Recall to mind, not to enjoy,
For, ah! they're ever past;
The joys of early friendship were
By far too sweet to last:
'But shall not hearts, united here,
By strongest ties of love,
Still meet, when all life's ills shall close,
In brighter worlds above?

'I'll mourn not then my griefs below,
Nor all their baneful train,

So I, at last, may meet above,

My early friends again.'—pp. 59, 60.

"

Having dwelt so long on the saddening strains of two kindred votaries of the melancholy muse, we very willingly turn to a bard who seems very capable, if we mistake not, of striking up in our souls a merrier, though it may not be a better, mood. And yet there is in this Saturday Night' enough to convince us, that the "Mechanic" mixes up a little scorn with his mirth, whilst he affects to laugh at the follies and excesses of the less prudent members of his class. The object of our author is to give a description of a Saturday night; such, alas! as that night is too often found to realise. It opens with a graphic representation of the tap-room, and the progress of the score during the evening. The interruption of the revels, which is described in the following stanzas, is both excellently well imagined and executed.

And then came in a gentle looking creature,

Seeking her husband, modestly she stept,
Grief and dismay seem'd busy in each feature,
And in her arms a half-clad baby slept.
Handsome she had been, but a train of sorrows
Had chas'd the roses from her cheeks away,
And in their stead pale want had laid her furrows,
And dimm'd the lustre of her dark eye's ray,

And in their half-rais'd lids a tear did ling'ring stay.

(

She spoke not harshly, but assay'd to lure him
Unto his home with accents kindly mild,
Then angel-like she bent her knee before him,

And shew'd him his sweet sleeping lovely child;
Pleading for home and child in vain she stood,

Her kind looks he return'd with angry frown,
And rais'd himself in shameful attitude,

Prepar'd to strike her and her infant down,

Poor thing! she then retir'd, for she'd submissive grown.'-p. 9.

The picture of a row, far too natural not to be expected as a necessary scene in such a poem, then follows.

A row across the tables now begins,

Three frowning ones on each side fierce engage,
The blood from twisted noses quickly spins,

And trembling neutrals redden into rage;

Full in the centre of the room descry

A wrathful pair engag'd in combat dire,
With tongs and red-hot poker brandish'd high,
They beat each other's sculls with phrensied ire,
And for a reg'lar row the company's on fire.
'Down go the tables, elbow-chairs, and benches,

The struggling combatants too" bite the dust,"
Alike foes, friends, whores, wives, and wenches,

Fly at each other's throats like demons curst;
The light, beneath a blow meant for some neighbour,

"Gave one bright glance, then total darkness fell,"
Through the dark scuffle still they foam, they labour,

Then rose a scream, surpassing far the yell
The fiends in concert howl'd, when Clarence div'd to hell.
Then murder! thieves! fire! watch! ascended,

In deep infernal tones and mournfully,
A sound of sadness with the loud howl blended,
Of one half-strangled, " in his agony;"
The landlord then his myrmidons assembled,

In his brave hand the kitchen poker swung,
Beside him too the short fat pot-boy trembled,

Beneath a bludgeon o'er his shoulder flung,

And the good landlady around the landlord clung.'-pp. 12, 13. We are sure that every man of well-directed mind will cordially concur with us, in congratulating the country upon the exhibition of such talents, taste, and feelings, as are displayed in these three works, by members of the industrious class. If there be any person now in existence who has a doubt as to the policy of diffusing that blessing, education, as far as the light of Heaven can penetrate to enable a human being to see the alphabet, let him only think what a crime would be committed against society, were such persons as the authors of the above effusions to be cut off from the pale of intellectual cultivation.

