Chapter IV: His Mission to Palestine and the Jews (2)

"Wandering alone, we were quite surprised to find great mounds of
brick, and pottery, and vitrified stones. Andrew at last came
upon beautiful obelisks. Next morning we examined all carefully,
and found two sphinxes and many Egyptian obelisks. How wonderful
to be treading over the ruins of the ancient capital of Egypt!
Isaiah 19:12. 'Where are the princes of Zoan?' Ezek. 30:14, 'God
has set fire in Zoan.' This is the very place where Joseph was
sold as a slave, and where Moses did his wonders, Psalm 78:43.
This was almost the only place where we have been in danger from
the inhabitants. They are a wild race; and our Arabs were afraid
of them. You would have been afraid too, if you had seen, out of
the door of our tent, our Bedouins keeping watch all night with
their naked sabres gleaming in the moonlight, firing off their
guns now and then, and keeping up a low chaunt to keep one
another awake. No evil happened to us, and we feel that many pray
for us, and that God is with us. 24.--This day our journeyings on
camels commenced and continued till we came to Jerusalem. It is a
strange mode of conveyance. You have seen a camel kneeling; it is
in this condition that you mount; suddenly it rises first on its
fore feet, and then on its hind feet. It requires great skill to
hold yourself on during this operation; one time I was thrown
fair over its head, but quite unhurt. When you find yourself
exalted on the hunch of a camel, it is somwhat of the feeling of
an aeronaut, as if you were bidding farewell to sublunary things;
but when he begins to move, with solemn pace and slow, you are
reminded of your terrestrial origin, and that a wrong balance or
turn to the side will soon bring you down from your giddy height.
You have no stirrup, and generally only your bed for your saddle;
you may either sit as on horseback, or as on a sidesaddle,--the
latter is the pleasanter, though not the safer of the two. The
camel goes about three miles an hour, and the step is so long
that the motion is quite peculiar. You bend your head toward your
knees every step. With a vertical sun above and a burning sand
below, you may believe it is a very fatiguing mode of journeying.
However, we thought of Rebecca and Abraham's servant (Gen. 24.),
and listened with delight to the wild Bedouin's plaintive song.
That night (24) we slept at Menagie, a Bedouin mud village:
palm-trees and three wells, and an ocean of sand, formed the only
objects of interest. 25.--Up by sunrise, and proceeded as before.
The only event this day was Dr. Black's fall from his camel,
which greatly alarmed us. He had fallen asleep, which you are
very apt to do. We encamped and used every restorative, so that
we were able to proceed the same evening to Gonatre, a miserable
Arab post, having a governor. Not a tree. 26.--The Sabbath dawned
sweetly; thermometer 92° in tent; could only lie on the mat and
read psalms. Evening.--Gathered governor and Bedouins to hear
some words of eternal life, Ibrahim interpreting. 27.--Two very
long stages brought us to Katieh; thankful to God for his
goodness, while we pitched by the date-trees. 28.--Spent the day
at Katieh; interesting interviews with governor, a kind Arab;
thermometer 96° in tent. Same evening, proceeded through a
greener desert, among flocks of goats and sheep, and encamped by
a well, Bir-el-Abd. 29.--Another hot day in the desert; came in
sight of the sea, which gave us a refreshing breeze; bathed in
the salt lake, as hot as a warm bath. Evening.--Encampment at
Abugilbany. 30.--This was our last day in the Egyptian
wilderness. We entered on a much more mountainous region. The
heat very great; we literally panted for a breath of wind. The
Bedouins begged handkerchiefs to cover their heads, and often
cast themselves under a bush for shade. Towards sunset, we came
down on the old ruins of Rhinoculura, now buried in the sand; and
soon after our camels kneeled down at the gates of El Arish, the
last town on the Egyptian frontier. 31.--We spent in El Arish,
being unable to get fresh camels. We bought a sheep for five
shillings; drank freely of their delightful water,--what a
blessing after the desert! Found out the river of Egypt, the
boundary of Judah mentioned in the Bible, quite dry. _June
1._--Visited the school,--a curiosity: all the children sit
cross-legged on the floor, rocking to and fro, repeating
something in Arabic. We had a curious interview with the
governor, sitting in the gate in the ancient manner. We are quite
expert now at taking off our shoes and sitting in the Eastern
mode. Smoking, and coffee in very small cups, are the constant
accompaniments of these visits. Left the same evening, and did
