed  the  attempt  to  make  more  colloquial  hymns  than 
the  thirteen  then  in  use  (made  by  the  Rev.  W.  Young,  now  in 
Australia),  and  urged  in  opposition  the  claims  of  hymns  in  the 
literary  style,  especially  of  the  'Sin-si  hap-swan,'  a  collection  in  the 
literary  style  which  he  had  made  some  years  before.  But  very 
rapidly  he  not  only  changed  these  views,  but  set  himself  vigorously 
to  make  hymns  in  the  colloquials  of  Swatow,  Fuh-chow,  Peking,  and 
of  Amoy  itself.  The  hymns  in  the  literary  style  are  no  longer  used 
at  public  worship  in  the  chapels  here;  and  in  the  collection  of  sixty 
colloquial  hymns  used  by  the  Presbyterian  Church  here  (under  the 
care  of  the  American  mission  and  our  own)  there  are  five  hymns 
almost  exactly  as  they  came  from  his  hand,  and  five  others  which 
are  about  half  by  him,  and  there  is  about  the  same  proportion  in 
the  hymn-book  of  the  L.  M.  S.  At  Swatow,  Fuh-chow,  and  Peking 
also  many  of  his  colloquial  hymns  continue  to  be  used  in  the  several 
missions. 


590  APPENDIX. 


"(3)  In  regard  to  the  Chinese  Dress. 

"Though  he  adopted  it  in  1855,  and  continued  to  use  it  till  his 
death,  he  had  for  many  years  regarded  it  with  indifference.  Even 
before  I  went  home  (1862)  he  often  told  me  that  he  had  not  found 
the  benefit  from  it  which  he  had  expected,  that  he  did  not  find  it  the 
means  of  making  him  more  useful,  and  that  he  would  not  advise  any 
one  to  adopt  it.  He  considered  it  much  less  safe  than  the  foreign 
dress:  for  instance,  once  when  sailing  with  me  to  Anhai  in  the  Gos 
pel  Boat,  a  pirate  junk  came  in  sight;  I  was  below  at  the  time,  but 
Mr.  Burns  called  me  on  deck,  that  the  pirates  seeing  my  foreign 
dress  might  be  deterred  from  attacking  us.  He  also  often  showed 
a  feeling  of  distress  when  the  Chinese  called  out,  as  they  did  con 
stantly,  'Look  at  that  foreigner  pretending  to  be  a  Chinaman!'  And 
in  the  years  that  elapsed  since  I  last  saw  his  face,  this  feeling  of 
indifference  deepened  into  something  like  dislike:  for  I  have  gathered 
from  quite  a  number  of  witnesses  in  Amoy,  Peking,  and  Nieu-chwang, 
that  he  often  said  that  if  he  had  known  as  much  when  he  adopted 
the  dress  as  he  had  learned  by  painful  experience,  he  would  not  have 
adopted  it;  indeed,  that  he  would  have  changed  again  to  the  foreign 
dress  had  it  not  been  that  he  had  got  accustomed  to  it,  and  wished 
to  avoid  the  expense  and  trouble  of  the  change  from  one  style  of 
dress  to  another  so  different."1 

In  a  subsequent  letter  Mr.  Douglas  sends  me  the  following  deeply 
touching  document,  the  last  lines  ever  traced  by  the  dying  mis 
sionary's  hand,  and  bearing  date  about  a  month  after  his  parting 
message  to  his  mother. 

