himself in that city. At this period the church in Dundee had sustained a shock by the removal of Mr. Innes to Edinburgh. The cause was also weakened by frequent changes and intestine divisions. The few who adhered to the principles of Independency, were recommended to invite Mr. Russell to labour among them. He accepted the invitation, and commenced his ministry there, in the Sailor's Hall, in 1809, thirty-nine years ago. In consequence of the translation of Mr. Campbell to Glasgow, the chapel in Temple-lane, West-Port, formerly belonging to the Relief body, became vacant, and he removed thither, where the congregation rapidly increased, and persons of all ranks and denominations were attracted to the evening service by the fame of his abilities as a preacher. The number of church-members was augmented by the junction of part of Mr. Campbell's adherents, and continued to increase till it reached an average of from 400 to 500; and many individuals of wealth and influence joined this communion. About the year 1832, he received a unanimous call to the church in Albany-street, Edinburgh; but the people in Dundee, unwilling to lose the benefit of his services, came forward with great readiness, and offered to build a new and more commodious place of worship in a better part of the town, if he would consent to remain among them: he yielded to their request, and the present spacious and elegant edifice, called Ward Chapel, was erected at an expense of about £4,000. To this building were lately added commodious school-rooms for children of both sexes. In this place of worship he continued to officiate for the last fourteen years, three times every Lord's day, with scarcely any interruption, till the close of his life. He conducted also a weekly lecture on Thursday evenings, and, till of late years, preached once or twice every week in the adjacent towns and villages; he had also constant invitations to preach in various places, on sacramental fast-days, at the ordination of pastors, and for the benefit of religious and charitable institutions. He preached at the first meeting of the Scottish Congregational Union, held in Edinburgh in 1812; and delivered one of the Anniversary Sermons before the London Missionary Society, in Tottenham-court Chapel, in1826. Preaching seemed to be his element: he was never happier than when in the pulpit, and scarcely ever availed himself of help, even when other ministers were present.

His people were never so well pleased as when he himself entered the pulpit; of this he was aware, and seldom were they disappointed. When solicited to engage an assistant, or to restrict himself to two services, he declined both, and remarked, that when unable for his usual duty he would give it up at once. This was almost prophetic, and was literally the case. He had a dislike to collegiate charges, as frequently leading to jealousy and strife; and, from having seen so many instances of this result, perhaps carried his apprehensions to excess. Hence all was left dependent on his own life, and no provision was made for keeping the congregation together in the event of his sickness or death.

Dr. Russell was best known as an expositor of Scripture. He seldom preached from detached passages or isolated texts, and preferred taking the words in their connection, following a regular course of exposition on the various books of Scripture in order. This plan, which would be fatal to the popularity of some preachers, was highly appreciated by his own congregation, and proved the cause of its stability and increase. The people, after the exposition of an epistle or gospel was begun, became anxious to follow their pastor through it, and dreaded being absent from any of the services, lest they should lose the scope of the passage; for the same reason they generally brought their Bibles with them, with the places already marked down, so that he scarcely needed to announce his text. Yet his ordinary lectures were not mere collations of different commentaries, but were the fruit of much study, and abounded in original thoughts and happy illustrations.

Like Apollos, he was an eloquent man and mighty in the Scriptures:" "difficulties that would have baffled other men, particularly in the department of prophetical interpretation, did not deter him; passages that required peculiar delicacy in handling, he boldly took up, and succeeded in bringing out their spiritual meaning and practical bearing, while nothing was advanced that could offend the taste of his most fastidious hearers. excelled in opening up the connection between the Old and New Testaments, and illustrating the harmony that subsists between the predictions of the one and the facts of the other. In his hands the types and ceremonies of the law became a mirror, in which the truths and doctrines of the Gospel were luminously and

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felicitously displayed. He especially delighted to unfold the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to exhibit the Divine glory and suitableness of his mediatorial offices, as the great Prophet, Priest, and King of the Church. The supremacy of the Saviour's priesthood to that of Aaron was a favourite theme. He had a thorough insight into the whole scheme of redemption, as intended at once for the pardon and sanctification of sinners; and while he held that faith alone is the appointed medium of justification, he also showed, from the nature of the truths believed, its obvious tendency to work by love, to purify the heart, and overcome the world. He exhibited the gospel under the light of a medicine, designed and fitted to cure the disease of sin, and to impart not only peace but holiness, which he justly considered as the proper health of the soul. He never lost sight of the inseparable connection between justification and sanctification,-proving from Scripture that the latter is the fruit and evidence of the former, and that in the possession of both the believer has the only satisfactory assurance of being in a state of salvation. He dwelt with much interest on the freeness, riches, and sovereignty of Divine grace; showing how the lively apprehension of the mercy of God in Christ, is the only specific that will melt the heart and draw the soul to God. At the same time he proved that, however admirably adapted the gospel method of salvation is for the restoration of man to the favour and image of God, it owes all its efficacy as an instrument to the mighty agency of the Holy Spirit; and while he constantly insisted on the responsibility of man, he never failed to ascribe the work of conversion to the preventing grace of God. As he advanced in life his preaching became more practical, and he gave greater prominence to the doctrines of Divine influence and effectual grace.