not reach Sheikh Juidhe, in the land of the Philistines, till the
sun was nearly bursting into view. 2.--Spent a happy Sabbath
here; sung 'In Judah's land God is well known.' Singing praises
in our tents is very sweet, they are so frail, like our mortal
bodies; they rise easily into the ears of our present Father. Our
journey through the land of the Philistines was truly pleasant.
3.--We went through a fine pasture country; immense straths;
flocks of sheep and goats, and asses and camels, often came in
sight. This is the very way up out of Egypt, little changed from
the day that the Ethiopian went on his way rejoicing, and Joseph
and Mary carried down the babe from the anger of Herod. Little
changed, did I say? it is all changed; no more is there one brook
of water. Every river of Egypt,--Wady Gaza, Eshcol, Sorek,--every
brook we crossed, was dried up; not a drop of water. The land is
changed; no more is it the rich land of Philistia. The sand
struggles with the grass for mastery. The cities are
changed,--where are they? The people are changed: no more the
bold Philistines,--no more the children of Simeon,--no more Isaac
and his herdsmen,--no more David and his horsemen; but miserable
Arab shepherds,--simple people, without ideas,--poor degraded,
fearful. Khanounes was the first town we entered: Scripture name
unknown. The burying-ground outside the town. The well, and
people coming to draw, were objects of great interest to us. The
people were highly entertained with us in return. We sat down in
the bazaar, and were a spectacle to all. How much we longed to
have the Arabic tongue, that we might preach the unsearchable
riches of Christ in God's own land! Same evening we heard the cry
of the wolf, and encamped two miles from Gaza. The plague was
raging, so we did not enter, but spent a delightful day in
comparing its condition with God's word concerning it: 'Baldness
is come upon Gaza.' The old city is buried under sand-hills,
without a blade of grass, so that it is bald indeed. The herds
and flocks are innumerable, fulfilling Zeph. 2; Andrew and I
climbed the hill up which Samson carried the gates. 5.--Passed
through a fine olive grove for many miles, and entered the vale
of Eshcol. The people were all in the fields cutting and bringing
in their barley. They reap with the hook as we do. They seem to
carry in at the same time upon camels. No vines in Eshcol now, no
pomegranates, but some green fig-trees. Crossed the brook
Sorek--dry. Spent the mid-day under the embowering shade of a
fig-tree; tasted the apricots of the good land. Same evening we
came to Doulis, which we take to be Eshtaol, where Samson was
born. 6.--We went due east, and, after a mountain pass, saw the
hills of Judah,--an immense plain intervening, all studded with
little towns. From their names, we found out many Bible spots.
This valley or plain is the very vale Zephatha, of which you read
in II Chron. 14., 'In the plain of Sephela.' Before night we
entered among the hills of Judah,--very like our own
Highlands,--and slept all night among the mountains, at a
deserted village called Latroon. 7.--One of the most privileged
days of our life. We broke up our tents by moonlight; soon the
sun was up; we entered a defile of the most romantic character;
wild rocks and verdant hills; wild-flowers of every color and
fragrance scented our path. Sometimes we came upon a clump of
beautiful olive-trees, then wild again. The turtle's voice was
heard in the land, and singing birds of sweetest note. Our camels
carried us up this pass for four hours; and our turbaned Bedouins
added by their strange figures to the scene. The terracing of all
the hills is the most remarkable feature of Judean scenery. Every
foot of the rockiest mountains may in this way be covered with
vines. We thought of Isaiah wandering here, and David and
Solomon. Still all was wilderness. The hand of man had been
actively employed upon every mountain, but where were these
laborers now? Judah is gone into captivity before the enemy.
There are few men left in the land; not a vine is there. 'The
vine languisheth.' We came down upon Garieh, a village embosomed
in figs and pomegranates. Ascending again, we came down into the
valley of Elah, where David slew Goliath. Another long and steep
ascent of a most rugged hill brought us into a strange scene--a
desert of sunburnt rocks. I had read of this, and knew that
Jerusalem was near. I left my camel and went before, hurrying
over the burning rocks. In about half an hour Jerusalem came in
sight. 'How doth the city sit solitary that was full of people!'
Is this the perfection of beauty? 'How hath the Lord covered the
daughter of Zion with a cloud in his anger!' It is, indeed, very