ART. IV.-The Morning Watch; or Quarterly Journal of Prophecy, and Theological Review. Nos. VII. and VIII. London: Nisbett. 1830. THE Scotch Chapel in Regent's Square, we grieve to say, is in imminent danger; the days of Mr. Irving's apostolic dominion are numbered: else why does the desperate minister call for miracles to sustain his threatened empire? He is the "head and front" of the Morning Watch, a periodical and a Review to boot, and both huge and dull enough to compete, in the court of the leaden goddess, with its quarterly colleagues of our time. This wonderful journal treats of divers sublime and awful matters; it takes the circumference of the universe, with as much ease as a mathematician can measure a mountain; it unfolds the mysteries of things; it explains the Apocalypse, and has a key for all that was hitherto

deemed impenetrable, inexplicable, hard to be done, or hard to be conceived!

Out of the manifold revelations, which Mr. Irving has vouchsafed in the Morning Watch, we shall select his account of the recent miracles which were performed in Scotland, and which so powerfully bear witness to the truth of the church whereof the preacher is, as he would say, an unworthy servant.

It appears, that some time ago, Mr. J. H. Stewart (a preacher, but of what particular doctrine we do not know) published a holy injunction, in which he urged the Christian church to pray, in especial meetings, for the outpouring of the Holy Ghost.' The well-meaning gentleman was laughed at for his pains, by a great number of the prophane, and so much even was the sanity of his mind brought into disrepute by the manifesto, that he was near losing his license for "prophesying," at the Quarter Sessions. However, the godly part of the public, who knew better, yielded at once to the pious challenge, and they met and prayed, so that,' says Mr. Irving, it is not to be doubted that the voices and hearts of many thousands ascended to the throne of grace, that the presence of the Holy Ghost might be made more manifest in the church of Christ, at present in these lands.'

(

Now as to the scoffings and the scornings, with which Mr. Stewart was treated by the wicked and worldly part of what is called the Christian community, Mr. Irving is of opinion, that these unworthy expressions proceeded from an impious belief, very much indulged in our days, that the supernatural powers with which the church was endowed, no longer remain with her. Wo to those who cherish such an idea!

6

'We have often,' writes Mr. Irving, had occasion to shew that the leading differences between the popish and the protestant apostasies--the apostasies of the latter and the last days-consist in this: that the former (the popish) smothered, obscured, and defaced the truth, while the latter (to wit, the protestant) denies it altogether. (!) Hence, too, there was long suffering, and offer to repentance, held out for the one; white nothing but quick destruction awaits the other.'

Fine prospects for the Church of England! But let us hearken to the preacher.

In the present instance, as in all others, the continuance of supernatural powers in the church is rightly maintained by the Church of Rome! as a point of orthodox doctrine, although the liquefaction of Januarius's blood is an abominable falsehood.'-Morning Watch, No. 7, p. 609.

The reverend gentleman then proceeds to settle the question, as to the power of the church, at present in these lands, to do supernatural things; and as to the probability that, in members of the said church, the outpourings of the Holy Ghost may be manifested in a most extraordinary manner. Having thus prepared the minds of his readers upon the general subject, Mr. Irving next claims

their attention and, finally, their faith, to a few of the marvels which took place, in pursuance of the prayers of the united church. The cure which Mrs. Mary Campbell so suddenly experienced, in the west of Scotland, is really a wonderful affair; we have the very best authority for its truth, for we have it recorded by Mary herself. We beg to say, however, that there is no attempt made at a description of Mrs. Campbell; what rank of life she moves in, her education, parentage, and circumstances, form no part of the narrative. To a lively faith, however, such explanations are of little moment; let us hear, admire, and believe.

'Letter from Mary Campbell to the Rev. John Campbell, of Row, dated Fernicary, 4th April.

•

you

My dear servant of the Lord Jesus Christ,-In attempting to state to the circumstances connected with my being raised up, I feel my need of my being dwelt in by the Holy Ghost, yea, mightily dwelt in, in order to enable me to give unto the Lord the glory due to his great name, glorious a manifestation of his power and love.

