complished, the following sketch may not prove unacceptable to yourself and readers.

good to the souls of thousands, and ever treated his character with great veneration.

The father of the subject of this Memoir was, what may be properly termed a highlander. He was born and brought up in the Highlands of Scotland, but had removed from thence to the neighbourhood of Glasgow, where he rented a farm

THE BIOGRAPHY OF ARCHIBALD M'LEAN will furnish a fresh proof, in addition to the many already upon record, that some of the most valuable writers who have been raised up to bless the world by their labours, have sprung out of obscurity, and been the least in-at the period of his son's birth. debted to what may be called the When the latter was about five or privileges of birth. The minority six years of age, a highland chief, of BOOTH is well known to have whose name I think was Pen-y-gal, been spent in weaving stockings- and who was well known to the FULLER, the indefatigable Secre- elder M'Lean, happening to pass tary to the Baptist Mission, has through the neighbourhood, paid frequently milked twenty cows in him a visit, and being much taken a morning-and the junior years with young Archy, importuned his of M'LEAN may be said to have father to let him go home with maintained an affinity to them him to the Highlands upon a visit, both. He was born in the year merely as a companion to his own 1732, at a farm house in the vi- son, who was of the same age; and, cinity of Cambuslang (at no great permission being granted, such an distance from Glasgow) a village attachment was formed between renowned in the Scottish annals of the parties that he became in some the last century for some extra- degree domiciliated in his new ordinary awakenings in religion abode, and some years elapsed under the preaching of Mr. George before he returned to his father's Whitfield. At the period to which house. This link in the chain of I refer, young M'Lean was quite a his life was productive of some boy, but he had frequent oppor-importar consequences; one of tunities of hearing Mr. Whitfield which was, that it introduced him preach in the neighbourhood of into a familiar acquaintance with his father's house, and was a spec- the Erse or Gaelic language, which tator of many singular scenes that he never afterwards forgot. I have were produced by the ministry of seen him when he has met a Highthat great man. I have often heard land soldier in England, go up to him entertain parties of his friends him and enter into a familiar conby the hour, in describing Mr. versation with him in Gaelic, reWhitfield's person and striking specting matters which related to manner of address, in repeating the Highlands-and whenever he many of his pungent sayings, as fell in company with an Ancient well as the effects produced upon Briton, or Hibernian who could his audience, which on some occa- speak the native Irfsh, he seemed sions were truly surprising. And to have pleasure in tracing the rethough when he had advanced in semblance between the different life, and attained some maturity of dialects, which he was perfectly judgment in divine things, he was aware had all one common origin. of opinion that in the great work of I have also heard him contend conversions which he had witness-stiffly for the genuineness of the ed at Cambuslang, there might be Poems of Ossian, affirming that much that was not genuine, he when a boy he had heard many nevertheless considered Mr. Whit- parcels of them recited by old field as the instrument of much people in the Highlands.

On his return to Glasgow, young Archibald obtained some advantages of education which would be in vain sought in the Highlands, though it is certain that these extended not beyond the reading and writing of English, with some knowledge of Arithmetic. He lived indeed to possess a tolerable share of acquaintance with the Latin, Greek, and Hebrew; but all this was the fruit of his own indefatigable industry. The Presbyterians of the last century were much more concerned to educate their offspring in the first principles of religion, and as far as in them lay, to train them up in the fear of God, than to bestow upon them the accomplishments on which we of modern times are unhappily so fond of pluming ourselves! That this was the case with the parents of my late friend may be partly inferred from the circumstance, that I have often heard him speak in terms of high commendation of the Assembly's Catechism, and the importance of teaching it to children with the scripture proofs, and adduce his own experience in evidence. He used to say that he was taught it when a boy, and that when he began to mingle with the world, and his mind was unhappily led to wander after its vanities, he lost all recollection of it, insomuch that years elapsed without his probably ever remembering any thing about it; but when it pleased God to stop him in his career, and grant him repentance unto life, his Catechism was one of the first things that occurred to his recollection, and he could answer every question in it, adducing all the scripture proofs with as great facility as at any former time; and this he said he found of great advantage to him in everysubsequent period of his life. Having finished his education, he was put apprentice to the printing business, in Glasgow, and after serving out his time, went to London to perfect himself in the art. In

making the voyage by sea, the vessel was wrecked, and he very narrowly escaped with his life. Of this memorable occurrence he wrote a most full and circumstantial account to his family, quite in the style of Luke's narrative of Paul's shipwreck in the Mediterranean, recorded in Acts xxvii. This interesting letter is still extant in the family, and will, I hope, be by them given to the public in their projected Memoir. How long he continued in London I am unable to say; but I remember to have heard from him that he was obliged to quit the metropolis on account of ill health, being greatly threatened with consumption, on which account he returned to Scotland.