desolate. Read the two first chapters of Lamentations, and you
have a vivid picture of our first sight of Jerusalem. We lighted
off our camels within the Jaffa gate. Among those that crowded
round us, we observed several Jews. I think I had better not
attempt to tell you about Jerusalem. There is so much to
describe, and I know not where to begin. The Consul, Mr. Young,
received us most kindly, provided us a house where we might
spread our mats, and helped us in every way. Mr. Nicolayson
called the same evening, and insisted on our occupying one of the
mission-houses on Mount Zion. The plague is still in Jerusalem,
so that we must keep ourselves in quarantine. The plague only
communicates by contact, so that we are not allowed to touch any
one, or let any one touch us. Every night we heard the mourners
going about the streets with their dismal wailings for the dead.
On Sabbath Mr. Nicolayson read the prayers, and Dr. Black
preached from Isaiah 2:2. Dr. Keith in the evening. Three
converted Jews were among the hearers. On Monday (10) we visited
the sepulchre, and a painful sight, where we can find no traces
of Calvary. Same evening rode up to the Mount of Olives: past
Gethsemane, a most touching spot. Visited Sir Moses Montefiore, a
Jew of London, encamped on Mount Olivet; very kind to us.
11.--Went round the most of the places to be visited near
Jerusalem,--Rephaim, Gihon, Siloa's brook, 'that flowed fast by
the oracle of God;' the Pool of Siloam; the place where Jesus
wept over the city; Bethany,--of all places my favorite; the
tombs of the kings. Such a day we never spent in this world
before. The climate is truly delightful,--hot at mid-day, but
delightful breezes at morn and even. 12.--A business day, getting
information about Jews. In the evening, walked to Aceldama,--a
dreadful spot. Zion is ploughed like a field. I gathered some
barley, and noticed cauliflowers planted in rows. See Micah 3:12.
Jerusalem is indeed heaps. The quantities of rubbish would amaze
you,--in one place higher than the walls. 13.--We went to Hebron,
twenty miles south; Mr. Nicolayson, his son, the Consul and
ladies accompanying us, all on mules and horses, Judah's cities
are all waste. Except Bethlehem, we saw none but ruins till we
reached Hebron. The vines are beautifully cultivated here, and
make it a paradise; The hills all terraced to the top. We spent a
delightful evening and all next day. We met the Jews, and had an
interesting interview with them. We read Genesis 18, and many
other Bible passages, with great joy. Saw the mosque where the
tomb of Abraham and Sarah is. 14.--Returned by Bethlehem to
Jerusalem. Bethlehem is a sweet village, placed on the top of a
rocky hill,--very white and dazzling. You see it on both sides of
the hill. At Rachel's sepulchre you see Jerusalem on one hand and
Bethlehem on the other,--an interesting sight,--six miles apart.
On Sabbath we enjoyed the Lord's Supper in an upper chamber in
Jerusalem. It was a time much to be remembered. Andrew preached
in the evening from John 14:2, 3. 17.--The plague has been
increasing so that we think it better to depart. Last visit to
Gethsemane, and Bethany, and Siloam. Evening.--Took farewell of
all our friends at Jerusalem, with much sorrow you may believe.
Went due north to Ramah, by Gibeon, and slept at Beer, again in
our tent, in Benjamin. 19.--Passed Bethel, where Jacob slept.
Passed through the rich and rocky defile of Ephraim, by Lebonah,
to Sychar. You cannot believe what a delightsome land it is. We
sought anxiously for the well where Jesus sat. Andrew alone found
it, and lost his Bible in it. 20.--Had a most interesting morning
with the Jews of Sychar. Saw many of them; also the Samaritans in
their synagogue. Same evening visited Samaria,--a wonderful
place,--and encamped at Sanor. 21.--Arrived at Carmel, where we
now are, encamped within two yards of the sea. We have been in
quarantine here seven days, as there is no plague north of this.
Several English are encamped here--Lord R., Lord H., etc. We have
daily conversations sitting on the sand. We are not allowed to
touch even the rope of a tent. Acre is in sight across the bay.
We have delightful bathing. To-morrow Lord H. leaves, and kindly
offers to take this. Carmel's rocky brow is over us. We are all
well and happy. On Monday we propose leaving for Tiberias and
Saphet. Soon we shall be in Beyrout, and on our way to Smyrna. Do
not be anxious for me. Trust us to God, who goes with us where we
go. I only pray that our mission may be blessed to Israel. Sir
Moses M. has arrived, and pitched his tent within fifty yards of
us. Kindest regards to all that inquire after me, not forgetting
dear W.--Your affectionate son," etc.

