endeavours, and that through the blessing of God their efforts might be successful.

Mr. GEORGE FORBES, banker, rose with much pleasure to second the motion of Bishop Russell, and observed, in doing so, that he had been relieved of any difficulty he might otherwise have experienced from the able manner in which the resolution had been brought forward. Mr. Forbes then, at considerable length, went on to state that as some of their members had misunderstood the real objects of this society, and supposed it was meant to abolish the Episcopal Fund Society, established in 1810, showed that that was not the case, but on the contrary, it was meant to strengthen it. Mr. Forbes, after adverting to the rules of the former societies preventing assistance being given to forward the education of the children of decayed ministers said, that as long as the Episcopalian clergy were so poorly paid as at present, it could not be expected that men of talent would enter into connexion with their poor pennyless Church; and candidates for "holy orders" must be willing to look forward to nothing but starvation in old age, thereby lowering the high status of the Episcopal clergy to a degree certainly not in keeping with the spirit of the Gospel. Mr. Forbes concluded by expressing his approval of the other branches embodied in the resolution.

The Rev. C. H. TERROT, Dean of Edinburgh, proposed the third resolution, which was the appointment of the office-bearers, and the rules and regulations to be adopted as to the constitution of the society. The rev. gentleman said, he would not have added one word on the subject after having heard so many learned members, had it not been that there were present to-day many among them who were not "Scottish" Episcopalians, who resided in Edinburgh but for a few months in the year, and who, looking to the beautiful architecture displayed in the structure of some of their chapels, were apt to say to themselves, "How beautiful are these churches, and how well must they live;" but alas! such was but a transient view that would not bear inspection, and if they went to the north of this city one or two hundred miles, a very different scene indeed presented itself. They would there, instead of one clergyman for one parish, find only one clergyman for two or three parishes; and notwithstanding that they were men of the highest worth and warmest zeal for the cause of Christ, they were, from actual want, compelled to endure great privations, working, as many of them did, for less wages than that of a domestic servant. (Hear, hear.) He hoped this meeting would not for one moment longer allow this state of things to continue; and this society differed from other voluntary associations in this respect, that while they were merely "associations," the present one went much further, for it is the "Episcopal Church " itself, making itself a "Church Society" in every diocese, the respective bishops of each being the chairman, and the clergymen members, and forming delegates to the other societies. The present society, therefore, was not confined to one particular place, but was established on the broad principle of the "Episcopal Church," and as such we look to our brethren in the North for their aid, and by next meeting he hoped to have it in his power to show a reciprocity of good feeling on the part of their brethren in England, towards those who were scattered throughout the land, even to the Moray Frith. (Cheers.) Mr. Terrot concluded by making a strong appeal to the meeting in behalf of aged and infirm clergymen, exhorting the rich to give of their abundance.

Mr. HERCULES ROBERTSON, advocate, seconded the motion, and which, like all the preceding resolutions, were unanimously agreed to. The thanks of the meeting were then tendered to the Right Rev. Bishop Walker, Primus, and to the Rev. Mr. Ramsay. A collection was then made on the spot, when £80 was obtained, and upwards of £100 subscribed. The benediction having been pronounced by the chairman, the meeting separated.

We shall be happy to receive and transmit the subscriptions of those who are disposed to follow such munificent examples.-ED.

THE TENDENCY OF A WELL-SPENT LIFE TO MAKE DEATH HAPPY.

PSALM XXXVII. 37.

Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright, for the end of that man is peace."

THAT the present life is a checkered scene, abounding, indeed, with much that is really good and truly desirable, yet mixed with evil, and frequently crossed with trouble and disappointment, is a truth which most men have learned from observation, at least, if not from personal experience. The whole history of the human race clearly manifests that the condition of man, since the introduction of sin into the world, has ever been a state of turbulence, confusion, and disorder. Perfect peace and happiness have not often been found, or have seldom been long enjoyed. Vice, which is the parent of every evil and the real source of all the misery that man is heir to, has in every age prevailed too successfully to permit the enjoyment of that uninterrupted happiness which universal virtue would produce. And indeed society, composed as it is of members who are all, more or less, guided by vicious inclinations, and whose object is to obtain, each for himself, the accomplishment of his own ends, the gratification of his own desires, the attainment of his own pursuits, whether of pleasure, wealth, or honour, cannot long remain in tranquillity. The bad must often obstruct and torment one another, and not unfrequently harass and oppress the good. And though the number of the good may greatly predominate, as it is to be hoped it really does, yet the projects of a few wicked men, pursued as they commonly are without regard to reason or religion, will often destroy the happiness of many virtuous. In the pursuit of wealth the honest and unsuspecting fair-dealer is exposed to the arts of the fraudulent and designing, and if not absolutely ruined by them, (which is sometimes

