Aloud sounds the trumpet of war, The chains of the demon are broke; His thousands mows down with a stroke! He drives down the mighty and strong, That sweeps with destruction along ! What portion on earth is secure ! A Monarch, to-morrow he poor! A night, and our griefs may be o'er ! A moment, and we are no more!« . When Nature and Time shall expire : And Earth be refio'd in his fire! The worlds by his providence sways ; And finish the work to his praise ! Thou Shield of thy people of old ! To shelter the sheep of thy fold ! And mountains plunge into the sea, ..... ....dies That all-important Time so swiftly flies ? And scorn Reflection's monitory voice, That calls, that warns, that wooes you, to be wise? ... For ever, ye departed months, adieu! What heart that knows your value can be gay? That by reflections forced, tho' loth to view, How unimprov'd the hours are fled away! Yet oft the warning voice (before they filed) Cry'd,“ Seize the precious minutes! make them thine ! , Ah, how wilt thou account for so much waste of treasure, lent for purposes divine!”. Thy voice, Reflection, now resolv'd, I hear; To thee the solemg midnight now I give ! And ask, while musing on the finish'd year, How have I spent my time ? - and why I live? “ How have I spent my time?"- Reflection, say: She answers, Wasted many a precious hour; And thrown, in careless indolence, away The days which claim'd for God each active power !! Why do I live? « Past errors to deplore, And humbly at thy Saviour's cross to bowi To ask his aid, and all his grace implore : To dedicate to him the present Now.” , Then 0, my Lord, to thy atoning blood For pardon, peace, and pow'r I meekly fly! Forgive my follies past: then, O my God, Tåstruct me how to live, and how to die! · Printed by G. AULR, Greville Street, London. The great end of Biography is example; and no characters are so interesting as those to which we can point, and say, " Ber hold 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 forins the subject of this Memoir: Mr. Dałe was born in the year 1739, 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 eyer afterwards maintained corrcspondence. In the year 1761, Mr. Dale came to Glasgow ; where he was first employed as clerk or shopman to Mr. James Alston, silk, mercer. About the beginning of 1763 he commenced business in the linen-yarn branch, in company with a young man; afterwards, he united with other partners ; and, lastly, he carried on the trade alonc, for some time with various and doubtful sliccess, 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 several cotton-spinning concerns; and at length to the establishment of the Lanerk Cotton Mills in 1785, which were exclusively his own. An account of these was published some years since by T. Barnard, Esq. from which we give the following ext. act : 6 These cotton-mills are four in number, of very large dimensions, tumed 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 fec, 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 simi. Jar undertakings in this kingdom; so that while some other mills inust 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 á period of twelve years, from 1785 to 1797, only fourtecn have died; and “ not one has been the object of judicial punisha ment." 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 liave 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 consi, dered as great solemnities, and are very numerously attended. Ile generally went along with a party of religious people, who attended at select places, where the ministers were esteemed ortho, dox; and here be formed some friendships which continued with unabating 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 ta cach other they never heard the like from so young a man before. About this period a law-suit commenced between the Magise |