"It  is  very  touching,"  writes  Mr.  Douglas,  "to  copy  out  again 
these  minute  details  about  his  friends,  especially  his  Chinese  friends, 
and  that  wonderful  composing  of  his  own  epitaph  when  face  to  face 
with  death:  so  calm  and  collected  and  peaceful;  and  those  last 
strokes  which  he  ever  traced  with  the  pen,  his  own  old  well-known 
hand,  yet  strangely  altered,  irregular  and  trembling  from  extreme 
weakness — 'Wm.  C.  Burns,'  on  that  25th  February  when  all  his  in 
tercourse  with  old  friends,  even  by  pen  and  paper,  came  to  an  end:" — 

1  I  have  given  at  length,  in  the  body  of  this  work,  the  reasons  which  he  himself 
gave  for  adopting  the  Chinese  dress,  and  which,  as  he  then  thought,  rendered  it 
very  useful  in  certain  circumstances.  I  can,  however,  easily  believe  that  subse 
quent  experience,  and  especially  the  circumstances  connected  with  his  arrest  in  the 
neighbourhood  of  Canton,  might  tend  considerably  to  modify  this  judgment. 

I.  B. 


ADDITIONAL    REMINISCENCES.  591 


"FOR  REV.  CARSTAIRS  DOUGLAS,  AMOY. 

"I  got  a  severe  chill  at  the  end  of  the  year,  which  has  resulted  in 
a  low  fever,  preventing  me  from  getting  refreshing  sleep,  and  so 
bringing  down  my  strength.  In  case  I  should  be  taken  away,  I 
take  my  pen  to  say  that  Dr.  Watson  will  send  down  my  boxes  to 
your  address  when  he  meets  with  a  suitable  vessel.  The  key  of  the 
overland  trunks  I  shall  inclose  in  this  (there  is  a  spare  one),  and  in 
one  of  them  the  keys  of  the  other  boxes  will  be  found.  The  Chinese 
clothes  can  be  given  to  old  acquaintances,  among  whom  do  not  forget 
Tan-tai.1  The  Dr.  's  watch  can  be  restored  to  him;  my  own  watch  can 
go  home  with  the  overland  trunks  when  there  is  an  opportunity.  There 
is  some  new  flannel  and  a  few  pairs  of  new  socks  which  are  at  your  dis 
posal.  Of  four  coloured  silk  handkerchiefs  please  give  two  to  my  friend 
Mr.  A.  Stronach.  I  would  wish  all  my  packets  of  letters  (which  Mr. 
Swanson  took  out  of  my  chest  of  drawers,  and  put  along  with  books, 
&c.,  in  a  box — you  must  remember  it)  to  be  put  in  one  of  the  overlands, 
and  sent  home  along  with  such  as  are  at  present  in  the  boxes.  I 
suppose  it  will  be  best  to  prepare  a  grave-stone  at  Amoy,  and  send 
it  up  well  packed.  For  the  inscription  I  would  suggest,  'To  the 
memory  of  the  Rev.  Wm.  C.  Burns,  A.M.,  missionary  to  the  Chinese 
from  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  England.  Born  at  Dun,  Scotland, 
April  1st,  1815.  Arrived  in  China,  November,  1847.  Died  at 
Nieu-chwang  .  .  .  1868,  aged  53.  2  Corinthians  v.  chapter.' 

"I  have  more  than  300  taels  at  the  British  consulate,  and  when  all 
local  expenses  are  paid,  Dr.  Watson  will  remit  what  remains  to  your 
address  to  pay  for  the  grave-stone,  my  subscription  for  Pechuia,  &c. 
As  to  my  present  state  of  feeling,  I  may  refer  to  the  words  of  Paul, 
Phil.  i.  23,  &c.  &c. 

"Port  of  Nieu-chwang,  Jan.  22d,  1868." 

[Thus  far  in  his  own  hand:  what  follows  is  written  by  dictation.] 

"  P.S.  Of  my  Chinese  articles  the  following  I  should  like  sent  home 
to  my  relatives  in  my  overland  trunks: — 1st,  A  new  port-wine  coloured 
camlet  'ma-kwa.'2  2d,  A  long  gown  of  blue  merino  (or  some  such 
fabric),  clean,  though  not  new.  3d,  A  woven  silk  or  floss  sash. 
4th,  A  Chinese  leather-covered  pillow.3  5th,  A  new  Chinese  pouch 
(for  tying  round  the  abdomen).  6th,  A  pair  of  ivory  chop-sticks. 
A  feather  fan. 

