of Errol. Next morning, ere he left the manse, three passages of
Scripture occupied his mind. 1. "_Thou shall keep him in perfect peace
whose mind is stayed on Thee; because he trusteth in Thee_."--Isaiah
26:3. This verse was seasonable; for, as he sat meditating on the
solemn duties of the day, his heart trembled. 2. "_Give thyself wholly
to these things"_--I Tim. 4:15. May that word (he prayed) sink deep
into my heart. 3. "_Here am I, send me_"--Isaiah 6:8. "To go, or to
stay,--to be here till death, or to visit foreign shores, whatsoever,
wheresoever, whensoever Thou pleasest." He rose from his knees with
the prayer, "Lord, may thy grace come with the laying on of the hands
of the Presbytery."

He was ordained on November 24, 1836. The service was conducted by Mr.
Roxburgh of St. John's, through whose exertions the new church had
been erected, and who ever afterwards cherished the most cordial
friendship towards him. On the Sabbath following he was introduced to
his flock by Mr. John Bonar of Larbert, with whom he had labored as a
son in the gospel. Himself preached in the afternoon upon Isaiah
61:1-3, "_The Spirit of the Lord is upon me_" etc.; of which he
writes, "May it be prophetic of the object of my coming here!" And
truly it was so. That very sermon--the first preached by him as a
pastor--was the means of awakening souls, as he afterwards learned;
and ever onward the impressions left by his words seemed to spread
and deepen among his people. To keep up the remembrance of this solemn
day, he used in all the subsequent years of his ministry to preach
from this same text on the anniversary of his ordination.[7] In the
evening of that day, Mr. Bonar again preached on "_These times of
refreshing._" "A noble sermon, showing the marks of such times. Ah!
when shall we have them here? Lord bless this word, to help their
coming! Put thy blessing upon this day! Felt given over to God, as one
bought with a price."

[7] The _Acceptable Year of the Lord_ was one of these
Anniversary Sermons, preached November 1840.

There was a rapid growth in his soul, perceptible to all who knew him
well, from this time. Even his pulpit preparations, he used to say,
became easier from this date. He had earnestly sought that the day of
his ordination might be a time of new grace; he expected it would be
so; and there was a peculiar work to be done by his hands, for which
the Holy Spirit did speedily prepare him.

His diary d