should apply to him. But he decidedly refused, and on this ground; That good man is one of the props that God hath put in my way for the support of my poor widows and orphans, and I dare not, for their sakes, risk the shaking of his faith in the singleness of my appeals.' Now, my dear friend, have not the widow and children of such a man a quietus against despondency in their temporal concerns, in the blessing in store for them with that God, who blesses for thousands of generations those who love him? In order to enter fully into the merits of this case, we must know all my father's tender solicitude for his family, his personal sacrifices on their account, and the pain he felt lest aught of indifference should be suspected as influencing his refusal. But he lived in faith, and saw no other directory but God's law, and just left his character where he left his salvation-in the hands of his Saviour."

This interesting and graphic sketch-a cabinet picture, drawn by a delicate but faithful pencil— would be weakened rather than aided by being followed up by a multiplicity of minor details. If we have got the genuine expression of the countenance, we need not weary the reader by elaborating every fold of the raiment. A few additional characteristic notices ought not, however, to be omitted.

The slightest mark of gratitude for the kindness shewn by him he hailed with much pleasure. He one day received a letter from a young man in Scotland, to whom he had shewn great kindness some years before. After reading it, his feelings quite overcame him, and he gave the letter to one of his daughters, saying, "Keep that, my lamb, it is a treasure; it is a letter

expressive of gratitude from a poor Scotch lad, whom I had entirely forgotten; and the beauty of it is, there is not a single favour asked throughout."

In addition to all his other avocations, he kept up a personal intercourse with his numerous family; an intercourse which, though varied by all the contingencies attached to a large family, and saddened at times by all the distresses and anxieties known only to a parent's heart, was never allowed by him to be clouded by any doubt of the protecting care of his God. To a stranger's eye, he might occasionally appear to merge the feelings of the individual in those of the public servant; but his family knew well that this was no stoical virtue in him, but the result of his constant and habitual confidence in God's goodness, as well as resignation to God's will. On the testimony of his widow, we can state that during his long illness in 1806, with a small income and a family of ten children, all under age, and mostly very young, there never escaped from his lips an expression of fear lest his widow and his children might be deserted and unbefriended. During the height of his public labour his family saw very little of him. He generally left his home by nine or ten in the morning, and did not return till night. This was his usual routine for each day of the week, except Saturday. He often regretted that he was so much from his family, and used to remark, that the public knew far more of him than his own children. He never, however, for one instant, hesi

tated in the path he had chosen; but when the infirmities of age obliged him to relinquish much of his public labours, he enjoyed the quiet society of his family more than it was possible to conceive a man so wedded to public life could do. Many had great tremblings of heart when they foresaw that part of his public labour must be laid aside; they feared that his spirits would sink, and that the time would pass heavily with him but it proved quite otherwise; for it was remarked, that he was often the most cheerful person in the house; the very sound of his feet on the stairs was the signal for hilarity; and it was said to him, that when he came down from his study he cheered them, instead of their being obliged to cheer him.

He took great delight in reading to his family during the winter evenings. Every work relating to the manners and scenery of Scotland, he read with ardour. When he had been dwelling on the beauties of his native land, he would express a wish now to reside there; but this was only a passing thought, for his whole heart was in the religious public at London, and he could not have been happy without living and dying among them.

On the evening of the Saturday previous to the Communion Sabbath, his preparations were always over by about seven; and it was then his custom to come down to the parlour, gather all his family about him, and read to them one of his old action sermons. This brought former experiences to remembrance, and suggested new hopes.

When his family were attending upon him after

the fatigues of the Sabbath, he would say,-“I have often been more tired serving a worse master. If I do not hurt preaching, preaching will never hurt me." On wine being presented to him at supper, the tears would rush into his fine eyes; and before he tasted it, he would look round on his family, and say, "Oh, my dear children, how grateful your poor old father ought to be! There is many a brother minister to-night in Scotland, and especially in the Highlands, as tired as I am, but who has few of my comforts around him."

When absent from his own pulpit, on account of illness or duty in other places, on the return of his family from the chapel, his remark was, not, "How did Mr.- preach to day?" but, "Well, I am sure good Mr

gave you an excellent sermon;" thus checking any disposition to critiDid the elders come up

cism on their part. and speak to the good man?" he would add: nor, did a general affirmative answer satisfy him; but he shewed the sincerity of the interest he took, especially if the minister was a young man, or perhaps not very popular, by causing his children to name, one by one, the elders who had shewn him attention.

His high sense of honour in confidential matters was remarkable. Many things are committed to ministers, relating both to affairs temporal and spiritual, in the expectation of their counsel, aid, or sympathy, and in reliance on their prudence and delicacy, the disclosure of which might have the most unhappy effects. Some, in the simplicity

of their hearts, divulge such communications, under the charge of secrecy; but this gratifies improper curiosity, and subjects the interests or name of others to unwarranted risk. Dr. Waugh uniformly considered such trusts as sacred; he was never known by his wife to communicate to her aught of any matters which occurred in the Session, and his own family was less acquainted with the little politics of the congregation than any family in the church. No such low curiosity existed in his family; but in whatever circumstances he might have been placed, no solicitation, however urgent, and no artifice, however ingenious, could have drawn from him even the most insignificant of such communications.

We shall conclude this chapter with the following account of his nationality and poetical taste, as exhibited in his domestic circle. It is furnished by one of his sons, at our request; and our own recollections of similar scenes bear witness to its truth.

"Nationality, it has been already observed, was a striking feature in my father's character. To illustrate this feature properly requires some minuteness of detail, which perhaps the public may not be disposed to receive with much indulgence; but I shall proceed as you desire, leaving you to curtail or condense my communication as you see fit.

My sister has noticed his propensity to escape in imagination to Scotland, and to solace himself, after his ministerial labours on the Sabbath, by conversing of the friends and scenes of