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ing,-put himself at different times in his way,-and made use of all the means he could devise to bring about a free intercourse. But all his attempts were ineffectual. Mr. Romaine continued shy and distant; so that Mr. Scott could never accomplish his purpose while he continued in the country.

Soon after this, Mr. Scott was induced to visit his native place, Shrewsbury; and having to pass through London, a thought struck him, that he would wait upon Mr. Romaine, to see (to use his own expression) whether there was any difference between the air of London and that of Brighthelmstone. He did so; and, to his great surprize, Mr. Romaine received him with the utmost affability. He conversed with him in a very sweet and profitable way; and prayed most affectionately with and for him. Thus a most cordial intimacy coramenced between these two eminently great, good, and useful men, which nothing but death could interrupt. When they were about to part, Mr. Romaine requested him to convey a letter for him to Mr. Powis, of Berwick, in Shropshire.

It happened at that time that Mr. Powis, who was a lover of the gospel, entertained the late Rev. Mr. Venn, as a visitor, in his house. One morning, soon after breakfast and family prayer, Mr. and Mrs, Powis and Mr. Venn were in the parlour, looking over the lawn in front of the hall, and whom should they see but Mr. Scott, who was now bringing Mr. Romaine's letter, enter upon the lawn, dressed in his uniform and riding his military horse. Mr. Powis recognized him at a distance, and said, "There is Captain Scott; what can he want here? I am determined not to see him if I can avoid it." Upon this they all withdrew.

Mr. Scott rode up, and asked, "Is Mr. Powis at home?" The servant, uninstructed by his master to adopt the fashionable expedient of stating an untruth to avoid an inconvenience, informed him he was Mr. Powis was called, and received his visitor with an air of distant civility, thinking that his presence would be a interruption to the spiritual enjoyments of himself and friends; but after he had read Mr. Romaine's letter, which he received with considerable agitation, giving an account of Mr. Scott's conversion, he caught him in his arms, embraced and rejoiced over him as over one raised from the dead. In this position, with an elevated voice, he cried out, "Mr. Venn! Mr. Venn! Mrs. Powis! Mrs. Powis! come, come here quickly! here is Captain Scott, a convert to Christ, a new creature in Christ Jesus!" They both came, and being informed of the contents of Mr. Romaine's letter, all three, in the joy of their hearts, embraced the penitent, and, in imitation of the Angels in Heaven, rejoiced over him who had been dead, but was alive again; and had been lost, but was found.

The change which God had wrought in the heart of Mr. Scott, soon manifested itself: it could not be hid. He was decidedly on his part, who had done such great things for his soul. He

was blessed with new joys; he formed new connexions; he engaged in new pursuits: God, who had quickened him by his grace, kept him alive, and made him happy in his soul. He was alienated from his former associates: they were without relish for his company, and he was equally without relish for theirs. But new companions were graciously given to him: with them he took sweet counsel: he mingled his prayers with theirs; and the God whom they served made them mutual blessings to each other. In a letter to a most affectionate and respectable friend, whose correspondence and intercourse with him appear to have been much to his edification, dated Lewes, March 20th, 1766, he writes as follows: "God is ever watchful over me, and keeps my soul alive and vigilant amidst the dangers that surround me. This peculiar goodness to me raises in me the comfortable belief that the Lord is with me, and will, in good time, teach me more of his will, and enable me, from time to time, to do it."

