An account of an attempt, and failure, by the Reverend
Mr. Burns, to get up a "revival " in Arbroath, is given in the Arbroath Herald 01 the 1 1th instant- " Except from the pulpit of Lady T.oan Church, we understand, the recent religious revivals have not been alluded to by any minister in town ; but the Reverend !kir. Macbeth, we are informed, has of' late devoted a great deal of his attention to the subject. On Sunday last, it was announced in several of the churches, that Mr. W. C. Burns of Dundee would deliver a revival sermon in Lady Loan Church, on Wednesday evening, at eight ()Mod: ; and, as might have been expected, an imniense crowd congregated in front of the church some time before the doors were opened. Long before the hour appointed for the commem•ement or the services, every corner of the church was crammed : there must have been from IMirteen to fifteen hundred present, only a very few of whom (fift) or sixty perhaps) were mere children. Tins remainder cor4sted of grown-up persons or hum, sexes, in about equal numbers ; nearly the whole of whom remained to the con- clusion of the services. Shortly :liter eight o'clock, Mr. Burns made his appearance; and, after spending cousideralily more ti „tne .aan is usual, :Ilya- reedy engaged in private devotion, he assumed his feet, coolly surveyed the gazin.,, crowd by which he was surreanded, and again appeared absorbed in mental prayer. 'ibis occupied several minutes ; but at letigth, in a drawling tone, he read the I:30th Psalm. Ile then entered into an explanatory com- ment upon it, which occupied exactly three-quarters ()I' an hour. By the way, though little versed in theology, we must remark this is the first time we have heard the metrical version or the Psalms taken as a ground for comment. Mr. Burns went over the tramdation o' the 130th line by line, and almost word for word; and dwelt at considerable length on the meaning and import of several words, which, whether in the original or not—though the cruise will, no doubt, admit of their hying implied—are not to be found In the prose translation in enmeion MSC. The Psalm having been sung, a very lengthened prayer followed; which was succeeded by a few verses of anether Psalm, without comment ; and then a blessing was implored upon the further services about to be engagyd in. it was now about ten o'clock; and numbers left the church, apparently very much to the annoyauce of the reverend gentleman. Ile then reed 1st John, I. 3; upon the last clause of which he spoke for about an hour, in a light, chatting, gossipping style, remarkable only for the infinite deal of nutlike-, which he contrived to deliver so self-complacently. Ile ecemed to us to com- pletely realize the idea generally entertained of a cant preacher. The greater part of his ' sermon' was composed of the merest drivel, intermixed with whet seemed to us to verge very closely on impiety, and what, if uttered by a lay- man, would, we cure confident, leave been denounced, if' not as grass 1,1.1,plieloy, at least as something highly indecorous and unbecoming. We must, howevrr, give him credit for one very palpable hit. At the conclusion or his ,aisemir,,,' it was evident that a general more was contemplated icy his audience. Coal::: rind shawls were adjusted, hats squeezed into proper shape, and glares put on ; but on the announcement that those who coul•t not stay later (it was now eleven o'clock) hind better go then and not disturb the audience, every seat was mstimcd. Mr. Burns continued, that, if they ce,e/d stay, perhaps he might get a blessing for them ; and on he went in a. similar strain for near an hour Inger; but, alas! as be so pointedly reinarked, 'the people of Aihroath had no edge,' and all hi8 efforts to bring Ids audience to a groaning and fainting temperature were unavailing_ lie left no method untried. At one time his face was wreathed in smiles, and he lisped out his sentences in what he no doubt considered tones of melting tenderness. At another, he would look 'black as Erebus, fierce as ten furies, terrible as hell;' hut the apathy of his audience was unmoved. At length, stout midnight, he reluctantly concluded the services, and the audience quietly retired. It was evident that the greater number were attracted by sheer curiosity. We must say in cenchision, tint we du not think these midnight exhibitions are calculated to do e-ooil. The whale efforts of Mr. Burns seem intended to excite the 1;:elings of his auditors rather thaic. to satisfy their cool and sillier judgments. We have refrained from Tuning those expressions used by him which we reckoned highly indecorous, If not deserving a harblier name. Of these there were not a tiny. Mr. Burns may he a worthy and pious young man, bat he is either p•we.,sed of very had taste, or has most singular and unbecoming notions of the Divine Being. We trust. the clergy in this quarter will give no further countenance to exhibitions ()phis sort at such unseasonable hours as are choseae by the gentkman in ques- tion: The exhaustion and liatigue induced by the unnecessarily protracted !cruces are well calculated to aid Ids purposes. With weak and timid females, indeed, it would lie strange if such results as are stud to have occurred. at Dundee and elsewhere should not follow these midnight gatherings."
The wild proceedings of the "independence" party, and the recent extravag:tneies of the "Revivalists," must have induced many to fear that the once sober, rational, and orderly Church of Scotland was fairly running mad. But "common sense" has not "fairly ta'eu the road,"
andliid adieu to our National Establishment. There are still many cool beads and dear intellects in the Church; and we trust the time as approaching when the Moderate and reasonable portion of the clergy will obtain a larger share of influence than they have lately enjoyed. The proceedings of the Synod of Aberdeen last week strengthen this hope. By a majority of nine, they resolved to overture the General Assembly to rescind the Veto Act ; and, in a discussion which inci- dentally arose on the subject of the late "revivals," several reverend members of the court expressed themselves in a manner equally credit- able to their good sense, good feeling, and moral courage.—Edinburgle Observer.
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