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the case,) is at least greatly injured. In the pursuit of pleasure, innocence is often sacrificed to the gratification of vice, and the peace of families disturbed by endless jealousies, if not totally destroyed. And in the pursuit of power and ambition incalculable evils are inflicted on all ranks of men. The power of the strong is employed chiefly in oppressing the weak. The peace, the security, the happiness of multitudes are sacrificed to the views of one, perhaps, or at most of a few. Whole states, kingdoms, empires, have often been embroiled, and thousands of peaceable citizens deprived of their lives, or robbed of their properties, and driven from their homes, to make way for the projects, or to accomplish the designs of some sanguinary despot, ambitious of boundless dominion. There is no occasion to go back to the Nimrods, the Nebuchadnezzars, the Alexanders, the Cæsars of former ages, the history of our own times, nay, what is passing in the world at this present moment, will furnish us with ample proof of what has here been advanced.

It seems to have been some such reflection on the turbulence of wicked men, and the mischiefs which they bring upon the world, that gave rise to the sacred composition of which our text is a part. The Psalmist himself had suffered greatly from the persecutions of Saul, and had been reduced to uncommon hardships and difficulties from the relentless malice of that jealous monarch; and therefore it is generally supposed that throughout the Psalm he alludes to those persecutions, and to the wonderful deliverances which had been vouchsafed him by a protecting Providence. The Psalm consists of a set of aphorisms or pious reflections on the different ends of the righteous and the wicked, which the royal Psalmist had learned from his own observation and experience, and which the Divine Spirit had impressed upon his mind, and moved him to commit to writing for the benefit of the Church in all succeeding ages. In the prosecution of his subject he exhorts to faith and patience, and to an entire reliance on the goodness and justice of Providence upon the double consideration of that sure reward which awaiteth the righteous, and that certain punishment which shall be inflicted on the wicked. These two events he sets before us in a variety of expressions, and under many lively and affecting images, adorned with all the graces of Eastern poetry. I need only repeat a few verses preceding the text in illustration of this, and to show the whole tenor of the Psalm.

"The ungodly seeth the righteous, and seeketh occasion to slay him. The Lord will not leave him in his hand, nor condemn him when he is judged. Hope thou in the Lord, and keep his way, and he shall promote thee, that thou shalt possess the land; when the ungodly shall perish, thou shalt see it. I myself have seen the ungodly in great power, and flourishing like a green bay-tree. I went by, and, lo, he was gone. I sought him, but his place could nowhere be found."

Having thus exhorted good men to hope and confidence in God, even under the severest persecutions from the wicked, and shown, from his own observation, the sudden and complete destruction of bad men, notwithstanding their present prosperity and the extent of their power, in which it is more than probable he alludes to the case

of Saul, he adds, in the text, "Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright, for the end of that man is peace." Whatever troubles he may undergo, with whatever trials he may be exercised, whatever persecutions he may endure from wicked men during his passage through life; yet in the end his faith and constancy shall be amply rewarded by the peace, serenity, and comfort which shall accompany his latter years, and by the joyful expectation of that crown of glory which he knows is laid up for him through the merits of his Redeemer, and which he is assured the "Lord, the righteous Judge, will give him at that day."