When the two elder brethren of the deputation left us for Europe, we turned southward again from Beyrout, to visit the regions of Phoenicia and Galilee. Never did Mr. M'Cheyne seem more gladsome than in gazing on these regions.

At Tyre, he remembered the request of an elder in the parish of Larbert, who had written to him before his departure, stating what he considered to be a difficulty in the ordinary expositions of the prophecies which speak of that renowned city. With great delight he examined the difficulty on the spot; and it is believed that his testimony on such points as these, when it reached some men of sceptical views in that scene of his early labors, was not unblest.

From Saphet he writes: "I sat looking down upon the lake this morning for about an hour. It was just at our feet,--the very water where Jesus walked, where He called his disciples, where He rebuked the storm, where He said, 'Children, have ye any meat?' after He rose from the dead. Jesus is the same still." To his early and familiar friend, Mr. Somerville, he thus describes the same view: "Oh what a view of the Sea of Galilee is before you, at your feet! It is above three hours' descent to the water's edge, and yet it looks as if you could run down in as many minutes. The lake is much larger than I had imagined. It is hemmed in by mountains on every side, sleeping as calmly and softly as if it had been the sea of glass which John saw in heaven. We tried in vain to follow the course of the Jordan running through it. True, there were clear lines, such as you see in the wake of a vessel, but then these did not go straight through the lake. The hills of Bashan are very high and steep, where they run into the lake. At one point, a man pointed out to us where the tombs in the rocks are, where the demoniacs used to live: and near it the hills were exactly what the Scriptures describe, 'a steep place,' where the swine ran down into the sea. On the north-east of the sea, Hermon rises very grand, intersected with many ravines full of snow."

The day we spent at the lake--at the very water-side--was ever memorable, it was so peculiarly sweet! We left an indescribable interest even in lifting a shell from the shore of a sea where Jesus had so often walked. It was here that two of the beautiful hymns in _The Songs of Zion_ were suggested to him. The one was, _How pleasant to me_, etc.; the other, _To yonder side_; but the latter lay beside him unfinished till a later period.

His complaint was now considerably abated; his strength seemed returning: and often did he long to be among his people again, though quieting his soul upon the Lord. Not a few pastors of another church have from time to time come forth to this land, compelled by disease to seek for health in foreign regions; but how rarely do we find the pastor's heart retained,--how rarely do we discover that the shepherd yearns still over the flock he left! But so deep was Mr. M'Cheyne's feelings toward the flock over which the Holy Ghost had made him overseer, that his concern for them became a temptation to his soul. It was not in the mere desire to preach again that he manifested this concern; for this desire might have been selfish, as he said: "No doubt there is pride in this anxiety to preach; a submissive soul would rejoice only in doing the present will of God." But his prayers for them went up daily to the throne. We had precious seasons of united prayer also for that same end,--especially one morning at sunrise in Gethsemane, and another morning at Carmel, where we joined in supplication on the silent shore at the foot of the hill as soon as day dawned, and then again, at evening, on the top, where Elijah prayed.

Distance of place of peculiarities of circumstance never altered his views of duty, nor changed his feelings as a minister of Christ. In Galilee he meditated upon the aspect of ecclesiastical affairs in our beloved Scotland; and the principles he had maintained appeared to him as plainly accordant with the word of God when tried there, apart from excitement, as they did when he reviewed them in connection with their effects at home. "I hope," were his words to a brother in the ministry, "I hope the church has been well guided and blessed; and if times of difficulty are to come, I do believe there is no position so proper for her to be in as the attitude of a missionary church, giving freely to Jew and Gentile, as she has freely received,--so may she be found when the Lord comes."

