139 seems an unhappy imitation of an elegant paraphrase in the spectator." The paraphrase alluded to is "Hymn I," at the end of our collection, "When all thy mercies, O my God;" and as a very small specimen of the imitation, we quote the last verse:

"Therefore in life I'll trust to thee,

In death I will adore ;

And after death will sing thy praise,
When time shall be no more."

Probably the circumstance here noticed may have led to the idea of inserting the hymn of Addison's at the end of the collection; but the right of this and the other four hymns to appear there at all has been justly questioned.

Dr. Morrison is the author of paraphrases 19th, 21st, 28th, 29th, 30th, and 35th, which rank among the best in our collection. He was for eighteen years minister of Canisbay in the county of Caithness; having been ordained there in 1780, and died in 1798. He was an excellent classical scholar, and a highly eloquent and accomplished preacher. Of the 24 specimens of his in this MS. collection, four are with very slight alterations the same as in our printed collection. Of the rest, one is a curious paraphrase of Ecclesiastes xii.; but a single stanza may shew that it has not proved a success

ful effort.

"And when the grinding sound is low,
His tongue withholds its wonted flow,

Before the crowing of the cock

He feels his joyless slumbers broke,
Which mirth and morning says are vain
To charm away the sense of pain.”

Of the alterations-certainly to the betterwhich were made on most of the pieces furnished to the Committee, an idea may be formed from a comparison of the following stanzas of Paraphrase 39th, with those in our printed collection.

""Twas on that night when doom'd to know
The eager rage of every foe,

The Lord of Life embraced a fiend
In semblance of a courteous friend.
That night in which he was betray'd,
The Son and Sent of God took bread,
And after thanks and glory given
To him that rules in earth and heaven,
The symbol of his flesh he broke,
And thus to all his followers spoke:
While goodness on his bosom glowed,
And from his lips salvation flow'd.

This MS. volume contains only a part of the articles furnished to the Committee; but from the specimens here given, we may draw the very wellfounded inference, that the Committee made the very best use of their materials, and that nothing remains in the shape of MS. communications, whether original or extracted, from which any thing of real value could be made in the shape of additions to our existing collection. Nevertheless, many beautiful paraphrases and hymns have been

given to the world since 1781, and there is no reason why from these, altered and improved, very edifying additions may not be made for the delight and improvement of Christian congregations.*

On the subject of the Roman Catholic claims, Dr. Macgill held a most decided and conscientious conviction; and the reasons of that conviction he hesitated not on befitting occasions to assign, in all the church courts.

At the same time, he held his

views on the subject without one particle of intolerance or of bigotry; as the following letter to a much-esteemed friend who differed from him on the subject will shew:

-

"DEAR SIR, I have received your letter. Were the question respecting toleration, I am persuaded we would not materially differ. Every man ought to be permitted to worship God according to his conscience, while his worship is not inconsistent with the peace and order of society. For there may be acts and courses connected with the opinions and ceremonies of some men's religion, which may be, as they have been, and in some places are, inconsistent with order, humanity, and even common decency. But the question respect

* The fullest and most authentic information on the subject of the Paraphrases, will be found in an article by the Rev. Robert Jamieson of Currie in the January No. of the Scottish Christian Herald, 1841. Some additional information may also be found in an article on the same subject in the No. of the Edinburgh Christian Instructor for January 1827.

ing toleration has no connexion with the claims of the Catholics. They enjoy the exercise of their religion without restraint, and in its exercise are not only undisturbed, but protected. The question is whether they shall be admitted to the highest offices of power and authority and trust in the country. This seems to me to be a very grave and weighty matter, which ought to be seriously weighed and well considered. It is too much the case with all parties to accuse each other of bigotry and intolerance; and the manner in which this subject has been argued, manifests fully as little liberality and allowance for a difference of opinion on the one side, to say the least, as on the other. I am one of those who think that the Catholics should have granted to them every claim which can be granted consistently with the integrity of the state, and security of our liberties, and our best privileges and rights. But when I consider the nature of their principles and spirit, and how they are subjected to a hierarchy which is under the influence of a foreigner in many respects hostile to our interests; and the subjection of the consciences of the people to an artful and intriguing clergy,when I consider their hostility to the rights of private judgment, and the means which they have employed when they had the power to reduce such as had departed from their church, under its jurisdiction, when I consider their hostility to protestant interests, and the desire which they must feel to injure or to overturn our religion, and to plant

if possible their own upon its ruins,-when I recur to the page of history, and observe how popish ministers have conspired for this purpose against their native country, have received pensions from a foreign power, and engaged the nation in war with their best and most natural allies, in order to accomplish their design: when I consider all these things, I confess that I think there is much hazard in committing to persons of such principles and such a general character, the great powers and government of this country. Neither do I think it decent or safe that Roman Catholics should enjoy the patronage of our churches and our colleges. Nor do I think it unnatural that men should hesitate in committing those branches of the judicial power, in which questions connected with the support, maintenance, and influence of religion are concerned, into the hands of persons who are not merely indifferent, but inimical to its interests. If I know myself, I am not actuated on this subject by any hostile or party spirit. But as I am deeply impressed with the great importance of those privileges and blessings which we enjoy, not only to ourselves, but even to the general interests of men, it is not an instance of an intolerant spirit to pause when a proposition is made, which seems to me to put these important interests in hazard. This is the conduct of prudence, not of bigotry. Even to injure such interests, or to produce that dissension and civil discord, which attempts at injuring them may produce, is a serious matter. The right