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EVANGELICAL MAGAZINE.

FEBRUARY, 1807.

MEMOIR

OF

THE LATE DAVID DALE, ESQ.

OF GLASGOW.

THE great end of Biography is example; and no characters are so interesting as those to which we can point, and say, " Behold the Man, the Christian, the Minister, in whose life are exemplified the great virtues we wish to recommend." Such was Mr. Dale, whose very important life forms the subject of this Memoir:

Mr. Dale was born in the year 17:39, in the village of Stewarttown, in Ayrshire, where also he received his education. His parents, respectable both in circumstances and character, were of the Presbyterian denomination. Very early he discovered a love for religion; and made an open and devout profession of it. On leaving home, he resided a few years at Paisley, where he followed the weaving business; and became intimately acquainted with the great Dr. Witherspoon, then one of the ministers of that town, with whom he ever afterwards maintained a corres pondence.

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In the year 1761, Mr. Dale came to Glasgow; where he was first employed as clerk or shopman to Mr. James Alston, silkAbout the beginning of 1763 he commenced business in the linen-yara branch, in company with a young man : afterwards, he united with other partners; and, lastly, he carried on the trade alone, for some time with various and doubtful success, till he engaged in the fine French-yarn line. This article he imported from Flanders; and carried on the traffic a long time, very uccessfully, and to a great extent, till the introduction of the muslin manufacture. He was then employed by Sir R. Arke wright and others, as agent for the sale of their cotton-yarn, in Glasgow. This employment led him into partnerships in severalcotton-spinning concerns; and at length to the establishment of the Lanerk Cotton Mills in 1785, which were exclusively his An account of these was published some years since by T. Barnard, Esq. from which we give the following ext.act :

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"These cotton-mills are four in number, of very large dimensions, turned by the rapid stream of the Clyde: the first two contain 12,000 spindles for spinning water-twist; the two others are occupied by jennies, for spinning mule-yarn. The village of New Lanerk owes its existence to the erection of these mills. It consists of neat substantial houses, forming two streets, half a mile in length, and broad, regular, and clean. Near the centre of the village are the mills; and opposite to them a neat mansion, the occasional residence of Mr. Dale the proprietor, and his principal-manager. The village, consisting chiefly of Highlanders, contains about 1500 inhabitants; of whom, all that are capable of work are employed in and about the mills; of these, there are 500 children, who are entirely fed, clothed, and educated by Mr. Dale. The others lodge with their parents in the village, and have a weekly allowance for their work.

"The healthy and pleasurable appearance of these children has frequently attracted the attention of the traveller, Peculiar regulations, adapted by Mr. Dale, for the preservation of the health and morals of those under his protection, have made this striking difference between his manufactory and many other similar undertakings in this kingdom; so that while some other mills must be regarded as seminaries of vice and sources of disease, those at Lanerk are so peculiarly exempt from these objections, that out of near 3000 children employed in these mills, during a period of twelve years, from 1785 to 1797, only fourteen have died; and not one has been the object of judicial punishment."

Mr. Dale was also many years one of the Cashiers of the Royal Bank, and a Magistrate of the City of Glasgow; but as our concern is chiefly with his religious life, we return to that, and mean to trace it more particularly from the period of his coming to Glasgow.

We have mentioned his early attachment to religion, which led him to be a great frequenter of the Sacraments, which, in the church of Scotland, being but seldom administered, are considered as great solemnities, and are very numerously attended. He generally went along with a party of religious people, who attended at select places, where the ministers were esteemed orthodox; and here he formed some friendships which continued with umabating affection until death separated them. It was usual on these occasions for those who went from Glasgow to any place where they had no previous acquaintances, to travel in parties, and lodge together at a convenient public-house on the Saturday evening, when they held a meeting for prayer and religious conversation. At one of these opportunities, Mr. Dale being desired to engage in prayer, the company were so struck with his solemn, grand, and pathetic address to God, that they acknowledged to each other they never heard the like from so young a man before. About this period a law-suit commenced between the Magis

trates of Glasgow and the General Session (a body consisting of all the Ministers and other Members of the Kirk Session in the city) about the right of choosing ministers for the city churches. The issue was, that the magistrates and town-council were declared to be the patrons; and they placed a minister in the Wyndchurch, which had lately been rebuilt, disagreeable to the more serious part of the congregation. In consequence of this, a subscription was raised for erecting a relief meeting-house; which was done in 1766, tho' it has since been converted into a chapel of ease to the Establishment. Mr. Dale was a subscriber; and one of his particular friends took the most active part in the erection. Thus the abolishing the old way of calling the ministers of Glasgow, was the means of loosening the affections of many devout people from the national church of Scotland.