At the foot of Lebanon, in the town of Beyrout, he was able to expound a chapter (Acts 10.) at a prayer-meeting of the American brethren. This quite rejoiced his heart; for it seemed as if the Lord were restoring him, and meant again to use him in preaching the glad tidings. But shortly after, during the oppressive heat of the afternoon, he felt himself unwell. He had paid a visit to a young man from Glasgow in the town, who was ill of fever; and it is not unlikely that this visit, at a time when he was in a state of debility from previous fatigue, was the immediate occasion of his own illness. He was very soon prostrated under the fever. But his medical attendant apprehended no danger, and advised him to proceed to Smyrna, in the belief that the cool air of the sea would be much more in his favor than the sultry heat of Beyrout. Accordingly, in company with our faithful Hebrew friend Erasmus Calman, we embarked; but as we lay off Cyprus, the fever increased to such a height, that he lost his memory for some hours, and was racked with excessive pain in his head. When the vessel sailed, he revived considerably, but during three days no medical aid could be obtained. He scarcely ever spoke; and only once did he for a moment, on a Saturday night, lift his languid eye, as he lay on deck enjoying the breeze, to catch a distant sight of Patmos. We watched him with agonizing anxiety till we reached Smyrna and the village of Bouja. Though three miles off, yet, for the sake of medical aid, he rode to this village upon a mule after sunset, ready to drop every moment with pain and burning fever. But here the Lord had prepared for him the best and kindest help. The tender and parental care of Mr. and Mrs. Lewis, in whose house he found a home, was never mentioned by him but with deepest gratitude; and the sight of the flowering jessamine, or the mention of the deep-green cypress, would invariably call up in his mind associations of Bouja and its inmates. He used to say it was his second birth-place.

During that time, like most of God's people who have been in sickness, he felt that a single passage of the word of God was more truly food to his fainting soul than anything besides. One day his spirit revived, and his eye glistened, when I spoke of the Saviour's sympathy, adducing as the very words of Jesus, Psalm 41:1: "_Blessed is he that considereth the poor: the Lord will deliver him in time of trouble,_" etc. It seemed so applicable to his own case, as a minister of the glad tidings; for often had he "considered the poor," carrying a cup of cold water to a disciple. Another passage, written for the children of God in their distress, was spoken to him when he seemed nearly insensible: "_Call upon me in the day of trouble._" This word of God was as the drop of honey to Jonathan.

He himself thus spoke of his illness to his friends at home: "I left the foot of Lebanon when I could hardly see, or hear, or speak, or remember; I felt my faculties going, one by one, and I had every reason to expect that I would soon be with my God. It is a sore trial to be alone and dying in a foreign land, and it has made me feel, in a way that I never knew before, the necessity of having unfeigned faith in Jesus and in God. Sentiments, natural feelings, glowing fancies of divine things, will not support the soul in such an hour. There is much self-delusion in our estimation of ourselves when we are untried, and in the midst of Christian friends, whose warm feelings give a glow to ours, which they do not possess in themselves." Even then he had his people in his heart. "When I got better, I used to creep out in the evenings about sunset. I often remembered you all then. I could not write, as my eyes and head were much affected; I could read but very little; I could speak very little, for I had hardly any voice; and so I had all my time to lay my people before God, and pray for a blessing on them. About the last evening I was there, we all went to the vintage, and I joined in gathering the grapes." To Mr. Somerville he wrote: "My mind was very weak when I was at the worst, and therefore the things of eternity were often dim. _I had no fear to die, for Christ had died._ Still I prayed for recovery, if it was the Lord's will. You remember you told me to be humble among your last advices. You see God is teaching me the same thing. I fear I am not thoroughly humbled. I feel the pride of my heart, and bewail it." To his kind medical friend, Dr. Gibson, in Dundee, he wrote: "I really believed that my Master had called me home, and that I would sleep beneath the dark-green cypresses of Bouja till the Lord shall come, and they that sleep in Jesus come with Him; and my most earnest prayer was for my dear flock, that God would give them a pastor after his own heart."

When we met, after an eight days' separation, on board the vessel at Constantinople, he mentioned as one of the most interesting incidents of the week, that one evening, while walking with Mr. Lewis, they met a young Greek and his wife, both of whom were believed to be really converted souls. It created a thrill in his bosom to meet with these almost solitary representatives of the once faithful and much tried native church of Smyrna.

Meanwhile there were movements at home that proved the Lord to be He who "alone doeth wondrous things." The cry of his servant in Asia was not forgotten; the eye of the Lord turned towards his people. It was during the time of Mr. M'Cheyne's sore sickness that his flock in Dundee were receiving blessing from the opened windows of heaven. Their pastor was lying at the gate of death, in utter helplessness. But the Lord had done this on very purpose; for He meant to show that He needed not the help of any: He could send forth new laborers, and work by new instruments, when it pleased Him. We little knew that during the days when we were waiting at the foot of Lebanon for a vessel to carry us to Smyrna, the arm of the Lord had begun to be revealed in Scotland. On the 23d of July the great Revival at Kilsyth took place.

