Part 2 (1/2)
From indications contained in the brief Memoir from which this extract is taken, as well as from references in his correspondence, it would appear that about this tiious beliefs to a careful scrutiny in the light cast upon the and strain he eed with his faith established on a yet firmer basis than before One result of this experience may perhaps be found in a letter to his father, in which he tells hi the clai in life He feels the force of its incomparable attractions, but doubts whether he is fitted in elevation and maturity of character to undertake so vast a responsibility Besides, he is painfully conscious of personal aardness in the coement of business And so he thinks he will take another year to think of it, during which he will coe course
He spent the summer of 1839 with the Donaldson family at their country seat at Auchairn, near Ballantrae, in south Ayrshi+re, occupying most of his leisure hours in mathematical and physical studies in preparation for the work of the co winter In the session of 1839-40, his last at the University, he attended the classes of Natural Philosophy and Rhetoric, taking the first place in the latter and only justit in the former He attended, besides, Sir William Hamilton's private classes, and was much at his house and in his co out first in Classics and Philosophy, and being bracketed first in Mathe his fellow-students his reputation was ained in the class lists, but by his prowess in the debating arena Besides continuing his membershi+p in the Metaphysical Society, he had also been, since the spring of 1839, aof the older students'
debating societies Of the Diagnostic he speedily became the life and soul, and discussed with ardour such questions as the Repeal of the Corn Laws, Vote by Ballot, and the Exclusion of Bishops from the House of Lords One memorable debate took place on the Spiritual Independence of the Church, then theof all Scottish public questions The position of the Non-Intrusion party in the Established Church was maintained by Cairns's friend Clark, while he hihts, and, to quote the words of one as present, ”Cairns in reply swept all before hi a vote froe Liberalforle in triu all others far behind, and i us with the idea that he had a boundless future before him”[3]
[Footnote 3: _Life and Letters_, pp 94-95]
CHAPTER IV
THE STUDENT OF THEOLOGY
Over Cairns's life during his last session at the University there hung the shadow of a co sorrow His father's health, which had never been robust, and had been failing for soth quite broke down; and it soon becaer for some time, there was no hope of his recovery In the earlier days of his illness the father was able to write, and many letters passed between hi extracts from his letters reveal the character of the man, and surely furnish an illustration of as said in a forion on the Scottish working-man:--
”DUNGLass, _Dec_, 23,1839
”I would not have you think that I aency in what has befallen lory and praise, who can bring order out of confusion and light out of darkness; and I desire to look away from humanthat He doth not grieve willingly nor afflict the children of reat pain except what arises fro so bountifully with me
It would be unpardonable into make myself familiar with death in the forms and aspects in which he presents himself to the ing in a false and presuer lest we should be deceived in thiswhether our hope be that of the Gospel, as set forth in His Word of truth Still, through the grace and mercy of the Lord Jesus Christ, whorounds, I can call my Saviour, I am enabled to view death as a friend and as deprived of its sting, and this is a source of great co mind I can say that my Beloved is s to work together for His own glory and ood Dear son, I have thus opened mythat races of the Holy Spirit h our Lord Jesus Christ”
During this and part of the next year Cairns remained in Mr
Donaldson's family, and his relations with that family as a whole, as well as his special work in the tuition of the young son and daughter of the house, were of the reeable kind He had by this tih, and there were several pleasant and interesting houses that were always open to hi his e friends was Jauished student of Sir William Hamilton, and one of the founders of the Metaphysical Society
Russell was the son of a Perthshi+re parish minister, but his parents were dead, and he lived with an uncle and aunt, Mr and Mrs Archibald Wilson, whose own fahters
Cairns was introduced by Russell to the Wilson family, and soon became intimate with them His special friend--at last the dearest friend he had in this world--was the younger son, George, afterwards the well-known cheh No two ht, alert, nimble mind; Cairns with an intellect massive like his bodily frath and momentum; and yet the two fitted into each other, and when they really got to know each other it ht truly be said of the the love of women
By the midsummer of 1840 Cairns had co ”I have,” he wrote to his father on 13th June, ”after much serious deliberation and prayer to God for direction, made up my mind to commence this year the study of divinity, with a view to the office of the race of God on rave and solemn detered, and to whose ical tutors ere set apart for the work of teaching alone Its professors, of whoes, who lectured to the students during the two holiday ust and September The curriculum of the ”Divinity Hall,” as it was called, consisted of five of these short sessions During the re ten months of each year the student, except that he had to prepare a certain number of exercises for the Presbytery which had hie, was left very much to do as he pleased
Cairns entered the Hall, at that tiust of 1840 Of the four professors ere on the staff of the institution, and all of ere capable men, only two need here be mentioned These were Dr Robert Balh Dr Balian--in fact, so very fair, and even generous, was he wont to be in dealing with opponents that he so in syue, with these opponents He is specially interesting to us in this place, because Cairns succeeded hi interval, in his chair Dr Brown, the grandson and naton, was a man of noble presence and noble character, whose personality ”embedded in the translucent amber of his son's falish literature He was the pioneer of the scientific exposition of the Scriptures in the Scottish pulpit, and was one of the first exegetical theologians of his time His point of view may be seen in a frequent criticism of his on a student's discourse: ”That is truth and very iht in this passage” Being so, it was si place,” _dirt_ to be cleared away as speedily as possible
Cairns had been first attracted to Dr Brown by his speeches on the Annuity Tax, an Edinburgh ecclesiastical ioods, and he had been for hton Place; but it was only now that he came to know him really well Henceforth his admiration for Dr Brown, and the friendshi+p to which Dr Brown adst thehis fellow-students at the Hall were several young men of brilliant proic class in Hamilton's first session, WB Robertson, Alexander MacEwen, Joseph Leckie, and Williaht, witty, versatile, the ible of writers, was his chief intimate, and their friendshi+p continued unbroken and close for half a century
But lass All through the autu He was only fifty-one, but he was already worn out; and his disease, if disease it e His son saw him for the last time near the close of the year
”I cannot say,” he wrote to Miss Darling, ”that depression of spirits was the only, or even the chief, emotion hich I bade farewell toin his patience and resignation, so calht in his meek subly than raptures of religious joy could have done He displays the saht of death as has marked his equable and consistent life”
He died in the earlyof 3rd January 1841 His son William thus describes the scene: ”It was the first time any of us except ourin the act of departing, and that leaves an impression that can never be effaced When the end came, and each had truly realised what had happened, our ht be laid on the table; then she gave out that verse in the 107th Psaled into a caled before, Now quiet are and still'
It was her voice, too, that raised the tune Then she asked Thomas to read a chapter of the Bible and afterwards to pray We all knelt down, and Tho effort to steady his voice, but he failed utterly; then the dearfor the victory that had been won, and after that the neighbours were called in”[4]