for so

On the Saturday previous to my restoration to health, I was very ill, suffering from pain in my chest, and breathlessness. On the Sabbath, I was very ill, and lay for several hours in a state of insensibility, but was considerably relieved towards the evening; in answer, I have no doubt, to the prayers of some dear Christian friends, who were with me. About eight o'clock, the Lord began to pour down his Spirit copiously upon us, for they had all, by this time, assembled in my room for the purpose of prayer. The down pouring continued till about ten o'clock, when I felt so strengthened by the mighty power of God, as to be able to walk through the room several times. So long as I exercised faith in the almighty power of God, I felt my strength increase, as it is said, "be it unto thee according to thy faith." But I soon began to think of my own weakness, and losing sight of the power of God, felt returning pain and feebleness. Next day, I was worse than I had been for several weeks previous (the agony of Saturday excepted). On Tuesday I was no better; on Wednesday I did not feel quite so languid, but was suffering some pain from breathing and palpitation of the heart. Two individuals, who saw me about four hours before my recovery, said that I would never be strong; that I was not to expect a miracle to be wrought upon me; and that it was quite foolish for one, who was in such a poor state of health, even to speak or to think of going to the heathen. I told them that they would see and hear of miracles very soon; and no sooner were they gone, than I was constrained of the Spirit, to go and ask the Father, in the name of Jesus, to stretch forth his hand to heal, and that mighty signs and wonders might again be done, in the name of his holy child Jesus. The thing I was enabled to ask in faith, doubting nothing which was that, next morning, I might have some miracle to inform them of. It was not long after, until I received dear brother James Macdonald's letter, giving an account of his sister's being raised up, and commanding me to rise and walk. I had scarcely read the first page, when I became quite overpowered, and laid it aside for a few minutes; but I had no rest in my mind until I took it up again, and began to read. As I read, every word came home with power; and when I came to the command to arise, it came home with a power which no words

can describe It was felt indeed to be the voice of Christ; it was such a voice as could not be resisted. A mighty power was instantaneously exerted upon me; I just felt as if I had been lifted off from the earth, and all my diseases taken from off me at the voice of Christ. I was verily made, in a moment, to stand upon my feet, leap and walk, sing and rejoice. Oh, that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wondrous works to the children of men.'

If it was only upon this essay, that dear brother Macdonald's' powers were to be tried, we should deem him a very respectable worker indeed; but he has other claims, as we shall see presently.

It must have been about the same time when this cure was effected, that Macdonald shone forth so conspicuously in Glasgow, with a wonderful faculty of speaking divers tongues. The account of his exhibition we have from a very remarkable quarter. It is written by Mr. James Cardale, a very respectable member of the fraternity of solicitors, and carrying on business in Gray's Inn. We must say that Mr. Irving deserves immortal honour for having overreached the patron of attornies in this way, so as to be able to recruit his evangelical suite from the ranks of his arch enemy. This is quite a new feature in religion. Fishermen became apostles in former times. In the modern world, the "liberty of prophesying" appears to be common to all sorts of trades and callings. The distance from the lap-board to the pulpit is but a step, and is very commonly performed as a Sunday recreation; the curing of souls is only an easy, though a more exalted application of the cobbler's art. In short, to judge from the existing state of things, we might fairly conclude that many thousands of our countrymen, engaged in handicraft employments, are only preachers in the larva state, and want merely the heat and stimulus of encouragement, to rise before the world in all the broad dimensions and smooth costume of ministers of religion.

We were prepared, therefore, for a numerous variety of transformations, from the working to the spiritual condition. But we confess that the change of a lawyer into an evangelist, is a lusus that confounds us. John Doe in a surplice, Richard Roe declaring for the Gospel-no imagination, we thought, would be permitted to invent such a monstrous conception. But we live in vain, unless to be affected by new surprises; so we will venture to think it possible that Mr. Cardale may be serious. Reminding the reader that brother Macdonald is the hero of the hour, we proceed to give Mr. Cardale's statement respecting the "manifestations," of which the Scotchman appears to be the instrument, and which Mr. Irving declares he is convinced are, in truth, a work of the Holy Spirit.' The letter commences thus :

6 TO THE EDITOR OF THE MORNING WATCH.

'Dear Sir,-You have requested me to state some particulars of what passed under the observation of my five fellow travellers and myself, during our recent stay at Port Glasgow. I do not hesitate to comply, earnestly