He possessed an extraordinary insight into human character, and was a close student of men as well as books. This enabled him to detect the various refuges of the self-righteous, the hypocrite, and formalist, and to expose the futility of those excuses which men plead for their impenitence and unbelief; for the same reason he often astonished his hearers by the intimate knowledge he evinced of the ways of men in the ordinary affairs of life. Persons following particular professions, could not conjecture how he came to understand what are called the

secrets of trade; for this purpose he mingled freely in society of various kinds, and had both his eye and ear open to observe what was going on.

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He was a great economist of time, and every part of the day was methodically laid out for its appropriate work; he was also strictly punctual to his engagements, and scarcely ever missed a conveyance, or was too late for a service. He possessed an extraordinary faculty of abstraction, and could compose a discourse, and arrange all the leading ideas in his mind, while walking by the way, or even travelling in a stage-coach, with the passengers conversing around him. This made him appear at times absent and taciturn: but the reserve was only apparent, for when his mind was relieved after preaching he was remarkably lively, communicative, and even facetious; yet there was nothing coarse, offensive, or personal, in his occasional sallies of humour. power of abstraction just referred to, united with a most tenacious memory and great self-possession, made him one of the ablest extempore speakers of the present day. He scarcely ever wrote any notes in preparing for the pulpit; yet his language was remarkably correct, and his style plain, copious, and forcible. His discourses were the result of careful study; and so fully were they composed in his mind, that he has been known to write them out after delivery, at the request of his hearers, with scarcely any variation either of sentiment or expression. During the latter period of his ministry, however, he seems to have been conscious of a partial failure of memory, and made considerable use of his manuscript in the pulpit, which, while it served to condense his ideas, and to give greater accuracy to his language, must have added seriously to the amount of his labour.

Dr. Russell was remarkably distinguished for firmness of mind and decision of character. Amidst the changes which were constantly taking place in the religious world around him, he "held on the even tenor of his way," and steadily adhered to the principles of Christian doctrine and Church polity, which, from a careful study of the Scriptures, he had been first led to embrace. In regard to points of inferior moment, he was an advocate for forbearance, and was ready to sacrifice much for the sake of peace; but where he considered the truth of God to be endangered, or the integrity of the gospel likely to be com

promised, he took up his ground at once, and would "give place by subjection" to no man, 66 no, not for an hour." He was no "reed shaken by the wind," but set his face like a flint to oppose prevailing errors; and discovered great tact in exposing the plausible sophistries of those who, under pretence of superior zeal for the interests of religion, were virtually obscuring the glory of the gospel. In this way he set himself vigorously to refute the doctrine of universal pardon, and other novelties of a similar character, though his faithfulness on such occasions sometimes exposed him to the charge of undue severity, and produced a coldness between him and certain advocates of the new systems, whose friendship he otherwise highly valued. For the same reason, though he took no active part in agitating the Voluntary Church controversy, he boldly advocated the scriptural authority of this principle, and gave considerable umbrage to some of his hearers who were attached to the Establishment, and, of course, favourable to the union of Church and State. In the exercise of church discipline, (one of the most delicate and difficult duties of a Congregational pastor,) he was fearless and impartial; and while he allowed to all the right of private judgment, and afforded opportunity to every member of the church to express his opinion, he knew how to check any appearance of factious opposition, and where to draw the line between Christian liberty and lawless anarchy. His singular prudence enabled him to avoid bringing forward crude and hasty measures, which have often laid the foundation of irreconcilable differences between pastors and people, and to maintain an uncommon degree of harmony in a large and influential society, where different elements were combined, and the successful management of which required great caution and extensive knowledge of the world. He was a shrewd observer of passing events, but was slow in expressing his opinion of individual characters, and had a great abhorrence of everything like gossip, backbiting, and evil-speaking.

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made him averse to mingle much with the people in private life, unless where family affliction called him to the duty of pastoral visitation, or where he saw a reasonable prospect of doing good. He was ever ready to advocate the cause of Christian benevolence; and his people, animated by his spirit-stirring appeals, became distinguished for their liberality,

contributing large sums annually to religious and charitable institutions.

