true and undefiled religion, are, at an early period, fown, by the care which in every fchool is employed to inftruct the teachable mind in the Affembly's Catechifm. Hence the capacity to read, and acquaintance with the fundamental principles of the Chriftian faith, are, in the Lowlands efpecially, almoft univerfal. The writer of this paper, who fpent the first thirty years of his life among the people of whom he speaks, can with confidence affirm, that, from Tweedfide to the banks of the Dee, he never met with man or woman who could not read the Bible, and but with few men who could not write. The influence of this inftruction is, what might be expected, namely, that the working claffes of the people, especially in the country, are, perhaps, the beft informed, the moft induftrious, and regular in their station, in the world. On the Lord's day you fee the whole village in their beft apparel, clean and whole, devoutly attending the worship of God; and employing the evenings in inftructing their children, which is claffed with the cuftomary exercife of family devotion. To loiter at home on the Sabbath, to dig in their gardens, to be found in an alehouse, to meet in companies for cocking or cricket, are indecencies scarcely known in the country; disorders that would entail difgrace on the offender, and make him fhunned by all his neighbours. So convinced was the late Legislature in Ireland, of the usefulness of these schools to enlighten and civilize the people; to enable them duly to appreciate the privileges of the conftitution, and form the mind to habits of fubordination to regular government; that, at the close of the rebellion, leave was readily given to bring in a bill for eftablishing parochial fchools, all over the country, fimilar to thofe in North Britain.

It was by the early inftruction afforded him in one of thefe little feminaries, that Mr. Bell's mind was firft opened to the entrance of knowledge and the feelings of true religion. The rafhnefs infeparable from inexperience, and the rifings of a depraved heart, by which we are led astray from the womb, were in him, at an early period, checked by the unwearied care of a mother of fingular piety and prudence. Long after her death (for both his parents died while he was young) and, indeed, to the clofe of his own life, he used to Ipeak of his fingular obligations to the care and corrections of his mother. Her chaftifements were deliberate and folemn; they were fometimes preceded by prayer to God, and always accompanied with grave and heart-felt expoftulations with her fon. The blefling of God fo powerfully

attended

attended them, that, as he expreffed it to a brother minifter, "he never needed to be twice corrected for the fame fault." The good man, indeed, feems to have thought, that while his young mind was thus paffing under the maternal rod, God was bringing him under the bond of the covenant: for he gave many pleafing evidences of true religion even at that time of day.

After the death of his mother, he supported himself, child only as he was, by teaching, fometimes in a private family, and fometimes in a public fchool. While thus employed in a farmer's house, near Hexham, he, with the farmer and others, was carried out of the house by, and forced to join, the rioters in the noted oppofition which was made in that town to the enrolling of the militia. Here he was expofed to imminent danger from the fire of the military. He found means, however, to break away from the mob, and take shelter in a friend's houfe, till after feveral having fallen and more being wounded, the people were dispersed, and be reached his home in fafety.

Having attained, by much induftry, the knowledge of the Latin tongue, and fome acquaintance with the Greek, he entered himself a ftudent in the Univerfity of Edinburgh, and attended the courfe of education cuftomary with thofe who mean to devote themselves to the miniftry of the Gofpel. The knowledge of the original languages in which the oracles of God were firft given to men, he highly valued, and deemed it indeed almoft indifpenfably neceffary in every Christian -divine. By clofe application, accordingly, while at College, and through the whole of his fubfequent life, he arrived at great proficiency in both; but especially in the Hebrew. Its peculiar ftructure he well understood. Its fimplicity, energy, and majestic boldnefs, he exquifitely relifhed. He wrote a very full grammar of the language for his own private use.

After due enquiry, by the Affociate Prefbytery of Edinburgh, into his natural capacity, his claffical attainments, and the teftimonials of perfonal religion, brought from the church of which he was a member, he was admitted to the study of divinity, under the care of the Rev. John Brown, of Haddington. There, for the fpace of five years, he bent his unwearied attention to the mystery of godliness, and ftored his mind with large meafures of theological truth. At the close of this period he underwent, according to the laudable regulations of the Scottish Church, a fecond exa mination into his views of divine truth, his aptnefs to teach,

and

and the power of religion on his own heart; and was licensed to preach the Gofpel, and give to the churches evidence of the gifts and fitness to be called to the paftoral office. Few young men, on their first appearance, ever difcovered greater diffidence; but the hearers, whose penetrating minds go beneath the surface, foon difcerned in him a treature of good fenfe and intimate acquaintance with the Gofpel. Many hearers of this capacity were found in the infant and rifing congregation at Wooler. The people there united accordingly, a thort time after his licence, in harmoniously and affectionately calling him, through the medium of the Prefbytery, to be their minifter. The congregation was fmall, and the ftipend which they engaged to give, very moderate. But the people thirfted for the water of life; their love to him was great, for his work's fake; they were of an humble and teachable fpirit; the retired fituation fuited his love of ftudy; the plainnefs of their manners accorded with the guilelefs fimplicity of his own heart; and as he fought not great things for himself, he cordially acquiefced in the invitation, and had growing reafons every year to be well fatisfied with his choice.