In another letter to the same friend, dated December the 17th, 1766, he says, "To the praise of free grace, I must invite ali that fear the Lord, to come and hear what great things he hath done for my soul. He hath plucked my feet out of the net, he hath broken my bonds, and set my happy soul at liberty. O! how good and gracious is the Lord to such an unworthy wretch! But worthy is the Lamb that was slain; in him is my merit; in him is my worthiness. This, and this only, will I mention and make my boast. Join me then, my dear friend, and all ye servants of God, in lauding and magnifying the God of our salvation; and giving him the praise that is alone due to his great name. In the former letter he says, "I find that before I left the regiment, in order to go to Shrewsbury, I began to be a suspected person. Attending the ministry of such a notorious person as dear Romaine, and associating with some christian people, were sufficient to cause suspicions that I was turned this, and turned that. Upon my rejoining the regiment, I found it was no longer bare suspicion. Now they are convinced I am turned an arrant Methodist; and this their persuasion is a very lucky one for me; for now they begin to think my company not worth being over solicitous about; and I am sure you will readily believe that a very little of theirs is enough to satisfy me; or, more properly speaking, to dissatisfy me, so as to be tired of it, since their whole conversation consists in idle, vain nonsense, larded with horrid oaths and filthy obscenity; this is the more shocking to me, as I must sometimes be present at it, and have it not in my power to remedy it.'

Referring to the goodness of God, in favouring him with a most comfortable and useful companion on his journey towards Zion, in the letter last quoted, he says, "I must not here omit to thank and praise God for his goodness in giving me one dear Christian friend, a faithful brother in Christ; he is a most gracious child of God, indeed. We lodge together in one house;

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and you may believe that we poor pilgrims in a strange land leave each other as seldom as possible. We strive to assist, comfort, and help each other on our way towards the promised Heavenly Canaan, all in our power; and the Lord is very gracious to us, and blesses us greatly to each other. How ought I to praise the Lord for this great blessing, this dear friend! with whom I talk and sing of our dear Jesus's redeeming love! O how do we, in our retirement, taste the delightful comforts of those sweet words in Malachi, "Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another; and the Lord hearkened and heard it; and a book of remembrance was written before him, for them that feared the Lord, and that thought upon his name. And they shall be mine, saith the Lord of Hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them as a man spareth his own son that serveth him!" This gentleman was not his only pious associate. He was in the habit of holding a meeting at his lodg ings twice a day, in the year 1766, with such of the soldiers as chose to attend. These meetings, there is reason to believe, were profitable to the souls of many who frequented them,

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Of the exact time when Mr. Scott began to exercise his ministry, we have not been informed. He probably began to preach towards the close of the year 1766. The writer of this article has seen several of his letters, dated in 1766; none of which contains any intimation respecting his preaching; but in one, dated Leicester, Jan. 3, 1767, he says, "I hope the Lord is at work here, though by the meanest, weakest, and unworthiest of all instruments. But it is all his own work, therefore he can work by the weakest means, or without any. Be all praise and glory given to his great name!" It was at Leicester, as he was marching through with his regiment, that he first opened his commission as a minister of the Lord Jesus. A pious person, to whom he was introduced, having, probably, been informed of his usefulness in holding meetings with some of the men of his regiment, put him into a parlour, and left him with no other company but a Bible, but a Bible, a Hymn-Book, and his God; telling him that he must preach there that evening. He complied with the earnest request, and thus entered into that work to which the great Head of the Church had chosen him, and in which he honoured him with abundant success. Many years after this, he was informed, by a véry respectable friend residing here, that on coming to this place, he found several truly pious persons, who were the fruits of his ministry.

Having put his hand to the plough, he did not look back. While in the army, he preached at Berwick, York, Leeds, Manchester, and various other places to which his military duty called him. At Berwick, he was invited to preach by the Mayor of the town, who procured a place of worship for him. he came to preach, he found the gentleman's servants stationed at the door of the place, to keep out the mob; but to this Mr.

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Scott objected. He was commissioned to preach the gospel "to every creature ;" and insisted that the lowest of the people should be permitted to hear him. At Manchester, his ministry was known to have been owned to the conversion of two respectable persons; the one a lady, who heard him in consequence of his preaching having been announced in a newspaper; the other, a gentleman, who heard him in a timber-yard. -The gentleman afterwards settled at Stone, in Staffordshire, and was the instrument in laying the foundation of a gospel interest at that place.