In administering consolation to the afflicted, Dr. Russell was peculiarly happy and successful; his own domestic bereavements had led him to seek the abundant consolations of the gospel, and he was thus enabled to avail himself of every topic fitted to soothe and tranquillize the mind of the mourners in Zion, and to "comfort others with the consolation wherewith he himself was comforted of God." The sympathy of Christ, our great High Priest, was a source of peculiar delight to his own mind, and was presented in every variety of light to the consideration of those who were suffering under the chastening rod. In connection with this he dwelt, with much enlargement of soul, on the peculiar causes of the Saviour's sufferings, and displayed a remarkable insight into the character of our Lord, considered in his human nature as the man of sorrows.. This peculiarity strikingly appears in the series of Letters addressed to a Lady, which were originally inserted in the Christian Herald, and formed the foundation of the two volumes of Letters he afterwards published.

His firm confidence in the wisdom and goodness of God in afflictive dispensations, was practically exhibited under the successive bereavements with which it pleased Divine Providence to visit him. Of his numerous family only one survived; some died in infancy, and three daughters were removed in the bloom of youth. On occasion of the death of the youngest, (an amiable and accomplished girl,) he attended public worship before the funeral took place on the sabbath following, and conducted one of the services, preaching with much feeling and composure from those precious words of our Saviour, in John xiv. 27. His only son was mercifully spared to him; and he had the satisfaction of seeing him settled, some years ago, over a Christian church in Glasgow, where he continues to labour with much acceptance and

success.

Though he could not fail to be conscious of his great popularity, and original powers of mind, or be insensible to the marked attentions paid to him by all classes of the community, he retained his simple manners and unassuming deportment to the last. At the meetings of his ministerial brethren, which he punctually attended, he spoke but little, and only when his opinion was called for. At the

same time he took a deep interest in the prosperity of the body, and was always ready to give his advice to neighbouring pastors and churches; and his uncommon sagacity and lengthened experience gave great weight to his suggestions.

It was not without considerable reluctance that he consented to appear as an author, to which step he was urged by his near neighbour and intimate friend, the late Mr. Orme, then of Perth. His first work, which discovers much originality of thought and profound reasoning, was on the state of those dying in infancy, in which he maintains, with great force of argument, the salvation of all dying at that age. This was followed by two volumes of "Letters, Fractical and Consolatory," which have passed through several editions, and which is the best known and most popular of all his writings. Subsequently to these he sent forth two volumes of a more systematic character: the first, "On the Adamic and Christian Dispensations," in which he enters more at large on some of the leading ideas contained in his work on infant salvation, and draws a striking and instructive contrast between the first parent of the human race and the second Adam, the Head of the new creation, founded on the apostle's reasoning in the fifth chapter of the Romans;-the second of these volumes, his treatise "On the Covenants," may be regarded as a continuation of this work, and exhibits a connected and interesting view of the different dispensations which God has been pleased to establish with men: this work deserves to be better known, and is remarkably rich in scriptural illustration. Besides these, Dr. Russell published a Catechism of first principles, for the use of Bible-classes; he also published several occasional sermons, and was a frequent contributor to the pages of the Christian Herald and Congregational Magazine.

Dr. Russell was blessed with a strong and vigorous constitution, and had scarcely ever been laid aside from public duty by sickness during the long period of his ministry; and, though now approaching to the allotted limit of human life, threescore years and ten, his numerous friends were unwilling to anticipate any change of circumstances, but fondly indulged the hope that he might yet be spared for several years of usefulness; but the hope was fallacious, and Divine wisdom had determined otherwise. His last illness was of short duration. He had, for some time previously, complained of a

slight debility in his limbs; to provide against the inconvenience arising from which, his affectionate people, ever alive to whatever might promote his comfort, with great readiness placed a carriage at his disposal. He had also been observed at home to be subject to frequent fits of drowsiness, and on the week before his death, felt rather indisposed. He, however, went through his usual duties on the sabbath, and preached three times with his accustomed energy. In the evening the congregation was very large, and he was more than usually animated. To some friends who had tried to persuade him to give up this service, he replied, that he was unwilling to disappoint his young people-of which class a great proportion of his evening audience consisted; and, in his discourse, made some powerful appeals to the conscience. On returning home he appeared in good spirits, and said his preaching had cured him of his complaints; but, on the following day, he was seized with apoplexy. The more alarming symptoms were subdued by copious bleeding, and the physicians expressed themselves favourably of his recovery. But, on the evening of Thursday, signs of erysipelas appeared in the face, and he sunk rapidly. Still his mental faculties were preserved entire, and, though unable to converse from inflammation of the throat, his mind was calm, and even happy. He seemed pleased with all that was done for him; and to several friends who visited him, and kindly inquired into his state, he intimated his firm reliance on the work of Christ, and his readiness to depart and be with him. He continued sensible to the last. The laborious breathing suddenly ceased; and he expired without a struggle between one and two in the morning of Saturday, the 23rd of September, in the sixty-eighth year of his age.