His fermons were truly evangelical. Chrift crucified, the. foundation of the finner's hope; Chrift on the throne, the lawgiver of the redeemed; Chrift by his word and Spirit in the heart, the believer's life; Chrift in glory, the elevating objects of the faint's expectation and defire-thefe, and the fubjects connected with them, in the plan of redemption, were his loved and chofen themes. His manner of preaching was impreffive and interefting; for he firmly believed the truth and felt the importance of the fentiments he published ; and their clofe connexion with a life of piety and probity here, and with that high state of action and enjoyment to which, by the Gospel, we are called. But artlefs fimplicity was what chiefly diftinguithed him. In fimplicity and godly fincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God, he had his converfation. He spoke the word of God in found fpeech that could not be condemned. Of fin- cerity, as of God, in the fight of God, fpake he in Chrift. His hearers often could not fee the preacher for his fermon. He was the peacemaker of the village-the candour and liberality of his mind were exemplary. He loved the diligent and faithful minifters of Chrift, to whatever divifion in the great family of the vifible church they belonged. He lived in habits of focial and ufeful friendship with all his neighbours, the Roman Catholics not excepted. When a number

number of refugees, of that denomination, came, fome few years ago, to refide in Wooler, he folemnly charged his people, from the pulpit, to behave to them with civility and kindness, and to abftain from every thing that might be conftrued to harthness and severity. This generous conduct was the more honourable to him, as he was in danger of greatly difpleafing the people by it; fo ftrong for a while was the popular odium against the new comers. But he put his peace and reputation in his hand, or rather left them with God; and calmly followed the notices which his mind, enlightened and mellowed by the fpirit of Chriftianity, gave him of his duty. As the natural effect of fuch candour he enjoyed the favour and friendship of the difcerning and the good, equally in the Establishment and among Diffenters.

By diligent application, he stored his mind with much use ful knowledge. His library, at his death, confifted of 720 well chofen volumes. But in his preaching there was no oftentatious difplay of his erudition. Strangers, after hearing him, would go away, faying, "That man knows nothing but Chrift, and him crucified."

Knowing the advantages of a well cultivated mind, he was greatly concerned to promote general, and especially reli-, gious knowledge, among his people. He entered fully into the views of the humane Dr. Charters, who, in his excellent fermon before the Society for propagating Chriftian knowledge in Scotland, fpeaking of the various methods of giving alms, fays, "A little money may be usefully laid out on well chofen books for lending to the poor. The poor have leifure hours; they can read, and fome of them love reading; but they cannot purchase books, and may fall on improper ones. By being properly fupplied they efcape the temptation to idleness, and vain thoughts, and foolish talking; their minds are improved, and their converfation furnished. A minifter of religion might in this way follow out the miniftry of advice, and reproof, and comfort. Parish libraries would be an ufeful inftitution. Reading forms the mind. The influence of books at the Reformation was mighty, and is at all times great. In the dawn of knowledge, it was an object with Leighton and others, to furnish the clergy with books. By private and circulating libraries the middle ranks are now furnished. By a parish library, knowledge would defcend. Under a minifter's direction poisonous books would be excluded and good ones chofen, fuited to the young, the thoughtlefs, the bufy, the fick, the mourner, the melancholy, the aged. An appetite for conVOL. IX. troverfy

X

troverfy will fubfide when better food is provided. The expence of fuch a plan, if properly explained and recommended, would perhaps be furnished in fome parishes by heritors, or well difpofed individuals. Religious ladies who minifter kindly and liberally to the bodily wants and diseases of the poor, would minifter with equal kindness and liberality to the wants and diseases of their fouls. Minifters and others might thence be excited to write practical treatises fuited to the times. The Puritans who excel in this kind of writing, new modelled antiquated books, and adapted religious inftruction to their own day. Since they wrote a century has elapfed. Knowledge is increased. Language and tafte, and manners, and circumftances, both private and national, have, undergone a change. By adapting religious instruction, in fermons and books, to actual circumftances, mankind are prepared for the reign of Chrift." Following up these folid and liberal thoughts, Mr. Bell formed a public library at Wooler, of well chofen books, the growing good effects of which he lived to fee, and was much gratified with. In his wil he has left a certain proportion of his own books to this library.

When the propofal of forming the Miffionary Society for fending the Gofpel to the Heathen, was published, he entered into it with all his heart. He was twice chofen in the Direction, and employed his counfels, prayers and contributions, in promoting its pious and interefting object. About the same time he published in this Magazine an ingenious effay" on the Downfal of Antichrift," a fubject for which his mind was well fitted, having for many years made the prophecies both of the Old and New Teftament his particular study.

The tenderness of his confcience was exquifite. When a young man, he had once, through a fnare laid for him, been overcome by ftrong drink. This lay fo heavy on his mind, that years afterwards he mourned over it with tears, to a Chriftian friend, under a sense of the dishonour thereby done to God, and apprehenfion of its becoming a ftumbling block in the way of others.

As he had lived fo he died; manifefting the fame childlike fimplicity; having a good hope through grace; calmly and placidly acquiefcing in the divine will, with no appearance of being in the leaft fhaken in mind. He had, indeed, been long prepared for the change, and knew too well the grace and power of Him in whom he believed, to be much

* Magazine for February and March, 1796.