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About this time Mr. John Barclay, the founder of the sect called Bereans *. came from Fettercairn (where he preached as an assistant) on a visit to Glasgow; where he was one Sabbath permitted to preach for Dr. Gillies. His rapidity of utterance and vehemence of manner, amazed and disgusted the greater part of the congregation; but Mr. Dale and some of his friends were much struck with the matter of his discourse, which they thought remarkably clear and evangelical. This produced an intimacy with Mr. Barclay, whom they still liked better in conversation than in the pulpit; and for some years he paid them. an annual visit. In the most forcible manner he recommended to them the excellency of the Holy Scriptures; and urged the bounden duty of all who possess that blessed book, to search it for themselves, as containing the words of eternal life. With

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*The Bereans are a sect of Dissenters from the Church of Scotland, who take this title from, and profess to follow the example of the ancient Bereans, in building their faith solely on Scripture. They are Trinitarians and High Calvinists; but differ from other Christians, maintaining that faith is a simple credence, not only of the truth of the gospel in itself, but of their interests in its blessings. Faith and assurance are with them the same; "because (they argue) God has expressly declared, He that be lieveth shall be saved;' and, therefore, it is not only absurd but impious, and in a manner calling God a liar, for a man to say, I believe the gospel; but have doubts, nevertheless, of my own salvation.' - Personal assurance (they insist) is the present infallible portion of every individual believer." This Mr. B. calls believing the direct testimony of God, as if God had said that A. B. or C. D. were the individual subjects of his grace. "This," says Mr. M'Lean, is a favourite and distinguishing point, in support of which he denies that there are any natural notices of God or his law, any conviction of sin before the assurance of pardon, any different degrees of faith, that sin can weaken the assurance of our salvation, that the fruits of faith are any evidence to ourselves of our justification, that any should pray to God until they are assured of He maintains that all the doubts and fears in the that self-jealousy, and cautious fear of coming a liar, that the sin against the Holy Ghost is These sentiments are scattered throughout his his adherents." See Adams's View of Religions, by

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their being justified. Psalms are Christ's, short, is making God simple unbelief, &c. works, and retailed by Fuller, p. 98.

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characteristic violence he condemned all human comments, wishing (to use his own words) that all that had been written were gathered into one heap, and his own tracts used as a match to set them in a blaze. This doctrine was new to Mr. Dale and his friends; and though they disapproved the rash and unqualified language of Mr. Barclay, they began to suspect they had paid too much respect to human authority; and considered him as rendering an important service, by having turned the attention of the people to the Scriptures, as the chief object of their study.

Mr. Barclay, on his first visit, strongly recommended Mr. Cruden, who preached near Fettercairn, as a suitable minister for the new congregation; and he was accordingly chosen: but Mr. Dale and his friends being now fully set upon an examination of the Scriptures, in order to derive from them all their principles, and thereby regulate all their conduct, they began to be dissatisfed with several things in the Presbyterian mode of worship, and inclined toward the Independent discipline. Particularly, they disapproved the quarterly administration of the Lord's Supper, conceiving it should be administered every Lord's Day; and that the members should be united by a mutual confession of their faith. On this change of principles, Mr. Dale and his friends withdrew to a private room, where they used to meet for mutual edification, and prosecute their religious enquiries.

Not long after this, Messrs. Smith and Ferriar, two ministers of the church of Scotland, seceded from her communion, and formed a kind of Independent church at Balchristy, on what they supposed to be the exact plan of the New Testament, of which they were appointed elders or co-pastors. About the same time one of Mr. Dale's friends built the new meeting in Grammar School - Wynd; and the congregation forming an intimate connection with that at Balchristy, they visited each other. After some time it was agreed that Mr. Ferriar should leave Balchristy, and come to Glasgow; and as, according to their opi nion, two ministers (or elders) were necessary to each church, another was chosen to assist Mr. Smith; and Mr. Dale was ordained joint elder with Mr. Ferriar, over a church of about twenty members. Mr. Dale, however, accepted the office with reluctance, and with such diffidence and anxiety, that his health was thereby materially affected. This was in 1769. On the opening of the new meeting, Mr. Dale could not be persuaded to engage till the second Sabbath; and then began with saying, “As I have no talent for composition, I propose only, comparing spiritual things with spiritual, to make a few observations on the passage I have read," namely, Rom. i. 14—18; which he then proceeded to expound. Mr. Ferriar, however, was an able preacher; and the congregation increased greatly, notwithstanding the ridicule of the profane and the reproach of many professors, who then considered Independentism as a kind of new heresy, that ought not to be suffered : - so little was the doctrine of toleration then un

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