It might, indeed, be shown, that even through life the virtuous man enjoys more true happiness, in whatever circumstances he may be placed, than the wicked man, however prosperous he may seem to be for a time; but it is his superiority at the hour of death to which our attention is directed in the text. It shall therefore be the business of this discourse,

I. Briefly to delineate the character of the perfect and the upright man; and

II. To consider the peace, serenity, and joy which accompany his latter end.

I. It cannot be supposed that the words perfect and upright are here to be taken in their highest and most literal signification. They are applied to man, and must therefore be understood according to the measure of a man. In this imperfect state the best man alive can only be said to be comparatively good. His best services are liable to a thousand imperfections. Whatever, therefore, some enthusiasts may have imagined, perfection, I mean absolute and sinless perfection, is not to be attained on this side the grave. Degrees of perfection, however, there are, and every good man who is truly and sincerely good will be daily advancing in goodness, and endeavouring, through divine assistance, to approach still nearer to perfection.

To understand the terms perfect and upright then, we must consider man as he is, a compound of passion, prejudice, and infirmity, under the influence of which he is continually in danger of wandering from the straight road of duty. To prove this at large would be spending time to no purpose. Every man knows, and feels it, from his own experience. It will be sufficient to observe, that the most perfect or upright man (for the two terms are nearly if not entirely equivalent) is he who, with the fewest faults, is possessed of the greatest number of virtues, and who is continually endeavouring, through the assistance of divine grace, to lessen his errors and to bring his virtues to greater and greater perfection. This is the man whom the Psalmist had in view when he pronounced his end to be peace: a man-perfect, as far as is consistent with humanity, in his duty to God, and upright in all his dealings with man. Such perfection, however, it must still be remembered is not to be attained by human strength alone, but by the assisting influence of the Holy Spirit; nor can it be accepted by God, "who is of purer eyes than to behold iniquity," but through the mediation and atonement of our blessed Redeemer.

The two leading objects to whom human duty is directed are God

and man. To each of these the perfect man will pay a proper regard. He will reverence God as his father, adore him as his creator, trust in him as his protector and friend, and thank him as his benefactor for his great and unspeakable mercies. He will confide in his promises with a full assurance of faith, and will bend all his aims and direct all his actions towards the attainment of them. His laws will be the rule of his conduct, and on them, with the Psalmist, will he meditate day and night. In all things he will study to approve himself to his heavenly Father. He will love what he loves, and shun, as well as hate, what he disapproves and condemns. He will pay the strictest obedience to all his commandments, and will suffer nothing, no worldly considerations whatever, neither the hope of gain, the allurements of pleasure, nor the apprehension of pain, to draw him aside from his duty, or interrupt him in the discharge of it. In spite of the ensnaring example of a wicked world, in opposition to the sneers of the libertine, the frowns of the tyrant, or the iron rod of the oppressor, he will still hold fast his integrity. The love of God will be the governing principle of his life, and under its powerful influence it will be his whole study and delight to please and obey him. In all events he will acknowledge his overruling Providence. If he receives good from his hand he will enjoy it with thankfulness and moderation; if evil, he will bear it with patience, and submit to it as to the infliction of a kind and merciful father. Instead of vainly trusting to the fallible deductions of his own reason for the knowledge of his duty, or arrogantly presuming on his own powers for ability to perform it, he will thankfully accept whatever communications God has been pleased to make of his will, especially that last and most perfect revelation which he has made to mankind by his Son Jesus Christ, and humbly rely on the promised aid of his Holy Spirit for strength to obey it. He will study its doctrines, will observe its precepts, conform to its institutions, and, as far as his authority and his example extend, will endeavour to promote its influence. Conscious of his own weakness, and of the natural depravity of his heart, he will watch over its motions with assiduous care, and earnestly pray for divine assistance to strengthen him in the hour of temptation; and, at the same time, sensible of the imperfection of his best services, he will rely on the mercy of his God and the merits of his Saviour for pardon and acceptance.

But the man to whom the Psalmist directs our attention, will not only be perfect, as far as human infirmity will permit, in his duty towards God; he will also be upright in his dealings towards man. "He will love his neighbour as himself," and "whatsoever he would that men should do unto him, even so will he do unto them." He will shun all selfishness, injustice, and fraud; and will deal truly, candidly and uprightly with his neighbour. In all the relations of life he will conduct himself with propriety and decorum. As a parent, and as a child; as a husband, and as a brother; as a master, and as a servant; as a subject, and as a magistrate, he will discharge the duties incumbent on him, with a due regard to the authority of God, and to the good of his fellow-men.

As a Christian, "the same mind will be in him, which was also