Mr. W.C. Burns, the same who was supplying Mr. M'Cheyne's place in his absence, was on that day preaching to his father's flock; and while pressing upon them immediate acceptance of Christ with deep solemnity, the whole of the vast assembly were overpowered. The Holy Spirit seemed to come down as a rushing mighty wind, and to fill the place. Very many were that day struck to the heart; the sanctuary was filled with distressed and inquiring souls. All Scotland heard the glad news that the sky was no longer as brass,--that the rain had begun to fall. The Spirit in mighty power began to work from that day forward in many places of the land.

Mr. Burns returned to Mr. M'Cheyne's flock on August 8th,--one of the days when Mr. M'Cheyne was stretched on his bed, praying for his people under all his own suffering. The news of the work at Kilsyth had produced a deep impression in Dundee; and two days after, the Spirit began to work in St. Peter's, at the time of the prayer-meeting in the church, in a way similar to Kilsyth. Day after day the people met for prayer and hearing the word; and the times of the apostles seemed returned, when "the Lord added to the church daily of such as should be saved." All this time, Mr. M'Cheyne knew not how gracious the Lord had been in giving him his heart's desire. It was not till we were within sight of home that the glad news of these Revivals reached our ears. But he continued, like Epaphras, "laboring fervently in prayer," and sought daily to prepare himself for a more efficient discharge of his office, should the Lord restore him to it again. He sends home this message to a fellow-laborer: "Do not forget to carry on the work in hearts brought to a Saviour. I feel this was one of my faults in the ministry. Nourish babes; comfort downcast believers; counsel those perplexed; perfect that which is lacking in their faith. Prepare them for sore trials. I fear most Christians are quite unready for days of darkness."--(_Mr. Moody Stuart_.)

Our journey led us through Moldavia, Wallachia, and Austria,--lands of darkness and of the shadow of death. Profound strangers to the truth as it is in Jesus, the people of these lands, nevertheless, profess to be Christians. Superstition and its idolatries veil the glorious object of faith from every eye. In these regions, as well as in those already traversed. Mr. M'Cheyne's anxiety for souls appeared in the efforts he made to leave at least a few words of Scripture with the Jews whom we met, however short the time of our interview. His spirit was stirred in him; and, with his Hebrew Bible in his hand, he would walk up thoughtfully and solemnly to the first Jew he could get access to, and begin by calling the man's attention to some statement of God's word. In Palestine, if the Jew did not understand Italian, he would repeat to him such texts in Hebrew as, "In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David," etc. (Zech. 13:1.) And one evening, at the well of Doulis, when the Arab population were all clustered round the water troughs, he looked on very wistfully, and said, "If only we had Arabic, we might sow beside all waters!"

At Jassy, after a deeply interesting day, spent in conversation with Jews who came to the inn, he said, "I will remember the faces of those men at the judgment-seat." When he came among the more educated Jews of Europe, he rejoiced to find that they could converse with him in Latin. His heart was bent on doing what he could (Mark 14:8), in season and out of season. "One thing," he writes, "I am deeply convinced of, that God can make the simplest statement of the gospel effectual to save souls. If only it be the true gospel, the good tidings, the message that God loved the world, and provided a ransom free to all, then God is able to make it wound the heart, and heal it too. There is deep meaning in the words of Paul, 'I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ.'"

The abominations of Popery witnessed in Austrian Poland, called forth many a prayer for the destruction of the Man of Sin. "The images and idols by the wayside are actually frightful, stamping the whole land as a kingdom of darkness. I do believe that a journey through Austria would go far to cure some of the Popery-admirers of our beloved land." He adds: "These are the marks of the beast upon this land." And in like manner our privileges in Scotland used to appear to him the more precious, when, as at Brody, we heard of Protestants who were supplied with sermon only once a year. "I must tell this to my people," said he, "when I return, to make them prize their many seasons of grace."