1  One  of  the  deacons  of  the  L.  M.  S.  at  Amoy. 

2  Sort  of  jacket  worn  over  the  long  gov/n.  3  Stiff  and  round. 


592  APPENDIX. 


"7th,  The  long  fur  gown  may  perhaps  suit  yourself  as  a  winter 
house-gown.  The  fur  ma-kwa  may  be  given  to  the  native  pastor  of 
the  Hok-tai  church.1  To  Tau-lo,  the  pastor  of  the  Sin-koe-a  native 
church,2  may  be  given  a  blue  gown  of  heavy  and  excellent  silk,  along 
with  a  pair  of  Chinese  leggings  of  flowered  blue  silk,  and  not  wadded. 
The  cloth  ma-kwa  with  silk  lining  may  be  given  to  Tan-tai.3  Four 
or  five  good  gowns  I  would  wish  sent  down  to  Swatow  to  be  dis 
tributed  to  A-kee  and  Kilin  of  our  mission,  and  A-sun  and  I-u  of  the 
American  mission.  For  A-kee*  may  be  selected  a  blue  silk  gown  of 
inferior  quality  to  that  given  to  Tau-lo,  also  a  full  length  camlet  ma- 
kwa  which  I  have  worn  a  good  deal.  Then  you  must  still  find 
gowns  for  such  men  as  I-ju,5  Liong-lo,6  Bu-liet.7  Other  articles  you 
can  distribute  north  and  south8  among  the  most  worthy  assistants  and 
members,  not  forgetting  my  old  friend  Nui9  at  Pechuia.  In  making 
your  distribution  please  consult  with  your  brethren  Messrs.  Cowie 
and  Macgregor.10 

"I  already  have  asked  you  to  give  two  silk  coloured  handkerchiefs 
to  Mr.  A.  Stronach.  Of  the  three  remaining  white  ones  please  take 
for  yourself,  and  ask  Mr.  Cowie  and  Mr.  Macgregor  each  to  accept 
a  coloured  one. 

''Mr.  Sandeman's  Geneva  watch  which  I  left  in  Mr.  Swanson's 
hands,  I  should  wish  returned  to  his  mother  (Mrs.  Sandeman)  or 
sister. 

"The  knife,  fork,  and  most,  if  not  all,  of  the  spoons  in  the  leather 
case  which  you  gave  me  belong,  I  believe,  to  Mr.  Swanson,  and 
should  be  returned  to  him. 

"The  chest  of  drawers  and  cane-bottomed  couch  I  leave  for  the  use 
of  the  mission:  the  members  can  arrange  at  any  time  who  has  the 
most  need  of  them.  There  are  three  volumes  of  Morrison's  Dic 
tionary,  the  gift  to  me  of  the  Rev.  Mr.  Keedy  of  London,  which 
have  been  lent  to  Mr.  Johnson  of  the . Amer.  Bapt.  Mission,  Swatow, 
for  a  number  of  years.  He  should  be  requested  to  give  a  receipt  for 


1  Also  called  Tek-chhiu-kha,  or  the  second  church  of  Amoy. 

2  Or  first  church  of  Amoy.  3  Of  L.  M.  S. 

4  Who  was  converted  under  Mr.  Lechler  before  Mr.  B.  went  to  Swatow. 

5  One  of  the  first  Pechuia  converts,  now  elder  and  helper  at  Chioh-bey. 

6  Assisting  the  Americans.  7  Of  Pechuia. 

8  That  is,  from  Chin-chow  to  Khi-boey. 

9  The  cloth-dealer. 

10  Mr.  Swanson  had  not  then  got  back. 


ADDITIONAL    REMINISCENCES.  593 

the  same,  and  promise  in  case  of  his  leaving  China,  or  prospective 
decease,  to  return  these  to  our  mission  at  Swatow. — 25th  February, 
1868. 