Mr. McLean now commenced the printing business in Glasgow, on his own account, in partnership with a Mr. John Bryce, as appears from the following circumstance. I have before me a copy of Dr. Owen on Justification, printed by them in a thick duodecimo volume, the imprint of which is "Glasgow 1760," and on the back of the title-page is the following advertisement. "As the printers of this Treatise promised to answer the demands of the public, by publishing such practical pieces of DR. OWEN as were scarce, and never before printed in this kingdom; and as they have hitherto met with tolerable encouragement, they propose to pursue their plan, by printing his "Treatise on Communion with God," &c. This will be put to press so soon as subscriptions sufficient to defray the expense of printing shall be obtained: those who intend to encourage the publication, are requested to send in their names to John Bryce and Archibald M'Lean, jun. at their printingoffice, Bridgegate, Glasgow, by the 1st Jan. 1761." At this time Mr. M'Lean must have been about the age of twenty-eight. May we not infer from the term junior being

added to his name, that his father's name was Archibald, and that he was still living?

my

I am unable to fix the precise year in which Mr. M'Lean was brought to the saving knowledge of the truth; but to the best of recollection, I have heard him say, it was under the ministry of Mr. John M'Laurin, the author of that matchless Sermon on glorying in the Cross of Christ, that this rich blessing was conferred upon him; and if so, it must have been prior to the year 1755, for the latter died Sept. 8, 1754. Of this distinguished servant of God, Mr. M'Lean always delighted to converse; which may be easily accounted for, if he received his first saving impressions under the word preached by him. He had evidently been in the habit of attend

I have understood, partly from the family of Mr. M'Lean, and partly from conversations with himself, that from his earliest years his mind and conscience were deeply impressed with religious principle a solemn and holy awe of the Supreme Being, the adorable Creator and moral governor of the world- -a veneration for his name and word; which, though he had no just or Scriptural knowledge of his character as the God of salvation, nevertheless, served to restrain him from outward acts of immorality and profaneness, and produced that moral deportment for which his whole life was emi-ing for worship at the parish kirk nently conspicuous. He was remarkable too, when a boy, for the delight which he took in contemplating the stupendous works of creation. This manifested itself in him from the earliest dawn of reason. In the Highlands, his imagination was struck with the romantic scenery that every where met his eye; the craggy rock, the towering summit, the bold declivity, the murmuring rill, the rapid fall, the interchange of hill and dale, with the ten thousand traces of divine power and wisdom and goodness, that every where surrounded him; these were objects that often held his senses captive, and it was his delight to steal away from the society of his fellowcreatures on a fine evening, to meditate on the wonderful works of God. If at home with his pa-nity and egotism; yet he has been rents, it was no unusual thing known to mention to some of his during the months of harvest when particular friends, that when the the family were about to retire to gospel of the grace of God first rest, to find Archibald missing, entered his mind, it was accomand after a search of some time, to panied with such light and energy 'spy him in one of his father's as, for a time, quite overwhelmed corn-fields, lying on his back upon him, absorbed his faculties, and the ground, with a sheaf of corn produced a kind of extacy, that under his head for a pillow, gazing for a season almost unfitted him intensely on the heavenly bodies as for attention to the duties of life; they moved around him! something, no doubt, correspond

where Mr. M'Laurin preached; and he has often entertained his friends with describing the astonishment with which he used to listen to that great man, standing like a statue in the pulpit, while pouring out copious streams of the most sublime eloquence on the glories of the cross of Christ. Of his writings too he was particularly fond, and took every opportunity to recommend them to others. Mr. M'Laurin, like himself, was a Highlander, and gave a sermon in the Gaelic language regularly once a month, to his countrymen who resided in Glasgow..

Although no mere man was ever more averse to speak in praise of himself than Mr. M'Lean, and though nothing disgusted him in others more than a display of va

ing with what is said of the disci- a church, and he had been comples at Antioch, who, on receiving pelled by a sense of duty to sepathe knowledge of Christ were "fill-rate from its communion. It was ed with joy and with the Holy Ghost." Acts xiii. 52.

