The Sun.
London, England, 1841-06-28 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON A_l3 )('() , JUNE 2B, 1841.

VERSES

ON THE DEPOSITION OF THE REV: THOMAS
-WRIGHT, BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY
OF THE CHURCH OF SCOTLAND.

We select the following lines, from a short poem on
this cruel proceeding, written, we believe, by the Rev.
Robert Morehead, rector of a parish in the north of
England, and connected by marriage with the family of
Lord Jeffrey. The parish of Borthwick, from which
Mr. Wright has been ejected, after having faithfully per-
formed his sacred duties for more than twenty years, lies
in a sweet rural district, about twelve miles south of
Edinburgh, and is distinguished as the birth-place of
several remarkable men ; among others, Principal Ro-
bertson, the historian of Scotland, and for a long time
the successful opponent, in the Assembly, of the party
who, during the last month, earned for themselves the
unenviable notoriety of being the most relentless perse-
cutors of the present age. The " Giant Fortress," re-
ferred to in the verses, is Borthwick Castle, built by
Lord Borthwick, in 1436. Here Mary Queen of Scots,
with Bothwell, took refuge previous to the fatal battle of
Carberry Hill, which left her at the mercy of her dis-
contented subjects. The subjoined remarks are con-
tained in a note appended to the poem, by the Editor of
Tait's Magazine :

" To our southern readers it may be necessary to ex- I
plain that this poem refers to an episode in the extra-
ordinary proceedings of the late memorable General
Assembly of the Church of Scotland. ACer certain
brief and rather inquisitorial proceedings in an inferior
Ecclesiastical Court, it has pleased that venerable body,
or a majority of them, to eject from his living one of
their brethren, who, as a truly good and a religious
man, and an exemplary parish minister, it is enough to
say, has been faithfully portrayed by the writer of the
above poem. The grounds of charge were certain pas-
sages found in religious works which he had given to the
world many years ago—some of them having been pub-
lished for nearly twenty years without offence,
Until these late unhappy times of the Kirk. One of his
works, " The Morning and Evening Sacrifice"—is now
in a tenth or twelfth edition, and has long formed a kind
of Book of Common Prayer in guiding the devotions of
half the families of Scotland. We believe, however, that
no offence against high Calvinistic doctrines has been
found in it ; nor were the proceedings against its author
able to mar his usefulness, or estrange from
him the affections of his parishioners, whose sympathies
have been vividly called forth by what they considered
the persecution of their faithful and esteemed minister.
His flock were probably much abler to judge of the
effect of ,his pious ministrations upon their own hearts,
and of the influence of his own example, than of nice
polemic distinctions, or the soundness of his theological
opinions ;—of the religious and benevolent life of their
beloved pastor, than of those philosophical speculations
in his books, out of which a constructive heresy has been
fished by a band of clerical agitators. Mr. Wright has
been a meek, perhaps, in the circumstances, a too meek,
too forbearing sufferer ; and his case has excited much
quiet sympathy among the laity, and also among a re-
spectable body.of the clergy of Scotland, who see not
only grievous individual hardship, but deep injury to
the cause of religion, and to the Presbyterian Church,
in this violent divorce from his people, of a minister to
whom they were, and are, warmly attached. How is
the public, which cannot be made to understand con-
structive heresies, or mystical theology, to reconcile this
proceeding with that flaming regard for the indepen-
dence and rights of " the Christian.people," which this
party in the Kirk profess ?"
Soft breath'd the gales o'er Borthwick's woodland bowers,
Bright glow'd her broomy banks with opening flowers,
Clear down her valley stole the quiet rill,
Beneath the russet steep of fir-crown'd hill ;
While on the opposing slope, from blossom'd screen,
Her modest manse was half-retiring seen ;
The peaceful church, the village scool, were near,
The giant Fortress frowning in the rear,—
While closing far the " long-withdrawn vale,"
The hazy Pentlands raised their forehead, pate.
Such was the day—(not many years have flown)
When with a friend emerging from the town,
To this sweet scene my ready steps I bent,
Where lived a priest, in "measureless content."
With cultur'd mind, yet with no sickly taste
Beyond the rustic home where he was placed,—
Their guide, adviser, friend, he dwelt among
' His people—prized alike by old and young.
In our wild walks, which varied themes beguile,
Each passing peasant had a word or smile ;
Each ruddy urchin had a nod or look,
That mingled kindness e'en with a rebuke ;
Familiar with them all, free, not severe,
His was the love that knew to cast out fear.
Yet no respect was wanting,--you could see
They in His servant felt the Diety.
0 what a day was this !—while Nature round
In human bosoms a true mirror found,
And not a sunbeam, quivering leaf, or bird,
But some responsive feeling met, and stirred !
Nature is still the same—the breezes still
Wave the new broom-buds scenting from the hill ;
Still round these walls, deserted of their lord,
The fruit.trees blossom, and his skill record ;
Nature is still the same—but man's fell breath
O'er that sweet-scene has scattered seeds of death ?
Has, with a withering blight, its beauty soled,
And human bosons o fair peace despoiled !
The old, who winter's snows could fearless tread,
To gather from his lips of life the bread ;
The young, to whom his precers, if severe,
Alone his mild example could endear;
E'en the schoolchildren, on God's holy-day,
Who round him knelt, and learnt, from him to pray—
All feel their spirits sunk in some dread gloom,
As 'twere precursor of the General Doom :
There needs no prophet's lore to have it proved,
A people mourn whose teachers are removed I
0 was it well religious hands, but rude,
Of non-intrusionists, should here extrude?
Say, if the people's voice can render vain
A legal entrance, may it not retain?
And what requir'd his exile?—did the chi- „,
Of social pleasures stricter rules disarm And And wile him on to a disgraceful
end,
Which we might pity, but r, -
_A
O no ! a purer life, w;" uld not defend .
Ne'er graced de,- —.lout pretence,
..,tion and beneficence !
some pity then, some melting ruth,
11Stiagvh `
not
, you, stern Ministers of rigid truth ?
Might not the dread of greater ills to flow
• From dear bonds ruptured, by so fierce a blow,
Than from a speck, unagin'd more than seen,
Thrown on your faith—not worth the pains to clean—
Have made you pause, ere, reckless, thus recall
Those long-laid lions, sleeping by the wall,
Which, once awaken'd, now will not be staid,
But rend e'en you who roused them to your aid.
If prayer can from our land such doom avert,
, For you, and for the Zion of his heart,
' Your victim's prayers preferred are on record :
The prophet-martyr thus addressed his Lord :
*" If upon this, or any future day,
Injustice, malice, shall beset my way ;
It any of my brethren render ill,
Let me submit, 0 Lord, to thy high will
Whateler my suffering, may I bear my part
Meekly, nor curse my neighbour in my heart ;
But still remembering against thee, my God,
My sins are many, let me kiss the rod ;
May others, at my hand, foraiveness gain,
Such as from Thee, I trust, for Christ's sake, to ob!ain !"
Such are, I deem his feelings at this hour,
Though whate'er can embitter them, ye pour
Into his cup,—still he will say of you—
" Father, forgive !—they know not what they do I"
Then, now malign'd, as if they bore a stain,
His preciOus works shall alter him remain,—
Remain, to sweeten and compose mankind,
When holy feuds are given to the wind ;
O'er temperate times to exercise control,
And raise their " Living Templel• in the soul ;
Remain, to sink into the hearts of those
Who yet " will blush their fathers were his foes ;"
When happier lights on Christian spirits fall ;
And charity expands, and God is " all in all !"--Ft. M.
* See prayer for Tuesday morning in " Morning and Even-
ing Sacrifice."
t The title of another of Mr. Wright's religious works.