[Signed  with  his  own  hand.]         "  WM.  C.  BURNS." 

Mr.  Swanson  has  written  an  important  paper  on  the  general 
history  of  the  Amoy  mission  of  which  I  cannot  now  avail  myself,  but 
which  I  hope  will  appear  in  another  form.  The  following  glimpse, 
however,  of  my  brother's  last  visit  to  Amoy  is  so  bright  and  life-like 
that  I  gladly  insert  it  here: — 

"In  1862  he  came  here  from  Fuh-chow.  He  arrived  in  the  spring 
of  that  year,  and  remained  in  Amoy  till  August  of  the  year  following, 
when  he  left  for  Peking.  Mr.  Douglas  left  Amoy  for  a  furlough 
home  in  June  of  1862.  It  was  during  this  last  visit  that  I  learned 
to  know,  love,  and  value  Mr.  Burns:  and  I  can  never  think  of  that 
time  without  recalling  our  companying  together,  and  without  thank 
ing  God  for  permitting  me  to  know  him  as  I  then  did.  Although 
he  refused  to  take  any  part  with  me  in  the  examination  of  inquirers, 
the  administration  of  ordinances,  and  the  general  business  of  the 
mission,  yet  his  labours  and  his  advice  were  most  valuable.  He 
visited  the  stations  regularly,  and  preached  every  Sabbath-day.  I 
can  recall  how  heartily  and  zealously  he  threw  himself  into  the 
breach  to  help  the  persecuted  brethren  at  Khi-boey;  and  I  am 
certain  that  it  was  his  wisdom  and  tact  that  were  mainly  instrumental 
in  bringing  matters  to  a  happy  conclusion  in  that  region. 

"At  that  time  our  American  brethren  and  we  jointly  had  a  station 
at  Chang-chow.  The  native  church  there  had  long  been  forced  to 
meet  in  a  small,  confined  house,  quite  unfit  for  a  chapel  in  such  an 
immense  city  as  Chang-chow.  They  succeeded  in  getting  a  large 
and  commodious  house  suited  for  a  chapel.  We  expected  some 
disturbance  at  its  opening,  and  our  expectations  were  not  unfounded. 
There  was  some  trouble.  Mr.  Burns  went  up  soon  after  the  opening, 
stayed  in  the  chapel  for  two  weeks  or  so,  and  then  Dr.  Carnegie  and 
I  joined  him  there.  The  doctor  soon  became  most  popular,  and 
patients  came  crowding  in.  Mr.  Burns,  myself,  and  the  native 
evangelists  had  some  excellent  opportunities  for  preaching,  and  I 
remember  yet  how  delighted  he  seemed  to  be  to  see  us  all  as  busy  as 
we  could  be  with  this  work. 

"During  this  time  Mr.  Burns  also  made  several  visits  to  our  then 
most  northerly  station,  Anhai.  We  frequently  went  there  as  well 
as  to  the  other  stations  together.  On  these  journeys  he  has  again 

2    P 


594 


APPENDIX. 


and  again  given  me  accounts  of  his  life  and  labours  in  Scotland,  Eng 
land,  and  Canada.  We  often  sat  up  till  far  on  in  the  morning — I,  a 
most  eager  listener  to  the  deeply  interesting  details  of  his  labours. 

