When communicants came to be admitted for the first time, or when parents that had been communicants before came for baptism to their children, it was his custom to ask them solemnly if their souls were saved.  His dealing was blessed to the conversion of not a few young persons who were coming carelessly forward to the Communion; and himself records the blessing that attended his faithful Healing with a parent coming to speak with him about the baptism of his child.  The man said that he had been taking a thought, and believed himself in the right way—­that he felt his disposition better, for he could forgive injuries.  Mr. M’Cheyne showed him that nevertheless he was ignorant of God’s righteousness.  The man laid it to heart; and when Mr. M’Cheyne said that he thought it would be better to defer the baptism, at once offered to come again and speak on the matter.  On a subsequent visit, he seemed really to have seen his error, and to have cast away his own righteousness.  When his child was baptized, it was joy to the pastor’s heart to have the good hope that the man had received salvation.

In connection with the superstitious feeling of the most depraved as to baptism, he related an affecting occurrence.  A careless parent one evening entered his house, and asked him to come with him to baptize a dying child.  He knew that neither this man nor his wife ever entered the door of a church; but he rose and went with him to the miserable dwelling.  There an infant lay, apparently dying; and many of the female neighbors, equally depraved with the parents, stood round.  He came forward to where the child was, and spoke to the parents of their ungodly state and fearful guilt before God, and concluded by showing them that, in such circumstances, he would consider it sinful in him to administer baptism to their infant.  They said, “He might at least do it for the sake of the poor child.”  He told them that it was not baptism that saved a soul, and that out of true concern for themselves he must not do as they wished.  The friends around the bed then joined the parents in upbraiding him as having no pity on the poor infant’s soul!  He stood among them still, and showed them that it was they who had been thus cruel to their child; and then lifted up his voice in solemn warning, and left the house amid their ignorant reproaches.

Nor did he make light of the kirk-session’s power to rebuke and deal with an offender.  Once from the pulpit, at an ordination of elders, he gave the following testimony upon this head:  “When I first entered upon the work of the ministry among you, I was exceedingly ignorant of the vast importance of church discipline.  I thought that my great and almost only work was to pray and preach.  I saw your souls to be so precious, and the time so short, that I devoted all my time, and care, and strength, to labor in word and doctrine.  When cases of discipline were brought before me and the elders, I regarded them