Mr BARCLAY was born in 1734. His father, Mr Lodovic Barclay, who was a farmer in the parish of Muthill in Perthshire, at an early period designed his son for the ministry, and accordingly gave him a classical education.

On the 27th September 1759, Mr Barclay was licensed by the Presbytery of Auchterarder, as a preacher of the Church of Scotland; and was soon after engaged by Mr Jobson, then minister of Errol, to be his assistant. In this situation he remained for several years.

It was here that he began to study the Scriptures in their connection. To this he was induced by the violent disputes that were going on at that time between professing Christians of different denominations. He had not long prosecuted this course of enquiry, until, by the grace of God, he was made not only to perceive, that the doctrines of all these sects were contrary to Scripture, but that even he himself had been led by the opinions of men, to entertain notions of divine truth, which the Scriptures did not warrant.

Being induced by these means, to throw off the authority and the systems of men, he boldly and fearlessly preached what he saw to be supported by the Scriptures, and by the Scriptures alone. About this period, having, as his custom then was, prepared and written out a discourse to be delivered on a communion Sabbath, (the importance attached to which occasions is well known,) he neglected to put it in his pocket. Not having observed this circumstance till he was in

the pulpit and public worship had commenced, he was suddenly and unexpectedly left to the resources of his own mind. He instantly resolyed to take for his discourse a subject, which had for some time previous been to him matter of deep and serious meditation, This subject was Rom. x. 9. If thou shalt confess with thy 'mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.' The doctrine contained in this text led him, in this discourse, into the connection which subsists between the truth as believed in the heart, and its inseparable consequences in the present and eternal welfare of the believer, and which was so deeply impressed on his own mind, that from thenceforward he ceased not to declare, without reserve, what he saw and believed to be the truth.

In following the light which the connected view of Scripture so abundantly poured in upon his mind, he was necessarily led to oppose many of the doctrines which were held by Mr Jobson, and many others in the connection. This naturally brought upon him a rebuke from Mr Jobson. But all the opposition he met with only tended to confirm him the more in those truths which he saw to be of divine authority; and induced him decidedly to adopt the line of conduct followed by the first preachers of the gospel, 'Whe⚫ther it be right in the sight of God, to hearken ❝ unto you more than unto God, judge ye.'

Mr Jobson, on account of this continued op

position to his opinions, dismissed him from his assistantship; but God had work for him elsewhere.

About the time of his leaving Errol, Mr Anthony Dow, minister of Fettercairn, being, through age and infirmity, rendered incapable of performing the duties of his ministerial office, desired Mr David Dow, his son, then minister of Drone, to endeavour to procure him an assistant. Mr David Dow being acquainted with Mr Barclay, and knowing the cause of his having left Mr Jobson, offered him the assistantship of Fettercairn. This he accepted, and entered upon its duties in the beginning of June 1763.

The people among whom he was now to labour, were at first greatly prejudiced against him on account of his youthful appearance; but when he came to his discourse, and began to declare with such earnestness and fervour the truths of the gospel, their opinions were completely changed into reverence and respect. His matter and manner were such as carried with them a demonstration and power, that none was found to make any head against him. *

During the space of nine years, which he passed at Fettercairn, he continued to preach to the

It is worthy of remark, that none have appeared who have made any direct and regular attempt to refute what Mr Barclay has advanced in his writings on the doctrines of the gospel; and such as have casually taken any notice of them, have been very ably answered. See note in page 55 of his Assurance of Faith, &c. Glasgow edition.

people publicly, and from house to house, Christ Jesus, and him crucified. Immorality and profaneness were, by his doctrines and example, made to hide their heads; while the knowledge of the Scriptures began to be more and more cultivated both in public and in private.

Mr Barclay had a natural turn for poetry. This talent, supported by an undeviating desire to be useful to the souls of his fellow believers, he endeavoured to turn to account for the benefit of such. This he did with a boldness of conception, and fearlessness of censure, which have had some admirers, even among those who were not of the same mind, though the truth must be confessed, they have had more enemies. Perceiving the fondness of the lower classes for singing the common songs, which, in many instances, were of a very gross and demoralizing kind, he determined to attempt the adaptation of words purely moral, or rather truly evangelical and religious, to the tunes most frequently in use in his part of the country. These songs he was at the expense of printing; and when he found, in the course of his visitations, a fit and proper opportunity, he was in the habit of giving copies to such as he thought might be benefited by them, or who were likely to use them in a judicious manner.

He composed also a Paraphrase of the whole of the Psalms; part of which, with the Songs above mentioned, and the follwing Dissertation, were first published in one volume, in the year 1766.

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In this Dissertation, he has, written perhaps, somewhat warmly (which the Committee do not pretend to justify) against those who, though professing to be the ministers of Christ, yet opposed, what was manifestly the doctrines of the gospel, by pleading, that a state of doubt and uncertainty of a personal interest in Christ, was consistent with the character of the Christian ; and that the Christian ought to possess a greater degree of holiness on communion occasions: Which last doctrine, he said, gave too much room for many to conclude, that such high degrees of holiness on these occasions, in their opinion, would in some measure make an atonement for their short-comings at other times

This publication came to be canvassed by the ministers of the Presbytery of Fordon, who were much offended, not only with the doctrines which it contained, but also at the freedom he had used in exposing the sentiments of those who maintained doctrines contrary to what he had there advanced. He was, of course, cited to appear at their bar. He attended accordingly, and answered all their objections, by an appeal to the Scriptures. This he did so convincingly, that one individual who attended that meeting of Presbytery, in the expectation of hearing him refuted, and all the doctrines he had maintained overturned, left the meeting completely persuaded of the truths he maintained. The transactions of that day, he said, could be compared to nothing more properly than to a number of school