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It is of great importance that ministers, if married, should be united to truly suitable partners. A minister's wife may be a great help or a great hinderance to her husband in his work. Mr. Scott was exceedingly happy in his choice of a wife. On the 1st of June, 1768, he married Miss Elizabeth Clay, of Wollerton, near Drayton, in Shropshire. She was possessed of a handsome estate; and, which was of far greater importance, was a lady of eminent piety and exemplary prudence. She was fond of retirement, and spent much of her time in holy converse with God. She was, in short, to him, a most suitable and excellent wife. To her pious conduct, her affectionate care of his person, and economical management of his temporal affairs, he, under God, owed much of his comfort and usefulness.

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The heart of Mr. Scott was at all times warmly attached to his Sovereign; and it does not appear that he had any objection to continuing in his service, provided he could have been freely permitted at the same time to serve the King of Kings in the ministry of the gospel. But these very different services were deemed incongruous by some of his superiors. One of them, therefore, advised him to leave the army. He took his advice; and, on the 16th of March, 1769, sold his commission; and, from that time, fully devoted himself to the service of Christ in the ministry of his word; and thus ended all the brilliant views of military rank and fame to which Mr. Scott (had he continued in the army) might have aspired. Mr. Scott was a man of no ordinary capacity. He was well qualified for a military command. His mind was fertile, his apprehension quick, his utterance ready, and his fortitude great. The way to worldly honour was open before him. He had a prospect of obtaining what was once the object of his highest ambition. He had a prospect of shining with conspicuous lustre among the heroes of his country; but the great Sovereign of the world and the church had destined him to more important services and higher honours than any that mere military heroes can ever perform or attain. Blessed with that knowledge which connected with the salvation of the soul, he wisely preferred the reproach of Christ to all the honours of the world; he became indifferent to the honour that comes from man, and sought the honour that comes from God; and made it the business of his life to glorify his name.

[To be concluded in our next.]

ON THE PROGRESS OF THE GOSPEL.

Mr. Editor,

The importance of diffusing and cherishing a missionary spirit, is very generally acknowledged. This object is considerably promoted by the Missionary Meetings, and by the publication of the Sermons and Transactions. But there are hundreds who read your excellent Miscellany, who neither attend the anniversaries, nor see the missionary publications. With a hope, therefore, of preventing such persons from sinking into supineness, of inflaming their zeal,-and of exciting them to greater diligence, the following Essay is offered for insertion in your Magazine. If it be considered acceptable, it is at your service; if it be useful, the end of the writer will be accomplished. Hastings.

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To mark the progress of the gospel, it might be proper to revert to the period when the glorious system was fully developed. But a complete description of the then moral state of the world would occupy too large a portion of this paper. Let the follow ing inspired abridgment suffice: "Darkness covered the earth, and gross darkness the people." By the Jews a partial exemption might, indeed, have been claimed. Favoured with superiot light, they excelled the Gentiles in their knowledge of the true God; but, influenced by their unreasonable prejudices, they rejected with disdain their promised Messiah, and refused to believe the report" of the gospel. But the rejection of the Messiah by the Jews, and their refusing to listen to the tidings of great joy, neither frustrated the design of the Saviour's mission, nor retarded the progress of divine truth. To the Gentiles the Saviour "turned, and they gladly received him." Disciples were commissioned; they went forth and preached the "gospel of the kingdom ;"-men were converted, and “devils were subject to them." The success of the gospel was indeed but partial before the Saviour ratified its truth and importance by his death; but when, by the resurrection of "the Lord of Life," it received an additional recommendation, its progress became more rapid, and its effects more visible. Previous to his ascension, Jesus assembles his disciples on a certain mountain, and invests them with authority to go forth into all the world, and to preach the gospel to every creature." Emboldened by their commission, and fired with zeal for their Master's honour, they proceed. The standard of their Redeemer is erected "amongst the thickest ranks of his enemies." Salvation is pub lished through Him "whom the Jews with wicked hands had crucified and slain ;" and soon three thousand are pierced to the heart," and ery out, "What must we do to be saved?” Nor were the exertions of the Apostles confined to a single

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