During the few days that elapsed between the first attack of illness and his death, the utmost solicitude was evinced on his behalf by all classes of the community. The case of Dr. Russell formed, the universal topic of conversation among the inhabitants of Dundee; the door of his house was besieged from morning to night by groups of anxious inquirers, eager to obtain information respecting his complaint; and meetings were held every evening in his own place of worship, attended by upwards of 400 persons, where prayer was offered up to God without ceasing by his sorrowful flock on his behalf. Indeed, no event

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had occurred to produce such a sensation in the populous town of Dundee since the lamented death of Mr. M'Cheyne. But the impression in each case was different. In that of Mr. M'Cheyne, the sympathies of the people were powerfully excited by the sudden removal of their youthful pastor, whose piety and worth were only beginning to be known. In the case of Dr. Russell, the grief felt was like that which fills the breasts of children who have been suddenly bereft of a loved and tender father, whose instructions and counsels they had enjoyed from their infancy, and whose persuasive voice they shall hear no more. removal of such a man is an irreparable loss, not only to his family and flock, but to the whole denomination, and to the Christian church at large. His usefulness, like that of Dr. Chalmers, whom he resembled in some points, was not confined to his own immediate sphere: his piety and talents as a preacher were universally acknowledged, and almost equally appreciated by all denominations. To his mourning widow, who for more than forty years was the constant companion of his joys and sorrows, and who ministered to his comfort with unwearied assiduity to the last, our sincere gratitude and affectionate sympathy are due. To his numerous and attached flock we offer our Christian condolence; their privileges, in being so long favoured with the ministry of such a pastor, have been great, and their loss is proportionably severe may the great Head of the Church preserve them in the enjoyment of peace, and guide them in the choice of a successor! They may be ready to bewail the suddenness of his removal, as depriving them of the benefit of his dying counsels in this important matter, and of his parting blessing; but to himself it must be viewed as an evidence of the Divine goodness. Such an active mind as his would ill have brooked the languor of a slow disease, or the mental debility which is so frequently the concomitant of advancing age, and the Lord in great mercy relieved him of his burden, and took him to himself soon as his work was done. His sun went down without a cloud, and, like the venerable lawgiver of Israel, "his eye was not dim, nor his natural strength abated."

He was interred on Wednesday, the 27th, in the old burying-ground of Dundee, beside the remains of his beloved children; and a monument to his memory is already in course of preparation, on

the site of the unpretending tombstone which he had erected to their memorya spot endeared to him by many tender associations, and which he had been observed frequently to visit of late years for the purpose of devout meditation. About an hundred ministers and friends met in the house, where the funeral-service was conducted by Mr. Tait, of Blairgowrie, and Mr. M'Gavin, of the United Presbyterian Church, Dundee. On the removal of the body several hundreds of the most respectable citizens of Dundee fell into the procession, and, as it moved slowly along, vast multitudes of the inhabitants lined the streets, anxious to catch a parting glance of the remains of the venerable pastor, and the windows on both sides were filled with spectators. No such concourse of people had been witnessed in the city since the time of the Queen's visit; and the unaffected and unbought tribute of sympathy and respect, thus paid by all classes to departed worth, was such as no rank or wealth could have purchased.

In contemplating such an event, we feel" as when a standard-bearer falleth," and are constrained to say, "How are the mighty fallen! Help, Lord, for the godly man ceaseth, for the faithful fail from among the children of men!" May his brethren who survive emulate his zeal, his faithfulness, and diligence in the work of the Lord, and study like him to make full proof of their ministry! May his bereaved people remember him who so long had the rule over them, and so often spoke to them the word of God! may they follow his faith, and consider the end of his conversation--Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, and to-day, and for ever! And may all lay to heart the solemn warning: "Therefore be ye also ready, for in such an hour as ye think not, the Son of man cometh!" W. L.

DECLINE OF THE SPIRIT OF PRAYER.

THERE is another topic which I must not wholly omit, relating to those public exercises we are accustomed to denominate devotional-our meetings for prayer and praise. Why should not services like these be exclusively and altogether those which, by their very title, they assume to be? Why must the voice of the pastor be always heard amidst them, and the fellowship and presence of our great Master be deemed too little to repay an hour's attention, or to collect together