He estimated the importance of a town or country by its relation to the house of Israel; and his yearnings over these lost sheep resembled his bowels of compassion for his flock at home. At Tarnapol, in Galicia, he wrote home: "We are in Tarnapol, a very nice clean town, prettily situated on a winding stream, with wooded hills around. I suppose you never heard its name before; neither did I till we were there among Jews. I know not whether it has been the birth-place of warriors, or poets, or orators; its flowers have hitherto been born to blush unseen, at least by us barbarians of the north; but if God revive the dry bones of Israel that are scattered over the world, there will arise from this place an exceeding great army."

Our friend and brother in the faith, Erasmus Calman, lightened the tediousness of a long day's journey by repeating to us some Hebrew poetry. One piece was on Israel's present state of degradation; it began--

[Hebrew:
tsuri goali
maheir v'chish p'dut ]

As the vehicle drove along, we translated it line by line, and soon after Mr. M'Cheyne put it into verse. The following lines are a part:--

Rock and Refuge of my soul,
Swiftly let the season roll,
When thine Israel shall arise
Lovely in the nations' eyes!

Lord of glory, Lord of might,
As our ransomed fathers tell;
Once more for thy people fight,
Plead for thy loved Israel.
Give our spoilers' towers to be
Waste and desolate as we.

Hasten, Lord, the joyful year,
When thy Zion, tempest-tossed,
Shall the silver trumpet hear:
Bring glad tidings to the lost!
Captive, cast thy cords from thee,
Loose thy neck--be free--be free!

Why dost Thou behold our sadness?
See the proud have torn away
All our years of solemn gladness,
When thy flock kept holy-day!
Lord, thy fruitful vine is bare,
Not one gleaning grape is there!

Rock and Refuge of my soul,
Swiftly let the season roll,
When thine Israel shall be,
Once again, beloved and free.

In his notes, he has one or two subjects marked for hymns. One of these is--Isaiah 2:3--"Come ye," etc., _a loving call to the Jews_. Another is to the same effect--Isaiah 1:15--"Come, let us reason together." But these he never completed. In Cracow, having heard of the death of a friend, the wife of an English clergyman, in the midst of her days and in the full promise of usefulness, he began to pen a few sweet lines of comfort:

Oft as she taught the little maids of France
To leave the garland, castanet, and dance,
And listen to the words which she would say
About the crowns that never fade away,
A new expression kindled in her eye,
A holy brightness, borrowed from the sky.
And when returning to her native land,
She bowed beneath a Father's chast'ning hand,
When the quick pulse and flush upon the cheek,
A touching warning to her friends would speak,
A holy cheerfulness yet filled her eye,
Willing she was to live, willing to die.
As the good Shunammite (the Scriptures tell),
When her son died, said meekly, "It is well,"
So when Sophia lost her infant boy,
And felt how dear-bought is a mother's joy,
When with green turf the little grave she spread,
"Not lost, but gone before," she meekly said.
And now they sleep together 'neath the willow
The same dew drops upon their silent pillow.
Return, O mourner, from this double grave,
And praise the God who all her graces gave.
Follow her faith, and let her mantle be
A cloak of holy zeal to cover thee.

The danger which he incurred from the shepherds in this region, and other similar perils to which he was exposed in company with others, have been recorded in the _Narrative_. Out of them all the Lord delivered him; and not from these perils only did He save him, but from many severe trials to his health, to which variety of climate and discomforts of accommodation subjected him. And now we were traversing Prussia, drawing nearer our own land. It was about five months since we had received letters from Scotland, our route having led us away from places which we had anticipated visiting, and where communications had been left for us. We pressed homeward somewhat anxiously, yet wondering often at past mercies. In a letter from Berlin, Mr. M'Cheyne remarked, "Our heavenly Father has brought us through so many trials and dangers that I feel persuaded He will yet carry us to the end. Like John, we shall fulfil our course. 'Are there not twelve hours in the day?' Are we not all immortal till our work is done?" His strength was rapidly increasing; the journey had answered the ends anticipated to a great extent, in his restoration to health. He was able to preach at Hamburgh to the English congregation of Mr. Rheder, from whom it was that the first hint of a Revival in Dundee reached his ears. He heard just so much both of Kilsyth and Dundee as to make him long to hear more. A few days after, on board the vessel that conveyed us to England, he thus expressed his feelings:--