GREAT DEMONSTRATION AT
BRIGHTON.
FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)
13nronToN. JUNE 2.s.—The result of the public
meeting held in the Town Hall yesterday, is
highly favourable to the Liberal cause. The ob-
ject of this meeting was to prevent the wanton
expenditure of the Tories in reference to parish
affairs, and the meeting naturally, in the present
excited state of the borough, took a political
tone. Allowing for the peculiar bias of the
feelings•of the Chartists, the sacrifices they have
made to agree with the more gradual Reform-
ers' are- such as do them the greatest credit; and
the Liberals have come forward in such numbers
and energy as completely to paralyse the miser-
able attempts of the Tory party ; and the two
combined have at one. meeting placed beyond
refutation that the town of Brighton is in the
independent position it ever ought to hold. All
the Liberal resolutions were carried, and the
Tories and Monopolists, not daring to show their
faces, are at once consigned to the most humili-
ating but proper position. Capt. Pechell and Mr.
Isaac N.. Wigney are eminently entitled to the
support of the constituency of Brighton, and
this support they have obtained and will continue
to deserve. The lattergentleman is the well-known
opulent banker here. He has ever been a resi-
dent in Brighton, where he has won the regard
of even his opponents by his liberal character,—
a character liberal in the fullest acceptation of
the term. Mr. Wigney possesses a very large and
wealthy familyconnection, who, from the position
they hold, and their kindliness of disposition, are
deservedlyrespected throughout the borough, the ,
interests and prosperity of which they are ever
watchful of. Although Mr. Wigney's return is
next to a certainty, it still behoves his Committee
to be :upon the alert, while the most cor-
rupt trickery is in progress to make the wrong
•appear the better reason. The constituency
'of Brighton possess too high a character for
Probity to allow themselves to become the tools
of some few politically-intriguing dowagers,
urged on by the rabid faction of the Carlton
Club ; and although Tory intimidation has been
most unsparingly used, its use has but aroused
the honest and conscientious inhabitants of the
borough :to additional exertions in the cause of
those who are with them hand and heart. The
services which Captain Pechell has already ren-
dered his constituents are such as call imperatively
for the support of this straight-forward and
gal-
lant naval officer.

The benefit for the performers and artists of the
'late. Amphitheatre, at Sadler's lArtills, took place, on
Thursday, the 24th. Mr. Honnor, the lessee, has paid
40/. to the Committee as the profits of the nigh