him a peculiar relish for the varied pursuits of litera ture. His perfect knowledge of the Greek and Hebrew enabled him to read his Bible in these original languages, and gave him a decided superiority over those who were obliged to stand at a distance from such noble fountains, and satisfy themselves with the streams which flowed to their doors by the industry and skill of others. From the treasures of God's word, he brought forth ❝ things new and old," and his invention and power seemed as inexhaustible as the materials he had to work upon. No wonder then that his popularity as a preacher was great, and that persons from Glasgow, Hamilton, Lanark, and many places at a distance, came almost regularly to enjoy the benefit of his public ministrations. Many were well contented with hearing out of doors, which his powerful voice and animated delivery put fully in their power; for although his church was large, it was crowded to that excess, that a great part of his audience had to remain without. But his soul spread itself in delivering his sermon, over the whole of his audience. His manner was all earnestness. The importance and value of immortal souls lay always before him. He felt the impulse of his commanding situation over his audience; and filled with the thought of the risk and danger which the thoughtless and indifferent ran in hearing the gospel without improving it, and with the great responsibility which lay upon himself to deliver faithfully that message with which his master had intrusted him— these considerations brought tears to his eyes, and gave him a peculiar solemnity and interesting ap

pearance, which at once rivetted the attention, and awed the most careless and abandoned.

And he knew human nature too well, and the various avenues to the human heart, to circumscribe his ministerial duties by the services of the pulpit. Catechising and visiting from house to house, were means of instruction which the Bible and his prudence would have dictated for the benefit of his parishioners, although the articles of the church had said nothing on the subject. "In performing whereof he joined an indefatigable diligence to a holy skill, knew how to embrace every opportunity of discoursing upon the most important and awful subjects in a plain and familiar manner, and of recommending religion to the consciences of every one in the way which their special circumstances called for. And it was his peculiar care to endear the ways of God to the youth of his parish, and give them early impressions of an eternal world, before the devil and their lusts had seized upon their hearts, and enslaved them; and the seed of grace, that was thus sown during the spring of life, was, through the divine blessing, preserved in many, as they advanced in years, and brought forth much fruit."

And he knew that in the family circle, where the solemnity and generality of public discoursing was superseded by the free, open, and pointed remarks of familiar conversation, was the place peculiarly suited to make an impression on the heart. Here thought flashes upon thought, and feeling upon feeling, with no intervening circumstance to ward off or destroy the direct object of the interview. Cases

of conscience are laid open without reserve, and the admonition or consolation is delightfully seasoned, by the affectionate tones of friendship with which the visit of a faithful pastor is almost always accompanied among his parishioners. A word is thus said in private to a particular case which remains untouched by the most particular application which can be condescended upon with propriety from the pulpit. Mr. Guthrie's manner was finely fitted for this duty. Grave without austerity, warm in feeling and friendship, and easy and familiar, he stole, as it were, into the chambers of their thoughts, and saw the state of their souls with an intuitive perception, before they were aware that they had laid themselves open to his keen but friendly inspection. His visits, which he paid regularly to his people, were hailed by every family with peculiar feelings of delight. The dim eye of fourscore sparkled with the lustre of the grandchild, as his footsteps approached the threshold.

And

although it was afterwards suffused by tears, as his pious voice lifted itself up to a throne of grace, in behalf of the happy groupe standing around him, yet they were tears of joy which the heart spontaneously yields when overcharged with affection and pleasure; and the eye looks nothing the dimmer for them. And O in this vale of tears, we know of no human exhibition more interesting, than the man of God bending with the earnestness of devotion to heaven, over the emaciated sufferer, in behalf of that soul which is fluttering on the confines of eternity; cheering the spirit sunk and forlorn, with the offers of mercy, and spreading the bright suffusion of hope

and confidence over the wan face of departing na

ture.

the sick.

He was peculiarly tender and felicitous in visiting "His own experience in the ways of God, and the great depths of troubles and sorrows, doubts and fears, whereby awakened consciences are exercised, into which he himself was often plunged, eminently qualified him for assisting and comforting others in the like circumstances, for strengthening the weak hands, and confirming the feeble knees; and could not miss to beget in him that affectionate concern for poor souls, those bowels of tenderness and sympathy, which can never be found with any but such who themselves have had a feeling acquaintance with the methods of the spiritual life, and the work of the Holy Spirit in their own hearts and lives. And it were easy to enlarge upon the common dexterity which this excellent person had in improving sickness, and the approaches of the King of Terrors, to the advantage of those who were exposed to them; so that though instances of a deathbed repentance rarely happen, and it be indeed infinite madness to delay to the last hour that work, which is of eternal consequence, yet there wanted not evidence of the divine blessing upon his endeavours to reclaim sinners, and call them to God, even in the last hour."

He had a happy tact of turning his amusement and time for exercise, a considerable portion of which the state of his health required, into great usefulness to others. Fishing and fowling were his favourite recreations.

In his rambles in the field, or

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by the river, he frequently met with persons in his parish who were not to be gained by the preaching of the gospel from the pulpit, but were delighted to hear the sportsman talk, although they never could be induced to hear the minister exhort. The minister of Christ, however, lay concealed under the fowler's habit, and he frequently gained those whose ignorance and waywardness scowled defiance at the church, to become regular attendants on divine ordinances, while he tried to bring the trout, to the shore, and the partridge to the ground, Such experiments, however, are not to be tried, but by those ministers of the gospel, who, like Mr. Guthrie, have their Master's interest paramount to every other, lest the pointer and the fishing-hook become greater objects of attachment, than the instruments of winning souls to Christ. de

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Two instances are worthy of notice, of his happy manner in winning the most ignorant and stubborn of his flock to attend divine ordinances, while he was in the habiliments of a sportsman. The facts are taken from his life, in the "Biographia Scoticana."

"There was one person in particular whom he would have to perform family-worship, who told him that he could not pray; and he asked what was the reason? He replied, O Lord, thou knowest that this man would have me to pray, but thou knowest that I cannot pray.' After which Mr. Guthrie bid him stop, and said he had done enough; and prayed himself, to their great surprise. After this he engaged them to come to the kirk on Sabbath, and see what they thought of their minister. When