"Sailing up the Thames, _Nov. 6, 1839._

"MY DEAR FATHER AND MOTHER,--You will be glad to see by the date
that we are once more in sight of the shores of happy England. I
only wish I knew how you all are. I have not heard of you since I
was in Smyrna. In vain did I inquire for letters from you at
Cracow, Berlin, and Hamburgh. You must have written to Warsaw,
and the Resident there has not returned them to Berlin, as we
desired. Andrew and I and Mr. Calman are all quite well, and
thankful to God, who has brought us through every danger in so
many countries. I trust our course has not been altogether
fruitless, and that we may now resign our commission with some
hope of good issuing from it to the church and to Israel. I
preached last Sabbath in Hamburgh, for the first time since
leaving England, and felt nothing the worse of it; so that I do
hope it is my heavenly Father's will to restore me to usefulness
again among my beloved flock. We have heard something of a
reviving work at Kilsyth. We saw it noticed in one of the
newspapers. I also saw the name of Dundee associated with it; so
that I earnestly hope good has been doing in our church, and the
dew from on high watering our parishes, and that the flocks
whose pastors have been wandering may also have shared in the
blessing. We are quite ignorant of the facts, and you may believe
we are anxious to hear.... We are now passing Woolwich, and in an
hour will be in London. We are anxious to be home, but I suppose
will not get away till next week. I never thought to have seen
you again in this world, but now I hope to meet you once more in
peace.--Believe me, your affectionate son," etc.

The day we arrived on the shores of our own land was indeed a singular day. We were intensely anxious to hear of events that had occurred at home a few months before,--the outpouring of the Spirit from on high,--while our friends were intensely interested in hearing tidings of the land of Israel and the scattered tribes. The reception of deputation on their return, and the fruits of their mission, are well known, and have been elsewhere recorded.

Mr. M'Cheyne listened with deepest interest to the accounts given of what had taken place in Dundee during the month of August, when he lay at the gates of death in Bouja. The Lord had indeed fulfilled his hopes, and answered his prayers. His assistant, Mr. Burns, had been honored of God to open the floodgate at Dundee as well as at Kilsyth. For some time before, Mr. Burns had seen symptoms of deeper attention than usual, and of real anxiety in some that had hitherto been careless. But it was after his return from Kilsyth that the people began to melt before the Lord. On Thursday, the second day after his return, at the close of the usual evening prayer-meeting in St. Peter's, and when the minds of many were deeply solemnized by the tidings which had reached them, he spoke a few words about what had for some days detained him from them, and invited those to remain who felt the need of an outpouring of the Spirit to convert them. About a hundred remained; and at the conclusion of a solemn address to these anxious souls, suddenly the power of God seemed to descend, and all were bathed in tears. At a similar meeting next evening, in the church, there was much melting of heart and intense desire after the Beloved of the Father; and on adjourning to the vestry, the arm of the Lord was revealed. No sooner was the vestry-door opened to admit those who might feel anxious to converse, than a vast number pressed in with awful eagerness. It was like a pent-up flood breaking forth; tears were streaming from the eyes of many, and some fell on the ground groaning, and weeping, and crying for mercy. Onward from that evening, meetings were held every day for many weeks, and the extraordinary nature of the work justified and called for extraordinary services. The whole town was moved. Many believers doubted; the ungodly raged; but the word of God grew mightily and prevailed. Instances occured where whole families were affected at once, and each could be found mourning apart, affording a specimen of the times spoken of by Zechariah (12:12). Mr. Baxter of Hilltown, Mr. Hamilton, then assistant at Abernyte, and other men of God in the vicinity, hastened to aid in the work. Mr. Roxburgh of St. John's, and Mr. Lewis of St. David's, examined the work impartially and judiciously, and testified it to be of God. Dr. M'Donald of Ferintosh, a man of God well experienced in Revivals, came to the spot and put to his seal also, and continued in town, preaching in St. David's Church to the anxious multitudes, during ten days. How many of those who were thus awfully awakened were really brought to the truth, it was impossible to ascertain. When Mr. M'Cheyne arrived, drop after drop was still failing from the clouds.

Such in substance were the accounts he heard before he reached Dundee. They were such as made his heart rejoice. He had no envy at another instrument having been so honored in the place where he himself had labored with many tears and temptations. In true Christian magnanimity, he rejoiced that the work of the Lord was done, by whatever hand. Full of praise and wonder, he set his foot once more on the shore of Dundee.