He le now became a member of the Established Church, and appears to have continued in its communion several years. The venerable M'Lauria, indeed, was taken away, but the lamp was not removed; he was succeeded by Dr. Gillies, who had married his daughter, and whose delight it was, like his excellent predecessor, to exhibit the glories of the cross of Christ in all his public ministrations. It would surprise many of the dissenting body, and I am afraid many of the Scottish Baptists also, to be told in what animated terms my late friend continued to the close of his life, to speak of the happiness which he enjoyed during this period, in his connection with the Established Church! There were very many pious people in its communion; they formed as it were, a church within a church-they kept up constant meetings throughout the week for prayer and mutual instruction," fearing the Lord, they spake often one to another, and the Lord hearkened and heard; and a book of remembrance was kept of those that feared the Lord and that thought upon his name." Mal. ii. 16. Of these meetings, Mr. M'Lean was a constant attendant, became a lively, active, and zealous member of them, and the recollection of the happiness that he had en joyed in them, was a theme he delighted to dwell on through life. They were "times of refreshing from the presence of the Lord;" and I have often heard him say, that he had experienced more of the presence of Christ, the com forts of love, and the fellowship of the Spirit, in those assemblies, than ever he had known since his judgment had been better informed respecting the external order of

thus that his own experience operated to liberalize his mind, and extend his views of the kingdom of Christ. Far from him was that narrow contracted spirit, which would restrict that kingdom even within the pale of dissent-he was fully persuaded that the Lord had his people in the national church, nor was he disposed to exclude them even from the Church of Rome.

I do not know that Mr. M'Lean was connected with any society of dissenters, prior to the year 1762, when he joined a Glasite church in Glasgow, as a private member, but continued with them only one year! Though many people in England, some through ignorance, and others from much worse motives, have identified him with the Sandemanians, it is very certain that he differed from them in so many and such important particulars, that between his principles and theirs, there was very little congeniality; certainly no such similarity as should warrant the imputation of his belonging to that denomination. He was intimately acquainted with the writings of Mr. Glas and of Mr. Sandeman, and personally knew them both; but to say nothing of their sentiments, which he has often opposed in his writings; his spirit and theirs, as they are found to breathe in each of their publications and to animate their respective systems, are so opposite that nothing but malice, or the most egregious stupidity of intellect, can account for the conduct of any one in confounding them, who has attentively read their works.

As all, the great and leading truths of the Gospel which after wards constituted the subject-matter of his own ministry, were ably maintained in the writings of Dr. Owen, we may also account for his beginning to reprint them as soon as he commenced business on

his own behalf. He was inti- made an elder of one of their mately acquainted with the doc-churches at Glasgow, but quitted tor's writings-justly appreciated their value-quoted them frequently in support of his own sentiments, and ably defended their author from the gross misrepresentations of others. It would be desirable to know how many of them he reprinted, but that I have not been able to ascertain.

them at the same time and for the same reasons that Mr. M'Lean did.' These reasons had no connection whatever with the subject of baptism, but merely regarded an affair of church discipline. Having accepted the pastoral charge, Mr. M'Lean now devoted himself most assiduously to the duties of his After leaving the Glasites, Mr. office, and his labours were crownM'Lean continued in Glasgow ed with abundant success. The conducting the printing business church increased rapidly, and his until the year 1767, when being Letters to Mr. Glas proved the discouraged by difficulties which means of engaging the attention of are more or less incidental to every numbers in every part of Scotland concern, and finding his mind more to the subject of baptism. In a harrassed by them than was agree- few years, baptist churches were able to him, he relinquished it, and formed at Glasgow, Dundee, Montaccepted of the situation of over- rose, &c. all of whom entertaining seer in the extensive printing con- for his talents and character a high cern of Mr. Donaldson of Edin- respect, he was often importuned burgh, to which place he removed for visits, with which his situation with his family, and in that station in life precluded the practicability continued for the space of nearly of his complying. For nearly twenty years. He had indeed twenty years he received nothing changed his views on the subject of baptism prior to his leaving Glasgow; and as Mr. Glas's celebrated Dissertation on Infant Baptism was now exceedingly popular in Scotland, and regarded by all the Scotch Independents as an unanswerable performance, Mr M'Lean drew up a reply to it in ten Letters to the author, which he published in 1767. To this publication Mr. Glas, who was still alive, never made the least re-visit distant churches, and benefit ply, though few men were more prompt than he was to wield the pen in self-defence.

On his removal to Edinburgh, Mr. M'Lean united with about eight or nine persons who had recently been baptized, and in June 1768, he was chosen to the pastoral office in conjunction with a Mr. Carmichael, who had formerly been the elder of an Antiburgher congregation at Cupar in Angus; but having adopted the principles of Independency, he had resigned his charge, joined the Glasites, was

from the church for his labours among them, but supported his family by the fruits of his own industry. But the profession was now extending not only throughout Scotland, but into England also; and the church under his pastoral care having multiplied exceedingly, he was importuned to quit his secular employment, and receive a stipend from his brethren, that he might be more at liberty to

the world by the fruits of his pen. With this he complied, and from that time to the end of his life, he was in the constant practice, during the summer season, of accepting invitations from societies in fellowship with the church at Edinburgh, and visiting them either in England or Scotland. On these occasions, the preaching of the Gospel was with him a point of inferior consideration, though the anxiety of his brethren to avail themselves of his superior talents while among them, kept him pretty