"While  we  were  in  Amoy  together  we  saw  each  other  twice  daily. 
He  lived  in  a  room  in  the  Amoy  Medical  Missionary  Hospital,  and 
there  I  went  to  see  him  daily  at  n  o'clock  in  the  forenoon,  he 
coming  to  see  me  about  5  o'clock  in  the  evening.  He  had  always 
some  very  nicely  boiled  rice  and  a  delicate  little  pork-chop  for  me, 
and  used  to  force  me  to  eat.  Oftentimes  I  used  to  feel  weary  and 
oppressed  with  a  number  of  things  connected  with  such  a  scattered 
and  extensive  field  of  labour  as  that  of  our  mission.  I  can  yet  recal 
his  loving,  kindly  manner,  how  he  used  to  pat  me  on  the  shoulder, 
lead  me  to  the  side  of  the  room  where  stood  a  large  bamboo  couch, 
and  kneel  down  and  pray.  These  prayers  I  shall  never  forget.  I 
was  young  and  inexperienced  then,  and  felt  keenly  the  weight  of 
responsibility  that  was  on  me,  but  he  always  had  a  kind  word  to 
encourage  me.  I  can  remember  well  one  such  day  when  I  felt  more 
than  usually  troubled  on  account  of  some  mission  matters,  when  he 
clapped  me  on  the  back  and  told  me  to  keep  my  mind  easy,  for  if  I 
were  pastor  of  a  church  at  home,  and  had  some  troublesome  elders  or 
cantankerous  deacons,  it  would  be  worse  for  me  than  even  such  trials 
as  I  had  in  Amoy. 

"But  I  cannot  omit  one  thing  so  bright,  so  profitable  to  us  during 
that  brief  season.  He  spent  most  of  his  evenings  in  the  houses  of 
his  brother  missionaries,  and  in  our  house  he  was  naturally  more 
frequently  than  in  any  other.  He  was  one  of  the  most  genial, 
cheerful  men  I  ever  met,  but  he  took  great  care  as  to  when,  how, 
and  where  he  unbent  himself.  The  presence  of  any  one  with  whom 
he  had  not  full  sympathy  immediately  made  him  quiet,  and  I  have 
seen  him  sit  long  in  such  circumstances  without  uttering  a  single 
word. 

"His  short  expositions  at  family  worship  were  always  remarkable 
and  most  deeply  interesting.  Mrs.  Swanson  and  he  were  great 
friends,  and  seemed  always  to  understand  one  another.  I  remember 
yet  his  great  anxiety  about  her  at  one  time  when  she  was  rather 
indisposed. 

"He  left  me  for  Peking  in  August,  1863.  I  saw  him  on  board 
ship,  and  very  soon  after  our  getting  on  board  the  ship  left  the  inner 
harbour.  Next  day  I  saw  she  was  still  at  anchor  off  Amoy.  I 
went  out  to  see  him,  and  stayed  two  hours  with  him.  We  prayed 
together,  and  I  turned  to  leave.  He  sent  his  love  to  my  wife,  and  I 


ADDITIONAL   REMINISCENCES.  595 

think  I  hear  him  yet  saying,  'The  Lord  bless  her  and  Willy'  (my 
little  boy)  'and  yourself.'  I  saw  him  no  more,  and  shall  not  see  him 
again  till,  I  trust,  we  meet  above." 


Long  months  ago,  with  anxious  heart  and  sore, 
We  prayed  for  him,  whom  our  dim  fancy's  sight 
Saw,  faintly  labouring,  'mid  the  harvests  white, 
On  Sinim's  distant  shore; 
For  selfishly  we  grudged  that  one  who  bore 
So  well  the  fiercest  onset  of  the  fight, 
And  used  so  well  the  arms  of  heavenly  might, 
Should  give  the  conflict  o'er. 
But  even  while,  with  blind,  weak  love  we  pray'd 
Thus  for  the  toil-worn,  bowed,  and  weary  one, 
"    The  Master,  more  compassionate,  had  said — 
"Rest  now,  thou  soldier,  rest!  Servant,  well  done! 
"Let  others  hold  thy  plough,  and  wield  thy  blade, 
"And  wrestle  for  the  crown  which  thou  hast  won."1 
July  8,  1868.  W.  B. 

1  Lines  by  an  unknown  hand,  which  appeared  in  the  public  prints  immediately 
after  the  tidings  of  Mr.  Burns'  death  reached  Scotland. 


THE   END. 


GLASGOW;  w.  G.  BLACKIE  AND  co.,  PRINTERS,  VILLAFIELD.